Numenera_Corebook.pdf

CREDITS Writer/Designer M o nte Coo k R u l e Developers M o nte Coo k a n d Sean K. Reyn o l d s Additional Writi ng S h a n n a G e rm a i n Lead Editor S h a n n a G e r m a i n Ed itor Ray Va l Iese Proofreader M ichele Ca rte r Cover Designer and Lead Artist Kieran Ya n n e r G raphic Designer S a ra h Ro b i n so n Artists S a m u e l Araya , H e l ge Balzer, M a rk B u h a l o , C h ro m , Florian Devos , S a ra D i e s e l , D re a m st i m e. co m , J a son E n gle, Ka l i F itzge ra l d , G u i d o K u i p , E ri c Lofgre n , Patrick M c Evoy, J e remy M c H u g h , B ryn n M ethe ny, M ichael Perry, Roberto Pittu rru / Fa b i o Passamonti, Scott P u rdy, Lee S m it h , M att Stawicki, M a rk Ta rri sse, Ke ith T h o m p s o n , Prosper T i p a l d i , Co ry Trego- E rd n e r, S h a n e Tyree, Bear We iter, Ad rian Wi l k i n s , Kieran Ya n n e r Cartographer Ch risto p h e r We st Alpha Playtesters S h a n n a G e rm a i n , Ray Va l Iese, Co l i n M cCo m b , J a mes Bel l , E r i k M o n a , D a n ica King, Sean Reyn o l d s , Stan!, Hyru m S avage

Dedicated to JD Sparks LJay Peterson), who journeyed with me all through the lead-up to Numenera, helping to form my view on science fiction, fantasy, and everything that is cool about wild and wonderful ideas.

©

Monte Cook Games, LLC and its logo are trademarks of Monte Cook Games, LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries. All Monte Cook Games characters and character names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof, are trademarks of Monte Cook Games, LLC. Printed in Canada. 2013

NuMENERA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

i-

•

-

----

PART 6: THE NUMENERA

NEW WORLD, NEW GAME 4

Dreaming of the Future The Amber Monolith

6

Chapter 17: Chapter 18: Chapter 19: Chapter 20:

275 276

Technology Cyphers Artifacts Oddities &. Discoveries

314

319

278 298

PART 1: GETIING STARTED

11

Chapter 1: Welcome to the Ninth World Chapter 2: How to Play Numenera

12 15

PART 7: RUNNING THE GAME

PART 2: CHARACTERS

19

Chapter 3: Chapter 4: Chapter 5: Chapter 6: Chapter 7:

20

Chapter 21: Using the Rules Chapter 22: Building a Story Chapter 23: Realizing the Ninth World

354

47

PART 8: ADVENTURES

365

52

Chapter 24: Chapter 25: Chapter 26: Chapter 27: Chapter 28:

Creating Your Character Character Type Character Descriptor Character Focus Equipment

77

PART 3: PLAYING THE GAME

83 84

Adventures Overview The Beale of Boregal Seedship The Hidden Price Three Sanctums

129

Living in the Ninth World The Steadfast The Beyond Beyond the Beyond Organizations

PART 5: CREATURES

&.

130 136 174 213 222

CHARAffiRS 227

Chapter 15: Creatures Chapter 16: Non-Player Characters

366 367 379 385 390

113

PART 9: BACK MATIER Chapter 10: Chapter l 1: Chapter 12: Chapter 13: Chapter 14:

340

26

Chapter 8: Rules of the Game Chapter 9: Optional Rules

PART 4: THE SETIING

320

228 269

Appendix A: Character Creation Walkthrough Appendix B: Bibliography and Resources Appendix C: Kickstarter Backers Glossary Index Numenera Character Sheet

399 400 402 403 411 412 414

DREAMING OF THE FUTURE ' m a d reamer. I 've had a l ot of d re a m s . B ut for twe nty years, two d re a m s of m i n e h ave stuck with me, n o m atte r what e l s e I w a s d o i n g o r w h at I w a s worki n g o n . Projects came a n d went, but these two d re a m s always h overed i n the backgro u n d . T h e first was a roleplaying game system where players got t o decide how m uch effort they wanted t o p u t i nto any given action, and that decision would help determ i n e whether their action would succeed or fail. This wou l d be a s i m p l e b u t elegant system where s u stained dam age and physical exertion d rew from the s a m e resou rce (so as you became wounded, you cou l d do less, and as you became exh austed , you were easier to take down) . Where you r wi l l power and you r mental " power points" were the same th i n g, and as you d rew on you r mental resources, you r a b i l ity to stave off mental attacks waned . And where it was all so i ntegrated i nto the character that it was easy to p rocess and keep track of. But most of a l l , I d reamed of a game system that was des igned from the ground u p t o b e played t h e way people actually pl ayed games, a n d t o b e r u n t h e way that game masters really ran them. The second d ream that stuck with me was a world that fu sed science fiction and fantasy, but not i n the usual m ixed-ge n re sort of way. I n stead, it was a place that felt l i ke fantasy but was actually science fiction. Or perhaps it felt l i ke science fiction but was actua l ly fantasy. Could I ach ieve both at once? The wel l - known quote from Sir Art h u r C . Clarke that " a n y s ufficiently adva nced technology i s i n d i stinguishable from magic" seemed t o lie a t t h e heart of this concept. I n my m i n d , I envi sioned strangely ga rbed p riests chanting wel l-rehearsed prayers and i nvocations, using sacred i n struments and maki n g precise gestures, but then we real ize that the i n stru ments are technological i n nature, and some of the gestu res are actually fingers playing over buttons or sections of a touch screen . . . . But t h at w a s a l l twe nty yea rs ago. Time passed. I worked o n h u n d red s of p rojects fo r d iffe rent co m pa n ie s-i n cl u d i n g my own . I n ever co m p letely fo rgot about those ideas, but they mostly faded away i nto t h e rece sses of my m i n d . Then, I was lyi ng i n bed one night about a year ago, a n d i n m y mind's eye I saw two figures pulling tattered cloaks around themselves to ward off the ch i l l as they wal ked. The two trudged across a grey land scape, wary with each step. And as this scene receded , I saw that the terrain they crossed was a massive gear, and the land scape was i n fact an u n bel ievably h u ge and ancient mach ine. The key to this scene, I real ized , was that the figures were i n no way part of this terrai n-perhaps they d i d n 't even understand the concept of the mach ine-but they were accustomed to it. It was a part of the world they l ived i n as m uch as mountains, rivers, and forests are a part of ours. A l l at o n ce, I knew t h at it was t i m e to create this game a n d this sett i n g t h at had been b rew i n g i n my co n s c i o u s n e s s fo r twe nty years. I t was t i m e to create NuMENERA™. At the time of this writing, I have worked as a professional game designer for twenty-five years. I 've written articles, adventu res, sourcebooks, and roleplayi ng game settings (along with short stories, novels, scripts, and comic books) .

I

�LIME NE� DREAMING OF THE FUTURE

I 've designed or co-designed four roleplayi ng games based on earl ier versions of other games, designed a m i n i atures game, and worked on a few com puter games, card games, and other m i scellaneous projects. But I had never designed a roleplayi ng game all on my own , from the ground up, based entirely on a setting of my own creation. I had always wanted to. The games I worked on are all things I'm very proud of, but none expressed exactly how I wanted to play an RPG. It seemed l i ke it was time to give it a shot: to try to put down on paper what I ' d been doing i n t h e games I ran fo r so long. I 've never been a G M w h o rel ied heavily on rules. I n stead, I tried t o focu s more on story, fu n , and gameplay. Even when I ran a game with a rather rigid ruleset, I would add i n new elements so that there would be spells or creatures or player resou rces or som e thing that was more mysterious or more flexi ble to give the story a l ittle breathing room. To allow both the players and me to be creative rather than always rigid ly defined. To create a n ew sett i n g to go with these ru l e s , it wo u l d h ave to fit the se n s i b i l ities of the n a rrative syste m I was creat i n g . S i n ce t h e rules we re m o re about sto ry, mood , a n d ideas t h a n about rigid d efi n it i o n s , the wo rld had to be t h at way, too. I t h ad to be a wo rld of we i rd myste ries a n d i ntrigu i n g q uest i o n s . The trad itio n a l ways o f p resent i n g RPG sett i n g material made it d ifficult beca u s e t h ey we re a l so u s u a l ly fa i rly rigid-closed a n d d efined rat h e r t h a n open-ended a n d mysterious. And u n d e rsta n d a b ly so. RPG sett i n g d e s i g n i s a l l a b o u t givi n g a G M t h e i n fo rmation s h e need s t o run a g a m e , a n d t h at c a n be a l ot o f i nformat i o n . I knew I co u l d d o t h i s n ew sett i n g j u stice t h a n ks to two t h i n g s . T h e first w a s a prod uct line I worked on a l o n g t i m e ago cal led Planescape®. It was a setting fu l l o f mystery. It never allowed itself to be pin ned down. Planescape was wei rd and wild and imaginative. It was a setting about mood and ideas and amazi ng vistas more than it was about nailing down every l ittle detail. It experimented with narrative voice and d ifferent kinds of presentation that stressed story, emotion, and flavor. So I knew it could be done. The second was a prod uct I worked very hard on a few years back cal led Ptolus. Ptolus was a d20 setting, but it abandoned most of the trad itional RPG approaches to presenti n g setting materia l . I n stead , it took i n s p i ration from travel guides and nonfiction books. With Ptolus, I learned that there were ways to present i nformation to G M s and pl ayers that made their l ives easier and their games more fu n . With that kind of presentation-i nformative and yet fl avorfu l thanks to its art- heavy and visual natu re-I could take a Planescape narrative approach and sti l l make a very usable prod uct. So that's what I 've tried to d o . A l ot of the N i nth Wo rld can be cred ited to i n s p i ration fr o m two people, t h e French a rt i st M oe b i u s a n d the write r G e n e Wolfe. I 've l o n g b e e n a fa n of M oe b i u s ' s wo rks, i n p a rticu l a r h i s v i s i o n of tec h n o l ogy, h i s synt h e s i s of science a n d mystici s m , a n d h i s method o f i n fu s i n g h i s backgro u n d s w i t h deep, deep h i story. Eve ry M oe b i u s a rt p i ece tel l s the story of a wo rld with a rich a n d wo n d e rfu l ly we i rd past. I 've been a fan of Gene Wolfe-particu larly his series The Book of the New Sun-s i nce I was very you n g. In fact, as I write this, I rea l ize that I was i ntrod uced to t h i s series by my ch i l d hood friend J D, a fact particu larly poignant to me because i n two d ays I go to )D's memorial service. H e was a friend whose sen s i b i l ities about fantasy and science fiction and cool, imaginative ideas were developed right alongside m i ne. Which i s probably why even though we grew up and went our separate ways, we managed to stay in touch a l l these years. The world lost a great, creative soul with h i s passi ng. Through h i s i nfl uence on me, he now l ives on in the N i nth World. In The Book of the New Su n , Wolfe acco m p l ishes with asto n i s h i n g l iterary depth a work that at first see m s t o be a fantasy s e t i n the past, but eventu a l ly w e l e a r n that it i s , i n fact, a science fiction story s e t i n the fa r, fa r fut u re. I t i s b ri l l iant and wel l writte n , as fu l l of creative i d e a s as a nyth i n g I 've eve r read. Yo u s h o u l d read i t , too. I was fo rt u n ate e n o u g h to study fiction u n d e r Wolfe, and I learned a great d e a l about writ i n g . Th u s , h i s work a n d h i s style wi l l always be an i n s p i ration to me, but n ever m o re t h a n in N u m e n e ra , to be s u re . There are, o f cou rse, m a n y i n s p i rations for N u menera, so I created a bibl iography for the g a m e that you ' l l fi n d i n Appendix B (page 402) . But long before you get there, w h y n o t give "The A m b e r Monolith" (page 6 ) a q u ick read ? The story sets the tone for the setting and esta b l i s hes a great many deta i l s a bout the N i nth World, the kinds of thi ngs characters will do i n the game, and the amount of latitude G M s and players h ave to stretch their i magi nations here. Then read Welcome to the N i nth World, which presents things a bit more plain ly. After that, read How to Play N umenera, and you'll pretty much have a good handle on the essentials of what you need to know. The rest--character creation, the fu l l rules, the setting, the creatures, and so on-are just details, although hopefully they' re fun and i nteresting details. (Here's a h i nt that I hope wi l l really help: use How to Play N umenera [page 1 5] to learn and teach the essentials of the game, and use Rules of the Game [page 84] as you r reference tool when you have questions.) If you ' re goi ng to be a G M , read the Running the Game sections (page 3 1 9) carefu l ly after read ing the rules. There I 've done my best to convey what the game's all about and provide some of my secrets to ru n n i n g a great game. I s i n cerely hope t h at yo u find N u menera fu n , fu l l of w i l d ideas, and most of a l l i n s p i rati o n a l so t h at yo u ' l l create yo u r own i m a g i n ative c h a racte rs a n d stories. Yo u ' re about t o e m bark o n some a m a z i n g adventures.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

During the making of this book, we received invaluable assistance­ directly or indirectly-from the following people, places, and things: Brazilian Game Fans Borderlands 2 Bill Cavalier Paul Chapman Sir Arthur C. Clarke Eric Coates Florence and the Machine Fringe Glasya Grizzly Bear Ken and Marilyn Harrison Scott Holden Kickstarter Ryan Klemm Iced Soy Mochas in Xile Entertainment jewel Box Cafe Two MacBook Airs One MacBook Pro Two iPhones One iPad Mateusz Kaluzny Kid Snippets Mary Robinette Kowal MazM Salad Mono Nick a( Trish Ninth World Hub Danny O'Neil Road Trips Charles Ryan Tammie Ryan Treadmill Desk Aaron Voss Sue Weinlein Steve Wieck David Wilson Brown Annie Yamashita George Z And a special hat tip to our Kickstarter backers (see Appendix C, page 403, for the complete list).

THE AMBER MONOLITH The Catechism of Lore:

All glory to the originators of truth and understanding. Praise to the innovators of steel and synth. Praise to the shapers of flesh, of bone, and of mind. Glory to those who re-sculpted the sustaining earth and the life-giving sun. Praise to the senders of signals, who even now whisper into machine ears and give life to the inanimate. Praise to those who traveled to the stars, and the realms beyond the stars. All glory to the originators of truth and understanding. Let us then resume the recitation of the Sacred Chronicle of High Father Calaval, Amber Pope and founder of the Citadel of the Conduit and the Order of Truth, as written by his grandniece, Doroa of the Silent Song:

CHAPTER IX: WIND OF IRON In which we learn the lesson of dedication. Ca l aval c l i m bed t h e h i l l , his pet t h u m a n at his s i d e . Cru m b l i n g bits of ancient brick tu rned to grave l with each ste p . At the top, h e saw the a m be r obel i s k the o l d wo m a n had told h i m a bout. I t stretched i m po s s i b ly i nto t h e s ky. The red d i s h -ye l l ow l i ght of the old, ti red s u n ca ught in its angles h i gh a bove the p l a i n of ru i n . Eve n after a l l these eo n s , t h e mach i n e a t t h e h e a rt o f the o be l i s k sti l l t h r u m med with powe r. Rings orb ited the d evice, s p i n n i n g with u n ea rt h l y p reci s i o n . The t h u m a n s a t o n i t s h a u nches, m u lti-joi nted l e g s fo l d i n g ben eath i t . I t looked u p a t i t s m aster w i t h n a rrow, b l ack eyes . Red d u st cove red the fu rry crest atop its head . Ca l aval set h i s heavy pack d own n ext to h i m , exh a u sted . H e bent down and brus hed t h e d i rt a n d d u st away fro m it, a n d then fro m h i s clothes. F i n a l ly, he brus hed the red d u st fro m the t h u m a n . " Do n ' t worry, Fed d i k, " h e wh i s pe red . "Yo u wo n ' t h ave t o g o i n s id e . I ' l l h ave to d o t h at a l o n e . " Fed d i k' s gaze, a s a lways, made it s e e m a s though h e u nd e rstood . Afte r a s h o rt rest, t h e p a i r res u med t h e i r j o u rn ey. The peo p l e i n t h e l a st v i l l age, Cloud ridge, h a d ca l l ed t h i s t h e P l a i n o f B rick. The lack of creativity d id n ot s u rprise Ca l ava l . A s i m p l e fo l k without a cl ave , t h ey to i l ed i n fie l d s a n d h e rded s h ereh i n the fe rt i l e va l l ey to the south. B ut t h ey'd given h i m food i n exc h a n ge for a few b a u b l e s a n d s h i n s h e carried w i t h h i m , a n d gave h i m a p l ace t o s l eep, so it was d ifficu lt to fee l anyt h i n g but ki n d ly towa rd them. I so l ated v i l l ages with Aeo n Priests often beca me fea rfu l of stra n gers a n d d a n ge ro u s ly i n s u l a r. O n ce, h e had co m e u p o n a com m u n ity t h at had stu m b led u p o n a b u ried faci l ity fro m t h e prior wo rld s wh i l e d i ggi n g a we l l . They had i n adve rte ntly re lea sed a n oxi o u s gas, tra n sfo rm i n g the enti re popu l ation i nto m a n i acal, s u pe rh u m a n ca n n i b a l s . Ca l aval had barely escaped a l ive.

� 6

Aeo n Priests a n d t h e i r knowl edge of n u m e n e ra co u l d p reve nt i n cidents l i ke t h at. Ca l aval sought to j o i n t h e i r ra n ks . H i story taught t h at the ancient race s t h at had dwe l led u p o n earth before the N i nt h Wo rld wielded great powe r. Th i s powe r came fro m knowledge. It m i ght not be pos s i b l e for Ca l ava l , the Aeo n Priests, o r a nyo n e e l s e o n eart h of t h e p resent to m a ster a l l t h at knowledge, b u t s u rely there we re secrets there , lost t o the past, u po n which t h ey co u l d b u i ld a fut u re. Ca l aval was ce rta i n of it. I t j u st had to be d i scove red . O r rat h e r, red i scove red . H e had a p l a n on h ow to sta rt. A red cloud rose o n the horizon, beyo n d t h e obel i s k i n the s ky. Someone m ovi n g acro s s t h e d ry p l a i n ? Ce rta i n ly somet h i n g b i g if t h at was the case. Perh a p s a h e rd . Perh a p s a pack of ra iders. Fed d i k w h i ned. The cloud loomed l a rge r. N o h e rd . N o creat u re at a l l-a d u st sto rm. Ca l aval u n packed his desert filter a n d put it ove r his mouth. Then h e fitted o n e ove r Fed d i k' s nose a n d mouth. The beast pawed at it a few t i m e s , but accepted it q u ickly. They had been t h ro u g h d u st sto rms toget h e r before. The ba rren p l a i n offe red l ittl e s h e lter. Ca l aval kept wa l ki n g, for there we re few oth e r o pt i o n s . The t h u m a n stayed very close. The wa l l of o n ru s h i n g red e n g u l fed the obel i s k and bore d own u po n the exp l o rers l i ke a mon ster. T h rough h i s filter, a s c e n t ca ught the yo u n g man's atte ntion. I t jogged a memory. I t tri ggered fea r. " I ro n Wi n d!" Ca l aval looked a ro u n d h e l p lessly fo r some kind of s h elter. But there was n owh e re to h id e . N ot fro m t h e w i n d . H e wo u l d sta n d aga i n st the ravages o f a s a n d sto rm, eve n a s i t tore a t h i s fl e s h , but I ro n Wi n d w a s so meth i n g d i fferent a ltoget h e r. It d i d n 't j u st tear at fl e s h , it a ltered it. Wit h i n the w i n d l ived particles crafted by the n u m e n e ra far too t i n y fo r a m a n to see. Ca l aval wa s n 't act u a l ly certa i n t h at p a rticles was t h e right word . Creat u re s ? M ac h i n e s ? It s u rpassed u n d e rsta n d i ng. His pack t h u d d e d o n t h e gro u n d . H e ru m maged t h rough its contents wh i l e the t h u m a n w h i ned. F i n a l ly, h e p rod uced a s m a l l

�LIME NE� THE AMBER MONOLITH

i ro n awl , a n d a d evice t h at looked l i ke it was meant to fit s n ugly i n a perso n ' s clenched fist, i f a person h a d s ix fi n gers. I n two p l aces acro s s its synth s u rface s m a l l w i res l ay exposed . Ca l aval crouched l ow. A s m a l l g l a s s p a n e l o n o n e s i d e s h owed l i ghted sym bols when h e p ressed a s m a l l stud where his t h u m b wo u l d fit. H e d i d n 't know what the sym b o l s meant, but he knew t h at when a sym bol t h at re m i n d ed him a bit of a b i rd i n fl i ght fl a s h e d , h e needed to p re s s the stud aga i n . H e g l a nced u p a n d saw the ro i l i n g red cloud a p p roach . I gn o ri n g the sweat bead i n g at t h e bridge of his nose, Ca l aval p u shed the awl u p i nto the cavity among t h e exposed w i res near the botto m . The d evice shook a bit and t h e re was a s izzl i n g s o u n d a n d the s m e l l of b u rnt a i r. S u d d e n ly, a d ro n i n g n o i s e e n g u l fed Ca l aval a n d the n e rves a l l a l o n g h i s fl e s h t i n gled u n pleasa ntly. The awl s l i p ped fro m his h a n d . H e clenched the d evice a n d p u l led Fed d i k close. The t h u m a n s q u i rmed as the a i r a ro u n d t h e m s h i m m e re d . T h e h a i r o n Ca l ava l ' s a r m s rose a n d h i s s k i n prickled. T h e s h i m m eri n g a i r s m e l led l i ke a t h u n d e rsto rm. H e knew t h at it was a sort of h a l o a ro u n d h i m . An a u ra. A fie l d . H e d id n ot kn ow, but h e h o ped , t h at t h e field wo u l d re pel the d a n ge ro u s , u n seen t h i ngs i n the I ro n W i n d . The a p p roach i n g n u m e n e ra storm d id not offer h i m m u c h t i m e t o wo n d e r if it wo u l d work. The a i r w a s s u d d e n ly red , ch u rn i ng. The ge n e rato r i n his h a n d v i b rated at a terri b l e freq u e n cy. I t n u m bed h i s h a n d a n d then h i s arm. H e co ncentrated o n h o l d i n g fa s t t o i t eve n though he co u l d no longer fee l it. H e told h i mself t h at the b i l l i o n s o f t i ny s h rieks i n the w i n d we re but h i s i m agi n at i o n . The I ro n W i n d ro i l ed a ro u n d h i m , but it d id n ot h a rm h i m . With a wh i n e t h at q u ickly beca me a h owl , Fed d i k twi sted fro m h i s gra s p , p u l l i n g away. Ca l aval s h o uted without s o u n d . The beast' s leftmost l i m b s a n d s i d e e m e rged fro m t h e s h i m me r i n g d i stortion a n d entered the w i n d . Ca l aval co u l d n ot s e e what h a p pened , n o r co u l d h e sti l l h e a r h i s co m pa n i o n . The t h u m a n ' s body t h ra s h e d . Ca l aval grabbed a h a n dfu l of Fed d i k' s h a i r a n d h e l d on as best he co u l d wh i l e the d evice i n his oth e r h a n d n u m bed m o re a n d more of his body, wea ke n i n g eve ry m u scle he h a d . H e closed h i s eye s . The w i n d p a s s e d m o re q u ickly t h a n any s a n d storm wo u l d , b u t n o n e too q u ickly fo r Ca l ava l . T h e d evice d ro p ped from h i s contorted, n u m b fist onto t h e stony gro u n d . H e co l l a p sed , b u t was ca refu l to p u l l Fed d i k atop h i m , rat h e r t h a n to fall u po n the beast. Fed d i k made a p l a i ntive moan u n l i ke a nyth i n g Ca l aval had eve r heard . When h e co u l d m a n age it, Ca l aval l ifted h i s head t o look a t h i s pet. H u n d reds o f t i n y, worm l i ke te n d ri l s fl a i led where Fed d i k' s left two l i m b s h a d o n ce bee n . T h e fl e s h a ro u n d those legs, a n d a l l a l o n g t h e l e ft s i d e , looked a n d fe lt l i ke meta l l i c p l ates. O rifices t h at Ca l aval co u l d n ot begin to u n d e rsta nd eru pted and closed on the beast' s new port i o n s . The left s i d e of its face contorted with open i n g and clos i n g eyes as if a crowd of s m a l l e r creat u re s had taken up res i d e n ce in its head . The w i n d had rewritte n the t h u m a n . Eve ry bit of its fl e s h t h at t h e w i n d had to uched , it c h a n ged. Ca l aval p u shed Fed d i k from atop him a n d stood . His sta n ce was n ot steady, but h e h a rd ly notice d . H e looked o n l y at his l o n gt i m e

co m pa n i o n s l owly writ h i n g on the gro u n d . P a i n was evi dent i n eve ry fiber o f t h e creatu re, n ew a n d o l d . W i t h a wa i l , Ca l aval d rew the l o n g knife a t h i s s i d e fr o m its leather s h eat h . H e h e l d h i s b reat h . Tea rs streamed d own h i s face. H e wanted to close h i s eye s , but h e fea red h i s aim wo u l d fa i l . So h e sta red down at Fed d i k. He watched h i s fri e n d ' s eyes as he s l iced i nto t h e n o n meta l l i c part of its n e c k . B lood pooled a ro u n d the creatu re. I t d i ed i n s i le nce. Ca l aval d id n ot c u rse the god s h i s mot h e r had taught h i m , nor did h e p ray to them fo r me rcy. I t was n 't t h at h e did n ot be l i eve i n vast, non h u m a n i n te l l i ge n ce s l iv i n g i n t h e s ky a bove-he h a d seen t h e m orbiti n g in Yes s a i ' s telescope n i ght after n i ght-he j u st d i d n ot be l i eve t h at they d i rected events. H e bel ieved i n ca u s e a n d effect. N ot god s . Eve n t h e t h i ngs i n h a biti n g t h e d ata s p h e re were created, the re s u lt of someone's knowledge a n d u n d e rsta n d i ng. H e bel ieved i n t h e u n iverse a n d i t s l aws, set i n motion b i l l i o n s o f yea rs earl i e r. j u st beca u s e t h e peo p l e of t h i s wo rld ca l l e d it magic d i d n ot mean t h at he co u l d n ot see beyo n d . T h at was what the Aeon Priests d i d , a n d-as h a rd a s it was to acce pt-t h at i s what he wo u l d d o too. The n u menera, a s the p riests ca l l ed it, a rose beca u s e of the i nte l l ect of the peo p l e of the prior worl d s . I t o n ly s e e m e d l i ke m i racles. I t o n ly seemed l i ke d a m n at i o n .

-->---CHAPTER X: ALONE In which we learn the lesson of loss. Alas, C h a pter X i s lost to u s . It is b e l i eved by t h e co u n c i l t h at it conta i ned d eta i l s of Ca l ava l ' s m o u rn i n g of h i s a n i m a l , and t h u s d e scri bed h i s co m pa s s i o n a n d capacity fo r l ove. L i kely it a l s o deta i led h i s fa ntastic i nte l l i ge n ce (particu l a rly h i s near-pe rfect reca l l ) a n d h i s great w i s d o m , often be i n g we l l prepared fo r co nti n gencies t h at most oth e rs wo u l d n eve r h ave foresee n . I n stead o f i t s co ntents e n rich i n g u s , l et u s conte m p l ate o n t h e s i g n ifica n ce o f lost knowledge. N o greate r loss exists. A l l glory to t h e o ri g i n ators of truth a n d u n d e rsta n d i ng.

