Chapter 1: Running Your Game

Turning your game into an engaging and enjoyable experience requires collaboration between the Game Master and the players. This chapter outlines key aspects to consider for running an Esper Genesis game effectively, including establishing ground rules to ensure fun and smooth gameplay, choosing a suitable gamemastering style, and sharing responsibilities to lighten the GM's workload. It also covers practical elements like using ability scores judiciously, mapping environments, and handling various challenges such as exploration, social interactions, and combat. Additionally, the chapter delves into managing complex scenarios involving diseases, poisons, radiation, and vacuum exposure, providing a comprehensive guide to enhance your sci-fi adventures.

Ground Rules
Gamemastering Styles
Using Ability Scores
Mapping
Exploration
Social Interaction
Entities
Combat
Chases
Diseases
Poisons And Toxins
Madness
Radiation Exposure
Vacuum Exposure

SECTION 1

GROUND RULES

When setting up your game for the first time, certain ground rules should be established between everyone in your gaming group. Everyone is there to primarily have fun, and agreeing on a set of rules to follow makes that task easier. These rules should also apply whether you’re physically at a table or meeting up to play virtually.

RESPECT AND COURTESY

The following are recommendations for fostering respect regardless of your type of game. Respect for the Group. Avoid disagreements from escalating into heated arguments and avoid bringing personal conflicts into the gaming group. If there is an agreed upon time to meet for a game, do your best not to show up late. Respect for Yourself and Others. There should be zerotolerance for personal harassment of any kind within the group. If you wouldn’t want something said to you, chances are that no one wants to hear it from you either. Don’t make assumptions based off of anyone’s ethnicity, gender, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation. Show consideration and respect for people’s names and how they wish to be called. Be mindful of others’ feelings and always ask for and expect the same in return. Respect for Property. Don’t touch others’ property without permission. This includes dice, character sheets, electronics, food, and gaming tools. Clean up after yourself when the session is over. Avoiding Distractions. Distractions take away from everyone’s experience. Turn off the TV and video games. Avoid non-game related activities on your electronic devices. If you have young children, consider hiring a sitter or caregiver. Consider others’ time should you need to step away from the table. Food and Drink. If you choose to have refreshments available, decide who in the group will be bringing food and drinks, and whether everyone is bringing their own or some for everyone. Follow a Code. Using the guidelines above, depending upon the size of your group, consider having everyone agree to an established code of conduct so that there is no confusion or mixed sentiments.

COMMUNICATION

Set expectations about how you and the players communicate during the game. In or Out of Character. Be clear on who’s speaking— the character or the player (out of character). While discussing in-game events, consider having everyone use each other’s character names and pronouns. This prevents confusion and makes it clear they are roleplaying instead of speaking out-of-character. Metaspeech. Decide whether or not players can offer advice or share information if their character is incapable of doing so as a result of being incapacitated, dead, out of communication range, or not present at all. Also decide whether or not players can share stats with others such as remaining hit points or attack roll bonuses. Retracting Actions. Decide whether or not a player can take back what they just said their characters did.

ROLLING DICE

Set some basic expectation as to how dice are rolled. Open Rolling. It’s recommended for players to roll dice in full view for everyone to see. Encourage players to not pick up their dice immediately after rolling to prevent any confusion or appearance of deception Strange Rolls. Decide what to do in the case of oddly landing rolls. If it lands on the floor, do you count it? What if it ends up crooked against a cup or a book? Do you tip it back or reroll it entirely? GM Rolling. As the GM, it’s entirely your choice whether or not you roll your dice out in the open. Consider the following when deciding which option to take.

If you leave your die rolls open for all to see, the players know you’re being impartial and not fudging dice rolls.

If you roll in secret or behind a screen, players can’t easily guess the nature of certain events and also won’t be able to deduce the stats of threats or hazards.

You can choose a combination of both with the understanding that your game requires elements of mystery.

Making a hidden die roll can sometimes create an element of mystery. For example, if a player is scanning for enemy ships and makes a Wisdom (Perception) check, you can simply roll a die behind your screen even if there are no ships in the area, leaving the player wondering if there might be. If you instead choose to not roll at all, the player would then be certain there is nothing there.

Sometimes you might choose to make a roll for a player because the player shouldn’t know the results of their check. For example, if a player is attempting to scrape information off of a data server without tripping security and wants to make an Intelligence (Computers) check, you could make that roll secretly for the player. This would leave some mystery as to whether or not the player was detected by the security protocols, leaving them to wonder if there’s a surprise waiting for them as they try to leave the complex.

ATTACK AND DAMAGE ROLLS

Making attack and damage rolls simultaneously keeps the action moving a little faster than making the attack roll first and then a damage roll. Even if the attack misses, you haven’t lost any time, whereas if the attack hits, the damage is already there.

DISCUSSING RULES

Set protocols on discussing rules and rule discrepancies. Some groups are fine with stopping the game to discuss a rules interpretation, while other groups would prefer the GM to make a ruling and let the game continue. Even if the latter is the case, the group may wish to make note of it so that it can be examined in detail later.

METAGAMING

Metagaming is making decisions and actions based off of the fact that you’re playing a game instead of thinking like your character would in the game. It’s like a video game character realizes they’re in a video game and bases their decisions on that. For example, a player might be familiar with a threat’s stat block and communicates how many hit points it may have left. Another example is for players to have a lengthy strategy session during what should be a fast-moving combat scenario. To discourage metagaming, give the players a friendly reminder that they should look at how their characters would think and react. In combat scenarios, consider changing small descriptive details of a threat to keep them guessing, or allow them to walk into an unexpectedly deadly combat scenario. You should still allow them a chance to escape, of course.

NO-SHOW PLAYERS

Consider the following when players can’t make it to the session. Double Duty. Another player can play the missing player’s character. The player should not take advantage of the character’s resources and should do their best to keep them alive. Temporary NPC. You could choose to play the character yourself by making them an NPC until the character’s player returns. On Leave. You could create a reason why the character isn’t there. Perhaps they’re dealing with personal business or they’re on a separate mission. Background Play. Instead of the character being missing, they’re just functioning silently in the background. Leave them out of combat actions as well as major game actions and decisions while the group makes believe that the character is there or “around somewhere”.

SMALL GROUPS

If you have a very small group of players, consider the following options.

Allow players, if they choose, to play more than one character.
Add NPCs to the group to increase the group’s potential.
Add options that increase the characters ability for survival, such as the Epic Heroism options in chapter 5.