--�>-----CHAPTER XI: ENTERING THE OBELISK In which we learn the lesson ofpersei;erance. The Amber M o n o l ith rose h i gh a bove Ca lava l . A l m ost d i rectly below t h e o be l i s k mach i n e , t h e noise t h at t h e vast s p i n n i n g mech a n i s m p rod u ced d rowned o u t t h e s o u n d s o f h i s own wea ry b reat h . The rotat i n g rings moved a n d t h r u m med i n a rhyt h m t h at heartened h i m . It was exactly what he was looki n g fo r. The old wo m a n i n Cloud ridge had told the trut h . Ca l aval h ad o n ly o n e l a st trick i n h i s b a g . The rest o f i t s contents were m u nd a n e s u p p l ie s , too l s , and eq u i p ment. But h e had s aved

o n e m i n o r bit of n u m e n e ra for j u st t h i s moment. H e p u l led a w i re m e s h belt fro m t h e bag a n d affixed it a ro u n d h i s wai st. A metal d evice on the s i d e of t h e belt had some s i m p l e contro l s . Somet i m e s b i t s o f tech nol ogy l i ke t h i s-cyp hers, m o s t peo p l e ca l l ed t h e m-seemed l i ke t h ey were once parts o f oth e r, l a rger device s . Those who had come before h i m had j u st figu red out a way to m a ke u s e of them i n a temporary, u s u a l ly one-shot, d a m n ­ the-ri s ks sort o f way. Ca l aval knew a l ot o f the tricks. H e d id n't fu l ly u n d e rsta n d h ow t h ey worked . N o o n e h e knew did. B ut h e knew e n o u g h to t ry t h at switc h , o r cro s s those w i res, o r look fo r a readout with t h i s sym bol on it. E n o u g h to somet i m e s get an effect he wanted . Someth i n g he co u l d u s e . L i ke n ow. Exce pt the belt was n 't l i ke t h at. The belt, Ca l aval fe lt s u re, was i ntended fo r p reci sely the p u rpose fo r w h i c h h e was about to u s e it. The o n ly t h i n g was t h e way it fit h i m . Obvi o u s ly, it h ad been d e s i gned fo r a creatu re oth e r than a h u m a n to wea r it. Ca l aval m a n i p u l ated t h e co ntro l s . S o u n d l e s s ly, h i s feet left the gro u n d . B u oya nt, h e floated u pwa rd . The belt gently re m oved h i m fro m t h e gra s p o f gravity. H e soared eve r h i g h e r. T h e red brick l a n d scape stretched below h i m . A warm wind tu gged at his tanned leather cloth i n g-h i s coat, his ca p . I t brus hed aga i n st his wo rn, u n s h ave n face. Above h i m , the A m b e r M o n o l it h d rew c l o s e r, a n d h e co u l d s e e t h at , t r u e t o i t s n a m e , t h e ye l l owi s h - b rown struct u re offe red a t ra n s l ucent s u rfa ce i n contrast to t h e s i lvery meta l l i c m e ch a n i s m a t i t s h e a rt. T h e o be l i s k offe red a p o i nted t o p a n d botto m , b u t t h e center w a s a m a s s ive c l ockwo rk d e v i ce w i t h s p i n n i n g r i n g s o r b it i n g a ro u n d it at s kewed b u t s o m e h ow ext ra o rd i n a r i l y p rec i s e a n g l e s . A s he got very close-l i kely h u n d reds o f feet a bove t h e grou nd­ the very lowest point of the h overi n g obel i s k offered a meta l l i c h atch to Ca l ava l . Contro l l i n g h i s horizontal position p resented some d ifficu lties. Once aga i n , the position of the belt's console s u ggested a wea re r with a very d ifferent body type than h i s . H i s arm grew sore from reach i n g d own and a ro u n d to touch the ti ny, glowi n g panels. The wind made t h i ngs eve n h a rder. Ca l aval maneuvered towa rd the h atch , but then the breeze carried him off i n the wrong d i rection aga i n . The situation s u ggested how h a rd it m i ght be to be a l eaf in the b reeze with a n objective. Or even a b utterfly. Ca l aval fu m b led across the belt co ntro l s over and over, gras p i n g at the h atch as he got close each time, and each time fa i l i n g to reach it. H e began to worry about j u st h ow m u c h powe r the belt had. H ow l o n g a d u ration the gravity- n u l l ify i n g effect offe red . H i s arms sore, each from st retch i n g i n d i fferent d i rect i o n s , i n d i fferent awkward positio n s , h e tried o n e l a st t i m e , a n d fi n a l ly m a n e uve red close enough to loop h i s arm t h rough a h a n d l e on t h e h atch l i ke a h o o k . The i n co h e rent s o u n d h e made w a s a moan o f exa s peration a n d a cry of t ri u m p h at o n ce. Then t h e powe r of the belt gave out. H i s own s u d d e n we ight je rked o n h i s arm, wrench i n g it with a p a i n fu l cracki n g noise. Ago ny s h ot d own h i s s h o u l d e r a n d i nto h i s s i d e . H e grabbed h i s wrist with h i s free h a n d t o m a ke i t h a rd e r fo r h i m t o s l i p loose, b u t h e a l m ost b l acked o u t fro m t h e p a i n . D a n g l i n g fro m the botto m o f the obel i s k, h e gas ped fo r a b reath h e co u l d n ot seem to get. H i s m i nd swa m and h e had to fight to keep a focu s . F i n a l ly, beca u s e if h e d i d n ot, h e knew h e wo u l d soon

fa i nt and fa l l , h e l et go of h i s own wrist and t h rashed at the h atch to t ry to find a way to open it. That task, at least, was s u rp ri s i n gly s i m p l e . An e a s i l y moved lever p rod uced a s u d d e n h i s s , and t h e n the h atch opened s l owly. Ca l aval struggled to h a n g on to the m ovi n g h atch . When it stopped, h e twi sted h i s body a ro u n d to look up i nto t h e o pe n i n g it gave. I t was d a rk, but a meta l l i c ladder offe red a way up t h ro u g h an a m be r s h aft. With h i s free h a n d , h e grabbed the botto m rung, but as h e d i d h i s oth e r arm wrenched free . Aga i n , terrific p a i n l a n ced d own h i s b o d y fro m s h o u l d e r to h i p. He bit d own on h i s to ngue, w h i c h m ay h ave been the o n ly t h i n g t h at kept h i m co n s c i o u s . H i s o n e a r m d a n gled u s e l e s s . H e had n o idea h ow h e wo u l d cl i m b u p the l a d d e r. He d id t h e o n ly t h i n g he co u l d th i n k of, a n d p u l led h i mself u p as h i gh a s h e co u l d a n d kicked his leg u p to hook it onto a rung. After a few tries, h e s u cceed ed . B ut when h e d i d , h i s pack came loose a n d s p i l led its contents down t h e long way to the gro u n d . Thou ghts o f god s t o cu rse o n ce aga i n ca m e t o h i s m i n d . O nce aga i n , h e refused.

---CHAPTER XII: HUNTED IN THE DARK In which we learn the lesson of ingenuity. The cl i m b was l o n g a n d ago n izing. Eve ry s u rface a ro u n d Ca l aval v i b rated s l i ghtly with a co n stant thrum t h at kept time with the s p i n n i n g rings of the central heart of the monolith. Eve n the air seemed to s h a ke, eve r so s l i ghtly. Exactly the rhyt h m h e had m e m o rized . The o n e h e had been looki n g fo r. The top of the amber s h aft offered l i ght too d i m to see, and Ca l aval had lost h i s glowglobes when h i s pack fel l . With h i s good h a n d , he p u l led a box of m atches from h i s pocket and struck one. H e confirmed that his i m mediate s u rro u n d i ngs were safe, and then tossed the m atch away, col l a p s i n g on his side for a n u n known time. H e knew h e h ad to p u s h his arm back i nto its p roper position. When h e was a you n g man, h e had seen his farmer father i n a s i m i l a r s ituation. H e had had t o h e l p the m a n reset h i s s h o u l d er. Tod ay Ca l aval wo u l d h ave to do it h i m se l f. He struggled to h i s feet. T h e p a i n m a d e h i s head swi m a n d h e a l most fe l l . H e fe lt t h e wa l l i n t h e d i m a m ber- h ued l i ght. H e positioned h i s d i s l ocated l i m b with h i s u sefu l a r m . H e took t h ree q u ick b reat h s . N ot givi n g h i m self t i m e to t h i n k a b o u t i t , h e ra m med h i s body aga i n st the wa l l . H e s h rieked a n d fe l l t o t h e floor, writh i n g i n ago ny. He s h rieked l o u d e r t h e seco n d t i m e . He passed out for a t i m e­ he d i d n ot know for h ow l o n g-afte r rea l iz i n g t h at t h at atte m pt d i d n 't s u cceed either. The t h i rd atte m pt had a s i m i l a r re s u lt. F i n a l ly, the fo u rth try gave h i m s u cce s s . H e did n ot pass out, but l ay, re st i n g i n his own sweat, fo r what seemed about a n h o u r. O n ce he recovered , he cl i m bed o n ce aga i n to h i s feet. He stood stead i e r t h a n before. W i t h t h ree deep b reat h s , h e gathered h i m self menta l ly a n d physical ly. At l a st, he decided to exp l o re . H e had c o m e h e re fo r a rea s o n , afte r a l l .

�LIME NE� THE AMBER MONOLITH

H e fo u n d h i m self with i n a series of t u n n e l s we n d i n g t h e i r way t h rough vast, i n co m p re h e n s i b l e mach i n e s . O r perh a p s , h e co n s id e red , p a rts o f o n e l a rge mach i n e . The l atte r, h e d eterm i n ed, seemed most l i kely. Afte r b u r n i n g t h ro u g h h a l f h i s m atch e s i n h i s exp l o rat i o n s , h e fo u n d a p i l e of s c r a p synth i n vari o u s s izes a n d co lors. M ostly p i pe s , some of which were h o l l ow, and oth e rs fi l led with cables a n d w i res. Some we re broken a n d j agge d . Ca l aval fo u n d a h o l l ow p i pe of wh ite synth about two feet long. H e used h i s k n i fe to cut h i s leather cap i nto stri p s . Poki n g a stri p d own i nto t h e p i pe , he created a m a ke s h ift torc h . I t wo u l d n 't last long, and it created a l ot of s m o ke, but it wo u l d l a st l o n ge r t h a n a m atch , a n d he had many stri ps of leat h e r a n d cloth to use. H e cl i m bed another s h aft, and afte r wanderi n g more, yet another. D u r i n g each ascent h i s torch fai led h i m and he had to re l i ght it i n the dim l i ght once he reached the top. By the time h e d i d this after the th i rd cl i m b , a loud staccato b u rst of sound startled h i m . H e d ro p ped the torch and the barely l it leather stri p fel l out. The stra n ge, i rreg u l a r noise acco m p a n ied a flash of b l u e-wh ite i l l u m i n atio n . And aga i n . I n these b rief i n stance s o f l i ght, h e s a w somet h i n g m ove. A panel i n o n e wa l l opened . M o re l i ght fro m with i n . With a yawn i n g h i s s , a s i l h o u ette e m e rged . Cl atter. Wh i r. G roa n . Ancient l i m bs stretched to l i fe. M et a l , fl e s h , a n d w i ri n g s h a m b l ed i n t h e form of a l oo m i n g ape. S h a ggy h a i r fl uttered about it, as if each stra n d had its own p re h e n s i l e l ife. Wh ite eyes g l a red from a bove a wide s nout, sym b o l s scro l l i n g across t h e m from side to s i d e . Ca l aval d id n ot w a i t to s e e m o re. H e leapt d own the s h aft, th rowi n g h i mself fro m rung to rung, l ett i n g gravity take h i m at s peed . H i s s h o u l d e r was sti l l te n d e r, but h e ignored it. A h owl from a bove shook h i s bones. A d a r k s h a pe b l otted out the l i ght fro m above. He cl i m bed d own faster. Reckless ly, h e d ro p ped d own the s h aft. Each d ro p ri s ked p u l l i n g h i s arm fro m its socket, but terror r u l ed h i s behavior, not p a i n . A t the botto m o f the s h aft, h e retraced h i s path t h ro u g h t h e wi n d i n g m aze o f mach i n e acce s s co n d u its. H e heard t h e t h i n g l a n d a t t h e bottom beh i n d h i m with a powe rfu l grunt. H e w a s s u re t h at he co u l d s m e l l the beast too. M u s k a n d mach i n e o i l m ixed with someth i n g he co u l d n 't p l ace. In the near d a rkness, he s u rged d own the corridors, ru n n i n g a h a n d along the wa l l s . The guard ia n t h i n g that he had awoke n was beh i n d h i m , tracki n g h i m . By sound, perh a p s ? Ca l aval tried to be as q u iet as h e cou l d , but soon gave u p a n d e rred on the s i d e of s peed . The t h i n g cou l d be fol low i n g h i m by scent. It co u l d even be fol lowi n g a heat tra i l o f h i s own steps. H e knew such t h i ngs we re pos s i b l e . F i n a l ly, h e reached t h e p i l e of s c r a p t u b i ng. The p i pes, h owever, o n ce he grasped a few, seemed far too l i ght to be u sed as wea p o n s . I n stea d , h e grab bed one about h i s h e i ght a n d got mov i n g aga i n . T h e best i a l t h i n g l u m bered eve r closer. Ca l aval reached t h e s h aft d own a n d d ro p ped t h e tu be. Then h e fo l l owed it d own , aga i n perform i n g more of a barely contro l led d ro p than a c l i m b i n g d escent. The creatu re came d own beh i n d h i m . Closer this time, and ga i n i ng. L i ke Ca l ava l , it was d ro p p i n g down, u s i n g the rungs o n ly occasional ly. But its d rops were longer, its movements more s k i l l e d .

Ca l aval reached the botto m of t h e s h aft, but knew t h at the t h i n g wo u l d reach h i m t h i s t i m e . I n fact, h e cou nted o n it. H e grasped the j agged l e n gth of synth t u b i n g and th ru st it u p t h e s h aft, o n e e n d b raced aga i n st t h e floor. I m med i ately, t h e beast d ro p ped d own u po n the t u be , its we ight s n a p p i n g it i n two, a n d knocki n g Ca l aval to t h e gro u n d . Ca l ava l ' s head struck t h e wa l l . H e s a w wh ite i n t h e d a rkne s s . H e fo u n d h i m s e l f l ayi n g o n t h e t re m u l o u s meta l floor, u n a b l e t o s e e . T h e s o u n d o f h i s o w n b reat h s we re d rowned out by a n ot h e r s o u n d-rhyt h m ic, wet, g u rg l i n g wh eezes fro m not fa r away. Ca l aval struck a matc h . I n the l i ght, he saw the a pe-th i n g, with meta l p l ates a n d fleshy parts i ntegrated i nto a co b b l ed whole. There was not h i n g beautifu l , ca refu l , o r elegant about t h e t h i n g ' s co n struct i o n . Eve n i t s o rga n i c port i o n s d i d n ot s e e m t o exi st i n any sort o f natural re l ati o n s h i p. H a i rl i ke te n d r i l s writhed acro s s its body, each e n d i n g in a t i ny s p h i ncter mouth . And each t i ny mouth w h i ned i n agony. T h ro u g h the center of its b road torso p roj ected the broken t u be. The momentu m of the creat u re ' s d escent had th ru st t h e s h aft more t h a n th ree feet i nto its i n n a rd s . The beast d i d n ot m ove. Each b reath was l a b o red a n d fi l led with fl u i d . B l ood m ixed with some wh ite m i l ky l i q u i d s pooled a ro u n d its p ro n e body. Ca l ava l ' s fea r t u rned to re morse. Pity. H e thought t h at t h e best t h i n g h e co u l d d o was b ri n g t h e beast' s s u ffe r i n g to a n e n d . He wanted to give it a q u ick deat h . H e had n o idea h ow t o d o t h at. H i s s m a l l k n i fe, n ow i n h i s h a n d , seemed rid icu l o u s ly t i n y a n d fra g i l e fo r the t a s k . H e a p p roached closer in the l i ght of a n ew m atch , but t h e creatu re howled and struggled to m ove, ca u s i n g it fa r more p a i n . Ca l aval s i g h e d . H i s thou ghts d rifted b a c k t o Fed d i k. He s at on the floor. H e stayed with the creatu re u n t i l it d rew its last labored b reat h .

-

-

-

-

CHAPTER XIII: MACHINE'S HEART In which we learn the lesson of comprehension and understanding_ I n t h e m e c h a n i c a l p a rt s of t h e d e a d g u a rd i a n , Ca l av a l h a d fo u n d s o m e e a s i ly re m oved b i t s t h at, with s o m e s l i g h t m o d ificat i o n s a n d a d a ptat i o n s , h e co u l d u s e . I f h e h ad n 't d ro p ped m o s t o f h i s too l s with t h e rest o f h i s gea r, h e perh a p s co u l d h ave ach i eved m o re . Perh a p s m o s t i m porta nt of t h e m a l l were the glowi n g m od u les i n the creat u re ' s eyes t h at, o n ce re m oved , p rovided about a s m u c h l i ght a s h i s t i n y torc h . H e knew t h at t h e i r i l l u m i nation wo u l d fa d e , but i n term s of h i s o w n need s , it wo u l d be l o n g after it ceased bei n g i m portant. With these n ew cyp h e rs , h e ascended back u p t h rough the obel i s k ' s i n n e r worki ngs. H e crept s l owly n ow. Q u i etly. N o m o re g u a rd i a n s appeared .

H e sto p ped to re st, a n d regretted h avi n g no food . H e s l e pt. Stead i ly, he cl i m bed the length of the mass ive monolith, until the q u iveri n g in every s u rface reached a powerfu l i nten s ity. Reach i n g the top of the twenty-th i rd s h aft he had cl i m bed, he determi ned that he had found the heart of the mach ine. At that level, he began to explore i n earnest, carefu l ly noting everyt h i n g he found. The glow i n g cyl i n d e r stretched twe nty feet acro s s , t h i rty feet h i g h . M ad e of b l u e meta l , it gave off a b l ue-wh ite gl ow. It fl oated two feet from the gro u n d a n d h overed two feet fro m the h i g h ce i l i n g. N oth i n g co n nected to it fro m a l l the mach i n e ry a ro u n d it, but Ca l aval knew t h at it was co n n ected by i nv i s i b l e fie l d s of e n e rgy a n d fo rce. He wi ped the sweat from h i s b row. The i nterior of t h e monol ith was warm a n d h u m i d . The a i r was sta le. Stifl i n g. H e needed to get i n s id e t h at cyl i nd e r. H e stu d ied its s u rface for h o u rs , looki n g for an acce s s panel or a h i d d e n h atch . He fo u n d noth i n g. H e s l e pt aga i n . F itfu l ly. H e searched t h e wa l l s of t h e l a rge c h a m b e r a ro u n d the cyl i n d e r. H e stu d ied t h e m for mech a n i s m s t h at m i ght open or p rovide acce s s i nto it. F i n a l ly, h e retu rned to the cyl i n d e r a n d scou red its v i b rati n g, glowi n g s u rface aga i n . After l o n g l a st, h e d ete r m i ned t h at t h e re was a panel in its s u rface-a door-a l most i m po s s i b l e t o perceive. B ut t h e re w a s n o o bv i o u s way t o open it. D riven by t h i s n ew d i scove ry, h e ret u rned to the mach i ne-fi l led peri meter of the roo m . H e fo l l owed l i nes of co n d u its t h at ra n acro s s t h e i r s u rfaces, u p to the cei l i n g a n d d own to t h e floor. H e ascerta i n ed t h at t h e co ntro l s of some i m portant fu n ction l ay beh i n d a l a rge metal p a n e l , but when he tried to p ry it off with h i s knife, its i ro n blade s n a p ped. H e sat d own o n the floor, ti red a n d h u n g ry. "Of co u rs e , " h e s a i d a l o u d . H e p u l led out o n e of the co m po n e nts h e had re moved fro m the g u a rd i a n creat u re. A weapon t h at had been b u i lt i nto one of its a r m s , he co u l d coax its powe r fo r a d i fferent u s e of h i s own . S l i d i n g open a tiny panel at o n e e n d of the d evice, h e m oved a t i ny switch wh i l e pointi n g it at

t h e p a n e l . H e saw noth i n g, but fe lt the fi st­ s ized t h i n g a l m ost buck out of h i s h a n d . H e th rust it towa rd the p a n e l , which buckled with a l o u d b a n g a n d fo l d ed l i ke paper. G u i d i n g it with the d evice as though it was a n i nv i s i b l e fist, h e p u l led back a n d t h e panel tore fr o m its m o u n t i n g s . Ca l aval tossed t h e d evice to t h e floor n ext to it with satisfact i o n . T h e newly exposed g l a s s plate flared t o life and l i ght, showing sym bols and d iagrams. Cal aval recogn ized al most nothi ng, but after a few tries, touch i n g the screen and movi n g the sym bols as though they were objects rather than bits of l ight, he q u ickly figured out how to activate the cyl i nder's door. Tu rn i n g to face it, he watched as t h e s q u a re section of the mach i n e ' s heart s i m ply faded from s i ght. T h i s revealed a n e m pty but brightly l it i nterior. Without hes itat i o n , Ca l aval entered the cyl i n d e r. And t h e n stood e l sewhere. Without rea l ization of tra n s ition o r tra n s l at i o n , Ca l aval had moved vast d i stances. As h e h ad hoped. Lo n g ago h e had learned of t h i s p l ace. H igh a bove h i m stretched a tra n s p a rent dome. T h rough it, he looked u p at the wo rld , d i s p l ayed before him as the center jewel of a vast n ight-s ky panorama. Or rather, he reasoned , he looked d own at the world. For he knew that he was in a citade l created in eo n s past by i n h u m a n h a n d s and p l aced h i gh a bove, permanently in the s ky. Legends spoke of a citadel i n the sky so h igh that it was barely visible from the ground. Calaval had seen it i n Yessai's telescope. And the old woman i n Cloud ridge had given him the secret of how to access it. H e re, Ca l aval kn ew, we re the true secrets of the n u m e n e ra . H e re h e co u l d perh a p s-j u st perha ps-s peak w i t h one of t h e vast i n te l l i ge n ces given l i fe in the prior worl d s . I f h e co u l d m a ke h i s q uesti o n s u n d e rstood , h e co u l d fi n d t h e knowled ge h e sought to j o i n the Aeon Priesth ood , a n d perh a p s eve n beco me a p ro m i nent m e m be r of their ra n ks . T h u s e n d s t h e second part o ft h e Sacred Chron icle o ft h e Amber Papacy. Little did Calaval know that the knowledge he would gai n would make h i m not an Aeon Priest, but greatest among them: the high father, greatest of the Aeon Priests, and founder of the Order ofTruth .

All glory to the originators of truth and understanding. Praise to the innovators of steel and synth. Praise to the shapers of flesh, of bone, and of mind. Glory to those who re-sculpted the sustaining earth and the life-giving sun. Praise to the senders of signals, who even now whisper into machine ears and give life to the inanimate. Praise to those who traveled to the stars, and the realms beyond the stars. All glory to the originators of truth and understanding.

Chapter

1 : Welcome to the Ninth World

12

Chapter

2 : How to Play Numenera

15

CHAPTER 1

WELCOME TO THE NINTH WORLD a n d g l a s s-below, u p o n , a n d above the earth-h o l d h e re h ave been eight p rev i o u s worl d s . Yo u v a s t trea s u re s , a n d t h at secret doorways to stars a n d may refer to them as age s , aeon s , epoc h s , o r oth e r d i m e n s i o n s a n d rea l m s p rovide powe r a n d e r a s , but it's n ot wro n g to t h i n k of e a c h a s i t s secrets a n d deat h . They somet i m e s ca l l it m a g i c , a n d o w n i n d ivid u a l worl d . E a c h former wo rld stretched who a re w e t o s a y t h at t h ey' re wro n g ? acro s s vast m i l l e n n i a of time. Each p l ayed host M o re ofte n , h owever, when t h ey fi n d leftove rs to a race whose civil izat i o n s rose to s u p re m acy of the old wo rld s-t h e devices, the vast mach i n e but eventually d ied or scatte red , d i s a p peared o r co m p l exes , the a ltered l a n d scapes, the c h a n ges tra n sce n d e d . D u r i n g the t i m e t h at e a c h world wrought u po n l iv i n g creatu res by ancient e n e rgies, fl o u r i s h e d , those t h at r u l ed it spoke to the stars, the i nv i s i b l e n a n o-s p i rits h overi n g i n the a i r i n clouds ree n g i n ee red t h e i r physical bod ies, a n d m a stered ca l l ed t h e I ro n W i n d , t h e i nformation tra n s m itted form and essence, a l l in t h e i r own u n iq u e ways. i nto the so-ca l l ed d ata s p h e re, and the re m n ants of Each left beh i n d re m n a nts. v i s itors fro m ot h e r d i me n s i o n s and a l i e n p l a n ets­ The N i nth Wo rld i s b u i lt o n the bones of the they ca l l these t h i ngs the numenera. In the N i nth p rev i o u s e i ght, a n d i n particu l a r the l a st fo u r. Reach Wo r l d , the n u m e n e ra i nto the d u st, and yo u ' l l i s both a boon a n d a fi n d t h at each p a rticle bane. It m a kes l i fe ve ry h a s been worked , d iffe rent fro m any oth e r m a n ufact u red, or grow n , The Ninth World is about disco11ering t i m e o n E a rt h . a n d then gro u n d back the wonders ofthe worlds that came I n a southern p a rt i nto drit-a fine, a rtifici a l of the vast, s i n g u l a r soi l-by the re lentless before it, not for their own sake, but co ntinent o f the N i nt h powe r of t i m e . Look to as the means to impro11e the present Wo rld l ies a cl u ster o f the h orizon-is t h at a settled l a n d s co l l ectively m o u n ta i n , o r part of an and build a future. ca l l ed t h e Steadfast. i m po s s i b l e m o n u ment Although each of to the fo rgotten e m peror the kingdoms and of a lost peo p l e ? Feel princi p a l ities o f the Steadfast h a s i t s o w n ru l e r, a t h at s u btle v i b rati o n beneath yo u r feet and know leader known as the Amber Pope g u i d e s the O rd e r t h at a n cient e n g i n es-vast mach i n e s the s ize of o f Truth, a n o rga n ization o f Aeo n Priests t h at kingdoms-st i l l ope rate i n the bowe l s of the eart h . co m m a n d s a great deal of res pect i n t h e reg i o n . The N i nth Wo rld i s a b o u t d i scove ri n g the wo n d e rs Th u s , t h e Amber P o p e i s l i kely t h e m o s t powe rfu l of the wo rld s t h at ca m e before it, n ot for t h e i r own ru l e r i n t h e Steadfast eve n though h e does not s a ke, but a s the m e a n s to i m p rove the present a n d gove rn a s i n g l e s q u a re foot of l a n d . The O rd e r b u i l d a fut u re. o f Truth reve res the peo p l e o f t h e p a s t a n d t h e i r Each of t h e prior eight worl d s , i n its own way, is knowled ge o n a q u a s i re l i g i o u s l evel o f adoration a n d too d i stant, too d i fferent, too i n co m p re h e n s i b l e . Life tod ay i s too d a ngero u s to dwe l l on a past t h at ca n n ot fa i t h . I t i s a re l i gion d evoted to science. Deeper i n the wilds l i es a region ca l l ed t h e be u n d e rstood . The peo p l e excavate a n d study the Beyo n d , where v i l l ages a n d com m u n ities a re i s o l ated m a rve l s of t h e prior epoch s j u st e n o u g h to h e l p and rare. H e re, Aeo n Priests st i l l study the secrets of t h e m s u rvive i n the wo rld they h ave b e e n give n . They the past, but they d o so cloi stered in re m ote claves . know t h at e n e rgies and knowled ge a re s u s pe n d ed T h e s e p riests d o l ittl e more t h a n p a y l i p service to i nv i s i bly i n t h e a i r, t h at res h a ped co nti n e nts of i ro n

T

Iron Wind, page 1 3 5

The numenera, page 275

The Steadfast, page 1 3 6

Am ber Pope, page 7 3 3 Order of Truth, page 222 The Beyond, page 7 74 Aeon Priest, page 269 Claves-small cloistered groups of Aeon Priests in the Beyond-can offer protection and resources for the communities that spring up around them. However, claves sometimes become so insular and focused on their work that they end up putting the community at risk with their strange experiments.

�LIME NE� WELCOME TO THE NINTH WORLD

the Amber Pope, if t h at, a n d a re n ot co n s i d e red part of the O rd e r of Truth . L i ke the reg i o n s in wh ich they l ive, a n d the cl aves in which t h ey work, they a re i s o l ated , i s l a n d s u nto t h e m s e lves.

THE PEOPLE OF THE NINTH WORLD I n the yo uth of an age, peo p l e u s e t h e res o u rces t h ey h ave on h a n d , co u p led with wh ateve r u n d e rsta n d i n g o f t h e i r wo rld they c a n m a ster, t o ca rve o u t a l ife fo r them selves. I n t h e N i nth Wo rld , the resou rces a re the n u m e n e ra-the d etrit u s of the prior e ra s-a n d the peo p l e ' s u n d e rsta n d i n g of these resou rces i s crude a n d i n c o m p l ete. T h e Aeon Priests possess j u st e n o u g h d i scernment a n d knowledge to s u ggest pos s i b l e uses fo r t h i n gs , but so m uch re m a i n s to be d i scove red . Eve n the creatu res a n d p l a nts of the N i nth Wo rld a re stra n ge by- p rod u cts of t h e prior ages; the past left be h i n d fl o ra , fauna, a n d mach i n es, some des igned by l o re o r n atu re, oth e rs tra n s p l a nted fro m d i stant stars o r d i m e n s i o n s . The peo p l e o f t h e N i nth World clothe t h e m se lves in n ewly s p u n fa b rics but weave the a rtifacts of the past i nto each garment. They fo rge armor, wea p o n s , a n d too l s fro m m ateri a l s recovered fro m a n c i e n t struct u re s a n d devices. Some of these m ateri a l s a re meta l s , but oth e rs a re (or appear to be) g l a s s , stone, bone, flesh, o r s u bstances t h at d efy catego rization a n d u n d e rsta n d i ng. Those who ri s k the mysterious dangers to recover

the rel ics of the past p rovide a valuable service. Typ ica l ly these brave sou l s-warrior glaives, science-wield i n g nanos, and w i l y jacks-bring t h e i r find i n gs t o t h e Aeon Priests, who use the artifacts to fash ion tools, weapons, and other boons for the growing civi l ization. As time passes, more i n d ivid uals learn to use the n u menera, but it sti l l rema i n s a mystery to most people. Who, then, a re the peo p l e of t h e N i nth Wo rld ? M ost a re h u m a n s , although n ot a l l t h at ca l l t h e m s e lves h u m a n truly a re . There a re l i kewi se the a b h u m a n s : m utants, cro s s b reed s , genetica l ly e n g i neered , a n d t h e i r offs p ri n g. And then there a re the v i s itants , who a re n ot n ative to the earth but who n ow ca l l t h e N i nth Wo rld home, a n d who h ave no more u n d e rsta n d i n g of t h e past (eve n t h e i r own) t h a n anyone e l se.

THE NUMENERA Peo p l e w i t h knowled ge of the re l i cs of o l d e r worl d s d ivide t h e m i nto t h ree type s : a rtifacts , cyp h e rs , a n d odd ities . ARTI FACTS a re l a rge d evices t h at typ i ca l ly can be used m o re t h a n o n ce to p rod u ce the same re s u lt. An a rtifact m i ght be a belt t h at creates a s h i e l d of i n vi s i b l e fo rce to p rotect the wearer o r a flyi n g s k i ff t h at c a r r i e s peo p l e a n d ca rgo fro m o n e p l ace to a n o t h e r. The term is a l most a l ways u s e d for an item t h at has a n o bv i o u s p u rpose-a wea p o n , a defe n s e , a mode o f t ra n s po rt, a m e a n s of co m m u n icat i o n o r learn i n g n ew i n fo r m at i o n , a m e a n s of o bta i n i n g

Abhumans: Chirog, page 235 Margr, page 244 Murden, page 247 Sathosh, page 256 Yovok, page 267

Visitants: Lattimors, page 7 22 Va rjellen, page 7 2 7

Artifacts, page 298 Cyphers, page 278 Oddities, page 3 7 4

food or ot h e r nece s s i t i e s , a n d so fo rt h . Art i facts m a ke t h e i r u sers m o re powe rfu l , o r t h ey m a ke l ife e a s i e r or better.

Numenera items such as artifacts and cyphers add capabilities to the player character's repertoire but they are the purview of the game master. Very rarely does a player choose these items; they are discovered while exploring ancient ruins or overcoming other challenges of the Ninth World.

CYPH E RS a re u s u a l ly s m a l l , m i n o r devices t h at most c h a racters c a n coax a s i n g l e effect fro m before they a re d e p l eted and beco me cu riosities or d ecorat i o n s . They m i ght i nc l u d e a q u ick i njection d e s i gned to re p a i r physical d a m age i n a l iv i n g creat u re o r a h a n d h e l d object t h at, when m a n i p u l ated p rope rly, becomes a weapon t h at exp lodes with tre m e n d o u s fo rce. H owever, cyp hers a re d a n ge ro u s when gat h e red together beca u s e they create rad iation a n d h a r m o n i c freq uencies t h at a re i n i m ical to h u m a n l i fe. ODDITI ES a re t h e re l i cs t h at a re neither cyp h e rs n o r a rtifacts. They serve no obvi o u s p u rpose but h ave stra n ge fu n ct i o n s t h at a re at least c u r i o u s , if n ot d own right enterta i n i ng. Exa m p l es i n c l u d e a p iece of g l a s s i n a metal frame t h at s h ows pecu l i a r i m ages o r a box with th ree bel l s t h at ri n g at u n p red i cta b l e t i m e s . N ot eve ryt h i n g fro m the prior worl d s can b e u nd e rstood . I n fact, m uch of it ca n n ot.

For more information on the Ninth World, see Part 4: The Setting (page 7 29) . Game masters will want to refer to Chapter 23: Realizing the Ninth World (page 354).

LOOKING AT THE NINTH WORLD FROM THE 21ST CENTURY The N i nth Wo rld is a science-fantasy sett i n g a p p roxi m ately a b i l l i o n years i n the fut u re. T h e peo p l e o f t h e wo rld dwe l l a m i d t h e flotsam of i m po s s i b l e u ltratech of eight prior civil izat i o n s a n d ca l l it m a g i c . U n i m a g i n a bly h u ge mach i n e s l i e ben eath the eart h , a n d s ate l l ites o r b i t h i g h a bove, tra n s m itti n g a w e b o f d ata a n d free e n e rgy. N a notec h , gravitic tech nol ogy, genetic e n g i neering, s pati a l warp i n g, a n d s u pe rd e n s e polymers a l l owed the i n h a bitants of the p rev i o u s worl d s to res h a pe t h e p l a n et. M a s s a n d e n e rgy we re t h e i rs to co m m a n d . I n m a n y ways, the N i nth Wo rld i s a med i eval fa ntasy sett i n g without the h i storicity. When peo p l e who h ave n ' t done a l ot of homework o n the d a rk ages ru n a t rad itio n a l fa ntasy game, they often i n se rt modern se n s i b i l ities o r d eve l o p m e nts s u c h as d e m ocracy, hygiene, or m atches. But i n t h e N i nth Wo rl d , these t h i n gs , a n d more , m a ke sense. C h a racte rs can h ave ra i n s l ickers, i n k p e n s , z i p pers, a n d p l astic bags, all left ove r from the prior eras (or fa s h ioned fro m

leavi ngs of the pa st) . They can u n d e rsta n d h ow i l l nesses a re tra n s m itted or h ow soci a l i s m wo rks. They can know t h at t h e earth revo lves a ro u n d the sun a n d b e awa re o f oth e r " a n a c h ro n i stic" bits of knowledge. O n t h e oth e r h a n d , c h a racte rs in N u m e n e ra don't refer to wea pons a s "guns" o r ve h i cles a s "cars . " The tech nol ogy i n the N i nth Wo rld i s too advanced a n d too a l i e n fo r such term i n o l ogy to h ave e n d u re d . U s i n g 2 1 st-centu ry terms fo r wea pons a n d ve h i cles i s a s i n a p p ropriate as u s i n g med i eval term s . T h e n u m e n e ra i s wei rd-m uch o f i t wa s n 't created by h u m a n s o r fo r h u m a n s . It i s n 't des igned or p rese nted i n any way t h at m i ght be fa m i l i a r to the p l ayers o r the c h a racte rs. O n ly t h ro u g h expe r i m e ntat i o n , p l ayer i n s ight, a n d c h a racte r s k i l l can the P C s identify, a n d pos s i bly use, what they fi n d . Perh a p s eve n m o re i m portant, the a rtifacts , cyp h e rs , a n d odd ities t h at c h a racte rs u s e probably a re n ' t servi n g their origi n a l p u rpose. The exp los ive cyp h e r t h at a c h a racte r tosses at an e n e my m i ght h ave been the powe r sou rce fo r a ve h i cle. The fo rce field the e n e my uses to p rotect herself fro m the b l a st m i ght h ave been d e s i gned to conta i n the rad iation of the fu e l rod s i n a m i n i at u re n u clear reactor. We lcome to the N i nt h Wo rld, where eve ry d i scove ry m i ght save you-o r k i l l yo u . But yo u wo n 't know u n t i l you try.

�LIME NE� HOW TO PLAY NUMENERA

CHAPTER 2

HOW TO PLAY NUMENERA exce l l e n t eq u i p m e n t can he ru les of d ecrease t h e d ifficu lty N u menera You don 't earn XP for killing foes or of a task. Fo r exa m p l e , a re q u ite 01.1ercoming standard challenges in i f a c h a racte r i s t ra i ned stra ightforwa rd at their heart, as a l l of ga meplay i s in cl i m b i n g , s h e t u r n s the course ofplay. Disco1.1ery is the based a ro u n d a few core a d i fficu lty 6 cl i m b i nto soul of Numenera. concepts. a d i fficu lty 5 cl i m b . T h i s i s ca l l ed decreasing Th i s c h a pter p rovides the difficulty by one step. If s h e is s peci a l ized i n a b rief exp l a n ation of h ow to p l ay the game, a n d it's cl i m b i n g, s h e t u r n s a d ifficu lty 6 cl i m b i nto a u sefu l fo r learn i n g the game. O n ce yo u u n d e rsta n d the b a s i c co ncepts, yo u ' l l l i kely w a n t to refe re n ce d ifficu lty 4 c l i m b . T h i s i s ca l l ed decreasing the difficulty by two steps. C h a pter 8: R u l e s of the G a m e , page 84, for a m o re A skill is a category of knowledge, a b i l ity, o r i n-dept h treatment. activity re l at i n g to a t a s k , s u c h a s cl i m b i n g, N u menera u ses a twe nty- s i d ed d ie (1 d20) to geogra p h y, o r pers u a s ive n e s s . A c h a racte r w h o d eterm i n e the res u lts of most act i o n s . Whenever a roll of any k i n d is ca l led for a n d no d ie i s s pecifie d , h a s a s ki l l i s bette r at co m p leti n g re l ated tasks than a c h a racter w h o lacks t h e s ki l l . A c h a racte r' s ro l l a d 20. l evel of s ki l l i s e i t h e r trained (rea s o n a b l y s k i l led) o r The game m a ster sets a difficulty fo r any given task. There a re 1 0 degrees of d ifficu lty. T h u s , the specialized (ve ry s k i l led) . I f you a re tra i ned i n a s ki l l re l ati n g to a task, yo u d i fficu lty of a task can be rated o n a sca l e of 1 to 1 0. decrease the d i fficu lty of t h at task by o n e ste p. If you Each d ifficu lty h a s a target number associated with it. The ta rget n u m be r i s always t h ree times the task's a re special ized , yo u decrease the d i fficu lty by two d ifficu lty, so a d ifficu lty 4 task h a s a ta rget n u m be r of ste p s . A s k i l l can n ever d ecrease a task's d ifficu lty by 1 2 . To s u cceed at the task, you m u st ro l l t h e ta rget m o re t h a n two ste p s . n u m be r or h i g h e r. Anyth i n g else that red uces d ifficu lty (help fro m a n C h a racter s k i l l s , favo ra b l e c i rc u m sta nces, o r a l ly, a particu l a r p iece o f eq u i p ment, or some other

T

Decreasing the difficulty, page 86

Skills, page 25

Trained, page 86 Specialized, page 86 Difficulty, page 86

TASK DIFFICULTY TAS K D I FFICU LTY 0

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

D ESC R I PTION Ro uti n e Sim ple Sta n d a rd Demand ing Difficult Challenging I nt i m i d ati n g Fo rm i d a b l e H e roic I m mortal I m possible

TARG ET NO. 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30

G U I DANCE Anyo n e can d o this basica l ly eve ry time. M ost peo p l e can d o this most of the time. Typical task req u i ri n g focu s , but most peo p l e can u s u a l ly d o t h i s . Req u i res fu l l atte ntion; m o s t peo p l e h ave a 50/50 c h a n ce t o s u ccee d . Tra i n ed peo p l e h ave a 5 0 / 5 0 c h a n ce to s u cceed . Eve n tra i ned peo p l e often fa i l . N o r m a l peo p l e a l most n ever s u cceed . I m po s s i b l e without s ki l l s or great effo rt. A task worthy of tales told fo r years afterwa rd . A task worthy of lege n d s t h at l a st l ifet i m e s . A tas k that normal h u ma n s cou l d n 't consider (but o n e that doesn't break the laws of p hysics) .

COMBAT

Effort, page 2 7 Armor, page 92

Combat will be an important part of Numenerafor some people. However, this is your choice; Numenera doesn 't have to be a game about com bat.

Although the Ninth World has many quasi­ historical weapons and armor like swords, spears, and chainmail, it also has unique items like razor rings, which are bladed metal throwing weapons. For more on the types of weapons that your characters can use, see Chapter 7: Equipment (page 77).

advantage} i s referred to as a n asset. Assets c a n neve r d ecrease a task's d ifficu lty by more than two steps. Yo u can a l s o d ecrease the d ifficu lty of a given task by a p p lyi n g Effort. (Effo rt i s d e scri bed i n m o re d eta i l i n C h a pter 8: R u l e s o f t h e G a m e . } To s u m u p , th ree t h i ngs can d ecrease a task's d ifficu lty: s k i l l s , a s sets, a n d Effo rt. I f you can decrease a task's d ifficu lty to 0, yo u a utomatica l ly s u cceed a n d d o n 't need to m a ke a ro l l .

WHEN DO YOU ROLL? A n y t i m e yo u r c h a racte r atte m pts a t a s k , the G M a s s i g n s a d i fficu lty to t h at task, a n d yo u ro l l a d20 aga i n st t h e associated ta rget n u m ber. When yo u j u m p fro m a b u rn i n g ve h icle, swi n g a battleaxe at a m utant beast, swi m across a rag i n g river, i d e ntify a stra nge d evice, co nvince a m e rchant to give yo u a l ower p rice, craft a n object, u s e a powe r to control a foe's m i n d , or u s e a h eat- beam e m itte r to ca rve a h o l e i n a wa l l , yo u m a ke a d20 ro l l . H owever, i f yo u atte m pt somet h i n g t h at h a s a d ifficu lty of 0, no ro l l is need ed-yo u automatica l ly s u cceed . M a ny act i o n s h ave a d ifficu lty of O. Exa m p le s i n c l u d e wa l k i n g across the roo m a n d open i n g a door, u s i n g a s peci a l a b i l ity t o negate gravity so yo u can fly, u s i n g an a b i l ity to p rotect yo u r friend from rad i at i o n , o r activat i n g a d evice (t h at you a l ready u n d e rsta nd) to e rect a fo rce fie l d . These a re a l l rout i n e act i o n s a n d d o n ' t req u i re ro l l s . Using ski l l , assets, a n d Effort, you can decrease the d ifficu lty of potentially any task to 0 and thus negate the need for a rol l . Walking across a narrow wooden beam is tricky for most people, but for an experienced gym nast, it' s routine. You can even decrease the d ifficu lty of an attack on a foe to 0 and succeed without rol l i ng. I f there' s no rol l , there' s no chance for fa i l u re. H owever, there's also no cha nce for remarkable success (in N u menera, that u s u a l ly mea n s rol l i n g a 1 9 or 20; see S pecial Rol l s in Chapter 8: Rules of the Game) .

� 16 �

M a ki n g an attack in com bat works the same way as any other rol l : the GM assigns a d ifficu lty to the tas k, and you rol l a d20 aga i n st the associated target n u m ber. The d ifficu lty of you r attack rol l depends on how powerfu l you r opponent is. J u st as tasks h ave a d ifficu lty from 1 to 1 0, creatures h ave a level from 1 to 1 0. M ost of the time, the d ifficu lty of you r attack rol l is the same as the creature's level. For exa m ple, if you attack a level 2 band it, it's a level 2 tas k, so you r target n u m ber i s 6. It's worth n ot i n g t h at p l aye rs m a ke all d ie ro l l s . If a c h a racte r attacks a creatu re, t h e p l aye r m a kes an attack ro l l . I f a creatu re attacks a cha racter, t h e p l aye r m a kes a d efe n s e ro l l . T h e d a mage dealt b y a n attack i s not d ete r m i ned by a ro l l-it' s a fl at n u m be r based o n the weapon o r attack used . Fo r exa m p le , a spear always does 4 poi nts of d a m age. You r Armor characteristic red uces the d amage you take from attacks d i rected at you. You get Armor from weari ng physical armor (such as a sturdy leather jerkin or chain mail) or from s pecial abilities. Like weapon damage, Armor is a flat n u m ber, not a rol l . I f you ' re attacked , su btract you r Armor from the damage you take. For exam ple, a leather jerki n gives you 1 poi nt of Armor, meaning that you take 1 less point of damage from attacks. If a bandit h its you with a knife for 2 poi nts of damage while you ' re weari ng a leather jerki n , you take only 1 point of damage. If you r Armor red uces the damage from an attack to 0, you take no damage from that attack. When yo u see the word "Armor" capital ized i n t h e game rules (other t h a n a s t h e n a m e o f a special a b i l ity} , it refers to yo u r Armor cha racte ristic-th e n u m be r yo u s u btract fro m i ncom i n g d a m age. When yo u see t h e wo rd " a rmor" with a l owe rca se " a , " it refers to any physical armor you m i ght wea r. Typical physical wea pons co me i n t h ree catego ries: l i ght, m ed i u m a n d heavy. L I G H T WEAPONS i n fl ict o n l y 2 poi nts of d a m age, but they red uce t h e d ifficu lty of the attack ro l l by one step beca u s e they a re fast and easy to u se. Light wea p o n s a re p u nches, kicks, c l u b s , kn ive s , h a n d axes , ra piers, a n d so o n . Wea p o n s t h at a re p a rticu l a rly s m a l l a re l i ght wea p o n s . M ED I U M WEAPO NS i n fl i ct 4 points of d a mage. M ed i u m wea pons i n c l u d e swo rd s , battl eaxe s , maces, cross bows, s pears, a n d so on. M ost wea pons a re m ed i u m . Anyt h i n g t h at co u l d be u sed i n o n e h a n d (even if it's often u sed i n two h a n d s , s uch a s a q u a rterstaff or spear} i s a m ed i u m wea pon. H EAVY WEAPONS i n fl ict 6 poi nts of d a m age, and you m u st use two h a n d s to attack with them. H eavy

�LIME NE� HOW TO PLAY NUMENERA

weapons a re h u ge sword s , great h a m mers, mass ive axes, h a l berd s, heavy cross bows , and so o n . Anyt h i n g that m u st be u sed i n two h a n d s i s a heavy wea pon.

BONUSES

GLOSSARY Game M aster (G M ) : The p l ayer who does n ' t run a cha racter, but i n stead g u i d e s the fl ow of the story (and r u n s all the N PCs) . Non-Player Character (N PC) : Cha racte rs ru n by t h e G M . Th i n k of them a s the m i n o r c h a racte rs i n the sto ry, o r the v i l l a i n s o r o p p o n e n t s . T h i s i n c l u d e s any k i n d o f creatu re as we l l a s peo p l e .

Rarely, an abil ity or piece of eq u i pment does not decrease a task's d ifficu lty but i n stead add s a bon us to the die rol l . Bon u ses always a d d together, so if you get a + 1 bon us from two d ifferent sources, you have a +2 bonus. If you get enough bon u ses to add up to a +3 bon us for a task, treat it as an asset: i n stead of add ing the bon u s to you r rol l , decrease t h e d ifficu lty b y o n e step. Therefore, you never add more than + 1 or +2 to a die rol l .

Player Character ( PC): A c h a racte r ru n by a p l aye r rat h e r t h a n t h e G M . T h i n k o f t h e m as t h e m a i n c h a racters i n t h e sto ry.

SPECIAL ROLLS

Player: The players who run characters i n the game.

When you rol l a natural 1 9 (the d20 shows " 1 9") and the rol l i s a success, you also have a m i nor effect. I n com bat, a m i nor effect inflicts 3 additional poi nts of damage with you r attack, or, if you'd prefer a s pecial res u lt, you cou l d decide i n stead that you knock the foe back, d i stract h i m , or someth i n g s i m i l ar. When not i n com bat, a m i nor effect could mean that you perform the action with particular grace. For example, when j u m p i n g down from a ledge, you land s moot h ly on you r feet, or when tryi ng t o pers uade someone, you convince her that you ' re smarter than you rea l ly a re. I n other word s, you not o n ly succeed but also go a bit fu rther. When you rol l a natural 20 (th e d20 s h ows "20") and the rol l i s a success, you also h ave a major effect. T h i s is s i m i l a r to a m i nor effect, but the res u lts a re more re m a rka ble. I n com bat, a major effect i n fl icts 4 additional poi nts of d a m age with you r attack, but aga i n , you can choose i n stead to i ntrod uce a d ramatic eve nt such as knocki n g d own you r foe, stu n n i n g h i m , or taki n g a n extra action. Outs ide o f com bat, a major effect means that somet h i n g beneficial happens based on the circu m stance. Fo r exa m ple, when cl i m b i n g up a cliff wa l l , you make the ascent twice as fast. When a rol l grants you a major effect, yo u can choose to use a m i nor effect i n stead if you p refe r. I n co m bat (a nd o n ly i n co mbat) . if you rol l a natural 1 7 o r 1 8 on you r attack ro l l , you add 1 or 2 additional poi nts of d a mage, res pectively. N e ither rol l h a s any s pecial effect option s-j u st the extra d a m age. Rol l i n g a natural 1 i s a lways bad . I t means that the GM i ntrod uces a new com p l ication i nto the enco u nter.

RANGE AND SPEED D i stance i s s i m p l ified i nto t h ree catego ries: i m m ed i ate, s h o rt, a n d long. I M M EDIATE D ISTANCE fro m a c h a racte r i s with i n reach o r with i n a few ste p s . I f a c h a racte r sta n d s i n a s m a l l roo m , eve ryt h i n g i n the roo m i s with i n i m m ed i ate d i stance. At most, i m m ed i ate d i stance i s l O feet ( 3 m) .

Party: A gro u p of p l aye r c h a racte rs (a n d perh a p s some N PC a l l ies) .

Session: A s i n g l e p l ay experience. U s u a l ly l a sts a few h o u rs . Somet i m e s o n e adventure can be acco m p l i shed i n a s e s s i o n . M o re ofte n , o n e adventure i s m u lt i p l e s e s s i o n s . Adventu re: A s i n gle portion o f the ca m p a i g n w i t h a begi n n i n g a n d a n e n d . U s u a l ly d efined a t the begi n n i n g b y some g o a l put fo rth b y the P C s a n d at the end by whether o r n ot they ach ieve t h at goa l . Cam paign: T h i s i s a series o f ses s i o n s stru n g together with a n ove ra rc h i n g story ( o r l i n ked sto ries) with the s a m e c h a racters. Ofte n , b u t n ot a lways , a ca m pa i g n i nvolves a n u m be r of adventures. Character: Anyt h i n g t h at can act i n t h e game. While this i n c l u d e s PCs a n d h u m a n N PCs, it a l so tec h n ica l ly i nc l u d e s creat u res, a l i e n s , m utants, a uto m ato n s , a n i m ate p l a nts, a n d so o n . The wo rd "creat u re" i s u s u a l ly synonym o u s .

For more information o n special rolls a n d how they affect combat and other interactions, see page 88.

Distance, page 89

SHORT DISTANCE is anyt h i n g greater than i m med iate d i stance but less than 50 feet (1 5 m) or so.