INTRODUCING NEW PLAYERS

Allow new players to create a character of equal level to the lowest-level member of the group. If the player is new to the game, team up with your veteran players to teach them the basics and help them integrate their character’s story and origin into the campaign scenario.

GAMEMASTERING STYLES

How you run your game is just as important as your knowledge of how to do so. When choosing how you want to run a game, consider things such as the preferences of your players, the nature of the campaign you’re running, and your own preferred narrative style. The following are some considerations. Intensity. How serious is your game? Would you rather it be dark and gritty or a bit more light-hearted with some tongue-in-cheek dialogue? Danger Level. Is there danger at every turn with any wrong move potentially holding disastrous consequences? Are the characters bravely blasting through each scenario like a blockbuster action flick? Deep Impact. How much emotion is in your game? Is it filled with somber events or unsettling horrors? Are the characters cool as a cucumber with any scenario they come across? Either way, avoid scenarios that may prove potentially hurtful or disturbing to your players.

Running on the Fly. Is your game a system of entirely preplanned events or are you just letting the story ride by the seat of its pants? The best method is often somewhere in between, but some groups may prefer one or the other. Morality. This is a heroic game, but just how heroic? Do you hold your player characters to a strict moral code or do you let them make decisions that may be a bit more morally ambiguous? Technology. How much science is in your sci-fi? Do you need a technical explanation for everything in the game or is it more of a pseudo-science? How advanced is the tech in your game? It’s recommended you also refer to “Tech Levels” in chapter 9.

ROLL VS ROLE

It’s entirely up to you how often to use dice during your session. When any situation calls for an impartial outcome, using dice is the best way to resolve them. However, there are situations where you may choose to let events play out based off of the characters decisions and ideas rather than leaving it all up to chance. Finding a harmonious balance between the two is often the best method. If you stick to using only die rolls, it becomes harder for you to keep the story or the action flowing in a desired direction. It also leads players to make their decisions strictly in the mechanical sense, discouraging any objective roleplay. The same is true on the opposite end. You can limit die rolls to combat resolution only and decide the success or failure of an action based on the creativity or method to the player’s approach. This leads to a more descriptive narrative and roleplay. However, doing this consistently would slow the action down. It also takes away from the impartiality of being a GM, encouraging you to coax players toward a more preferable path. In the end, the most important thing to remember is that just like the rules, the dice do not run your game. You do.

STARTING A SESSION

Your group is gathering to play a fun activity. While both you and your players have certain responsibilities to keep the game enjoyable, it’s not a job, nor should it be treated as such. Consider the following when your group gathers for a session. Setting Up. Let everyone take some time to set up their sheet, dice, snacks, and tools. It’s likely there is plenty of social interaction happening in the meantime. Letting everyone settle in, chat, and enjoy some catching up gives your group some time to breathe before jumping right into the action. Consider allowing a loose frame of time for this and don’t be afraid to jump in yourself before signaling that it’s time for the session to start. Compare Notes. While getting ready to start, encourage your players to discuss the events of the campaign so far as well as what might be planning to do when the game begins. This leaves you with less of the burden of recapping prior events. It also gives you a sense of what the players might be expecting when the game begins. In addition, this makes your players less likely to participate in metagaming while the session is running. Episode Recap. Whether or not the players share what they remember, it’s also important for you to provide a review of what happened last session. Making it seem like the prior episode of a TV show or movie series can also help to immerse the players into the story and theme of the game right away, instead of just a play-by-play of events. Kicking It Off. After your recap, make sure to go over any details you feel the players would need to know before the session begins. You should also let the players wrap up any events that happened during a rest or use of downtime. Also encourage them to ask questions to make sure they’re aware of their current scenario so they’re less likely to do so while the action is moving. After you’ve provided your summary and answered questions, signal things are ready to go by asking the players what their next action is.

KEEPING A CHRONICLE

Depending upon the theme of your campaign, one or more players may choose to keep a personal journal of events, either stored on their media device or a digital diary. If the group chooses to do so, you should work with them to physically record your recap either vocally or by using an electronic device at the table. If no electronics are available, hand written notes work just as well. However, avoid allowing players to have their chroncle be someting akin to an “in-game recording” like, for example, a camera drone following the characters. This can lead to slowing down the action so the characters can review and search for exact details that may take away from some of the game’s mystery and difficulty

SHARING RESPONSIBILITIES

The GM’s list of tasks can be cumbersome. Let your players get involved by delegating some of those responsibilities to them. Choose someone in your group to look up rules whenever there may be a rules question that comes up. Other players in the group can handle tasks such as distributing handouts or keeping track of initiative during combat. Incorporating your group into helping the game run smoothly provides an increased sense of camaraderie between you and your players. Everyone has more fun when the game runs smoothly and consistently.

STORYTELLING

As the GM, you’re tasked with taking words and notes and transforming them into an exciting story that immerses your players, who in turn help you build that story with their own enthusiasm and interest. Each book, movie, or show has a method of narrating what is going on in the story. In your game, your descriptions and explanations are what triggers the players’ imaginations so they can visualize what is happening around them. The following are some guidelines for storytelling effectively.

SHARED ENTHUSIASM

When you roleplay with passion and enthusiasm, it encourages your players to build on that energy and follow suit with their own excitement. As they similarly describe actions in their own dramatic fashion, you incorporate their descriptions into your own, making the entire experience a collaborative effort between you and the players.

SETTING THE SCENE

Each scene is a small but important element that links with other scenes to form encounters and adventures. How you describe a scene prompts what actions the players are likely to take. Consider the following when setting up a scene.
Include sensory features, such as lighting, temperature, sounds, smells, and textures.
If the scene holds emotional overtones incorporate those into the sensory features by using descriptive adjectives. Avoid telling players how their characters might “feel”. Your descriptions should encourage them to do that on their own.
Sometimes little details can help describe atmosphere, such as wisps of steam emanating from a nearby vent or a lingering chemical smell.

CINEMATIC NARRATION

A great way to describe an environment is to visualize it in your head first as if it were a scene in a movie. Share that image with your players, while including sensory elements as if you were actually there. Cinematic Scenery. Since there are no boundaries other than your imagination, feel free to be as grand as you like if it adds to the excitement of the game. The universe is an endless tapestry of wonders where any scenery you describe is limited only by your imagination. Cinematic Action. While grand visualizations can be stunning, Esper Genesis is a game of sci-fi heroism and action. The player characters are exceptional beings capable of bending the laws of reality. As with many sci-fi action movies and novels, the action isn’t overly-limited by realism, and the basic premise of this game is no different.