People of the Ninth World have units of measurement very different from our own. When converting these to U. S. standard and metric units, we've used approximations rather than precise conversions for ease of use. Nano, page 32 Onslaught, page 35 Cypher, page 278 Abhuman, page 7 3 Experience points, page 7 08 GM intrusion, page 88 A dG is used most often for recovery rolls (page 94) and to determine the effects of numenera devices (Part 6, page 275) .

player and justify the gift (perhaps the other player had a good idea, told a funny joke, performed an action that saved a life, and so on) . LONG DISTANCE is anyth i n g greater than short Alternatively, the player can refuse the G M i ntrusion. l f he does so, he doesn't get the 2 XP from the G M , d i stance but less than 1 00 feet (30 m) or so. (Beyond a n d he m u st also spend 1 X P that he a l ready has. I f the that range, d i stances are always s pecified-500 feet player has no XP to spend, he ca n't refuse the i ntrusion. [1 52 m], a m i l e [1 .6 km], and so on.) The GM can also give players XP between The idea i s that it's not sessions as a reward for necessary to measure In Numenera, players make all die recoveri n g i nteresti n g p recise d i stances. rolls. If a character attacks a creature, artifacts or making I m med i ate d i stance is d i scoveries d u ri n g an right there, p ractica l ly next the player makes an attack roll. If to the cha racter. Short adventure. You don't a creature attacks a character, the d i stance is nearby. Lon g earn XP for ki l l i n g foes player makes a defense roll. d i stance i s farther off. or overco m i n g standard challenges in the cou rse of play. Discovery is the soul of Al l weapons and s pecial abilities use these term s for N u menera. ranges. For example, all melee weapons have i m med iate Experience points are used pri mari ly for character range-they are close-com bat weapons, and you can use advancement (for details, see Chapter 3: Creating You r them to attack anyone with i n i m med iate d i stance of you. Character, page 20) , b u t a player can also s pend 1 XP to A th rown knife (and most other th rown weapons) has short range. A bow has long range. A nano's Onslaught reroll any d ie rol l and take the better of the two rolls. abil ity also has short range. A cha racter can move a n i m med i ate d i stance as CYPHERS A s explai ned i n Chapter 1 : Welcome t o t h e N i nth World, part of another action. I n other word s , he can take a few steps ove r to the control panel and activate a cyphers are a type of n u menera that have a si ngle minor use. A character can carry cyphers and use them d u ring switch. He can l u nge across a s m a l l roo m to attack a foe. He can open a door and ste p t h rough. the game. You can't bear many cyphers at a time because A c h a racter can m ove a s h o rt d i stance a s h i s a large n u m ber of these wei rd items emit rad iation or entire action fo r a t u r n . H e c a n a l so try t o move a dangerous chemicals that don't m ix wel l . G atheri ng l o n g d i stance as h i s entire act i o n , but the p l ayer cyphers together i n one place i s extraord inarily u n healthy. m i ght h ave to ro l l to see if the c h a racte r s l i p s , tri p s , Characters wi l l find new cyphers freq uently in the o r stu m b l e s a s t h e res u lt of mov i n g so fa r so q u i ckly. cou rse of play, so players shouldn't hesitate to use their For example, ifthe PCs are fighti ng a group of cypher abilities. Because cyphers are always d ifferent, the abhumans, any character can l i kely attack any abhuman characters will always have new special powers to try. i n the general melee--they're all with i n i m med iate There a re two k i n d s of cyp hers: anoetic and occultic. range. Exact position s aren't i m portant. Creatu res i n a fight are always movi ng, sh ifting, a n d ANOETIC CYPH E RS a re s i m p l e to u s e : a p i l l to jostl ing, anyway. However, if one swa l l ow, a s m a l l h a n d h e l d d evice with a switch to abhuman stayed back to use h i s fl i p, o r a bo m b to th row. cross bow, a character might have t o u s e her enti re action t o move t h e short d i stance req u i red OCC U LTIC CYPH E RS a re m o re co m p lex a n d m o re to attack that foe. It doesn 't matter if the abhuman is 20 d a n ge ro u s , but t h ey often h ave bette r a n d m o re feet (6 m) or 40 feet (1 2 m) away-it's sim ply considered i nterest i n g effects . An occu ltic cyp h e r counts as two short d i stance. It does matter if he's more than 50 feet cyp h e rs for the p u rpose of d eterm i n i n g h ow many (1 5 m) away because that d i stance would requ i re a long yo u can bear at t h e same time. move.

EXPERJENCE POJNTS Experience points (XP) are rewards given to players when the GM intrudes on the story (this is called GM intrusion) with a new and unexpected chal lenge. For example, in the middle ofcombat, the GM might inform the player that he d rops his weapon. However, to intrude in this manner, the G M must award the player 2 XP. The rewarded player, in turn, must immed iately give one of those XP to another

� 18 �

OTHER DJCE In add ition to a d20, you ' l l need a d6 (a six-sided d ie) . Rarely, you ' l l need to rol l a n u m ber between 1 and 1 00 (often cal led a d l OO or d% roll) , which you can do by rol l i n g a d20 twice, using the last d igit of the first rol l as the "tens" place and the last d igit of the second rol l as the "ones" place. For exam ple, rol l i n g a 1 7 and a 9 gives you 79, rol l i n g a 3 and an 1 8 gives you 38, and rol l i n g a 20 and a 1 0 gives you 00 (also known as 1 00) . If you have

Chapter

3 : Creating Your Character

20

Chapter

4: Character Type

26

Chapter

5 : Character Descriptor

47

Chapter

6: Character Focus

52

Chapter

7 : Equipment

77

CHAPTER 3

CREATING YOU R CHARACTER h i s section exp l a i n s h ow to create c h a racters to p l ay in a N u menera game. T h i s i nvolves a series of deci s i o n s t h at wi l l s h a pe yo u r cha racter, so t h e m o re yo u u n d e rsta n d w h at k i n d o f c h a racter yo u w a n t t o p l ay, t h e easier c h a racte r creation wi l l be. The p roce s s i nvolves u n d e rsta n d i n g the v a l u e s o f t h ree g a m e stat i stics a n d choos i n g th ree as pects t h at d eterm i n e yo u r c h a racte r's ca p a b i l ities.

T

CHARACTER STATS Eve ry p l aye r c h a racter h a s t h ree d efi n i n g c h a racte ristics, w h i c h a re typ i ca l ly ca l l ed " stat i stics" o r " stats . " T h e s e stats a re M i ght, S peed , and I nte l l ect. T h ey a re b road categories t h at cove r m a ny d i fferent b u t re l ated a s pects of a c h a racter.

Might could be thought of as Might/Health because it governs how strong you are and how much physical punishment you can take.

Speed could be thought of as Speed/Agility because it governs your overall swiftness and reflexes.

Intellect could be thought of as Intellect/Personality because it governs both intelligence and charisma.

M IG HT: M i ght defines how strong and d u rable you r characte r i s . T h e concepts o f strength , end u rance, constitution, h a rd i ness, a n d physical p rowess are a l l folded i nto t h i s o n e stat. M i ght i s n 't rel ative t o s ize; i n stead , it' s a n absol ute mea s u rement. An elephant has more M i ght than the m i ghtiest tiger, which has more M i ght than the m i ghtiest rat, which has more M i ght than the m i ghtiest spider. M i ght gove rns act i o n s fro m fo rci n g doors open to wa l k i n g fo r d ays without food to res isti n g d i sease. I t ' s a l s o t h e p r i m a ry mea n s o f d eterm i n i n g h ow m uch d a m age yo u r c h a racte r c a n s u sta i n i n a d a ngero u s situat i o n . Physical c h a racte rs, tough c h a racters, a n d c h a racters i nterested i n fight i n g s h o u l d fo c u s o n M i ght. SPEED: S peed describes h ow fast and phys ically coord i n ated yo u r c h a racte r i s . The stat e m bodies q u ickn e s s , m ove m e nt, d exte rity, a n d reflexes . S peed gove rns s u c h d iverge nt act i o n s as d od g i n g attacks, s n e a k i n g a ro u n d q u ietly, a n d t h rowi n g a b a l l accu rate ly. It h e l p s d eterm i n e whet h e r yo u can m ove fa rt h e r o n yo u r turn. N i m b le, fast, o r s n e a ky cha racters wi l l want good S peed stats, as wi l l those i nterested i n ran ged co m bat.

I NTELLECT: T h i s stat d eterm i n e s h ow s m a rt, knowl edgea b l e , a n d l i ka b l e yo u r c h a racter is. It i n c l udes i nte l l i ge n ce, w i s d o m , c h a r i s m a , e d u cati o n , reason i n g, w i t , wi l l powe r, a n d charm. I nte l l ect gove rns solvi n g puzzles, re m e m beri n g facts, tel l i n g convi n c i n g l ie s , a n d u s i n g mental powe rs. C h a racte rs i nterested i n com m u n icat i n g effect ively, be i n g learned scholars, a n d wie l d i n g t h e n u m e n e ra s h o u l d stre s s t h e i r I nte l l ect stat.

POOL, EDGE, AND EFFORT Each of these stats h a s two co m ponents: yo u r Pool and yo u r E d ge. Yo u r Pool re p resents yo u r raw, i n n ate a b i l ity, a n d you r E d ge re p resents know i n g h ow to use what yo u h ave. A t h i rd element ties i nto t h i s concept: Effort. W h e n yo u r c h a racte r rea l l y need s to acco m p l i s h a task, yo u a p p l y Effort.

Pool You r Pool is the most basic mea s u rement of a stat. Comparing the Pools of two creatures will give you a general sense of wh ich creatu re is s u perior in that stat. For exa m ple, a character who has a M ight Pool of 1 6 i s stronger (in a b a s i c sen se) than a character w h o has a M ight Pool of l 2. M ost characters start with a Pool of 9 to 1 2 in most stats-that' s the average ra nge. When yo u r c h a racte r i s i n j u red , s ickened, or attacked , you te m porarily lose poi nts from one of yo u r stat Poo l s . The n at u re of the attack d eterm i n e s which P o o l l o s e s p o i n t s . Fo r exa m p l e, physical d a m age from a swo rd red uces yo u r M i ght Poo l , a poison t h at m a kes yo u cl u m sy red uces yo u r S peed Poo l , and a p s i o n i c b l a st red u ces yo u r I nte l l ect Poo l . Yo u c a n a l s o s p e n d poi nts fr o m o n e o f yo u r stat Poo l s to decrease a task's d ifficu lty (see Effo rt, n ext page) . You can rest to rega i n lost poi nts fro m a stat Pool (see Recove ri n g Po i nts in a Poo l , page 94) , a n d some s p e c i a l a b i l ities o r n u m e n e ra m i ght a l l ow you to recove r lost poi nts q u ickly.

Edge Although you r Pool is the basic meas u rement of a stat, you r Edge is also i m portant. When somet h i n g req u i res

�LIME NE� CREATING YOUR CHARACTER

you to spend poi nts from a stat Pool, you r Edge for that stat red uces the cost. It also red uces the cost of applying Effort to a rol l . For exa m ple, let' s say you h ave a mental bl ast abil ity, and activating it costs 1 point from you r I ntel l ect Pool . S u btract you r I ntel lect Edge from the activation cost, and the res u lt is how many poi nts you m u st spend to use the mental blast. If u s i n g you r Edge red uces the cost to 0, you can use the abil ity for free. Yo u r E d ge can be d i ffe rent fo r each stat. Fo r exa m p l e , yo u co u l d h ave a M i ght E d ge of 1 , a S peed E d ge of l , and a n I nte l l ect E d ge of O. Yo u ' l l a l ways h ave an E d ge of at least 1 in one stat. Yo u r E d ge fo r a stat red uces t h e cost of s pe n d i n g p o i n t s fro m t h at stat Poo l , but not fro m oth e r Poo l s . Yo u r M i ght E d ge red uces t h e cost of s p e n d i n g p o i nts fro m yo u r M i ght Poo l , but i t d o e s n ' t affect yo u r S peed Pool o r I nte l l ect Poo l . O n ce a stat ' s E d ge reach e s 3 , yo u can apply o n e l evel of Effort fo r free . A character who has a l o w M ight Pool b u t a h igh M ight Edge has the potential to perform M ight actions con s i stently better than a character who has a M ight Edge ofO. The h i gh Edge will let her red uce the cost of spen d i n g points from the Pool, which mea n s she'll h ave more poi nts available to spend on applyi n g Effort.

Effort W h e n yo u r c h a ract e r re a l ly n eed s to acco m p l i s h a t a s k , yo u c a n a p p l y E ffo rt. Fo r a b e g i n n i n g c h a ract e r, a p p lyi n g E ffo rt req u i re s s p e n d i n g 3

Every character starts the game at the first tier. Tier is a measurement ofpower, toughness, and ability. Characters can advance up to the sixth tier. p o i nts fro m t h e stat Pool a p p ro p r i ate to t h e act i o n . T h u s , i f yo u r c h a ract e r t r i e s to d o d ge a n attack ( a S peed ro l l ) a n d w a n t s to i n crease t h e c h a n ce fo r s u cce s s , you c a n a p p ly E ffo rt b y s p e n d i n g 3 p o i n t s fro m yo u r S peed Poo l . E ffo rt l owers t h e d i fficu l ty of t h e ta s k by o n e ste p . T h i s i s ca l l ed a p p lyi n g o n e level of E ffo rt . Yo u d o n ' t h ave to a p p l y Effort if yo u d o n 't w a n t to. I f you choose to a p p l y Effort to a task, you m u st do it before you atte m pt the ro l l-yo u ca n't ro l l fi rst a n d t h e n d e c i d e t o a p p l y Effort if y o u ro l l ed poorly. A p p lyi n g m o re E ffo rt ca n l ower a t a s k' s d i fficu l ty fu rt h e r: each a d d it i o n a l level of E ffo rt red uces t h e d i fficu l ty b y a n o t h e r ste p . A p p l y i n g o n e level o f E ffo rt l owers t h e d i ffi c u l ty b y o n e ste p , a p p l yi n g two leve l s l owers t h e d i fficu l ty b y two ste p s , a n d s o o n . H oweve r, e a c h level of E ffo rt after t h e fi rst costs o n l y 2 p o i nts fro m the stat Pool i n stead of 3. S o a p p l y i n g two leve l s of E ffo rt costs 5 p o i n t s (3 fo r t h e fi rst l e v e l p l u s 2 fo r t h e s e c o n d leve l ) , a p p ly i n g t h ree leve l s costs 7 p o i nts (3 p l u s 2 p l u s 2) , a n d s o o n .

Your stat Pools, a s well as your Effort and Edge, are determined by the character type, descriptor, and focus that you choose. Within those guidelines, however, you have a lot offlexibility in how you develop your character.

MAKING ATTACKS When applying Effort to melee attacks, you have the option ofspending points from either your Might Pool or your Speed Pool. When making ranged attacks, you may only spend points from your Speed Pool. This reflects that with melee you sometimes use bruteforce and sometimes usefinesse, but with ranged attacks, it's always about careful targeting.

For information on additional types ofdamage, see Damage Track, page 93, and Special Damage, page 94.

Broken hound, page 232

Eve ry c h a racter h a s a n Effort score, which i n d icates the m axi m u m n u m be r of l eve l s of Effort t h at can be a p p l ied to a ro l l . A begi n n i n g (fi rsttier) c h a racte r h a s an Effort of 1 , m ea n i n g yo u can a p p l y o n ly o n e l evel of Effort to a ro l l . A m o re experienced c h a racte r h a s a h i gher Effort score a n d can a p p l y more leve l s o f Effort t o a ro l l . Fo r exa m p l e, a c h a racte r who h a s a n Effort of 3 can a p p ly u p to th ree l eve l s of Effort to red u ce a task's d ifficu lty. When yo u a p p ly Effo rt, s u btract yo u r rel eva nt E d ge fro m the total cost of a p p l y i n g Effort. Fo r exa m p l e, l et' s say yo u need to m a ke a S peed ro l l . To i ncrease yo u r c h a n ce fo r s ucce s s , yo u decide to a p p l y one l evel of Effort, which wi l l red u ce the d ifficu lty of the task by one ste p . N o r m a l ly, t h at wo u l d cost 3 poi nts fro m yo u r S peed Poo l . H owever, yo u h ave a S peed E d ge of 2 , so yo u s u btract t h at fro m the cost. T h u s , a p p lyi n g Effort t o t h e ro l l costs o n ly 1 p o i n t fro m yo u r S peed Poo l . What if yo u a p p l ied two l eve l s o f Effort to t h e S peed ro l l i n stead of j u st o n e ? That wo u l d red uce the d ifficu lty of the task by two ste p s . N o r m a l ly, it wo u l d cost 5 poi nts from yo u r S peed Poo l , but afte r s u btract i n g yo u r S peed E d ge of 2 , it costs o n ly 3 points. O n ce a stat ' s Edge reaches 3 , yo u can a p p l y o n e l evel of Effort fo r free. Fo r exa m p l e, if y o u h ave a S peed E d ge of 3 a n d yo u a p p l y o n e l evel of Effort to a S peed ro l l , it costs you 0 poi nts fro m yo u r S peed Poo l . ( N o r m a l ly, a p p lyi n g one l evel of Effort wo u l d cost 3 points, but y o u s u btract you r S peed E d ge fro m t h at cost, red u c i n g it to 0.) S k i l l s a n d ot h e r advantages also d ecrease a task's d ifficu lty, a n d yo u can u s e t h e m i n co n j u nction with Effort. In addi t i on, you r c h a racte r m i ght h ave s peci a l a b i l ities o r e q u i pment t h at a l l ow y o u to a p p l y Effort to acco m p l i s h a special effect, s u c h as knocki n g d own a foe with a n attack o r affect i n g m u lt i p l e ta rgets w i t h a powe r t h at n o r m a l l y affects o n ly o n e .

Effort and Damage

Flash, page 37

I n stead of a p p lyi n g Effort to red u ce the d ifficu lty of yo u r attack, yo u can a p p l y Effort to i n crease t h e a m o u nt of d a m age yo u i n fl ict w i t h a n attack. For each l evel of Effort you a p p l y in t h i s way, you i nfl ict 3 add iti o n a l poi nts of d a m age. Th i s works for any k i n d o f attack t h at i n fl i cts d a mage, whet h e r a swo rd , a cross bow, a m i n d b l a st, or someth i n g e l se. W h e n u s i n g Effo rt to i n crease t h e d a m age of a n a rea attack, s u c h a s t h e exp l o s i o n created by a n a n o ' s F l a s h a b i l ity, you i nfl i ct 2 a d d i t i o n a l p o i n t s of d a m age i n stead o f 3 p o i n t s . H oweve r, t h e a d d i t i o n a l p o i n t s a re d e a l t to a l l ta rgets i n t h e area. Fu rt h e r, eve n if o n e o r m o re of t h e ta rgets i n t h e a rea re s i st t h e attack, yo u sti l l i n fl i ct 1 poi nt o f d a m age to t h e m .

Multiple Uses of Effort and Edge If yo u r Effort i s 2 or h i gher, you can a p p l y Effort to m u lt i p l e a s pects of a s i ngle act i o n . For exa m p l e, if you m a ke a n attack, you can a p p l y Effort to yo u r attack ro l l a n d a p p ly Effort t o i n crease t h e d a m age. The total a m o u nt of Effort yo u apply can't be h i gher than yo u r Effort score. Fo r exa m p l e, if yo u r Effort i s 2 , yo u can a p p l y u p t o two l eve l s o f Effort. Yo u co u l d a p p l y o n e l eve l to an attack ro l l a n d o n e l evel to its d a m age, two leve l s to t h e attack a n d n o l eve l s to the d a m age, o r n o l eve l s to the attack a n d two l eve l s t o the d a m age. Yo u can use E d ge fo r a partic u l a r stat o n ly o n ce per act i o n . Fo r exa m p l e , if yo u a p p l y Effort to a M i ght attack ro l l a n d to yo u r d a m age, you can u s e yo u r M i ght Edge t o red u ce t h e cost o f o n e o f those u s e s of Effort, n ot bot h . I f y o u s pe n d 1 I nte l l ect point t o activate yo u r m i n d b l ast a n d o n e l evel of Effort t o decrease t h e d ifficu lty of t h e attack ro l l , yo u can u s e yo u r I nte l l ect E d ge to red u ce t h e cost of o n e of t h o s e t h i n gs , n ot bot h .

STAT EXAMPLES A begi n n i n g c h a racte r i s fight i n g a creatu re ca l l ed a b roken h o u n d . She sta b s her s pear at the b ro ke n h o u n d , which is a l evel 2 creatu re a n d t h u s h a s a ta rget n u m be r of 6. The c h a racte r sta n d s atop a bou l d e r a n d stri kes d ownward at the beast, a n d the G M rules t h at t h i s h e l pfu l tactic i s a n asset t h at decreases the d ifficu lty by o n e step (to d i fficu lty 1 ) . T h at l owers the ta rget n u m be r to 3 . Attacki n g with a s pear i s a M i ght act i o n ; t h e c h a racte r has a M i ght Pool of 1 1 a n d a M i ght Edge of 0. Before m a k i n g the ro l l , s h e decides t o a p p l y a level o f Effort to decrease the d ifficu lty of the attack. T h at costs 3 poi nts fro m h e r M i ght Poo l , red uci n g t h e Pool to 8. But they a p pear to be poi nts we l l s pent. Applyi n g the Effort l owers the d ifficu lty fro m 1 to 0, so no ro l l is need ed-t h e attack a utomatica l ly s u cceed s . Anot h e r c h a racte r i s atte m pti n g t o convi nce a g u a rd to l et h i m i nto a p rivate office to speak to an i n fl uential noble. The G M rules t h at t h i s i s a n I nte l l ect act i o n . The c h a racte r i s t h i rd tier a n d h a s

�LIME NE� CREATING

an Effort of 3 , an I nte l l ect Pool of l 3 , a n d an I nte l l ect E d ge of 1 . Before m a k i n g the rol l , he m u st decide whet h e r to a p p l y Effort. H e can choose to a p p l y one, two, o r th ree l eve l s of Effo rt, o r a p p l y none at a l l . Th i s action i s i m porta nt t o h i m , so h e decides to a p p l y two l eve l s of Effort, decrea s i n g the d ifficu lty by two ste p s . T h a n ks to h i s I nte l l ect E d ge, a p p lyi n g the Effort costs o n ly 4 poi nts fr o m h i s I nte l l ect Pool (3 poi nts fo r the fi rst l evel of Effort p l u s 2 poi nts fo r t h e seco n d l evel m i n u s 1 point fo r h i s Ed ge) . S p e n d i n g those poi nts red uces h i s I nte l l ect Pool to 9. The G M decides t h at convi n c i n g t h e g u a rd i s a d i fficu lty 3 (d e m a n d i n g) task with a ta rget n u m be r of 9; a p p lyi n g two leve l s of Effo rt red uces the d ifficu lty to 1 (s i m p le) a n d the ta rget n u m be r to 3. The p l aye r ro l l s a d20 a n d gets a n 8 . Beca u s e t h i s res u lt i s a t least eq u a l t o the ta rget n u m be r o f t h e task, h e s u cceed s . H oweve r, if h e had n ot a p p l ied some Effort, h e wo u l d h ave fa i led beca u s e his ro l l (8) wo u l d h ave been less t h a n the task's o ri g i n a l ta rget n u m be r (9) .

CHARACTER TIERS AND BENEFITS Eve ry c h a racter starts the game at the fi rst tier. Tier i s a meas u rement of powe r, tough n e s s , a n d a b i l ity. C h a racters can adva n ce u p t o the s ixth tier. As yo u r c h a racter adva n ces to h i g h e r tiers, yo u ga i n more a b i l ities, i n crease yo u r Effort, a n d can i m p rove a stat ' s E d ge o r i n crease a stat. G e n e ra l ly s peaking, eve n fi rst tier cha racte rs a re a l ready q u ite ca pable. I t ' s safe to a s s u m e t h at t h ey've a l ready

got some experience u n d e r t h e i r belt. Th i s i s n ot a "zero to h e ro" p rogre s s i o n , but rat h e r an i n sta n ce of com pete nt peo p l e refi n i n g a n d h o n i n g t h e i r ca p a b i l ities a n d knowledge. Adva n c i n g t o h i g h e r tiers is n ot rea l ly the "goa l " of N u m e n e ra c h a racte rs, but rather a re p rese ntation of h ow c h a racte rs progre s s i n a sto ry. To progress to the next tier, cha racters earn experience points (XP) by goi n g on adventures and d i scovering new th i n gs-the N i nth World i s about d i scovery of the past and what it means for the future. Experience poi nts h ave many uses, and one use i s t o p u rchase character benefits. After you r character p u rchases four character benefits, he or she goes u p t o t h e next tier. Each benefit costs 4 X P , and you ca n p u rchase them in any order, but you m u st p u rchase one of each kind of benefit (after which you advance to the next tier) before you can p u rchase the same benefit aga i n . The four character benefits are as fol lows. I N C REAS I N G CAPAB I LITI ES: Yo u g a i n 4 poi nts to add to yo u r stat Poo l s . You can a l l ocate the poi nts a m o n g the Poo l s h owever you w i s h . M OV I N G TOWARD PERFECTI O N : Yo u add 1 t o yo u r M i ght Edge, yo u r S peed E d ge, o r you r I nte l l ect E d ge (yo u r choice) . EXTRA E F FO RT: Yo u r Effort score i n creases by 1 . S K I LLS: Yo u beco m e t ra i n e d i n o n e s k i l l of yo u r c h o i ce , ot h e r t h a n attacks o r d e fe n s e . A s d e s c r i bed in the C h a pter 8 : R u l e s of the G a m e (page 84) , a

Yat!IA\IGM2lR.}\CCTl?R

Skills are a broad category ofthings your character can learn and accomplish. For a list ofsample skills, see the Skills sidebar on page 25.

Glaive, page 26 jack, page 40 Nano, page 32

Character descriptor, page 47

c h a ra ct e r t ra i n e d in a s k i l l treats t h e d i fficu lty "/ am a [fill in an of a rel ated t a s k a s o n e s t e p l owe r t h a n n o rm a l . T h e s ki l l yo u c h o o s e fo r t h i s b e n efit c a n be a n yt h i n g you wi s h , s u c h a s c l i m b i n g , j u m p i n g, p e rs u a d i n g , o r s n e a k i n g . Yo u c a n a l s o c h o o s e to be knowled ge a b l e i n a certa i n a rea of l o re , s u c h as h i story o r geo l o gy. Yo u c a n eve n c h o o s e a s k i l l b a s e d o n yo u r c h a racte r' s s pe c i a l a b i l it i e s . For exa m p l e , if yo u r c h a racte r c a n m a ke a n I n te l l ect ro l l to b l a st a n e n e m y with mental fo rce, you c a n beco m e t ra i n e d in u s i n g t h at a b i l ity, treat i n g its d i fficu lty a s o n e step l ower t h a n n o r m a l . I f you choose a s k i l l t h at you a re a l ready t ra i n e d i n , yo u beco m e s pe c i a l ized i n t h at s k i l l , red u ci n g t h e d i fficu lty of re l ated t a s k s by two ste p s i n stead of o n e . P l ayers c a n a l so s p e n d 4 X P t o p u rchase oth e r s pecial opti o n s i n l i e u o f ga i n i n g a n ew s ki l l . Select i n g a n y o f these opti o n s co u nts a s t h e s ki l l benefit nece s s a ry t o adva n ce t o t h e n ext tier. The s pecial opti o n s a re a s fo l lows: •

Characterfocus, page 52 Fighting moves, page 29

Esoteries, page 35 Tricks of the trade, page 42

Onslaught, page 35

•

•

•

•

Red u ce t h e cost fo r wea r i n g armor. This option l owers the M i ght cost by l and l owers the S peed red uction by l . Add 2 to yo u r recovery ro l l s . I f yo u ' re a g l a ive, sel ect a n ew fight i n g move. The m ove m u st be fro m yo u r tier o r a l ower tier. If yo u ' re a n a n o , sel ect a n ew esotery. The esotery m u st be fro m yo u r tier or a l ower tier. If yo u ' re a jack, sel ect a n ew trick of t h e trade. The trick m u st be fro m yo u r tier o r a l ower tier.

CHARACTER DESCRIPTOR, TYPE, AND FOCUS To create yo u r c h a racte r, yo u b u i l d a s i m p l e state ment t h at describes h i m o r h e r. T h e state ment takes this form: "I a m a [fi l l i n a n adjective h e re] [fi l l i n a n o u n h e re] w h o [fi l l i n a verb h e re] . " Th u s : " I a m a n adjective noun w h o verbs." Fo r exa m ple, yo u m i ght say, " I am a Ru gged g l a ive who Co ntro l s Beasts" o r "I a m a C h a rm i n g n a n o who Focuses M i n d ove r M atte r. " I n t h i s sentence, t h e adject ive i s ca l l ed yo u r

descriptor. The noun is yo u r c h a racte r type. The verb i s ca l l ed yo u r focu s . Eve n though c h a racte r type i s i n the m i d d l e of the se ntence, that's where we' l l sta rt this d i sc u s s i o n . (J ust as i n a sentence, t h e n o u n p rovides t h e fo u n d ation.) C h a racter type i s t h e core of yo u r c h a racter. I n

adjecti11e here] [fill in a noun here] who [fill in a 11erb here]. "

s o m e ro l e p l ayi n g g a m e s , i t m i ght b e ca l l ed yo u r c h a racte r c l a s s . Yo u r type h e l p s d eterm i n e yo u r c h a racte r's p l ace i n t h e world a n d re lat i o n s h i p with ot h e r peo p l e i n t h e sett i n g . It's t h e noun of the sentence "I a m a n adjective noun who verbs. " Yo u can choose from th ree c h a racte r types: g l a ive, jack, a n d n a n o. Descri ptor defines yo u r c h a racte r-it fl avors eve ryt h i n g yo u do. Yo u r descri ptor p l aces yo u r c h a racter i n t h e s ituation (th e fi rst adventu re, which starts the campaign) a n d helps p rovide m otivat i o n . I t ' s the adj ective of the se ntence " I a m a n adjective noun who verbs." Yo u can choose from twe lve c h a racte r descri ptors . Focu s is what you r character does best. Focus gives you r character specificity and provides i nteresti n g new abil ities that m ight come in handy. You r focus also helps you understa nd how you rel ate with the other player characters i n you r group. It's the verb of the sentence "I am a n at:fjective noun who verbs. " There a re many c h a racte r foci to choose fro m .

SPECIAL ABILITIES C h a racter types and foci grant PCs s peci a l a b i l it i e s at each new t i e r. U s i n g t h e s e a b i l it i e s u s u a l ly costs p o i n t s fro m yo u r stat Poo l s ; the cost i s l i sted i n parentheses after t h e a b i l ity n a m e . Yo u r E d ge i n t h e a p p ro p r i ate stat c a n red uce t h e cost o f t h e a b i l ity, b u t re m e m be r t h at yo u can a p p ly E d ge o n l y o n ce per act i o n . F o r exa m p l e , l et ' s say a n a n o w i t h a n I nte l l ect E d ge of 2 wants to u s e h i s O n s l a u ght a b i l ity to create a bolt of fo rce, which costs l I nte l l ect p o i nt. H e a l s o wants to i n crease t h e d a m age fro m t h e attack by u s i n g a l evel of Effo rt, which costs 3 I nte l l ect points. T h e tot a l cost fo r h i s act i o n i s 2 p o i nts fro m h i s I nte l l ect Pool ( l p o i n t fo r t h e bolt o f fo rce p l u s 3 p o i n t s fo r u s i n g Effort m i n u s 2 p o i n t s fro m h i s Ed ge) . Somet i m e s t h e point cost for an a b i l ity h a s a + s i g n after the n u m ber. Fo r exa m p l e, the cost m i ght be given a s "2+ I nte l l ect points." That means you can spend m o re poi nts o r m o re l eve l s of Effort to i m p rove the a b i l ity fu rt h e r. M a ny special a b i l ities grant a c h a racte r the option to perform a n action t h at she co u l d n 't normally do, s uch a s p roject i n g rays of co l d o r attacki n g m u lt i p l e fo e s a t o n ce . U s i n g o n e o f t h e s e a b i l ities i s a n action u nto itself, a n d t h e e n d of the a b i l ity' s description s ays "Act i o n " to re m i n d yo u . I t a l so m i ght p rovide

�LIME NE� CREATING YOUR CHARACTER

SKILLS Somet i m e s yo u r c h a racte r ga i n s tra i n i n g i n a s pecific s ki l l or task. Fo r exa m p le , yo u r focus m i ght mean t h at yo u ' re tra i ned i n s n e a k i n g , i n cl i m b i n g a n d j u m p i n g, o r i n soci a l i nteract i o n s . Oth e r t i m e s , yo u r c h a racte r c a n choose a s k i l l t o become tra i ned i n , a n d yo u c a n p i c k a s k i l l t h at re l ates t o a n y t a s k you th i n k yo u m i ght face. The game has n o d efi n itive l i st of s ki l l s . H oweve r, the fo l l owi n g l i st offers ideas: Astro n o my Balancing B i o l ogy Botany Ca rryi n g Climbing Deceivi n g Esca p i n g G eography Geology

Healing H i story I d entifyi n g I n iti ative I nt i m i d ation J umping Leat h e rworki n g Lockp icki n g M etalwork i n g N u m e n e ra

Perce ption Pers u a s i o n P h i losophy P i ckpocket i n g Repa i r i n g Rid i n g Smashing S n eaki n g Swi m m i n g Woodworki n g

Yo u co u l d c h o o s e a s ki l l t h at i n corporates m o re t h a n o n e of t h e s e a reas (i nte ract i n g m i ght i n c l u d e d eceivi n g , i nt i m i d ati n g , a n d pers u ad i n g) o r i s a m o re s pecific vers i o n of o n e (h i d i n g m i ght be s n eaki n g w h e n you ' re not m ov i n g) . Yo u co u l d a l s o m a ke u p m o re genera l , p rofe s s i o n a l s ki l l s , s u ch as baker, s a i l o r, or l u m b e rjack. I f yo u want to choose a s ki l l t h at' s not on t h i s l i st, it' s probably best to r u n it past t h e G M fi rst, b u t i n ge n e ra l , t h e most i m portant a s pect i s to choose s ki l l s t h at a re a p p ro p r i ate to yo u r c h a racter. Re m e m be r t h at if yo u g a i n a s ki l l t h at yo u ' re a l ready t ra i ned i n , yo u beco m e s p e c i a l ized i n t h at s ki l l . Beca u s e s ki l l d e s c r i pt i o n s can be n e b u l o u s , d eterm i n i n g whether yo u ' re t ra i ned o r s peci a l ized m i ght t a ke s o m e t h i n ki n g. Fo r exa m p l e , if yo u ' re t ra i ned i n lyi n g a n d later ga i n a n a b i l ity t h at grants yo u s ki l l with a l l soci a l i nteract i o n s , yo u beco m e s peci a l ized i n lyi n g a n d t ra i ned i n a l l ot h e r types o f i nteract i o n s . B e i n g t ra i ned t h ree t i m e s i n a s ki l l i s n o better t h a n b e i n g t ra i ned twice ( i n ot h e r word s , s p e c i a l ized i s a s good a s it gets) . O n ly s k i l l s gai ned t h ro u g h c h a racter type a b i l ities, s u c h as the g l a ive ' s fight i n g moves focus a b i l ities, or oth e r rare i n stance s a l low yo u to beco me s k i l led with attack o r defe n s e tasks. I f you ga i n a s peci a l a b i l ity t h ro u g h yo u r type, yo u r focu s , o r some oth e r a s pect of yo u r cha racter, you can choose it i n p l ace of a s k i l l a n d beco m e tra i ned or s peci a l ized i n t h at a b i l ity. For exa m p l e, if yo u h ave a m i nd b l a st, when it's t i m e to choose a s ki l l to be tra i ned in, yo u can sel ect yo u r m i n d b l ast a s yo u r s ki l l . T h at wo u l d red u ce the d ifficu lty eve ry time you used it. Each a b i l ity you h ave co u nts a s a separate s ki l l fo r t h i s p u rpose. You ca n ' t sel ect " a l l m i n d powe rs" o r " a l l e soteries" as one s k i l l a n d beco me tra i ned or s pecial ized in s u c h a b road catego ry.

m o re i n fo rmation about when o r h ow yo u perform the act i o n . S o m e s pe c i a l a b i l it i e s a l low yo u to perform a fa m i l i a r act i o n-o n e t h at you ca n a l ready d o-i n a d i fferent way. Fo r exa m p l e , a n a b i l ity m i g h t l et you we a r h e avy a r m o r, red uce t h e d i fficu lty of S peed d efe n s e ro l l s , o r add 2 p o i nts of fi re d a m a ge to yo u r we a p o n d a m a ge. T h e s e a b i l i t i e s a re ca l l ed e n a b l e r s . U s i n g o n e of t h e s e a b i l it i e s i s not co n s i d e red a n act i o n . E n a b l e rs e i t h e r fu n ct i o n co n st a n t l y ( s u c h a s b e i n g a b l e to wea r h e avy a r m o r, w h i c h i s n ' t an act i o n ) or h a p pe n as p a rt of a n ot h e r act i o n ( s u c h a s a d d i n g fi re d a m a ge to yo u r wea p o n d a m a ge, w h i c h h a p p e n s a s p a rt o f yo u r attack a ct i o n ) . I f a s peci a l a b i l ity i s a n e n a b l e r, t h e e n d of t h e a b i l ity' s d e s c r i p t i o n s ays " E n a b l er" t o re m i n d yo u .

CHAPTER 4

CHARACTER TYPE In some roleplaying games, character type might be called your character class.

C h a racte r type i s the core of yo u r cha racter. Yo u r type h e l p s d eterm i n e yo u r c h a racte r' s p l ace in the wo rld a n d re lation s h i p with oth e r peo p l e i n the sett i n g. I t ' s the n o u n of the sentence " I am an adjective noun who verbs." Yo u can choose from th ree c h a racte r types: g l a ive, n a n o , and jack.

GLAIVE

The Steadfast, page 7 3 6 The Beyond, page 7 74

Might, page 20 Speed, page 20

The numenera, page 275

G l a ives a re the e l ite warri o rs of the N i nth Wo r l d , u s i n g wea p o n s a n d armor to fight t h e i r e n e m i e s . H u nters, g u a rd i a n s , a n d sold i e rs co u l d be g l a ives . Somet i m e s scouts, warlord s , band its, a n d eve n ath l etes a re g l a ive s . " G l a ive" is a co m mo n s l a n g term u s e d a l most eve rywhere i n t h e Steadfast a n d the Beyo n d fo r any person s k i l led w i t h wea p o n s o r a m a rt i a l a rt, but i n trut h , it a p p l ies o n ly to the best of the best. G l a ives a re warriors who co m m a n d a b i l ities fa r beyo n d those of a typical person with a swo rd . M ost g l a ives a re either stro n g-u s i n g the heaviest armor a n d wea p o n s ava i l a b l e a n d h avi n g a h i gh M i ght-o r fast, sticki n g with l i ght wea p o n s a n d armor a n d h avi n g a h i g h S peed . A few atte m pt t o u s e b o t h M i ght a n d S peed a n d stay somewhere i n the m id d le. G l a ives a l so u s e ra n ged wea p o n s s uch a s bows o r d a rts. Some don't re ly o n wea p o n s at a l l , p referri n g to use t h e i r bod ies in h a n d -to- h a n d co m bat-p u n c h i ng, kicki ng, gra b b i ng, t h rowi ng, a n d so o n . G laives i n Society: I n m o s t cities a n d v i l l ages, peo p l e h o l d g l a ives i n great estee m . A l t h o u g h a g l a ive co u l d j u st a s l i kely be a t h u g as a n o b l e warrior, t h o s e w h o h e l p p rotect t h e i r fe l l ow h u m a n s fro m t h e d a n gers of the N i nt h Wo rld a re always treated with res pect. There is n o s h a m e in gett i n g paid fo r the use of o n e ' s s k i l l s , so be i n g a blade for h i re is a perfectly accepta b l e p rofe s s i o n . Restrict i o n s o n ca rryi n g wea p o n s o p e n ly a re rare, a n d most g l a ives wear t h e too l s of t h e i r t r a d e w i t h p r i d e . N ot s u rp ri s i n gly, g l a ives o ft e n get a l o n g b e s t with oth e r gla ive s , o r at least sold iers, g u a rd s , o r s i m i l a r co m rades i n a r m s . N a nos, scholars , a n d peo p l e who

GLAIVE STAT POOLS Pool Starti ng Value Stat M i ght 11 S peed 10 I nte l l ect 7 Yo u get 6 add iti o n a l poi nts to d ivide a m o n g yo u r stat Poo l s h owever yo u w i s h .

a re n ' t terri bly physical a re less l i kely to m ix we l l with g l a ives, but obvi o u s ly n ot eve ry g l a ive i s t h e same. They focu s o n t h e i r bod ies, but t h at does n ' t mean they d o n ' t va l u e m o re ce re b ra l p u r s u its a s we l l . A g l a ive need n ot fo l l ow the ste reotype of t h e d u m b b r u i s e r with a sword o r a n axe. G laives in the G roup: I n a gro u p of exp l o rers, g l a ives typ i ca l ly take the lead. They' re u s u a l ly the most phys ically capable, the most d u ra b l e , and the most ready to meet d a n ge r head-o n . Somet i m e s they act p rotectively towa rd t h e i r co m p a n i o n s ; oth e r t i m e s , they' re more self- i nterested . E it h e r way, a g l a ive' s p l ace i s often i n t h e m i d d l e o f t h e fray. G laives and the N u menera: When it co mes to the n u m e n e ra , most g l a ives a re i nterested i n wea p o n s , armor, o r d evices t h at a i d t h e m i n co m bat. The a n cients p rod u ced all sorts of i n cred i b ly d u ra b l e s u b stances, many o f which can be made i nto armor t h at i s l i ghter a n d more p rotective t h a n stee l . Someti m e s , g l a ives c a n scave n ge a s u it o f armor co m posed of these advanced m ateria l s , but m o re often they fi n d the m ateri a l s a n d t h e n a s k a crafter o r s m ith to m a ke the armor. Of co u rse, the p ro b l e m i s t h at a s u b stance t h at i s d ifficult t o d a m age i s a l so h a rd to work. As varied a s a r m o r i n g m ateri a l s m i g h t be, n u m e n e ra wea p o n ry is i n fi n itely m o re so. T h e s e ite m s i n c l u d e m e l e e wea p o n s t h at s h ock, stu n , o r b u rn w h ateve r t h ey t o u c h ; a n d ran ged wea p o n s t h at b l ast p roject i l e s w i t h i n cred i b l e powe r o r b u rsts o f stra n g e e n e rg i e s . T h e re a re a l s o b o m b s , d a m a g i n g e n e rgy fi e l d s , p o i s o n o u s g a s e s , a n d fa r stra n ge r wea p o n ry, b u t s o m e g l a ives fi n d t h at

�LIME NE� CHARACTER TYPE

s u c h co m p l ex o bj ects a re bett e r off i n t h e h a n d s o f a n a n o . M a n euvera b i l ity i s j u st a s i m p o rt a n t a s attack o r d efe n s e , h oweve r, s o a n i t e m t h at a l l ows a g l a ive to m ove q u i c k l y o r n egate gravity i s a great prize. As for cyphers , glaives p refer physica l ly e n h a n c i n g or restorative objects, such as i njections o f chemicals that i m p rove reaction time or p i l l s with m icroscopic rep a i r d evices that heal wou n d s and restore fatigued m u scle tissue. They use the n ickname " boost" for any cyp her that e n h a nces their strength , sta m i n a , reflexes , or other physical as pects, wh i l e one that rep a i rs d a mage or a l l evi ates fatigue is called a "treat." Advanced G laives: As they progre s s , g l a ives become bette r co m b atants, often fe l l i n g m u lt i p l e foes i n a s i n g l e stroke. They ga i n s peci a l types of attacks a n d l e a r n t o u s e a r m o r m o re efficiently t o get the most out of t h e p rotection it offers.

GLAIVE BACKGROUND G laives are no mere band its or town guard s . They stand head and shoulders above ord i n a ry soldiers and brawlers. Someth i n g i n you r background-whether i nten s ive tra i n i ng, i n born tra its, or biomechan ical mod ification-has made you more than the others around you . Choose one of those th ree options (descri bed below) as the sou rce of you r s ki l l s , strength, reflexes, and stamina. It wi l l provide the foundation of you r background and give you an idea of how you can i m p rove. The G M can use this i nformation to

develop adventures and q uests that are s pecific to you r character a n d play a role i n you r advancement.

Intensive Training Yo u a re strong, fast, or bot h , but what rea l ly separates yo u fro m the crowd i s yo u r tra i n i ng. Perh a p s yo u asce n d ed the h i ghest peak of t h e B l ack Riage o r sought t h e d eepest sewe rs ben eath Q i to fi n d teachers who co u l d s h ow yo u h ow to move, fight, and e n d u re beyo n d normal h u m a n l i m its. Yo u know a thousand ways to ki l l a foe, most of t h e m secret to all but a chosen few. Yo u ' re p rivy to tech n iq u e s a n d fight i n g styl es t h at most peo p l e in the N i nth Wo rld h ave n ever see n . Yo u h ave learned t h at the i m po s s i b l e i s pos s i b l e-as long a s you know the secret. Yo u r body is a wea pon, and yo u r weapon i s p a rt o f yo u r body. You h ave stu d ied with the m a sters, a n d now you ca rry t h at reg i m e n a s yo u ve nture i nto the worl d . Advancement: You need t o t ra i n a n d p ractice co n stantly to hone yo u r s k i l l s a n d d eve l o p n ew tech n iq u e s , b u i l d i n g on what yo u 've been taught. Perh a p s at some point yo u wi l l ret u rn to yo u r secret m a sters for fu rther i n itiation or fi n d n ew teachers o r l e s s o n s t h at can take yo u to t h e next ste p. When you ga i n additional poi nts for you r stat Poo l s , a n i ncrease t o a stat's E d g e , or a n i n crease i n the l evel of Effort you can apply, the benefit comes as the res u lt of rigoro u s exerci se and personal d evelopment. When you ga i n a new s ki l l or gla ive a b i l ity, it's the res u lt of the m a rtial arts you h ave stud ied.

Cypher, page 2 78 Black Riage, page 1 77 Qi, page 1 48

GLAIVE CONNECTION Ro l l a d20 or choose from the fo l l owi n g l i st to d eterm i n e a s pecific fact about you r backgro u n d t h at p rovides a co n n ect ion to the rest of the worl d . You can a l s o create yo u r own fact. Rol l

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Background You we re in t h e m i l itary a n d h ave friends who sti l l serve. Yo u r former co m m a n d e r re mem bers yo u we l l . You we re t h e perso n a l g u a rd of a wealthy m e rchant who accused yo u of t h eft. Yo u left h e r service i n d i s grace. You we re t h e bo u n ce r i n a local bar for a w h i le, a n d t h e patro n s there re m e m b e r yo u . You tra i ned with a h i g h l y res pected mentor. H e rega rd s yo u we l l , but he h a s many e n e m i e s . You tra i ned i n an i s o l ated m o n astery far away. The m o n ks th i n k of yo u as a b rother, but yo u ' re a stra n ge r to a l l others. You h ave no formal tra i n i ng. Yo u r a b i l ities co m e to yo u n atu ra l ly (or u n n at u ra l ly) . You spent t i m e on the streets a n d eve n were i n prison for a w h i le. You we re conscri pted i nto m i l itary service, but yo u deserted before long. You served as a bodyg u a rd to a powe rfu l cri m i n a l who now owe s yo u h i s l i fe. You worked as a co n stable. Eve ryo n e knows yo u , but t h e i r o p i n i o n s of you va ry. You r o l d e r s i b l i n g i s a n i nfa m o u s g l a ive who h a s been d i s graced . You served as a caravan g u a rd . You know a s m atte ri n g of peo p l e i n many cities a n d tow n s . You r best friend i s a sage a n d a scholar. S h e i s a great s o u rce of knowledge. You a n d a friend both s m o ke t h e same k i n d of rare, exp e n s ive tobacco. The two of yo u get together wee kly to chat a n d s m o ke. You r u n cle ru n s a th eater i n tow n . Yo u know a l l t h e actors a n d watch a l l the s h ows fo r free. You r b l acksm ith friend somet i m e s cal l s o n yo u fo r h e l p at t h e fo rge. H oweve r, h e pays yo u we l l . You r m e ntor wrote a book o n the m a rt i a l a rts. Somet i m e s oth e r warri o rs seek yo u out to a s k about its stra n ge r passages. A m a n you fought a l o n g s i d e i n the m i l itary i s n ow t h e m ayo r of a nea rby tow n . You saved the l ives of a fa m i ly when their house bu rned down. They' re indebted to you , and their neigh bors regard you as a hero. You r o l d tra i n e r st i l l expects yo u to come back and s h a rpen her blades a n d clean up after her classes, but when you do, s h e occas i o n a l ly s h ares i nterest i n g rumors.

Many ofthe people you meet in the Ninth World are mutants, whether you are aware of it or not. For more information on the types of m utations, see page 1 23.

Inborn Traits Yo u 've t ra i ned u n d e r exce l lent i n structors a n d h ave experience in m a n y d a n ge ro u s situat i o n s , but w h at m a kes yo u d ifferent i s deep i n s i d e , e ntwi ned i n yo u r genetic h e ritage. M aybe i t was t h e l u ck o f bei n g born fit. M aybe yo u ' re a h u l ki n g b rute-a m o u n ta i n o u s figu re who co m m a n d s atte ntion when y o u enter a roo m . Or m aybe yo u r stre n gth is more s u btle; yo u m i ght be the desce n d a nt of a bio enginee red race b red (or d e s i gned) for pe rfect i o n . Pe rhaps yo u ' re a m utant with psyc h i c a b i l ities t h at augment yo u r physical nature; you g u i d e a n d e n h a n ce yo u r attacks with teleki n e s i s , o r yo u use a n atu ra l m utation i n yo u r b ra i n t o control m atte r o n a molecu l a r l eve l to res i st b l ows a n d i n fl ict h a r m . Perh a p s yo u ' re someth i n g wholly n ew: an a be rration or a h u m a n so pe rfect t h at yo u ' re beyo n d h u m a n . You m i ght be a posth u m a n-th e next ste p towa rd t h e true desti ny of the peo p l e of the N i nth Wo rld. Advancement: Yo u h ave talents of which you a re only d i mly aware. You m u st p ractice and experiment to find you r l i m itations, if any. At some point i n the fut u re, you m i ght h ave to seek out someone who can h e l p you master you r i n he rent a b i l ities. You we re born with great powe r-now you need to learn h ow to use that power, eve n if the education takes a l i fetime. When you r stats i m p rove, it' s beca use you ' re tapping deeper i nto the u n known reserves wit h i n you . When you gai n a new gla ive abil ity, it' s the res u lt of you r

s u perh u man traits as m uch as i t i s about you r study, practice, or knowledge. You can do t h i ngs that other people s i m ply can n ot, no matter how hard they tra i n .

Biomechanical Modification Yo u m i ght be a fighter, but yo u ' re no a rc h a i c ste reotype-t h i s i s the N i nt h Wo rld, a ft e r a l l . Although you tra i ned a n d ga i n ed yo u r s h a re of p ractical expe rience, yo u h ave the n u m e n e ra o n yo u r s i d e a s we l l . S o m e o f yo u r knowled ge o f fight i n g tech n iq u e s i s i m p l anted i n yo u r b ra i n a n d s p i n e, wi red i nto yo u r n e rves a n d m u scles. Yo u r joi nts h ave s u rgica l ly i m p l a nted servo m oto rs. S u bd e r m a l p l at i n g m a kes y o u to u g h e r t h a n s h o u l d be pos s i b l e . Yo u r m u scle t i s s u e i s a u g m e nted w i t h a rtifici a l fibers. Perh a p s yo u r genetic cod e h a s been rewritte n by e n g i n ee red viruses, or the t i s s u e s i n yo u r body h ave been rewo rked by n a n otec h , t u rn i n g yo u i nto an efficient battle mach i n e . O r m aybe yo u 've been a ltered by stra n ge science-ra d i oactive treatments of biza rre e n e rgies, chem ical co m p o u n d s a n d d ru g s , o r extrad i m e n s io n a l e n h a n ce m e nts-t h at m a kes yo u stronger, faster, to u g h e r, a n d m o re p roficient in attack a n d defe n s e t h a n anyo n e a ro u n d yo u . Whatever the case, you're the res u lt o f ancient knowledge made man ifest i n the present, and now you ' re shaping the future. Perhaps you r mod ifications are obvious and visi ble; perhaps they' re not. Regard less, you know that you ' re more than merely h u man.

�LIME NE� CHARACTER lYPE

Advancement: Yo u r body i s an o n go i n g p roject. I n a way, it's a work of a rt, although its bea uty comes n ot fro m its a p pearance but fro m w h at it can do. As yo u go fo rwa rd , yo u s h o u l d keep a n eye out at all times fo r n ew parts a n d syste m s t h at can be i ncorporated i nto yo u r body, o r n ew doses of d rugs a n d s u p p l e m ents to m a i nta i n yo u r a b i l ities. You m i ght need to seek out s u rgeo n s , mech a n ics, o r bioen h a n cement s peci a l i sts to take yo u to the n ext l eve l . Perh a p s t h e Aeo n Priests can h e l p . Perh a p s the parts you need can be found o n ly i n the ru i n s of the past o r the d a n ge ro u s b l ack m a rket of a fa raway city. When yo u r stats i m p rove, it's beca u s e yo u l itera l ly h ave added somet h i n g n ew to yo u r body. When you ga i n a n ew a b i l ity, it' s the d i rect res u lt of a ta n g i b l e c h a n ge i n yo u r o w n physical b e i n g .

GLAIVE TIERS

• Bash (1 M ight poi nt) : T h i s is a p u m m e l i n g m e l ee attack. Yo u r attack i n fl i cts 1 less point of d a m age t h a n n o rm a l , but d azes yo u r ta rget fo r one ro u n d , d u ri n g w h i c h t i m e t h e d ifficu lty o f a l l tasks i t performs i s mod ified b y o n e ste p t o i t s detri ment. • N o N eed for Weapons: When you m a ke a n u n a rmed attack ( s u c h as a p u n c h o r kick) , i t co u nts a s a med i u m weapon i n stead o f a l i ght wea p o n . E n a b l e r. • Pierce (1 Speed point) : Th i s is a we l l-aimed, penetrat i n g ra n ged attack. You m a ke a n attack and i n fl ict 1 additional point of d a m age if yo u r weapon has a s h a rp poi nt. Action. • Th rust (1 M ight point) : Th i s i s a powe rfu l m e l ee sta b . You m a ke an attack a n d i n fl ict 1 a d d i t i o n a l point of d a m age if yo u r weapon h a s a s h a rp edge o r poi nt. Act i o n . • Trai ned Without Armor: Yo u a re tra i ned i n S peed defe n s e act i o n s when n ot wea ri n g armor. E n a b l e r.