SUSPENSE

What’s going to happen next? What consequences will come from the heroes’ actions? What will it take to complete the task that they were given? These questions keep players intrigued and excited about the game while anticipating the next session. Adding a bit of mystery to certain events keeps the minds of the players focused details that may lead them to the next step of their mission. As these bits of information are uncovered, they link to form a bigger picture—a story in which the players are the center and in which they are excited to see it unfold as the adventure progresses.

KEEPING THINGS MOVING

While your players are absorbing the scene, make plans to move them on to the next one. Keep the pace of the adventure moving to prevent the current atmosphere from growing stale. Keeping a good pace should not only have players engaged in the moment but also prompt them to move on to their next discovery. This is especially important if you’re planning for the players to reach a certain point during the session.3

SECTION 2

USING ABILITY SCORES

Characters can perform trivial tasks without the need to reference their abilities or make a roll. Abilities and checks should only be used when there is a meaningful consequence should they fail. For example, a character doesn’t need to make a Dexterity check to pick something up off the ground, but would need to if they did it while standing on a narrow beam. Some tasks are so simple or minor that there is no need to waste time on a check, such as crossing the street or getting dressed. Others are so impractical or absurd that they would automatically fail such as grabbing a cloud or shooting your pistol at a target light years away. Use your best judgme

ABILITY CHECKS

Chapter 7 of the Core Manual provides examples of what each ability score is used for and their corresponding checks associated with common scenarios.

MAKING MULTIPLE CHECKS

When a character fails an ability check, they may wish to try again, but rolling the same check over and over can slow the game down. So long as the task isn’t impossible, assume that if the character spends at least ten times the amount of time it would take them to accomplish the task, they succeed automatically.

CONTESTS

If a situation arises where a creature’s attempts are directly opposed to the attempts of another, it calls for a contest. Examples of contests include: There are also circumstances that would prevent a task from being repeated. For example, if character fails to bluff their way past security with a forged ID, there’s no way they would be able to do so again using the same ID which has now been flagged.

Two creatures attempting to perform the same task with only one capable of success.
A creature attempts to prevent the actions of another creature.
A creature competes for a higher degree of success over other competitors.
When a contest is called for, choose the appropriate ability that each creature must use. In some situations, it may be the same ability, such as a racing to the top of a stairwell. Other situations use one ability used to counter the effects of a different one, such as trying to spot a bluff using Wisdom against the deceiver’s Charisma.

PASSIVE CHECKS

As defined in chapter 7 of the Core Manual, consider using passive checks whenever a character has performed a basic task so many times that it’s become routine for them. You can still call for the character to make a roll if the result would significantly impact the story.

SAVING THROWS

While ability checks are made when a character attempts to perform a task, a saving throw is made when they are attempting to avoid something harmful happening to them. Specific abilities, hazards, and powers automatically call for saving throws in their description. You can also call for a saving throw if the character is at risk from a harmful effect that can circumvent their armor or defenses. The Saving Throws table provides suggestions for which ability scores would apply for certain saves.

Ability	Called for When...
Strength	Opposing a force that would physically move or restrain you
Dexterity	Dodging out of harm’s way
Constitution	Enduring a disease, toxin, or other hazard that impairs stamina
Intelligence	Disbelieving illusory tricks of the mind and countering the effects of mind games using logic or memory
Wisdom	Resisting effects that charm, frighten, or otherwise assault your willpower
Charisma	Thwarting or overcoming effects that influence your personality or identity

DIFFICULTY CLASS

Whenever an ability check or saving throw is called for, it’s up to you to choose a Difficulty Class if one isn’t already provided. Even if one is provided by a power or ability, you may wish to alter it to fit a particular situation. Use the Typical DCs table as a guideline to determine the difficulty of a task.

Task	DC
Very Easy	5
Easy	10
Moderate	15
Hard	20
Very Hard	25
Nearly Impossible	30

These numbers provide an easy-to-remember baseline from which to set your DCs but these are far from set in stone. Think of how difficult a task would be, select a DC from the table, and modify it (if you choose) to fit your scenario.

ATTACK ROLLS

Attack rolls are called for whenever a character attempts to bypass the defenses of a creature or object in order to hit them with an attack. Attack rolls aren’t necessarily restricted to combat scenarios. However, they can also apply in other situations such as breaking down a barrier or engaging in target practice.

PROFICIENCY

Many ability checks also make use of a skill or tool proficiency. If the task in question can be accomplished by using the character’s experience or training in a particular skill or tool, it’s safe to say it should be applied to the ability check.

SKILLS

Being proficient in a skill enables a character to add their proficiency score to ability checks to which the skill applies. Their experience, profession, or origins have provided them with training on that particular aspect of their ability. However, it’s important to remember that a character can still make use of any skill, regardless of whether or not they are proficient. If the character isn proficient in the skill, the roll simply becomes a standard ability check. All skills are applied to corresponding ability checks, such as Intelligence checks for using Computers. In certain circumstances, you may wish to apply the skill to a different ability check.

For example, a character may need to make a Dexterity (Athletics) check instead of Strength (Athletics) check when pushing a bulky object in Zero-G where its trajectory would take precedence over how much it would normally weigh. If the character is proficient in Athletics, they would apply their proficiency bonus to the check.

TOOLS

If a task can be completed using a specific tool, proficiency in that tool should apply to the ability check. Tool proficiencies aren’t linked to any specific ability check. For example, proficiency with demolition tools adds a character’s proficiency bonus to a Dexterity check made to assemble an explosive device or an Intelligence check made to program a detonator. A tool proficiency can’t be applied to checks with tasks that can’t be accomplished with the tool. For example, being proficient with chemistry supplies is unlikely to help a character disassemble a firearm. The same applies to ability checks where actual use of the tool doesn’t apply. For example, a character’s proficiency with cooking supplies wouldn’t help them with determining the ingredients of an unfamiliar culinary dish since the tool’s use isn’t a factor in this case.