Aeon Priest, page 269

First-Tier Glaive F i rst-t ier g l a ives h ave the fo l l owi n g a b i l ities: Effort: Yo u r Effort i s 1 . Fighter: Yo u h ave a M i ght E d ge of l , a S peed E d ge of 1 , a n d an I nte l l ect E d ge of 0. Cypher Use: Yo u can bear two cyp hers at a t i m e . Practiced i n Armor: G l a ives c a n wea r a r m o r for long period s of time without tiring and can com pensate for s l owed reactions fro m wea ring armor. You can wear any kind of armor. You red uce the M i ght cost per h o u r for weari n g a r m o r and the S peed P o o l red uction for weari n g armor by 2 . Enabler. Practiced With All Weapons: You can u s e any wea p o n . E n a b l e r. Physical Skills: You a re tra i ned i n yo u r choice of o n e of the fo l l owing: b a l a n c i n g , cl i m b i ng, j u m p i ng, o r swi m m i ng. E n a b l e r. Starti ng Eq u i pment: You start with cloth i n g, two wea p o n s (or o n e weapon a n d a s h ield) , l i ght o r m ed i u m armor, a n exp l o rer's p a c k , two cyp hers (chosen fo r you by the G M ) , one odd ity (chosen fo r you by t h e G M ) , a n d 5 s h i n s (co i n s) . I f yo u start with a ra n ged weapon t h at req u i res a m m u n ition (a rrows, fo r exa m p l e} , you start with 1 2 of t h at type of a m m u n it i o n . Before select i n g yo u r wea p o n s , armor, a n d oth e r gear, yo u m i ght w a n t to w a i t u nt i l after yo u 've c h o s e n yo u r fight i n g m ove s , d escri ptor, a n d focu s . Fighti ng M oves: You h ave a s pecial talent fo r co m bat a n d c a n perform feats t h at oth e rs c a n b a rely i m agine. These feats a re ca l l e d .fighting moves. Some fight i n g moves a re constant, o n go i n g effects, a n d oth e rs a re s pecific act i o n s t h at u s u a l ly cost poi nts fro m o n e of yo u r stat Poo l s . Choose two o f the fight i n g m oves d escri bed bel ow. Yo u ca n ' t choose t h e same fight i n g m ove m o re t h a n o n ce u n le s s i t s d escri ption says oth e rwise.

Your character's starting equipment is as important as his beginning skills. Learn more about what you carry and what it's usedfor in Chapter 7: Equipment (page 77) .

Descriptor, page 47 Focus, page 52

Second-Tier Glaive Practiced in armor, page 29

Seco n d -tier g l a ives h ave the fo l l owi n g a b i l ities: Ski l l With Attacks: Choose o n e type of attack in which yo u a re n ot a l ready tra i n e d : l i ght bas h i ng, l i ght b l aded , l i ght ra n ged , m ed i u m bas h i ng, med i u m bladed, med i u m ran ged , heavy bas h i ng, heavy bladed, or heavy ra nged . Yo u a re tra i ned i n attacks u s i n g t h at type of wea p o n . E n a b l e r. Fighti ng M oves: Choose o n e of the fo l l owi n g fight i n g moves ( o r a m ove fro m a l ower tier) to a d d t o yo u r re perto i re . I n a d d i t i o n , yo u c a n re p l ace o n e of yo u r fi rst-tier fight i n g moves w i t h a d iffe rent fi rst­ tier fight i n g move. Chop (2 M ight poi nts) : Th i s is a h eavy, powe rfu l s l i ce with a b l aded wea p o n , probably ove rh a n d . Yo u m u st grip yo u r weapon w i t h two h a n d s t o c h o p . W h e n m a k i n g t h i s attack, yo u take a -1 pena lty to t h e attack ro l l , a n d yo u i n fl i ct 3 add iti o n a l poi nts of d a m age. Act i o n . Crush ( 2 M ight poi nts) : T h i s i s a powe rfu l p u m m e l i n g attack with a ba s h i n g wea pon, p robably ove r h a n d . You m u st gri p you r weapon with two hands to cru s h . ( I f fight i n g u n a rmed , t h i s attack i s made with both fists or both feet toget h e r.) When m a k i n g t h i s attack, you take a -1 pena lty to the attack ro l l , a n d you i nfl ict 3 add iti o n a l poi nts of d a m age. Act i o n . Reload (l Speed point) : When u s i n g a weapon t h at normally req u i res an action to re load , s u c h as a heavy crossbow, yo u can re load a n d fi re (or fi re a n d re load) i n t h e same act i o n . E n a b l e r. Ski l l With Defense: Choose o n e type of d efe n s e task i n wh ich y o u a re n ot a l ready tra i ned: M i ght, S peed , o r I nte l l ect. Yo u a re tra i ned i n defe n se tasks of t h at type. U n l i ke most fight i n g m ove s , yo u can sel ect t h i s move u p to t h ree t i m e s . Each t i m e yo u sel ect i t , yo u m u st choose a d i fferent type of defense task. E n a b l e r. Successive Attack (2 Speed poi nts) : I f you take d own a foe, yo u can i m me d i ately m a ke another attack o n t h at s a m e t u rn aga i n st a new foe with i n yo u r reach . T h e seco n d attack i s p a rt o f t h e s a m e act i o n . You can u s e t h i s fight i n g move w i t h m e l ee attacks a n d ra n ged attacks. E n a b l e r. •

Rapid:fire weapon, page 79 Crank crossbow, page 79

•

•

•

Defense tasks are when a player makes a roll to keep something undesirable from happening to his PC. The type ofdefense task matters when using Effort. Might defense: Used for resisting poison, disease, and anything else that can be overcome with strength and health. Speed defense: Used for dodging attacks and escaping danger. This is by far the most commonly used defense task. Intellect defense: Used for fending off mental attacks or anything that might affect or influence one's mind.

•

Third-Tier Glaive Th i rd-tier g l a ives h ave the fo l l owi n g a b i l ities: Expert Cypher Use: You can bear th ree cyp hers at a time. Ski l l With Attacks: C h o o s e o n e type o f attack i n which yo u a re n ot a l ready tra i n e d : l i ght bas h i ng, l i ght b l aded , l i ght ra n ged , m ed i u m bas h i ng, med i u m bladed, med i u m ran ged , heavy bas h i ng, heavy bladed, or heavy ra nged . Yo u a re tra i ned i n attacks u s i n g t h at type of wea p o n . E n a b l e r. Fighti ng M oves: Choose o n e of the fo l l owi n g

� 30 �

fight i n g moves (or a move fro m a l ower tier) to add to yo u r re perto i re . In addition, yo u can a l s o re p l ace one of yo u r lowe r-ti e r fight i n g m oves with a d iffe rent fight i n g move fro m t h e same l owe r tier. Experienced With Armor: The cost red u ction from yo u r P racticed in Armor a b i l ity i m p rove s . You n ow red uce the M i ght cost per h o u r a n d the S peed Pool red u ction by 3. E n a b l e r. Lunge (2 M ight poi nts): T h i s move req u i re s yo u to extend yo u rself for a powe rfu l sta b or s m a s h . The awkwa rd l u n ge i n creases the d ifficu lty o f t h e attack ro l l b y o n e ste p . I f yo u r attack i s s u ccessfu l , it i n fl i cts 4 a d d i t i o n a l poi nts o f d a m age. Act i o n . Sl ice ( 2 Speed poi nts) : T h i s i s a q u ick attack with a b l aded o r poi nted weapon t h at is h a rd to defe n d aga i n st. The d i fficu lty of the attack ro l l i s decreased b y o n e ste p. I f the attack i s s u ccessfu l , i t d e a l s 1 less p o i n t o f d a m age t h a n n o r m a l . Act i o n . Spray ( 2 Speed poi nts) : I f a weapon h a s t h e a b i l ity to fi re ra p i d s h ots without re load i n g (u s u a l ly ca l led a ra p i d -fi re weapon , such a s the cra n k cross bow) , yo u can s p ray m u lt i p l e s h ots a ro u n d yo u r ta rget to i n crease t h e c h a n ce of h itti n g. Th i s m ove u ses 1 d 6 + 1 ro u n d s of ammo (or all the ammo i n t h e wea p o n , if it h a s l e s s t h a n the n u m be r ro l l ed) . The d i fficu lty of t h e attack ro l l i s d ecreased by o n e ste p . I f t h e attack i s s u ccessfu l , it d e a l s 1 less point o f d a m age t h a n n o rm a l . Act i o n . Trick Shot ( 2 Speed poi nts) : As part of t h e same act i o n , you m a ke a ra n ged attack aga i n st two ta rgets t h at a re with i n i m me d i ate ra n ge of each oth e r. M a ke a separate attack ro l l aga i n st each ta rget. The d ifficu lty of each attack ro l l i s i n creased by one ste p . Act i o n .

•

•

•

•

•

Fourth-Tier Glaive Fo u rth-tier g l a ives h ave t h e fo l l owi n g a b i l ities: Ski l l With Attacks: Choose o n e type of attack in which yo u a re n ot a l ready tra i n e d : l i ght bas h i ng, l i ght b l aded , l i ght ra n ged , m ed i u m bas h i ng, med i u m bladed, med i u m ran ged , heavy bas h i ng, heavy bladed, or heavy ra nged . Yo u a re tra i ned i n attacks u s i n g t h at type of wea p o n . E n a b l e r. Fighti ng M oves: Choose o n e of the fo l l owi n g fight i n g moves ( o r a m ove fro m a l ower tier) to a d d t o yo u r re perto i re . I n a d d i t i o n , yo u c a n a l so re p l ace one of yo u r l owe r-ti e r fight i n g m oves with a d iffe rent fight i n g move fro m t h e s a m e l owe r tier. Capable Warrior: Yo u r attacks deal 1 add iti o n a l point o f d a m age. E n a b l e r. Experienced Defender: When wea r i n g armor, you ga i n + 1 to Armor. E n a b l e r. Fei nt (2 Speed poi nts) : I f you s pe n d one action creat i n g a m i s d i rection o r d ivers i o n , i n t h e n ext ro u n d yo u can take advantage of yo u r opponent's l owered defe n s e s . M a ke a m e l ee attack ro l l •

•

•

�LIME NE� CHARACTER TYPE

•

•

aga i n st t h at o p po n e nt. The d i fficu lty of t h e ro l l i s decreased b y o n e ste p . I f yo u r attack i s s u ccessfu l , it i n fl i cts 4 a d d i t i o n a l poi nts o f d a m age. Act i o n . M i nor t o M ajor: You treat ro l l s o f n atu ra l 1 9 a s ro l l s of n atu ra l 20 fo r M i ght attack ro l l s o r S peed attack ro l l s (yo u r cho ice when yo u ga i n t h i s a b i l ity) . Th i s a l l ows yo u t o ga i n a major effect o n a natural 1 9 or 20. E n a b l e r. Snipe (2 Speed poi nts) : I f yo u s p e n d o n e action a i m i ng, i n the n ext ro u n d you can m a ke a p recise ra n ged attack. The d ifficu lty of the attack ro l l i s decreased b y one ste p . I f yo u r attack i s s u ccessfu l , it i n fl i cts 4 a d d i t i o n a l poi nts o f d a m age. Act i o n .

Fifth-Tier Glaive Fifth-tier g l a ives h ave t h e fo l l owi n g a b i l ities: Adept Cypher Use: Yo u can bear fo u r cyp h e rs at a time. Ski l l With Attacks: C h o o s e o n e type of attack, eve n o n e i n which yo u a re a l ready tra i ned: l i ght bas h i ng, l i ght b l aded , l i ght ra n ged , m ed i u m bas h i ng, med i u m bladed, med i u m ran ged , heavy bas h i ng, heavy bladed, or heavy ra nged . Yo u a re tra i ned i n attacks u s i n g t h at type of wea p o n . If yo u ' re a l ready tra i ned i n t h at type o f attack, yo u i n stead beco me s pecial ized i n t h at type o f attack. E n a b l e r. Fighti ng M oves: Choose o n e of the fo l l owi n g fight i n g moves ( o r a m ove fro m a l ower tier) to a d d t o yo u r re perto i re . I n a d d i t i o n , yo u c a n a l so re p l ace one of yo u r l owe r-ti e r fight i n g m oves with a d iffe rent fight i n g move fro m t h e s a m e l owe r tier. Arc Spray (3 Speed poi nts): If a weapon h a s the a b i l ity t o fi re ra pid s h ots without re load i n g (u s u a l ly ca l l ed a ra pid-fire weapon, s u c h as the cra n k cross bow) , you can fire you r wea pon at up to th ree ta rgets (a l l n ext to one another) at once. M a ke a separate attack ro l l aga i n st each ta rget. The d ifficu lty of each attack i s i ncreased by one step. Action. J u m p Attack (5 M ight poi nts) : Yo u atte m pt a d ifficu lty 4 M i ght action to j u m p h i g h i nto the a i r as part o f you r melee attack. I f you s u cceed, you r attack infl icts 3 additional poi nts o f d a m age and knocks the foe down . I f you fa i l , you sti l l m a ke yo u r normal attack rol l , b u t you d o n 't i n fl ict the extra d a mage or knock d own the opponent if you h it. Action. M astery With Armor: When yo u wea r any armor, you red uce the armor' s penalties ( M ight cost and S peed red uction) to 0. I f you select t h i s fighti n g move and y o u a l ready h ave the Experienced With Armor move, you s h o u l d rep l ace Expe rienced With Armor with a d iffe rent th i rd-tier move beca use M aste ry With Armor i s better. Enabler. M astery With Defense: Choose o n e type of defe n s e task i n which yo u a re tra i ned: M i ght, •

•

•

•

•

S peed , or I nte l l ect. Yo u a re s peci a l ized i n defe n s e t a s k s of t h at type. U n l i ke most fight i n g m ove s , yo u can sel ect t h i s move u p to t h ree t i m e s . Each t i m e yo u sel ect i t , yo u m u st choose a d i fferent type of defense task. E n a b l e r. Parry (5 Speed poi nts) : Yo u can d efl ect i n com i n g attacks q u ickly. W h e n you activate t h i s m ove, fo r the n ext 1 0 ro u n d s y o u red u ce the d ifficu lty fo r a l l S peed d efe n s e ro l l s b y one ste p . E n a b l e r.

Sixth-Tier Glaive S ixth-tier g l a ives h ave t h e fo l low i n g a b i l ities: Skill With Attacks: Choose one type of attack, even one i n which you a re a l ready tra i ned : l i ght bas h i ng, l i ght bladed, l i ght ran ged , med i u m bas h i ng, med i u m bladed, med i u m ran ged , heavy bas h i ng, heavy bladed, or heavy ra n ged . You a re tra i n ed i n attacks using that type of weapon. If you ' re a l ready tra i ned i n that type of attack, you i n stead a re s peci a l ized in that type of attack. Enabler. Fighti ng M oves: Choose o n e of the fo l l owi n g fight i n g moves ( o r a m ove fro m a l ower tier) to a d d t o yo u r re perto i re . I n a d d i t i o n , yo u c a n a l s o re p l ace one of yo u r l owe r-ti e r fight i n g m oves with a d iffe rent fight i n g move fro m t h e s a m e l owe r tier. Finishing Blow (5 M ight poi nts) : I f yo u r foe i s p rone, stu n ne d , or somehow h e l p l e s s o r i ncapacitated when y o u strike, y o u i n fl i ct 6 add iti o n a l poi nts of d a m age on a s u cce ssfu l h it. E n a b l e r. Slayer (3 M ight poi nts) : When yo u s u ccessfu l ly stri ke an N PC or creatu re of l eve l 5 or lower, m a ke a n other ro l l (u s i n g w h i c h eve r stat yo u used to attack) . If you s u cceed on the seco n d ro l l , yo u ki l l t h e ta rget outright. I f you u s e t h i s fight i n g m ove aga i n st a PC of any tier a n d yo u s u cceed on t h e seco n d ro l l , the c h a racte r moves d own one step o n the d a m age track. E n a b l e r. Spin Attack (5 Speed poi nts) : Yo u sta n d sti l l a n d m a ke m e l ee attacks aga i n st u p to five foes wit h i n reach , a l l as part o f t h e s a m e action i n o n e ro u n d . M a ke a separate attack ro l l fo r each fo e . You re m a i n l i m ited by t h e a m o u nt of Effort you can apply o n o n e act i o n . Anyt h i n g t h at mod ifies yo u r attack o r d a mage a p p l ies t o a l l o f these attacks. Act i o n . Weapon a n d Body ( 5 Speed poi nts) : Afte r m a k i n g a m e l ee weapon o r ran ged weapon attack, yo u fo l l ow u p with a p u n c h or kick as an a d d i t i o n a l attack, a l l a s part of the s a m e action i n o n e ro u n d . T h e two attacks c a n b e d i rected a t d i fferent foes. M a ke a separate attack ro l l fo r each attack. Yo u re m a i n l i m ited by t h e a m o u nt of Effort you can apply o n o n e act i o n . Anyt h i n g t h at mod ifies yo u r attack o r d a mage a p p l ies t o both attacks, u n l e s s i t i s tied s pecifica l ly t o yo u r wea p o n . Act i o n . •

•

•

•

One glaive of renown in the Steadfast is Yerra Mestanir, who held off the Squirming Horde on her own in Batrak's Pass until the armies of Navarene could arrive. Single-handedly, she likely saved the eastern portion of the kingdom from destruction at the hands of the abhumans.

GLAIVE EXAMPLE

Hea�y crossbow, page 79

Strong, page 50 Trained Without Armor; page 29

Thrust, page 29 Masters Weaponry, page 69

Co l i n wants to create a g l a ive c h a racte r who is fast a n d strong. He p uts 3 of h i s a d d i t i o n a l poi nts i nto h i s M i ght Pool and 3 i nto h i s S peed Poo l ; h i s stat Poo l s a re n ow M i ght 1 4 , S peed 1 3 , I nte l l ect 7 . As a fi rst-tier cha racter, h i s Effort is 1 , h i s M i ght E d ge a n d S peed E d ge a re 1 , a n d h i s I nte l l ect E d ge i s 0. H i s g l a ive i s n ot p a rticu l a rly s m a rt o r c h a r i s m atic. H e wants to u s e a b road swo rd (a med i u m weapon t h at i n fl icts 4 poi nts o f d a m age) a n d a heavy cross bow (a heavy weapon t h at i n fl i cts 6 poi nts of d a m age but req u i res the u s e of both h a n d s) . Co l i n decides n ot t o wea r armor, so fo r h i s fi rst fight i n g m ove, h e chooses Tra i n ed Without Armor so h e red uces t h e d ifficu lty of S peed d efe n s e act i o n s . Fo r h i s seco n d fight i n g move, he chooses Th ru st so h e c a n i n fl i ct extra d a m age w i t h h i s swo rd if h e s p e n d s 1 p o i n t o f M i ght. S i n ce h e h a s a M i ght E d ge o f 1 , h e can u s e Th rust fo r free if h e does n ' t u s e h i s M i ght fo r a nyth i n g else t h at act i o n .

The G M ge n e ro u s ly gives Co l i n a n extra 1 0 s h i n s beca u s e h e chose t o fo rgo armor, a n d h e u ses t h i s money t o b u y more cro s s bow bolts. T h e g l a ive ' s start i n g eq u i p m ent i n c l u d e s two cyp hers, a n d t h e G M decides t h at Co l i n ' s cyp h e rs a re a p i l l t h at restores 6 poi nts of M i ght when swa l l owed a n d a s m a l l d evice t h at exp lodes l i ke a fi re b o m b when t h rown , i n fl ict i n g 3 poi nts of d a mage to all with i n i m med i ate range. Co l i n chooses swi m m i n g fo r h i s tra i ned physical s ki l l . H e sti l l need s t o choose a descri ptor and a focu s. Looking ahead to the descri ptor ru les, Col i n chooses Strong, which increases his M ight Pool to 1 8. H e also becomes tra i ned i n j u m p i n g and breaking i n a n i mate objects. (lf he had chosen j u m p i n g as h i s physical s ki l l , t h e Strong descri ptor would h ave made h i m s pecial ized in j u m p i n g i n stead of trai ned.) Being Strong also gives Col i n an extra med i u m or heavy weapon. He chooses another broad sword as a backu p blade. H e decides that one sword is s l ightly smaller than the other, and he' l l sheathe them together on h i s left side. Fo r his focu s , Co l i n chooses M a sters Wea p o n ry. Th i s gives h i m yet a n other weapon of h i gh q u a l ity. He chooses a b road swo rd a n d a s ks the G M if h i s fi rst swo rd c a n b e a s h i e l d i n stea d , which wi l l red u ce the d ifficu lty of h i s S peed defe n s e ro l l s (th e s h ie l d co u nts a s a n a s set) . The G M agrees to t h e c h a nge. D u r i n g t h e game, Co l i n ' s g l a ive wi l l be h a rd to h it­ he i s tra i ned i n S peed d efe n s e ro l l s a n d h i s s h i e l d decreases the d ifficu lty b y a n ot h e r ste p . T h a n ks to h i s focu s , h e a l s o i n fl i cts 1 a d d i t i o n a l point of d a m age w i t h h i s chosen wea pon. N ow h e i n fl icts 5 poi nts of d a m age w i t h h i s blade. Co l i n ' s c h a racter i s a deadly co m bata nt, l i kely start i n g t h e game w i t h some a m o u nt of re n own a s a swo rd s m a n .

NANO

The numenera, page 275

Iron Wind, page 1 3 5

N a nos are sometimes ca l led mages, wizard s , sorcerers , or witches by the people of the N i nth World. Nano­ sorcerer is also a common term, with their abil ities referred to as na no-sorcery. Some cl a i m to be the rep resentatives of god s or other s u pernatural agencies. Wh atever they' re cal led, nanos master the mysteries of the past to the degree that they seem to perform m i racles. They tap i nto the n u menera to alter real ity or learn thi ngs that they cou l d n 't otherwise know. The term " n a n o" i s d e rived from the n a n otech n o l ogy t h at i s o m n i p resent t h roughout the N i nth Wo rld (wh et h e r anyone rea l izes it o r n ot) . Somet i m e s peo p l e ca l l these i nv i s i b l e , n u m i n o u s particles t h at i nfu se the l a n d scape n a n o- s p i rits. Somet i m e s these s p i rits take o n a d evastat i n g m a n i festation ca l led the I ro n Wi n d a n d move t h rough the a i r in c l o u d s , wh ich can be far m o re d a n ge ro u s t h a n any conventional storm. I n trut h , n a n ites a re l itera l ly eve rywhere.

�LIME NE� CHARACTER TYPE

NANO STAT POOLS Pool Starti ng Value Stat M i ght 7 9 S peed I nte l l ect 12 Yo u get 6 add iti o n a l poi nts to d ivide a m o n g yo u r stat Poo l s h owever yo u w i s h .

N a nos w i e l d t h e i r powe r i n the form o f what they ca l l esoteries, although some p refe r to ca l l t h e m spel l s , e n c h a ntments, o r c h a r m s . N a nos a re p roficient with oth e r d evices as we l l , a n d somet i m e s t h e i r powers a re act u a l ly the s u btle u s e o f such ite m s h i d d e n u po n t h e i r perso n . A l l n a n o s ca l l fo rt h t h e i r powe r i n s l ightly d i fferent ways . Typical ly, n a n o s a re i n te l l i gent, learned, a n d i n s i ghtfu l . M ost of t h e t i m e , they d evote t h e m selves to the n u menera and oth e r e sote rica rat h e r than to p u rely physical p u rs u its. As a res u lt, they' re often we l l versed i n the a rtifacts and l eftove rs of the p rev i o u s eras. N anos i n Society: Freq uently, co m m o n fo l ks fea r n a n o s o r l o o k u po n t h e m w i t h s u s p i cion. I t ' s easy t o be afra i d o f a b rute w i t h a n axe, but w h e n it co mes to someone who w i e l d s i nv i s i b l e powers-magic, fo r lack of a bette r term-too m u ch i s u n known .

A n a n o ' s stra nge a b i l ities a re u n s ettl i n g eve n to the b ravest sou l s u n less they h ave a mod i c u m of knowledge about t h e n u m e n e ra . T h at s a i d , n ot eve ryo n e i s frightened of or i nti m i d ated by n a n o s . There a re oth e r peo p l e a n d creat u res t h at h ave ca p a b i l ities far beyo n d the u n d e rsta n d i n g of normal fo l ks-t h i ngs t h at eve n n a n o s m i ght n ot u n d e rsta n d . Th i ngs t h at eve n n a n o s m i ght fea r. Like the wizard s of fables, some nanos dwe l l i n sol itude t o study a n d conduct o d d experi ments, wh i l e others gather i n schools and teach those with potential to use their a b i l ities. They enjoy time i n the com pany of people with s i m i lar p red i lections and i nterests. N ot every nano is a frai l bookworm, however-that's j u st the stereotype pl aced u pon them by society. S o m et i m e s , peo p l e v i ew n a n o s a s re p re s e ntatives of t h e powers t h at b e : god s , d e m o n s , o r s p i rits. T h at' s n ot t o o s u rp ri s i n g co n s i d e r i n g t h at t h ey a ffect t h e world a ro u n d t h e m i n ways t h at m o s t peo p l e c a n ' t fat h o m . W h at' s m o re s u rp ri s i n g i s t h at s o m e n a n o s b e l i eve t h i s t o be t r u e a s we l l . T h ey ca l l t h e m s e l ve s p r i e s t s o r s h a m a n s a n d t reat t h e i r e s ote r i e s m o re l i ke ritu a l s , p raye rs, or i nvocat i o n s . W h e n t h e s e n a n o s gat h e r, t h ey d o s o i n te m p l e s , b u t j u st a s oft e n o n e of t h e m l ives a l o n e a m i d a fl o c k of t h e fa i t h fu l . S o m e o f t h e s e l o n e r n a n o s d o n 't ca l l t h e m s e lves p r i e st s ; t h ey ca l l t h e m s e lves god s .

� 33 �

"The Aeon Priests have discovered the means to directly control people's thoughts simply through the use of words and images. Everything they say, do, and even wear is carefully calculated. " -Narada Trame, anti-papist

Al most any n u menera item wo u l d be welcome, but general ly, n a n o s a re most i nterested i n ra n ged wea p o n s , p rotective d evices oth e r t h a n armor, a n d devices t h at h ave i nterest i n g util ity effects-u s i n g magneti s m , creat i n g fo rce fie l d s , h ea l i n g wo u n d s , res h a p i n g fl e s h , creat i n g o r d e stroy i n g m atte r, a n d s o o n . T h i s i s true o f cyp h e rs as we l l as a rtifacts.

One infamous nano is Nordarvar, who was the first to develop the now­ ubiquitous Push esotery. He used it to knock Duke Guchian off the top of his own tower, thus ending the War of Three Li/lies.

Advanced N anos: As n a n o s ga i n more expe rience, they typ ically learn n ew a n d more powe rfu l esoteries. They begin their careers by making pers o n a l s h ie l d s a n d b l a st i n g fo e s w i t h e n e rgy, but eventual ly, they can fly t h rough the a i r, d i s i ntegrate m atte r, teleport vast d i stances, a n d control the weather.

NANO BACKGROUND N a nos can do t h i ngs t h at seem l i ke magic to oth e r peo p l e , but t h e i r powe rs a re n ' t b a s e d o n charms o r s pe l lcast i n g-t h e exp l a n ation i s l i kely fa r stra n ge r. Choose o n e of the th ree o pt i o n s d escribed below as the sou rce of yo u r a b i l ities. It wi l l p rovide the fo u n d ation of yo u r backgro u n d a n d give yo u a n idea of h ow y o u can i m p rove. The G M can u s e t h i s i nformation to d eve l o p adventures a n d q u e sts t h at a re s pecific to yo u r c h a racte r a n d p l ay a ro l e i n yo u r advancement.

Forbidden Knowledge

N anos in the G roup: Typical ly, a n a n o is the party m e m b e r who kee p s to t h e back of the gro u p , a s fa r fro m the d a n ge r a s pos s i b l e. Co m pa red to t h e i r co m rades, n a n o s a re ofte n a bit frag i l e a n d l e s s we l l p rotected aga i n st t h reats. I n a d d i t i o n , most o f t h e i r a b i l ities work b e s t a t range. As u s efu l a n d i m p re s s ive as nanos' offe n s ive powers can be, t h e i r knowledge is often most va l u a b l e to a gro u p . When the p a rty comes u p o n myste rious d evices, we i rd creat u re s , o r oth e r a s pects of the n u menera, the n a n o is u s u a l ly the one who knows h ow to identify o r deal with the finds. H e o r s h e can b e s t scave n ge fo r n e w cyp hers o r figu re out h ow to u s e a rt ifacts fro m t h e past. M a ny n a n o s p o s s e s s oth e r va l u a b l e knowled ge i n a r e a s such a s geogra phy, botany, med icine, a n d m o re. N anos and the N u menera: A l l n a n o s know a fa i r b i t about t h e n u m e n e ra . I n m a n y ways , i t ' s t h e i r l ife b l ood . When a gro u p fi n d s a b roken ve h icle, a n i n active automato n , o r a n ancient mach i n e, the n a n o ste p s u p a n d searches it fo r u s efu l devices.

Yo u u n d e rsta nd the n u m e n e ra far bette r t h a n m o s t peo p l e . You know t h at it i s n 't j u st stra n ge mach i n e s b u ried i n o l d ru i n s . The n u m e n e ra i s eve rywhere, beyo n d t h e perception o f h u m a n s . You know t h at m i crosco p i c mach i n es ca l l ed n a n ites a re th readed t h ro u g h eve ry i n c h of t h e worl d , waiti n g t o be activated . Yo u know t h at s ate l l ites i n orbit a re b roadcast i n g i nformat i o n , waiti n g for someone to acce s s it. H avi n g stu d ied l o n g a n d h a rd , learn i n g the p roper ways to tap i nto the fo rces all a ro u n d yo u , yo u know h ow to activate t h e s e mach i ne s a n d m a ke t h e m do what yo u w i s h , at least i n l i m ited , s pecific ways . These uses of powe r a re ca l l ed esoteries. Th rough vari o u s t i n y devices t h at you possess, which p robably seem l i ke magic charms to t h e u n i n it i ated , yo u "conj u re" e n e rgy. By acce s s i n g t h e d atas p h e re tra n s m itted across t h e worl d , yo u co n n ect with mach i n es-i n c l u d i n g the n a n ites-to c h a n ge yo u r enviro n ment. Advancement: You m u st co nti n u e to study. There's fa r more to t h e n u m e n e ra t h a n o n e person can eve r kn ow, but t h at does n 't mean you s h o u l d n 't t ry to learn it a l l . M o re secrets a n d more knowledge mean m o re powe r. At some point i n yo u r career, yo u m i ght need to fi n d a teacher or a n other s o u rce of knowledge. So many q u esti o n s need a n swers. When yo u r stats i m p rove o r yo u learn n ew s k i l l s , it's beca u s e yo u h ave m a stered a n ot h e r new

�LIME NE� CHARACTER TYPE

tech n i q u e t h at taps i nto the secret worl d . When yo u ga i n a n ew esote ry, it' s t h e res u lt of l o n g h o u rs of study a n d p ractice i n u s i n g yo u r myste rio u s l o re .

Psionics Yo u know t h at the wo rld i s fi l led with ancient mach i n e s a n d t h e i r creat i o n s . Some of them a re v i s i b l e, but m a ny a re not. I t ' s n ot j u st s k i l l o r knowled ge t h at a l l ows y o u to ga i n acce s s to t h e m . Yo u h ave a psyc h i c t a l e n t t o i nterface w i t h the mach i n e s to p rod uce va rious effects. Some of these mach i n e s a re secreted about you r pers o n , a n d oth e rs a re i n fu sed i nto t h e envi ro n ment of the N i nth Wo rl d . Yo u ca n ' t conj u re e n e rgy o r warp m atte r o n yo u r own , b u t yo u h ave t h e ra re a n d spectac u l a r a b i l ity to control t h e i nv i s i b l e n a n o- m ach i n es t h at do it fo r yo u . I s t h i s gift the n atu ra l res u lt of extre m e expo s u re to tec h n o l ogy? I s it t h e fu s i o n of the b i o l ogical a n d mech a n ica l ? I s it the d e s i g n o f a ge n i u s a rch itect, ge n e rat i o n s earl i e r, who m a n i p u l ated the genetics of yo u r fa m i ly? O r i s it j u st a ra n d o m m utation ? I n any case, yo u ' re the n atu ra l synth e s i s of h u m a n a n d mach i n e , worki n g as o n e . Advancement: U n d e rsta n d i n g t h i s n a t u r a l talent took t i m e a n d tra i n i ng, a n d m o re of both i s needed to exp a n d a n d refi n e yo u r powe rs. In add ition to seeki n g help with yo u r i n struct i o n , yo u m i ght need to fi n d d rugs, devices, o r oth e r exte rnal st i m u l at i o n . When as pects of yo u r c h a racte r i m p rove o r yo u learn n ew s ki l l s or esote ries, it's beca u s e yo u h ave m a stered a n ew facet of yo u r psyc h i c a b i l ities or d i scovered an e n t i rely n ew use fo r a mach i n e in yo u r enviro n ment.

Ports and Plugs Yo u h ave a co n n ecti o n with mach i n e s for o n e clear rea s o n : yo u ' re p ractica l ly a mach i n e yo u rself. Yo u r n e rvo u s syste m i s l aced with c i rcu itry, a n d yo u r body h a s i m p l a nted jacks a n d ports where yo u p l u g i n m od u les a n d oth e r tech n o l ogical b its t h at p rovide yo u r capa b i l ities. When yo u p rod u ce effects o r m a n i p u l ate n a n ites, you d o so t h rough yo u r body' s d i rect mech a n ical i nterface. Yo u r fo rce b l a sts m i ght co m e fro m a d evice i m p l anted i n yo u r p a l m o r fi n ge rt i p . Yo u r a b i l ity t o tap i nto the d ata s p h e re m i ght co m e fro m the rece iver p l u gged i nto a port yo u b u i lt i n t h e back of yo u r neck. Obvi o u s ly, to beco me a nano, yo u h ave u n d e rgo n e n u m e ro u s s u rgeries a n d p roced u res (e ither wi l l i ngly o r u nwi l l i n gly) . You a re fo reve r c h a n ged. Some peo p l e t reat yo u with d i s d a i n o r derision, but perh a p s most of yo u r mod ificat i o n s can be h id d e n by a h ooded cloak o r s i m i l a r garment. Advancement: Do you want to ga i n more a b i l ities? J u st find new h a rdware and plug it in. Alth ough talent and p ractice a re sti l l i nvolved , physical upgrades a re

you r primary means of picking u p new tricks. Add i n g poi nts t o you r stat Poo l s m i ght m e a n u n d ergo i n g n e w p roced u res. Add i n g a n e w esotery m i ght req u i re putt i n g an i m p l ant i n you r head , although changing one esotery to another co u l d be as s i m p le as u n p l uggi n g one mod u le a n d jacki n g i n a re p l acement.

NANO TIERS First-Tier Nano F i rst-t ier n a n o s h ave t h e fo l l owi n g a b i l ities: Effort: Yo u r Effort i s l . Geni us: Yo u h ave a n I nte l l ect E d ge of l , a M i ght E d ge of 0, a n d a S peed E d ge of 0. Expert Cypher Use: You can bear th ree cyp hers at a time. Practiced With Light Weapons: You can u s e l i ght wea p o n s without pena lty. I f you wield a m ed i u m wea p o n , i n crease t h e d i fficu lty o f t h e attack b y o n e ste p . I f yo u wield a heavy wea p o n , i n crease it by two ste p s . N u menera Traini ng: You a re tra i ned i n the n u m e n e ra a n d can atte m pt to u n d e rsta n d a n d identify i t s p roperties. Starti ng Eq u i pment: You start with cloth i n g, o n e wea p o n , a b o o k about the n u m e n e ra , t h ree cyp hers (chosen fo r you by t h e G M ) , one odd ity (chosen fo r yo u b y t h e G M ) , a n d 4 s h i n s {co i n s) . Before select i n g yo u r wea p o n s , armor, a n d oth e r gear, y o u m i ght want to wait u n t i l after yo u 've chosen yo u r esote ries, d e scri ptor, a n d focu s . Esoteries: Yo u can tap i nto the n u m e n e ra t o res h a pe the wo rld a ro u n d yo u . S i m i l a r i n appeara n ce to the way a fa b l ed wizard m i ght seem to cast s p e l l s , t h e s e exp re s s i o n s o f yo u r knowled ge a re ca l l ed esoteries. Peo p l e who a re n ot n a n o s somet i m e s ca l l t h e m spel l s o r c h a r m s . M ost esote ries m u st be activated , which req u i res t h at yo u h ave a free hand a n d spend l o r m o re I nte l l ect points. l f n o I nte l l ect poi nt cost i s given fo r a n esote ry, it fu n cti o n s co nti n uo u s ly w i t h o u t need i n g t o b e activated . S o m e esote ries s pecify a d u rati o n , but yo u c a n always e n d one o f yo u r own esote ries anyt i m e yo u w i s h . Choose two o f the esote ries d escri bed bel ow. Yo u ca n ' t choose t h e same esotery more t h a n o n ce u n l e s s its d escri ption says ot h e rwi se. H edge M agic (1 I ntel lect poi nt) : You can perform s m a l l tricks: te m porarily c h a n ge t h e co l o r o r basic appeara n ce of a small o bj ect, ca u s e small o bjects to float t h ro u g h the a i r, clean a s m a l l area, m e n d a b roken object, p repare (but n ot create) food , a n d so o n . Yo u can't u s e hedge magic to h a rm a n other creatu re o r o bject. Act i o n . Onslaught (1 I ntel lect point) : Yo u attack a fo e u s i n g e n e rgies t h at a s s a i l either h i s physical fo r m •

•

� 35 �

"When adding a fluctuating generator to an unstable warp capacitor, make sure you polarize the endings correctly or you'll end up draining the energy. . . directly into your brain. " -Sir Arthour

Your character's starting equipment is as important as your character's beginning skills. Learn more about what you carry and what it's used for in Chapter 7: Equipment, page 77.

NANO CONNECTION Ro l l a d20 or choose from the fo l l owi n g l i st to d eterm i n e a s pecific fact about you r backgro u n d t h at p rovides a co n n ect ion to the rest of t h e worl d . Yo u can a l so create yo u r own fact. Rol l

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Background You served a s a n a p p rentice fo r a n a n o-sorcerer re s pected a n d fea red by many peo p l e . N ow you bear his m a rk. You stud ied i n a school i nfa m o u s for its d a rk, b rood i n g i n structors a n d grad u ates. You learned n a n o-sorcery (or gai ned yo u r mod ifications) i n the te m p l e of an obscu re god . Its p riests a n d wors h i ppers, although s m a l l i n n u m ber, res pect a n d ad m i re yo u r talents a n d potenti a l . Wh i l e trave l i n g alone, yo u saved the l i fe of a powe rfu l a b h u m a n b rute. Although u nwi l l i n g to acco m pany you on yo u r j o u rn ey, h e re m a i n s i n d e bted to yo u . Yo u r mother was a powe rfu l n a n o wh i l e s h e l ived , h e l pfu l to many loca l s . They look u po n you k i n d ly, but they a l s o expect m uch fro m yo u . You owe m o n ey to a n u m be r of peo p l e a ro u n d town a n d d o n 't h ave the fu n d s to pay yo u r debts. You fa i led d i sgracefu l ly at yo u r i n it i a l stud ies with yo u r teacher a n d n ow p roceed on yo u r own . You learned you r s ki l l s faster than you r teachers had ever seen before. The powers that be took notice and are payi n g close attention. You k i l led a we l l - kn own cri m i n a l i n self-defe n se, earn i n g t h e res pect of m a n y a n d t h e e n m ity of a d a n ge ro u s few. You tra i ned a s a g l a ive, but yo u r s k i l l s with the n u menera a n d oth e r types of l o re eventually led yo u d own a d i fferent pat h . Yo u r former co m rades d o n ' t u n d e rsta n d yo u , but they res pect yo u . Wh i l e studyi n g to be a n a n o , yo u worked a s a n a s s i stant fo r a sea m stre s s , m a k i n g friends with t h e own e r a n d the c l i e ntele. Yo u r fa m i ly own s a l a rge v i n eya rd nea rby known to a l l fo r its fi n e w i n e a n d fa i r b u s i n e s s d ea l i ngs. You tra i ned fo r a t i m e with a gro u p of Aeon Priests, a n d they sti l l look u po n yo u with fo n d n e s s . You worked the gard e n s i n the p a l ace of a n i n fl uential n o b l e . S h e wo u l d n 't re m e m be r yo u , but yo u made frie n d s with h e r yo u n g d a u ghter. An experiment you co n d u cted i n the past went horribly awry. The loca l s re m e m b e r yo u as a d a n ge ro u s a n d foo l h a rdy i n d ivid u a l . You h a i l from a d i stant l a n d where yo u we re we l l known a n d regarded , but peo p l e h e re t reat yo u with s u s p i c i o n . Peo p l e yo u m eet seem put off by t h e stra n ge b i rt h m a rk o n yo u r face. Yo u r best friend i s a l s o a n a n o . Yo u a n d s h e s h a re d i scove ries a n d secrets read i ly. You know a local m e rchant ve ry we l l . S i n ce you give h i m so m uch b u s i n e s s , h e offers yo u d i sco u nts a n d s peci a l t reatment. You belong to a secretive soci a l cl u b t h at gathers monthly to d ri n k and tal k.

Armor, page 92

•

•

Level, page 85

o r h i s m i n d . I n either case, yo u m u st be a b l e to see yo u r ta rget. I f the attack is phys i c a l , yo u e m i t a s h o rt-ra n ge ray of fo rce t h at i n fl i cts 4 poi nts o f d a m age. I f the attack i s menta l , y o u focus yo u r mental e n e rgy t o b l a st t h e thought p rocesses of another creatu re with i n s h o rt range. Th i s m i n d s l ice i n fl i cts 2 poi nts o f I nte l l ect d a m age (a n d t h u s i g n o res Armor) . Some creatu res without m i n d s (such a s a utomato n s) m i ght be i m m u n e to m i n d s l ice. Act i o n . P u s h ( 2 I ntel lect poi nts) : Yo u p u s h a creatu re o r o bj ect a n i m med i ate d i stance i n any d i rection you w i s h . Yo u m u st be a b l e to see the ta rget, which m u st be yo u r s ize o r s m a l l e r, m u st n ot be affixed to anyt h i ng, a n d m u st be with i n s h o rt ra n ge. The push i s q u ick, a n d the fo rce i s too crude to be m a n i p u l ated . Fo r exa m p l e, yo u ca n ' t u s e t h i s esotery t o p u l l a l ever o r eve n close a door. Act i o n . S c a n ( 2 I ntel l ect poi nts) : Yo u s c a n a n a rea eq u a l i n s i ze t o a 1 0-foot ( 3 - m ete r) c u be, i n c l u d i n g a l l o bj ects o r creat u re s w it h i n t h at a re a . T h e a re a m u st be with i n s h o rt ra n g e . S ca n n i n g a creat u re or o bj ect a l ways reve a l s its level (a m e a s u re

� 36 �

•

of h ow p owerfu l , d a n ge ro u s , or d i fficu l t it i s) . Yo u a l s o l e a r n wh ateve r facts t h e G M fee l s a re p e rt i n e n t a b o u t t h e m atte r a n d e n e rgy i n t h at a re a . Fo r exa m p l e , you m i g h t l e a r n t h at t h e wood e n b o x conta i n s a d ev i ce of m e t a l a n d synt h . Yo u m i g h t l e a r n t h at t h e g l a s s cyl i n d e r i s fu l l o f p o i s o n o u s g a s , a n d t h at i t s metal sta n d h a s a n e l ect r i c a l fi e l d ru n n i n g t h ro u g h it t h at co n n ects to a metal m e s h i n t h e fl o o r. Yo u m i g h t l e a r n t h at t h e creatu re sta n d i n g befo re yo u i s a m a m m a l with a s m a l l b ra i n . H oweve r, t h i s e s otery d o e s n 't te l l you w h at t h e i n fo rm a t i o n m e a n s . T h u s , i n t h e fi rst exa m p l e , yo u d o n 't k n ow w h at t h e m eta l a n d synth d ev i ce d o e s . I n t h e seco n d , yo u d o n 't k n ow i f ste p p i n g o n t h e fl o o r ca u s e s t h e cyl i n d e r to re l e a s e t h e g a s . I n t h e t h i rd , you m i g h t s u s pect t h at t h e creatu re is n ot very i ntel l i ge n t , b u t s ca n s , l i ke l o o k s , c a n be d e ce i v i n g . M a ny m ateri a l s a n d e n e rgy fi e l d s p reve n t o r re s i st s ca n n i n g . Act i o n . Ward: Yo u h ave a s h i e l d o f e n e rgy a ro u n d you at a l l t i m e s t h at h e l p s d efl ect attacks. Yo u ga i n + 1 to Armor. E n a b l e r.

�LIME NE� CHARACTER TYPE

Second-Tier Nano Seco n d -tier n a n o s h ave t h e fo l l owi n g a b i l ities: Esoteries: Choose o n e of the fo l l owi n g esote ries (or a n esote ry fro m a l ower tier) to add to yo u r re perto i re. I n a d d i t i o n , yo u c a n re p l ace o n e o f yo u r fi rst-tier esote ries with a d ifferent fi rst-tier esotery. Ad aptation (2+ I ntel lect poi nts) : Yo u a d a pt to a h o st i l e e n v i ro n m e n t fo r 28 h o u rs . As a re s u lt, yo u can b reat h e safe l y, t h e te m p e ratu re does n 't ki l l yo u (t h o u g h it m i g ht be ext re m e l y u n co m fo rt a b l e o r d e b i l itat i n g) , cru s h i n g g ravity does n 't i n ca p acitate or h a rm you (t h o u g h , a ga i n , yo u m i ght be s e ri o u s l y h i n d e red ) , a n d so o n . I n ext re m e e n v i ro n m e n t s , t h e G M m i ght i n crease t h e cost of activat i n g this e s otery to a maxi m u m cost o f 1 0 I nte l l ect p o i n t s . Ro u g h ly s p e a k i n g , t h e cost s h o u l d eq u a l t h e a m o u nt of d a m age you wo u l d s u sta i n in a given ro u n d . Fo r exa m p l e , if yo u enter a h o st i l e envi ro n m e n t t h at wo u l d n o rm a l ly d e a l 6 p o i n t s o f d a m a ge p e r ro u n d , u s i n g Ad a ptat i o n t o avo i d t h at d a m age costs 6 p o i n t s . Yo u can p rotect ot h e r creat u re s i n a d d ition t o yo u rs e l f, b u t each a d d i t i o n a l creatu re costs yo u t h e s a m e n u m be r of I ntel lect p o i n t s a s it costs to p rotect yo u . T h u s , i f it costs 6 poi nts t o p rotect yo u rs e l f, it costs 1 2 m o re to p rotect two ot h e r peo p l e . Th i s e s otery n ever p rotects aga i n st q u ick, i n stanta n e o u s t h reats , l i ke a n attack with a wea p o n o r a s u d d e n exp l o s i o n of fi re . Act i o n to i n itiate. Flash (4 I ntel lect poi nts) : You create a n exp l o s i o n of e n e rgy at a poi nt with i n close ra n ge, affect i n g a n a rea u p t o i m med i ate ra n ge fro m t h at poi nt. You m u st be a b l e to see the l ocation where yo u i ntend to ce nter the exp l o s i o n . The b l a st i n fl i cts 2 poi nts of d a m age to all creatu res o r o bjects with i n the a rea. Beca u s e t h i s i s a n a rea attack, ad d i n g Effort to i n crease yo u r d a m age works d i fferently t h a n it does for s i n g l e-ta rget attacks: if yo u a p p l y a l evel of Effort to i n crease the d a m age, add 2 poi nts of d a m age fo r each ta rget, and eve n if you fa i l you r attack ro l l , a l l ta rgets i n t h e a rea sti l l take 1 point of d a m age. Act i o n . H over ( 2 I ntellect poi nts) : Yo u fl oat s l owly i nto the a i r. If yo u concentrate, yo u can control yo u r m ovement t o re m a i n m ot i o n l e s s i n t h e a i r, o r float up to a s h o rt d i stance as yo u r act i o n , but n o m o re; oth e rwise, yo u d rift with t h e wind o r with any momentu m yo u h ave ga i n e d . T h i s effect l asts fo r u p to ten m i n utes. Action to i n itiate. Mind Read ing (4 I ntellect poi nts) : Yo u can read the s u rface thou ghts of a creatu re with i n s h o rt ra n ge of yo u , eve n if t h e ta rget does n ' t want you to. Yo u m u st be a b l e to see the ta rget. O n ce yo u h ave esta b l i s h ed contact, yo u can read the ta rget ' s thou ghts fo r u p to o n e m i n ute. I f y o u o r the ta rget

•

•

•

•

•

move out of range, the co n n ection i s broke n . Action t o i n itiate. Stasis (3 I ntel lect poi nts) : You s u rro u n d a foe of yo u r s ize o r s m a l l e r with scinti l l at i n g e n e rgy, kee p i n g it fro m m ovi n g or act i n g for o n e m i n ute, a s if frozen s o l i d . You m u st be able to see the ta rget, and it m u st be with i n s h o rt range. W h i l e i n sta s i s , t h e ta rget i s i m perv i o u s t o h a r m , ca n n ot be m oved , and i s i m m u n e to all effects. Act i o n .

Third-Tier Nano Th i rd-tier n a n o s h ave t h e fo l l owi n g a b i l ities: Adept Cypher Use: Yo u can bear fo u r cyp h e rs at a time. Esoteries: C h o o s e o n e of the fo l l owi n g esote ries (or a n esote ry fro m a l ower tier) to add to yo u r re perto i re. I n a d d i t i o n , yo u c a n re p l ace o n e o f yo u r l owe r-ti e r esote ries with a d i fferent esotery fro m t h e s a m e l ower tier. Barrier (3+ I ntellect poi nts) : Yo u create an opaque, stat i o n a ry barrier of s o l i d e n e rgy with i n i m med i ate ra n ge. The barrier is 1 0 feet by 1 0 feet (3 m by 3 m) and of negl i g i b l e th ickness. I t is a l evel 2 barrier a n d l a sts for ten m i n utes. It can be p l aced a nywh e re it fits , whet h e r aga i n st a s o l i d object ( i n cl u d i n g the gro u n d ) or fl oati n g i n the a i r. Each l evel of Effort you apply stre n gt h e n s the barrier by one leve l . Fo r exa m p l e, a p p lyi n g two leve l s of Effort creates a l evel 4 barrier. Act i o n . Cou ntermeasu res ( 4 I ntel lect poi nts) : Yo u i m med i ately e n d o n e o n go i n g n u m e n e ra effect (such as an effect created by an esotery) with i n i m med i ate range. Alternatively, you can u s e t h i s a s a d efe n s e action t o cancel a n y i n co m i n g esotery ta rgeted at yo u , or yo u can cancel any n u menera d evice or the effect of any n u m e n e ra d evice fo r 1 d 6 ro u n d s . You m u st touch the effect o r d evice to cancel it. Act i o n . Energy Protection ( 3 + I ntellect poi nts) : C h o o s e a d i screte type of e n e rgy t h at yo u h ave experience with (such as heat, son ic, e l ectricity, a n d so on) . Yo u ga i n + 1 0 to Armor aga i n st d a m age fro m t h at type of e n e rgy for ten m i n utes. Alternatively, yo u ga i n + 1 to Armor aga i n st d a m age from t h at e n e rgy for 28 h o u rs . You m u st be fa m i l i a r with the type of e n e rgy; fo r exa m p l e, if yo u h ave n o experience with a ce rta i n k i n d of extrad i me n s i o n a l e n e rgy, yo u ca n 't p rotect aga i n st it. I n stead of a p p lyi n g Effort t o decrease t h e d ifficu lty o f t h i s esotery, yo u can a p p l y Effort to p rotect more ta rgets, with each l evel of Effo rt affect i n g up to two add iti o n a l ta rgets . Yo u m u st t o u c h a d d i t i o n a l ta rgets to p rotect t h e m . Action to i n iti ate. Sensor (4 I ntel lect poi nts) : You create an i m m o b i l e , i nv i s i b l e sensor with i n i m med i ate ra n ge t h at l asts for 28 h o u rs . At any t i m e d u ri n g •

•

•

•

� 37 �

"Humans lived on the Earth many millions of years ago, in at least one if not many great civilizations that rose and fell. But for some of the planet's history, there were no humans. But now humans are back. How can that be? Where were they in the intervening time?" -Visixtru, va rjellan philosopher

•

t h at d u rati o n , you can concentrate to see, hear, a n d s m e l l t h ro u g h the sensor, no m atte r h ow fa r yo u move fro m i t . The s e n s o r d o e s n ' t grant yo u sensory capa b i l ities beyo nd the norm. Action to create; action to check. Targeting Eye: You a re tra i ned i n any physical ran ged attack that i s a n esotery or comes fro m a n u menera d evice. For exa m ple, you a re tra i ned when u s i n g a n O n s l a u ght force blast beca use it's a physical attack, but not when u s i n g an O n s l aught m i n d s l ice beca use it's a mental attack. E n a b l e r.

Fourth-Tier Nano Throughout the Ninth World, people of all walks of life report random glimmers ofimages or information that seem to come from nowhere. These unexpected bursts ofdata are often nonsensical, are rarely useful or pertinent, and are sometimes disturbing. While some call them visions, nanos and other experts in the numenera believe that the "glimmers" are malfunctions of the datasphere that still permeates the world.