VEHICLES

Ability checks for vehicles are handled much in the same way as with tools. Proficiency with a vehicle or mount allows a character to add their proficiency bonus to checks made to operate them. Operating a vehicle or mount usually doesn’t require a check unless in special circumstances, such as in stressful situations or attempting to perform a difficult maneuver or stunt. The only exceptions to this are spacecraft, which requires a character be proficient to even operate at all.

ATTACKS AND SAVING THROWS

Proficiency bonuses only applies to saving throws in which the character is proficient. Likewise, a character gains a proficiency bonus to attack rolls only if they’re proficient in the weapon or implement they’re using to make the attack.

ADVANTAGE AND DISADVANTAGE

Make use of advantage or disadvantage whenever temporary circumstances may affect a character’s chances of succeeding in a task. This includes when you reward a character for having a creative solution for accomplishing a task or when you impose a detriment for attempting to do so with exceptionally poor judgement. Consider granting advantage when …

Circumstances not related to a creature’s inherent capabilities provide it with an edge.
Some aspect of the environment contributes to the character’s chance of success.
A player shows exceptional creativity or cunning in attempting or describing a task.
Previous actions (whether taken by the character making the attempt or some other creature) improve the chances of success.

Circumstances hinder success in some way.
Some aspect of the environment makes success less likely (assuming that aspect doesn’t already impose a penalty to the roll being made).
An element of the plan or description of an action makes success less likely.

INSPIRATION

AWARDING INSPIRATION

Roleplaying.

Heroism and Daring.

Plot Advancement.

USING INSPIRATION

Supplemental Use.

SECTION 3

MAPPING

Using a map is the most common method of keeping track of the characters’ progression and providing details about their environment. There are several different ways to track movement on a map, either by drawing on a grid mat, having a player keep track on a grid sheet or by marking explored areas on a digital display. Regardless of the method you choose, having a map allows the players to visualize the dimensions, obstacles, and exits in an area and retain them for future reference. In well-traveled or commercialized regions, it may be common for the player characters to be able to access a complete map of the area they’re in. This broadens the characters’ options as they can already see their chosen destination. However, completed maps may not provide all of the details such as the position of security, threats, or hazards. Some of these maps may also be outdated, allowing for the characters to come across unexpected dead-ends or new branches that didn’t exist before.

TRAVEL PLACES

The Ground Map Travel Pace table provides speeds of travel on a map using the entries described in the Travel Pace table in chapter 8 of the Player’s Handbook

MAP TRAVEL

The Ground Map Travel Pace table provides speeds of travel on a map using the entries described the in adventuring section of chapter 8 of the Player's Handbook.

GROUND MAP TRAVEL PACE

MAP SCALE	SLOW	NORMAL	FAST
Local (1sq = 5ft.)	40sq./min	60sq./min	80sq./min
City (1sq = 100ft)	2sq./min	3sq./min.	4sq./min.
District / Region (1 Hex = 1 mi)	2 hexes/hr.	3 hexes/hr.	4 hexes/hr.
	18 hexes/day	24 hexes/day	30 hexes/day
Nation (1 hex = 6 mi)	1 hex/ 3hr.	1 hex/ 2hr.	1 hex/ 1.5 hr.
	3 hexes/day	4 hexes/day	5 hexes/day
Continent	1 hex/3 days	1 hex/2.5 days	1 hex/2 days

VEHICLE TRAVEL SPEEDS

The Vehicle Map Travel Speed table helps you track travel on a map using different types of vehicles or mounts.

BEAST MAP TRAVEL SPEEDS

MAP SCALE	MOUNT (LARGE)	MOUNT (HUGE)
Local Area (1sq. = 5 ft)	120 sq/min	80 sq./min
City (1sq. = 100ft)	6 sq./min	4 sq/min
District / Region (1 hex = 1 mi.)	6 hexes/hr	4 hexes/hr
	48 hexes/day	30 hexes/day
Nation (1 hex = 6 mi.)	1 hex/hr.	1 hex/1.5 hr
	8 hexes/day	5 hexes/day
Continent	2.5 hexes/day	1 hex/2days

PLANETARY VEHICLE TYPE

MAP SCALE	GROUND CAR/BIKE	HOVER CAR/BIKE
Local Area (1sq. = 5 ft)	800 sq/min	1000 sq./min
City (1sq. = 100ft)	40 sq./min	50 sq/min
District / Region (1 hex = 1 mi.)	48 hexes/hr	60 hexes/hr
	380 hexes/day	480 hexes/day
Nation (1 hex = 6 mi.)	8 hex/hr.	10 hex/hr.
	64 hexes/day	80 hexes/day
Continent (1 hex = 60 mi.)	1.5 hexes/2 hr	1 hex/2 hr
	12 hexes/day	8 hexes/day

SPECIAL TRAVEL PACES

Some powers and enhanced items grant a character uninterrupted movement without the use of a vehicle. When a creature is traveling with a flying speed or with a speed granted by a power, lack of gravity, or a natural force (such as wind or a water current), translate that speed into travel rates using the following rules:

In 1 minute, you can move a number of feet equal to your speed times 10.
In 1 hour, you can move a number of miles equal to your speed divided by 10.
For daily travel, multiply your hourly rate of travel by the number of hours traveled (typically 8 hours).
For a fast pace, increase the rate of travel by one-third.
For a slow pace, multiply the rate by two-thirds.

For example, a jetpack unit grants a flying speed of 90 feet. In 1 minute, the character can move 900 feet at a normal pace, 1,200 feet at a fast pace, or 600 feet at a slow pace. The character can also cover 6, 9, or 12 miles in an hour. Until the unit is deactivated, the character can travel 48, 72, or 96 miles in a day depending on the pace they set.

OUTDOOR VISABILITY

When outdoors, characters can see about 2 miles in any direction in normal daylight, or up to the point where trees, buildings, or other obstructions block their view. Rain normally cuts maximum visibility down to 1 mile, and fog can cut it down to between 100 and 300 feet. On a clear day, the characters can see 40 miles if they are atop a tall building or cliff, or are otherwise able to look down on the area around them from a height.

VISIBILITY IN OUTER SPACE

There is technically no limit to how far a character can see while in space or on a planetary body with little to no atmosphere. Characters cannot immediately tell how far away an object is without specialized sensors. Celestial bodies that don’t shed their own light are visible depending upon the character’s angle of vision in comparison to its distance from the sun. Because each star system is different, visible objects and their distance are left to your discretion.

NOTICING OTHER CREATURES

While exploring, characters might encounter other creatures. An important question in such a situation is who notices whom. Indoors, whether creatures can see one another usually depends on the configuration of rooms and passageways. Vision might also be limited by light sources. Outdoor visibility can be hampered by terrain, weather, and time of day. Creatures can be more likely to hear one another before they see anything in their environment. If neither side is being stealthy, creatures automatically notice each other once they are within sight or hearing range of one another. Otherwise, compare the Dexterity (Stealth) check results of the creatures in the group that is hiding with the passive Wisdom (Perception) scores of the other group, as explained in the Player’s Handbook.

SECTION 4

EXPLORATION

During the session, the characters need to properly navigate and examine the various locations presented in your adventure. The toughest challenge of having an entire galaxy to explore is knowing where to start. With limitless stars ahead, each with potential for multiple worlds to investigate, the task of picking a destination can be daunting. The Exploration system pretends in this section gives your party of galactic adventures a wide range of tools to seek out new worlds. Galaxy Exploration expands upon the standard rules for navigation tasks of the, especially when you know next to nothing about the system to which your wish to travel. By doing research and gathering more information, you can learn enough about the system to make it merely unfamiliar. Once you locate a system and travel to it, the next step is to explore the system. System Exploration gives you the tools to track down the various gravity wells within a system and create a map of the system. Once you’ve reached a particular world. Exploration from orbit provides guidelines for getting the most from your starship’s sensors readings while in orbit. It covers not only general information on what your sensors can ascertain, but also how to focus on and analyze data to gather information about the world's attributes, anomalies, and inhabitants. World Exploration gives some guidance on how to handle on-the-ground exploration of a new planet, including using tools presented in the biome section. It also provides a system called exploration to help you narrate and map the exploration of a world.

GALAXY EXPLORATION

Navigation is the key to exploring the galaxy. Every navigator is aware of the difference between Near and Far Space. Near Space comprises systems and planets that have the greatest odds for inhabitable worlds, while far space is the most remote location of the star system, its gas giants, and most outer planets usually barren planetoids, and ice worlds. Regardless of how a vessel arrives at the star system, all navigators need to know the current position of a system to plot a course. This is called Celestial Navigation and is based on the familiarity referenced in Starships Chapter.

Locate Galactic Destination

Finding hints of the existence of an unexplored system or some other unknown destination that you haven’t been to, you spend a day researching clues to determine its location.

You cross-check clues, consult star charts by making Intelligence (Navigation Tools) check, or scour databases with an Intelligence (Computers) check to find more information about the destination for which you’re searching. Scientific Interpretation of long-range sensors and telescopes can also be conducted through Intelligence (Astrophysics) checks while attempting to determine the location. The difficulty is based on your starting familiarity with the location. Only one check can be conducted per downtime activity, so it could take additional days of research to determine the location.

On a successful, you gain one piece of information. If the research was started with an unknown status then it would take five successes for you to become very familiar with the location. Each clue betters your odds of arriving at the exact system. On a failure, you waste the day searching. If you fail by 5 or more, you gain a faulty piece of information that seems plausible at first but gives you a disadvantage when you make future checks until the next successful research where you determine that clue is faulty and it becomes discarded.

When you have gathered enough clues to elevate your familiarity and are satisfied with the level of familiarity you can perform an Intelligence (Navigation Tools) Check DC of the familiarity as outlined in Celestial Navigation Table in Starships Chapter 10, with jump procedures following.

SYSTEM EXPLORATION

Once you’ve located a successfully traveled to the system, your next step is learning what exactly is in the system. This is no easy task, considering it may be hundreds of millions of miles across. Entering the system might give you some fundamental information about what’s present there, and you might have learned some particular already through your initial search. To learn more about an unknown system, man explorers rely on activities and starships systems.

FINDING GRAVITY WELLS

Gravity Wells are formed when massive celestial objects exert significant gravitation pull, such as a star, or black hole around which a system’s other celestial bodies orbit. When you arrive in a system, you can typically discover its primary gravity well very quickly without the need for a skill check. You can attempt to loathe other celestial objects in a system by searching for their telltale gravity wells. The most basic method for doing so involves searching the system via a starship’s sensors, using the map star system downtime activity. You can then determine the nature of the celestial objects you locate by analyzing system data as well.

Map Star System

You use a starship’s sensors to scan for gravity wells in a starship and make multiple sensor sweeps searching for any large gravity wells in the system and learn the location of celestial bodies.

RESOURCES

A character requires access to a free techninin’s station on starship and a functioning sensors system, and one downtime action.

RESOLUTION

You spend a day as in the starship’s technician role exploring various system sectors to search for signs of large gravity wells. At the end of the day attempt an Intelligence (Computers) the DC Dependent on the sensor rating. Only one character can perform this downtime activity each day.

SENSOR RATING	MAPPING DC
Type 1	25
Type 2	20
Type 3	15
Type 4	10
Type 5	5
Extended Tactical	15

On a successful role, you can pinpoint 1d4 gravity wells (of those you haven’t discovered within 3 AU or 4.5 with Extended Tactical Sensors). You can perform the celestial analysis downtime activity and travel to those locations.

STARSHIP SYSTEMS

There are available starships systems that can speed up the time it takes to map a star system, This technology includes very long-range system-wide sensors that, while not useful in combat, can quickly scan a star system and produce and general map as well as sensor drones that can deploy throughout a system. Such drones are slower but more affordable than system-wide sensors. These additional options can be purchased in chapter 4 Capital Starship.

ANALYZING SYSTEM DATA

After pinpointing a system’s gravity wells, you may want to determine exactly what kind of celestial objects lies at the heart of the well, especially before investing the time it takes to travel to one. This requires further analysis of the data. To Analyze gravity well data and identify the type of celestial object at the heart, you must first have pinpointed the gravity well, whether by completing the map star system downtime activity, analyzing sensor drone data, or coming into possession of the necessary information some other way. Then you can perform Celestial Analysis downtime activity.

Celestial Analysis

You use a starship’s computer to analyze gravity-well data and determine the nature of one or more celestial bodies.

RESOURCES

A character needs access to free Technican’s Station on stariship and functioning Sensors system if attempting to identify gravity wells with Astrophysics. However a character can analyza recorded data on a computer.

RESOLUTION

You spend the day as in the starship’s Technician Role, analyzing pinpointed gravity wells to identify the type of astronomical objects at their core. The Sensor Rating of your starship will determine how many worlds can be identified in given day. At the end of the day, attempt a Intelligence (Computers) or Astrophysics check DC 20 depending on the resources they have available for each celestial object you attempt to identify.