Fo u rth-tier n a n o s h ave the fo l l owi n g a b i l ities: Esoteries: Choose o n e of the fo l l owi n g esote ries (or a n esote ry fro m a l ower tier) to add to yo u r re perto i re. I n a d d i t i o n , yo u c a n re p l ace o n e o f yo u r l owe r-ti e r esote ries with a d i fferent esotery fro m t h e s a m e l ower tier. I nvisi bility (4 I ntellect poi nts} : You beco me i nv i s i b l e for t e n m i n utes. Wh i l e i nvisible, yo u a re s peci a l ized in stealth and S peed d efense tasks. Th i s effect e n d s if y o u d o someth i n g t o revea l you r p resence o r position-attacki ng, perform i n g a n esote ry, u s i n g a n a b i l ity, movi n g a l a rge object, and so o n . I f t h i s occurs, you c a n rega i n the rem a i n i n g i nvi s i b i l ity effect by ta k i n g an action to focus on h i d i n g yo u r position. Action t o i n iti ate or rei n itiate. M i nd Control (6+ I ntellect points}: You co ntrol the actions of another creatu re you to uch. T h i s effect lasts for ten m i n utes. The ta rget m u st be leve l 2 or lowe r. Once you h ave esta b l i s h ed contro l , you m a i nta i n mental contact with the ta rget and sense what it senses. Yo u can a l low it to act free ly o r override i t s control on a case-by-case bas i s . I n stead of applyi n g Effort to decrease the d ifficu lty, you can a p p ly Effort to i n crease the m axi m u m leve l of the ta rget. T h u s , to control the m i n d of a leve l 5 ta rget (th ree leve l s a bove the normal l i m it) , you m u st a p p ly th ree leve l s of Effort. S m a rt nanos use the Scan esotery o n a creatu re to learn its leve l before trying to control its m i n d . When the M i nd Control esotery e n d s , the creatu re doesn't remem ber bei n g control led o r a nyth i n g it d i d w h i l e u n d e r you r com m a n d . Action t o i n iti ate. Regeneration (6 I ntel lect poi nts} : You restore poi nts to a ta rget ' s M i ght or S peed Pool i n o n e of two ways : either the chosen Pool rega i n s u p to 6 points, or it is restored to a total va l u e of 1 2 . Yo u m a ke t h i s d eci s i o n when yo u i n iti ate t h i s esotery. Points a re rege n e rated at a rate of 1 point each ro u n d . Yo u m u st m a i nta i n contact with the ta rget the whole t i m e . I n no case can t h i s ra i s e a Pool h i gher than its maxi m u m . Act i o n . Reshape ( 5 I ntel lect poi nts): You re s h a pe m atte r with i n s h o rt ra n ge i n an a rea no l a rger t h a n a

•

5 -foot (.5 m) cube. I f yo u s p e n d o n ly one action o n t h i s esotery, the c h a nges yo u m a ke a re crude at best. I f yo u spend at least ten m i n utes a n d s u cceed a t a n a p p ropriate craft i n g task (with a d i fficu lty at least o n e step h i g h e r t h a n n o rm a l , d u e t o the ci rcu m stances) . yo u c a n m a ke co m p l ex c h a n ges to t h e mate r i a l . You ca n ' t c h a n ge the nature of t h e mate r i a l , o n ly its s h a pe . Thus, you can m a ke a h o l e i n a wa l l o r floor, o r you can seal o n e u p . Yo u can fa s h ion a rud i m e ntary sword fro m a l a rge p i ece of i ro n . You can b reak or re p a i r a ch a i n . With m u lt i p l e uses of t h i s esote ry, yo u co u l d b r i n g a b o u t l a rge c h a n ges, m a k i n g a bridge, a wa l l , o r a s i m i l a r struct u re. Act i o n . Slay ( 6 I ntel lect poi nts} : You gather d i s ru pti n g e n e rgy i n yo u r fi n ge rt i p a n d touch a creat u re. I f t h e ta rget i s a n N PC o r a creatu re of l eve l 3 o r l ower, it d ie s . If the ta rget is a PC of any tier, he m oves d own one step o n the d a m age t rack. Act i o n .

•

•

•

•

� 38 �

Fifth-Tier Nano Fifth-tier n a n o s h ave the fo l l owi n g a b i l ities: M aster Cypher Use: You can bear five cyp h e rs at a time. Esoteries: C h o o s e o n e of the fo l l owi n g esote ries (or a n esote ry fro m a l ower tier) to add to yo u r re perto i re. I n a d d i t i o n , yo u c a n re p l ace o n e o f yo u r l owe r-ti e r esote ries with a d i fferent esotery fro m t h e s a m e l ower tier. Absorb Energy (7 I ntel lect poi nts) : Yo u touch a n o bj ect a n d absorb i t s e n e rgy. I f y o u touch a cyp h e r, yo u re n d e r it u s e l e s s . I f you touch an a rt ifact, ro l l o n t h e a rtifact ' s d e p l et i o n . I f yo u touch another k i n d of powered mach i n e o r d evice, the G M d eterm i n e s whet h e r its powe r i s fu l ly d ra i n e d . I n any case, y o u absorb e n e rgy fro m t h e o bj ect touched a n d rega i n l d l O I nte l l ect points. If t h i s wo u l d give yo u m o re I nte l l ect t h a n yo u r Poo l ' s m axi m u m , t h e extra poi nts a re lost, a n d you m u st m a ke a M i ght d efe n s e ro l l . The d ifficu lty of the ro l l i s eq u a l to the n u m be r of poi nts ove r yo u r m axi m u m you absorbed . I f yo u fa i l t h e ro l l , yo u take 5 poi nts of d a mage a n d a re u n a b l e to act fo r o n e ro u n d . You can u s e t h i s esotery as a defe n s e action when yo u ' re t h e ta rget of a n i n com i n g esotery. D o i n g so ca n ce l s t h e i n com i n g esotery, a n d yo u a b sorb the e n e rgy as if it were a d evice. Act i o n . Dust t o Dust (7 I ntel lect poi nts) : You d i s i ntegrate one n o n l iv i n g o bj ect t h at is s m a l l e r t h a n you a n d whose l evel is less t h a n o r e q u a l to yo u r tier. Yo u m u st touch t h e object to affect it. I f the G M fee l s it a p p ropriate to the ci rcu m stances, you can d i s i ntegrate a portion of a n o bj ect (t h e total vol u m e of wh ich i s s m a l l e r t h a n yo u) rather than the e n t i re t h i ng. Act i o n . •

•

�LIME NE� CHARACTER TYPE

•

•

•

Knowi ng the U n known (6 I ntel lect poi nts): Ta p p i n g i nto the d ata s p h e re, yo u can ask the GM o n e q u estion and get a general a n swe r. The G M a s s i g n s a l evel to the q ue st i o n , so the more obscu re the a n swe r, t h e more d ifficult t h e t a s k . G e n eral ly, knowled ge t h at yo u co u l d fi n d by looki n g somewhere oth e r t h a n yo u r cu rre nt l ocation i s l evel 1 , a n d obscure knowled ge of the past i s l evel 7 . G a i n i n g knowledge of the fut u re is i m po s s i b l e . Act i o n . Teleportation (6+ I ntel lect poi nts) : Yo u i n stantaneously tra n s m it yo u rself to any location t h at yo u h ave seen o r been to, n o m atte r t h e d i stance , a s l o n g a s it i s o n E a rth ( o r wh ateve r wo rld yo u ' re cu rrently on) . I n stead of a p p lyi n g Effort t o decrease t h e d ifficu lty, yo u c a n a p p l y Effort t o b r i n g oth e r peo p l e w i t h yo u , w i t h each l evel of Effort affecti n g up to th ree a d d i t i o n a l ta rgets. Yo u m u st t o u c h any a d d i t i o n a l ta rgets. Act i o n . True Senses: Yo u can see i n co m p l ete d a rkness u p to 50 feet (1 5 m) as if it we re dim l i ght. You recogn ize hologra m s , d i s g u i se s , optical i l l u s i o n s , s o u n d m i m icry, a n d oth e r s u c h tricks (fo r a l l sen ses) fo r what they a r e . E n a b l e r.

Sixth-Tier Nano S ixth-tier n a n o s h ave the fo l l owi n g a b i l ities: Esoteries: Choose o n e of the fo l l owi n g esote ries {or a n esote ry fro m a l ower tier) to add to yo u r re perto i re. I n a d d i t i o n , yo u c a n re p l ace o n e o f yo u r l owe r-ti e r esote ries with a d i fferent esotery fro m t h e s a m e l ower tier. Control Weather (1 0 I ntel lect poi nts) : Yo u c h a n ge the weat h e r i n yo u r general reg i o n . I f performed i n d oors, t h i s esotery create s o n ly m i n o r weather effects, s u c h as m i st, mild te m pe ratu re c h a n ge s , a n d so o n . I f performed outside, y o u can create ra i n , fog, s n ow, w i n d , o r any oth e r k i n d of normal (not ove rly seve re) weather. The c h a n ge l asts fo r a n atu ra l l e n gt h o f t i m e , so a storm m i ght last fo r a n h o u r, fog fo r two o r th ree h o u rs , a n d s n ow fo r a few h o u rs {or for ten m i n utes if it's out of season) . Fo r the fi rst ten m i n utes after activat i n g t h i s esotery, y o u c a n create m o re d ra m atic a n d s pecific effects, such as l i ghtn i n g stri kes , giant h a i l sto n e s , twi sters, h u rrica n e fo rce w i n d s , a n d so o n . T h e s e effects m u st occ u r with i n 1 ,000 feet (305 m) of yo u r l ocat i o n . You m u st spend you r t u rn co ncentrat i n g to create an effect or to m a i nta i n i t i n a n ew ro u n d . These effects i n fl ict 6 poi nts of d a m age each ro u n d . Act i o n . M ove Mou ntai ns ( 9 I ntel lect poi nts) : You exe rt a tre m e n d o u s a m o u nt of physical fo rce with i n 250 feet (76 m) of yo u . You can push u p to 1 0 to n s (9 . 1 t ) o f material u p t o 5 0 feet (1 5 m) . Th i s fo rce

•

•

•

•

can co l l apse b u i l d i n g s , red i rect s m a l l rive rs, o r perform oth e r d ra m atic effects. Act i o n . Traverse the Worlds ( 8 + I ntel lect poi nts) : Yo u i n stanta n e o u s l y t ra n s m it yo u rs e l f to a n ot h e r p l a net, d i m e n s i o n , p l a n e , o r l evel of rea l i ty. Yo u m u st k n ow t h at t h e desti n at i o n exi sts; t h e G M wi l l decide if y o u h ave e n o u g h i n fo rmation to co nfirm its exi ste n ce a n d w h at t h e l evel of d ifficu lty m i ght be to reach t h e desti n at i o n . I n stead o f a p p lyi n g Effort t o d ecrease t h e d ifficu lty, y o u can a p p l y Effort to b ri n g ot h e r peo p l e w i t h yo u , w i t h e a c h l evel of Effo rt affect i n g u p t o t h ree a d d i t i o n a l ta rget s . Yo u m u st touch a n y a d d i t i o n a l ta rget s . Act i o n . U s u rp Cypher: C h o o s e o n e cyp h e r t h at you carry. T h e cyp h e r m u st h ave a n effect t h at i s n ot i n stanta n e o u s . Yo u destroy t h e cyp h e r a n d ga i n its powe r, w h i c h fu n ct i o n s fo r yo u conti n u o u s ly.

Cypher, page 278

Yo u can choose a cyp h e r w h e n you ga i n t h i s a b i l ity, o r y o u c a n wait a n d m a ke t h e c h o i ce l ater. H oweve r, o n ce yo u u s u rp a cyp h e r ' s powe r, yo u ca n n ot l ater switch to a d ifferent cyp h e r-t h e esotery works o n l y o n ce . Act i o n to i n i t i ate.

NANO EXAMPLE

Occultic and anoetic cyphers, page 279

Graceful, page 48

Rides the Lightning, page 71

S h a n n a wants to create a n a n o . S h e decides to be so mewhat we l l ro u n d e d , so s h e puts 2 of h e r add iti o n a l poi nts i nto e a c h stat Poo l , giv i n g h e r a M i ght Pool of 9, a S peed Pool of l l , a n d an I nte l l ect Pool of 1 4. H e r n a n o is s m a rt a n d q u ick. S h e h a s a n I nte l l ect E d ge of l , a M i ght E d ge of 0, a n d a S peed E d ge of 0. As a fi rst-tier cha racter, her Effort is l . S h e i s tra i ned i n the n u menera. As h e r i n it i a l esoteries, s h e chooses O n s l aught a n d Wa rd , givi n g h e r a stro n g offe n s e a n d d efe n s e . She c a n b e a r th ree cyphers, b u t the G M gives her two: a n occultic cypher (wh ich cou nts as two cyp hers for t h i s pu rpose) and an anoetic cypher, which together count as three. The occultic cypher i s a hand held, short­ range teleporter, and the anoetic cypher is a device that exp lodes l i ke a fiery bomb. For her weapon, S h a n n a chooses a knife, w h i c h i s a l ight wea pon. Fo r her descri ptor, S h a n n a chooses G racefu l , which adds 3 poi nts to her S peed Pool , b ri n g i n g i t t o 1 4. That descri ptor m e a n s s h e i s trai ned i n b a l a n c i n g and anyt h i n g req u i ri n g carefu l movements, physical perform i n g arts, and S peed d efense tasks. Perh aps s h e i s a d a n ce r. In fact, she begi n s to develop a backstory that i nvolves gracefu l , l ithe movements that s h e i n corporates i nto her esotery performance. Fo r her focu s, she chooses Rides the Lightn i n g. Th i s gives her S h ock, another offe n s ive power, which s h e p l a n s on u s i n g with the knife if she eve r gets i nto hand-to- h a n d com bat (though she'll try to avoid th at) . S h e also ga i n s Charge, which wi l l come i n h a n dy when s h e fi n d s more n u menera a rtifacts i n her explorations. H e r esote ries a n d focu s a b i l ities cost I nte l l ect poi nts to activate, so s h e ' s glad to h ave a l ot of poi nts i n h e r I nte l l ect Poo l . I n a d d i t i o n , h e r I nte l l ect Edge w i l l h e l p red uce t h o s e costs. I f s h e u ses h e r O n s l a ught fo rce b l a st without a p p lyi n g Effort, it costs her 0 I nte l l ect poi nts and d e a l s 4 p o i n t s o f d a mage. L i kewi se, u s i n g h e r S h ock a b i l ity without

a p p lyi n g Effort costs 0 I nte l l ect points. Her I nte l l ect E d ge wi l l a l l ow h e r to save poi nts to d evote towa rd a p p lyi n g Effort for oth e r p u rposes, perhaps to boost the accu racy of her O n s l a ught o r S h ock a b i l ities.

JACK J acks a re i ntrepid explorers and adventu rers. They a re j acks of a l l trades-h ence the name--a lthough the wo rd also hearken s back to fables i nvolvi n g a wily, resou rcefu l hero who a lways see m s to be n a med J ack. U sed as a verb, "to jack" means to stea l , to d eceive, or to get out of a tight scrape t h rough ingenu ity or l uck. J acks d o n ' t use one s ki l l o r tactic exc l u s ively; they use wh ateve r wea po n s , armor, esote ries, or a nyth i n g e l se t h at m i ght h e l p t h e m . They a re h u nters (particu l a rly t rea s u re h u nters) , con a rtists, s k a l d s , rogu e s , scouts, a n d expe rts i n a variety o f fie l d s . jacks in Society: J acks are crafters, entertai ners, leaders, and th ieves. They' re a rch itects, engi neers, con artists, sales people, and teachers. Th i s d ivers ity doesn't mean that the jack i s the archetypal everyman-that kind of s i m ple categorization would d i m i n i s h t h e character type. J acks are remarkable i n that they c a n do so m a n y d ifferent t h i n gs, and some do m u ltiple t h i n gs. I f one jack i s an artist and another is an explorer, there's l i kely a t h i rd who i s both a t once. Skil led and learned jacks who share their gifts with others are prized mem bers of society, wel l res pected for what they know and can do. A vill age m ight be protected by warriors, but it' s the jack who makes everyt h i n g ru n s moot h ly by repairing or b u i l d i n g wh atever i s needed, hand l i n g d i s putes, i nvestigating mysteries, and so on. On the other hand, jacks who use their varied a b i l ities to benefit o n ly them selves a re d i stru sted at best and reviled at worst. The m u rderers and thieves of a com m u n ity are l i kely jacks. Jacks in the G roup: J acks fill i n the s pace between the extremes of nanos and glaives. They frequently do a l ittle of everything and know a l ittle of everythi ng. They can fight alongside a glaive or have a scholarly tal k with a nano. There are no right or wrong places, actions, or roles for jacks. They can hold their own i n combat or other dangerous situations, but they

�LIME NE� CHARACTER TYPE

JACK STAT POOLS Stat Pool Starti ng Value M i ght 10 S peed 10 I nte l l ect 10 Yo u get 6 add iti o n a l poi nts to d ivide a m o n g yo u r stat Poo l s h owever yo u w i s h .

excel a t many assorted tasks l i ke search ing fo r clues, using d i plomacy with the locals, or repai ring a piece of broken gear. The d rawback, of cou rse, i s that jacks are rarely the best fighters in com bat or the best hand lers of the n u menera. They m ight, however, be the best at more special ized s kills. They' re the most l i kely characters to know how to di mb, how to stand watch effectively, how to j i m my a lock, and how to jury-rig a makeshift shelter or snare trap. j acks and the N u menera: J acks gravitate toward cyp h e rs o r a rtifacts t h at expa n d t h e i r a rray of o pt i o n s eve n fu rt h e r. An e n h a n ced p i ece o f armor m i ght b e fi n e fo r a g l a ive, but many j acks wo u l d rather h ave an object t h at a l l ows t h e m to com m u n i cate at a d i stance, wa l k t h rough wa l l s , or put foes to sleep. Advanced jacks: J acks are the most flexi ble of the character types, and advanced jacks are no d ifferent. Some learn esoteries, as nanos do. Others hone their com bat a b i l ities. Some jacks do both, ga i n i n g more skills and i m p rovi ng at, wel l , a l ittle bit of everyt h i ng.

parents, t h e i r p a rents, a n d so o n . Some of yo u r genetic advantage m i ght eve n grant yo u l ow- l evel psyc h i c a b i l ities t h at greatly rese m b l e t h e " m i racles" performed by n a n o s . Advancement: You m i ght be a s u perh u m a n , b u t yo u ' re sti l l l i m ited b y w h at y o u l e a r n a n d experience. Therefore, you m u st co nti n u e to tra i n a n d study. P ractice is the key-it j u st comes easier for yo u t h a n it does fo r ot hers. When yo u i m p rove , it's beca u s e you h ave h o n e d yo u r n at u ra l a b i l it i e s o r u n l ocked h e retofo re u n k n own genetic t ra it s .

School of Hard Knocks You learned t h i ngs the h a rd way-on you r own . Ad aptive and can ny, you exp ress the true stre n gt h s o f h u m a n ity i n you r a b i l ity to adj u st q u ickly to circum sta nces, pick up new tricks to s u cceed , and u lt i m ately s u rvive when yo u probably s h o u l d be dead . M ost l i kely, yo u grew u p on yo u r own , perh a p s o n the streets, i n the w i l d e r n e s s , o r a m i d ru i n s . T h e d eta i l s d o n ' t rea l ly m atte r. Wh at' s i m porta nt i s t h at yo u taught yo u rself h ow t o ove rco m e wh ateve r c h a l l e n ges came a l o n g . Advancement: J u st k e e p o n kee p i n g o n . You got to where yo u a re by observ i n g , learn i n g, a d a pt i n g, a n d adopt i n g . To adva n ce, yo u need to do more of the same. Co n stant wari n e s s co u p led (somewhat paradoxical ly) with con sta nt cu rios ity a l l ows yo u to h o n e yo u r s ki l l s a n d n ew ca p a b i l ities.

JACK BACKGROUND

A Cobbled Jumble

Yo u m i ght hear peo p l e say t h at a jack is j u st the typical eve rym a n (or everype rson) , but d o n ' t bel ieve it. You a re n ' t l i ke a nyo n e e l s e . You can d o t h i ngs t h at no one e l s e can do beca u s e you do so many t h i n gs . Yo u ' re a warrior, yo u ' re a t h i ef, yo u ' re a d i p l o m at, yo u ' re a sage, a n d yo u ' re a s py. When you choose jack as you r characte r type, come u p with a n exp l a n ation for how you learned you r wide variety of talents. Choose one of the t h ree options descri bed below. It wi l l p rovide the fo u n d ation of you r backgro u n d and give you an idea of how you can i m p rove. The GM can use this information to develop adventu res and q uests that a re s pecific to you r characte r a n d p l ay a ro le i n you r advancement.

Yo u ' re t h e p rod uct of ge n e rat i o n s of eugenics, bol stered b y m i n o r cybe rnetic e n h a n cements, a few s m a l l psyc h i c a b i l ities, a n d the l e s s o n s of secret m a sters. I n oth e r word s , you d o n ' t h ave one sou rce of powe r o r o n e exp l a n ation fo r yo u r a b i l ities­ yo u h ave many, a n d as far as yo u ' re co n cerned, that's t h e b e s t fo rm u l a fo r s ucce s s . Yo u d o n ' t put a l l yo u r eggs i n a s i n g l e p roverbial bas ket. To rea l ly get ahead, yo u m u st rely o n m u lt i p l e stre n gt h s . Yo u 've always got a n u n expected trick u p yo u r s l eeve o r a fa l l back co nti n ge n cy. Fo r exa m p l e, yo u m i ght h ave s u bdermal i m p l a nts t h at m a ke you more res i l ient, yo u r tra i n i n g m i ght l et you sense

Born Lucky Yo u seem to be bette r t h a n most peo p l e beca u s e yo u a r e . Yo u r a n ce stors we re p a rt of a genetic experi ment, and yo u r genes a re s u perior to those of the ave rage h u m a n . Yo u ' re s m a rter, stro n ge r, m o re d exte ro u s , a n d a b l e to learn mental a n d physical s k i l l s m o re q u ickly. Fo l ks m i ght ca l l you c h a ri s m atic, b l e s sed , d ivinely gifted , o r j u st p l a i n l ucky. They probably s a i d t h e s a m e t h i n g about yo u r

Confusingly, in some cultures, the term 'Yack" is an insult, while in others it's a compliment.

Esoteries, page 35

Although technically "esoteries" are nano abilities, jacks often refer to their more clearly supernatu ra I tricks of the trade as esoteries as well.

a foe's attack before h e strikes, a n d yo u r psych ic a b i l ities co u l d a l l ow yo u to push yo u r enemy's blade s l i ghtly to t h e left so yo u can j u st barely d od ge it. I n the e n d , yo u ' re s i m ply h a rd to h u rt. Advancement: Yo u h ave chosen every pat h , so you m u st trave l each of them. Tra i n i n g and d rugs fuel you r body a n d m i n d , bra i n i m p l ants grant you additional s ki l l s , and d evices h idden i n you r palms give you fres h a b i l ities. Adva ncement means new teachers and tech n icians, stra n ge s u bsta nces and rad i ations, and a n eve r- i ncrea s i n g n eed to d i scover the secrets of the past that will p rove essential for yo u r fut u re.

•

•

JACK TIERS First-Tier Jack

Your character's starting equipment is as important as your character's beginning skills. Learn more about what you carry and what it's usedfor in Chapter 7: Equipment, page 77.

F i rst-t ier j acks h ave t h e fo l l owi n g a b i l ities: Effort: Yo u r Effort i s 1 . j ack of All Trades: You h ave a n E d ge of 1 fo r o n e stat of yo u r cho ice: M i ght, S peed , o r I nte l l ect. Yo u h ave an E d ge of 0 for the oth e r two stats. Cypher Use: Yo u can bear two cyp hers at a t i m e . Practiced With Light and M ed i u m Weapons: Yo u can u s e l i ght a n d m ed i u m wea p o n s without pena lty. If you wield a heavy wea p o n , i n crease the d i fficu lty of the attack by one ste p . Ski l ls: Yo u a re tra i ned i n o n e task of you r choos i n g (ot h e r t h a n attacks o r defe n se) . Flex Ski l l : At the begi n n i n g of each d ay, choose o n e task (ot h e r than attacks o r defe n se) o n which yo u wi l l co ncentrate. For the rest of t h at d ay, yo u ' re tra i ned i n t h at task. You ca n ' t u s e t h i s a b i l ity with a s k i l l yo u ' re a l ready tra i ned i n to become s peci a l ized . Starti ng Eq u i pment: You start with cloth i n g, two wea p o n s , l i ght armor, an exp l o rer's pack, a pack of l i ght too l s , two cyp h e rs (chosen for you by the G M ) , o n e odd ity (ch osen b y the G M ) , a n d 8 s h i n s . Before select i n g yo u r wea p o n s , armor, a n d oth e r gear, yo u m i ght want to wait u nt i l after yo u 've chosen yo u r tricks o f t h e trad e , d escri ptor, a n d focu s . Tricks ofthe Trade: You h ave a w i d e range o f abil ities that keep people gues s i n g. Some of these tricks of the trade a re tech n ica l ly esoteries, u s i n g the n u menera, while others are more m u ndane. Some tricks are con stant, ongoing effects; others are s pecific actions that u s u a l ly cost poi nts from one of you r stat Pools. Choose two of the tricks descri bed below. You ca n ' t choose the s a m e trick more t h a n o n ce u n le s s its description s ays oth e rwise. Bash (1 M ight point): This i s a pummeling melee attack. You make an attack and infl ict 1 additional point of damage using a l most any weapon except the l ightest (such as a wh i p or a small knife) . Action. H edge M agic (1 I ntel lect poi nt) : You can perform s m a l l tricks: te m porarily c h a n ge t h e co l o r o r basic appeara n ce of a small o bj ect, ca u s e small o bjects •

•

•

•

•

to float t h ro u g h the a i r, clean a s m a l l area, m e n d a broken object, prepare (but n ot create) food , a n d so o n . Yo u can't u s e hedge magic to h a rm a n other creatu re o r o bject. Act i o n . Pierce (1 Speed point) : Th i s i s a we l l - a i m e d , penetrat i n g ran ged attack. You m a ke a n attack a n d i nfl ict 1 a d d i t i o n a l point of d a m age if yo u r weapon h a s a s h a rp poi nt. Act i o n . Practiced i n Armor: j acks can wea r a r m o r fo r rea s o n a b l e period s o f t i m e without t i r i n g a n d can co m p e n s ate fo r s l owed react i o n s fro m wea ri n g a r m o r. Yo u c a n wear a n y k i n d o f a r m o r. You red uce t h e M i ght cost per h o u r for wea r i n g a r m o r a n d t h e S peed Pool red u ct i o n fo r wea ri n g a r m o r b y 2 . E n a b l e r. Skill With Defense: Choose one type of defense task i n which you a re not a l ready trained: M ight, S peed , or I ntel l ect. You are tra i ned i n defense tas ks of that type. U n l i ke most tricks of the trade, you can select t h i s trick u p t o three t i m e s . Each time you select i t , you m u st choose a d ifferent type of defense task. Enabler. Th rust (1 M ight point) : Th i s i s a powe rfu l m e l ee sta b . You m a ke an attack a n d i n fl ict 1 a d d i t i o n a l point of d a m age if yo u r weapon h a s a s h a rp edge o r poi nt. Act i o n . Trained Without Armor: Yo u a re t ra i ned i n S peed defe n s e act i o n s when n ot wea ri n g armor. E n a b l e r.

Second-Tier Jack Seco n d -tier j acks h ave t h e fo l l owi n g a b i l ities: Ski l ls: Yo u a re tra i ned i n o n e task of you r choos i n g (ot h e r t h a n attacks o r defe n se) . I f yo u choose a task yo u ' re a l ready t ra i ned in, you become s peci a l ized in t h at task. You ca n ' t choose a task yo u ' re a l ready s pecial ized i n . Tricks of the Trade: Choose o n e o f t h e fo l l owi n g tricks ( o r a trick fr o m a l owe r tier) t o add t o yo u r re perto i re. I n a d d i t i o n , yo u can re p l ace o n e o f yo u r fi rst-tier tricks with a d i fferent fi rst-tier trick. Brute Finesse: Somet i m e s a swift kick i s j u st the trick to po p p i n g open a lock o r start i n g a re l u ctant p i ece of mach i n e ry. When yo u apply Effort to a n o n co m bat S peed task, yo u can s p e n d poi nts fro m yo u r M i ght Pool a s if they came fro m yo u r S peed Poo l . For exa m p l e, yo u co u l d s p e n d 3 M i ght poi nts a n d 2 S peed poi nts to a p p l y two leve l s of Effort to picki n g a loci