On each success, you determine whether gravity well is caused by a gas giant, a terrestrial world, a large asteroid, or an irregular world. If your results exceed the DC by 5 you also learn the number of large satellites (such as moons) the celestial body has, if any.

EXPLORATION FROM ORBIT

While you can ascertain the location and general top of celestial objects from distance, finding out more generally requires traveling to and orbiting the body. While in orbit, you can use your starship sensors to determine the world’s atmosphere, primary biomes, and gravity. This process typically takes ten minutes and requires a successful DC 15 Intelligence Computers check. These canes must be performed outside of combat and certain world inhabits will not permit off worlders to peer down from orbit indefinitely or at all. While getting general information about a world can be crucial, more information can be gained from a full sensor sweep and analysis of the data obtained. You can use the world Analysis downtime activity to attempt a more thorough scan, or you can map out a portion of the world’s geography using the world mapping downtime activity.

World Anaylsis

You spend the day performing these detailed scans of certain aspects of the world and analyzing the data you collect. You must be in a starship orbiting a world to use this activity.

RESOURCES

Choosing one or more of the following elements: the world’s sapient species, threat species, level of technology, level of arcane energy, level of it's cooperation, general alignment, large settlements, or a single planetary anomaly. The number of elements that can be analyzed in 1 day per starship depends on the starship computer's device rating.

RESOLUTION

At the end of the day, attempt a separate skill check for each element you’re trying to learn more about. The type of skill check depends on the element: lore for cultural civics such as alignment, governance, or accord, Mechanics for large settlements, Computers for the level of technology, Xenobiology for sapient or threat, Astrophysics for anomalies. Determine how much detail a character learns using the Research Outcome Table.

RESEARCH OUTCOMES

CHECK TOTAL	OUTCOME
1-5	No Effect
6-10	You learn one piece of data
11-20	You learn two pieces of data
21+	You learn three pieces of data

World Mapping

You focus on scanning a specific area of a world to learn more about its geography.

RESOURCES

You spend the day scanning analyzing data for thousands of square miles of a world’s geography. You must be in a starship orbiting a world to use this activity.

RESOLUTION

At the end of the day, you have a completed topographic map of the region displaying the biome of each hex in a region that is stored on your ship's computer and can be referenced.
Then you attempt an Intelligence (Astrophysics) Check. You gain advantage if your starship has a science lab and you are proficient with Astrophysics. Determine how much detail a character learns using the Research Outcome table.

RESEARCH OUTCOMES

CHECK TOTAL	OUTCOME
1-5	No Effect
6-10	You learn one piece of map data
11-20	You learn two pieces of map data
21+	You learn three pieces of map data

Each piece of data is the equivalent of one true statement about the elements being analyzed. This might be a hazard, the presence of a group of sapient or threat species, a planetary anomaly, or even an interesting geological feature.

SWITCHING OUT OF HEXPLORAITON

When you face a random encounter or discover an adventuring site while engaged in hexploration, these encounters typically do not cost the characters a hexploration activity to tackle, assuming that they occur over several minutes rather than hours. However, if the PC decides to explore a vast technological ruin, engage in length diplomacy with locals, or get involved in a protective chase with raiders, the DM might deduct a hexploration activity for time spent.

WORLD EXPLORATION

Exploration-focused adventures and campaigns often take place on a single uninhabitable or previously unconnected world or in a system of such worlds. Exploring a world whose inhabitance are willing to interact with outsiders and who have some degree of technological advancement can be easy as getting the proper permission to land your starship, buying a map, and booking a guided tour. In such places, you’ll often be able to use large settlements as a base of operations. There you might hire guides, purchase or rent terrestrial transportation, and stock up on the necessities of exploration before setting out, as you would in any other major settlement.

SENSOR DIFFICULTY CHECKS

Various circumstances might modify the DC for the checks needed to ascertain information about a planet while using sensors in orbit. The following is a list of some of those circumstances.

PLANETARY SENSOR TABLE

CIRCUMSTANCE	DC MODIFIER
Extraordinary Anomaly (Chaos Rift, Aracne Storm, Solorium Crucible)	DC 10
Planetary Sensor Scrambler	DC 25
Minor Anomaly (Weather Pattern, Intriguing Land Formation)	DC 15
Thick Atmosphere (Venus, Gas Giants)	DC 20
Magnetic Energy Signature (Power Cores, Settlements)	DC 15
Thin Atmosphere (Moons, Asteroids)	DC 10

Even without these benefits, you are likely to have enough information from whatever led you to the world in the first place or from your exploration from orbit to have a general location from which to begin your exploration. A relatively small terrestrial world still contains an inconceivable lifetime worth of adventures in millions of square miles. You’re likely to focus on key areas of interest in your exploration rather than make a comprehensive mapping of the world’s every rock and tree. However, when you lack a known starting point or a world doesn't have large cities or advanced technology, or even sapient creatures, things become more challenging and players must conduct exploration. This is detailed in the following sections, which assumes characters have anded their ship in a relatively safe location and are traveling on foot in trackless terrain on an uncharted terrestrial world while exploring they will encounter biomes, possible encounters, and even adventure hooks.

HEXPLORAITON MAP

Hexploration uses a map split into a hexagonal grid. Each hex on the map represents an area 24 miles and across and features its own dominant biome. Terrestrial worlds with dynamic climates often have most, if not all the terrains, while strange worlds might have featured only one or two dominant biomes across their entire surface. Just because each hex has a primary terrain type doesn’™ mean that it's the only terrain in that hex. A hex might feature a road or a river snaking through it, smaller bodies of water,s a thicket of alien vegetation, a massive city, or countless other variations.

HEXPLORATION ACTIVITES

A group of characters gains a number of hexploration activities per day based on the speed of the slowest member of the group, as shown in the table below. During the day characters can use their hexploraiton activities to either travel or perform recon.

ACTIVITIES TABLE

SPEED	ACTIVITIES PER DAY
15 feet or less	½
20-25 feet	1
30-35 feet	2
40-45 feet	3
50 feet or more	4

HEX TRAVEL

You move into or towards an adjacent hex. This requires a number of hexploration activities equal to the required activities. For both your origin hex and the hex into which you’re moving. For example, a party moving from a mountain into a forest would require 5 hexploration activities. If you don’t know the biome of the distance of hex, you learn it after using then umber of exploration activities required by your origin hex (2 in the previous example.) If you don’t have enough hexploraiton activities in a day to move into an adjacent hex, you can use as many hexploration activities as you want to move towards that hed, and add that progress to travel you performed on subsequent days. Keep in mind that with hexploration, movement from one hex to another includes some degree of exploration of the hex entering rather than point to point travel, so the travel rate is slower than typical overland speed. Traveling in Vehicles. Remember that vehicles must be designed for the terrain in which it’s traveling to use their overland movement speed. If the entire party is inappropriate vehicles and has an overland speed of at least 20 mph the group gets 6 activities per day instead of the usual 1-5.

PERFORM RECON

You can carefully explore and map a single hex, gaining as much information as you can. This requires a number of hexploraiton activities equal to the hex in which you’re performing recon, and choose whether to be more careful or more thorough. Characters being careful may miss opportunities and Once you have successfully performed recon in a hex, you discover all the hex’s major features that do not require a check, and you learn the biome of the hex adjacent to that hex. In addition, if you choose to be more thorough, you also find the fastest way through the terrain; reducing the number of activities required to travel in or through that hex by 1 (to a minimum of 1). This reduction can apply only once per hex.

DOWNTIME ACTIVITES

Characters not traveling or performing recon can spend the day engaged in downtime activities instead. Several existing downtime activities can be especially relevant during the exploration of unfamiliar terrain. They can build shelters, gather supplies, inoculate or maintain readiness, and secure the area.

RANDOM ENCOUNTERS

Whenever a Pc explores, there’s a chance for a random encounter; this chance is based on the relative poplar destiny of the area, with some type of terrain tendon g to be dense than others. Each time you travel or recon, roll a d20. On the roll equal or fighter that encounters DC listed in the Hexploratio Table, a random encounter occurs. The DMadjusts these numbers based on circumstance. The DM can use inhabitants and adventure hook tables in the corresponding biome section to inspire a random encounter. Remember that encounters can be far more than combat with wandering monsters.

HEXPLORATION TABLE

BIOME	REQUIRED ACTIVITIES	ENCOUNTER DC
Airborne	1*	17
Aquatic	1*	14
Arctic	2	17
Desert	2	17
Forest	3	12
Marsh	2	12
Mountain	2	16
Plains	1	16
Space	1*	17
Subterranean	2	16
Urban	1	10
Weird	Varies	14

*Assumes a fly (airborne or space) or swim (aquatic) speed

SECTION 5

SOCIAL INTERACTION

Facing dangerous threats, overcoming the odds, and exploring the galaxy are all major parts of any sci-fi adventure. However, social interactions play just as important a role, as characters often need to interact with the rest of the universe’s inhabitants to work toward completing their task or finding a new one. There are many different types of interactions. You might need to grease the pockets of the local gang boss to get information about an area, or you might have to cut a deal with a shrewd businessman to get access to some high-grade material. The GM assumes the role of any characters participating in the interaction who are not controlled by another player at the table. This type of character is called a non-player character (NPC). In general terms, an NPC’s attitude toward you is described as friendly, indifferent, or hostile. Friendly NPCs are predisposed to help you, and hostile ones are inclined to get in your way. It’s easier to get what you want from a friendly NPC, of course. Social interactions have two primary aspects: roleplaying and ability checks.

ROLEPLAYING

Roleplaying is, literally, the act of playing out a role. character thinks, acts, and talks. Roleplaying is a part of every aspect of the game, and it comes to the fore during social interactions. Your character’s quirks, mannerisms, and personality influence how interactions resolve. There are two styles you can use when roleplaying your character: the descriptive approach and the active approach. Most players use a combination of the two styles. Use whichever mix of the two works best for you.

DESCRPTIVE APPROACH TO ROLEPALYING

With this approach, you describe your character’s words on your mental image of your character, you tell everyone what your character does and how he or she does it. For instance, Dan plays Zannan the draconian. Zannan has a quick temper and blames the elf of the Pel Voros for his misfortune. At a night club, a drunken elf sits at Zannan’s table and tries to strike up a conversation with the dwarf. Dan says, “Zannan spits on the floor, growls an insult at the elf, and stomps over to the bar. He sits on a stool and glares at the elf club-goer before ordering another drink.” In this example, Dan has conveyed Zannan’s mood and given the GM a clear idea of his character’s attitude and actions. When using descriptive roleplaying, keep the following things in mind:

Describe your character’s emotions and attitude.
Focus on your character’s intent and how others might perceive it.
Provide as much embellishment as you feel comfortable with.
Don’t worry about getting things exactly right. Just focus on thinking about what your character would do and describing what you see in your mind.

ACTIVE APPROACH TO RP

If descriptive roleplaying tells your GM and your fellow players what your character thinks and does, active roleplaying shows them. When you use active roleplaying, you speak with your character’s voice, like an actor taking on a role. You might even echo your character’s movements and body language. This approach is more immersive than descriptive roleplaying, though you still need to describe things that can’t be reasonably acted out. Going back to the example of Dan roleplaying Zannan above, here’s how the scene might play out if Dan used active roleplaying: Speaking as Zannan, Dan says in a gruff, deep voice, “I was wondering why it suddenly smelled awful in here. If I wanted to hear anything out of you, I’d snap your arm and enjoy your screams.” In his normal voice, Dan then adds, “I get up, glare at the elf, and head to the bar.”

RESULTS OF ROLEPLAYING

The GM uses your character’s actions and attitudes to determine how an NPC reacts. A cowardly NPC buckles under threats of violence. A stubborn kesh refuses to let anyone badger her. A vain celebrity laps up flattery. When interacting with an NPC, pay close attention to the GM’s portrayal of the NPC’s mood, dialogue, and personality. You might be able to determine an NPC’s personality traits, ideals, flaws, and bonds, then play on them to influence the NPC’s attitude. Interactions in EG are much like interactions in real life. If you can offer NPCs something they want, threaten them with something they fear, or play on their sympathies and goals, you can use words to get almost anything you want. On the other hand, if you insult a proud soldier or speak ill of a gang boss’ allies, your efforts to convince or deceive will fall short.

ABILITY CHECKS

In addition to roleplaying, ability checks are key in determining the outcome of an interaction. Your roleplaying efforts can alter an NPC’s attitude, but there might still be an element of chance in the situation. For example, your GM can call for a Charisma check at any point during an interaction if he or she wants the dice to play a role in determining an NPC’s reactions. Other checks might be appropriate in certain situations, at your GM’s discretion. Pay attention to your skill proficiencies when thinking of how you want to interact with an NPC, and stack the deck in your favor by using an approach that relies on your best bonuses and skills. If the group needs to trick a guard into letting them into the building, the specialist who is proficient in Deception is the best bet to lead the discussion. When negotiating for a hostage’s release, the mage with Persuasion should do most of the talking.

NPC INTERACTIONS

Characters usually engage in social interaction with the goal of gathering information or gaining influence with NPCs and other creatures. While the characters are seeking to complete their objective, the creatures they interact with have their own agenda. Depending on the situation, social interactions may require a Charisma skill check. You may instead wish to resolve the interaction entirely by roleplay with no dice. Many games use a combination of both methods.

CREATURE ATTITUDES

When interaction begins between players and other creatures, choose one of the following initial attitudes. Friendly creatures wish the characters well and are likely to offer help or advise them. They can usually be persuaded to perform any task that doesn’t involve danger or personal risk without the need for an ability check. Indifferent creatures are personally unconcerned with the characters’ needs. While that doesn’t necessarily make them impolite or discourteous, they can be equally as rude or unfriendly depending upon the scenario. This is the attitude most commonly encountered with strangers and locals. Persuading indifferent creatures usually requires a Charisma skill check. Hostile creatures are opposed to the characters goals, wishing them misfortune, ill-will, or outright harm. They don’t necessarily attack the characters, some instead choosing other methods to thwart the characters’ goals. Persuading hostile creatures to do anything is often not possible, and when it is, requires a difficult skill check.

CONVERSATIONS

When the interaction starts, run a conversation between the players and other creatures. This can be done either by having the players describe the main points on what they wish to say or by actively roleplaying the conversation, with you as the NPC (see “Roleplaying” later on). Reading Personalities. A creature’s starting attitude and personality traits are not always immediately known and may not be very obvious to the characters. During the conversation, players can attempt to get a “read” on the creature they’re speaking with by making a Wisdom (Insight) check. Set a DC for this check based on the situation. On a successful check, the player can surmise the creature’s attitude and one of their personality traits (ideals, bonds, or flaws). If the creature is being evasive in their intentions, you may consider secretly making a Charisma (Deception) check instead, using the results as the DC for the players.

SHIFTING ATTITUDES

It is possible for a creature’s attitude to shift during a conversation. This can be handled automatically depending on what the characters do or say during the conversation. How or when a creature’s attitude shifts is up to you. Use your best judgment based upon the creatures involved. If a player has surmised a creature’s personality trait and makes good use of it in conversation, that may also be a good reason for a shift in attitude. Optional Check. If you prefer to use dice you could arbitrarily make a Charisma check for the characters, setting a DC based on the creature’s current attitude. The DC for an indifferent creature, for example, might be 14-15, where the DC for hostile creature would likely be higher, such as 18-20. Depending on the scenario, if the check fails badly, it might shift the creature’s attitude in the opposite direction.

MAKING CHECKS

When the players make their point or request to a creature known, a Charisma check is made to determine the creature’s response. Optionally, you can choose the appropriate response based off of the characters’ choices during the conversation. Depending upon the characters’ approach, the Deception, Intimidation, or Persuasion skill may apply to their check. If more than one character is involved and says or does something that can influence the conversation, consider granting advantage or imposing disadvantage to the check.

Consult the table below for determining the DC for the check, which is also defined by the target’s current attitude. If no DC is defined, that reaction is unavailable.

TARGET'S REACTION	HOSTILE	INDIFFERENT	FRIENDLY
Takes risks to oppose characters	0	-	-
Offers Help but does no harm	10	0	-
Offers help so long as no risk	20	10	0
Will take minor risks to help	-	20	10
Will help with significant risk	-	-	20

Depending on the characters’ goals, more than one check may be necessary, especially if they are making multiple requests or suggestions. Pushing the Issue. Regardless of outcome, multiple attempts to influence the target in the same manner can run the risk of irritating or upsetting the creature, causing a shift in its attitude. If the situation is not so dire, you may consider imposing disadvantage to the check. The potential consequences of making subsequent checks in this situation are at your discretion.

ROLEPLAYING

Just as players choose how to portray their characters, it’s up to you how you choose to portray your NPCs and threats. The main goal is to engage your players and for your roleplaying to contribute to the overall story and goals of your campaign. When taking on the role of an NPC consider what drives its intentions. Does it have personality traits that would take a dominant role in how it interacts with other creatures? What is its current disposition to the characters? Incorporating these details make the characters more realistic and provide greater impact to the story and atmosphere. The same goes with how you present an NPC’s personality to the players. A character wouldn’t know off-hand if an NPC were vain or hot-headed, and so they wouldn’t be immediately described that way. Instead, the NPC would act self-absorbed or make rash statements that would present those aspects of their personality.

EXPRESSING YOURSELF

When playing an NPC, try to speak in a different tone or inflection than normal, keeping in mind it doesn’t need to be to the level of a theater or voice actor. If you’re not used to changing your voice, simply speaking at a higher or lower octave makes a big difference. Consider the NPC’s origins as well, as this might have an effect on the words or inflections they use when speaking. To assist with presenting a creature’s emotions, you can use facial expressions such as smiling, scowling, widening your eyes, or furrowing your brow. Enhance your expressions by making gestures with your hands and arms.

PLAYER IMMERSION

Your spirited dramatizations may encourage your players to portray their own character’s emotions and expressions thus adding to the mood of the interaction and enhancing the depth of the story. You may have some players who dive right into the experience more so than others. While those players are more likely to thrive in roleplay scenarios, try to provide an opportunity for each player to participate. This can be done by encouraging aspects of a character’s personality, or appealing to a certain type of social interaction such as trickery, negotiation, or interrogation. Another method is to incorporate a character’s background or personal story as a boon or complication to a planned interaction.

ENTITIES

When characters need to cut through wires, blast open a door, or smash through a window, the only hard and fast rule is this: given enough time and the right tools, characters can destroy any destructible object. Use common sense when determining a character’s success at damaging an object. Can a warrior cut through a steel barricade with a combat knife? In most normal circumstances, the answer is no, as the knife is likely to break before the wall does. For the purpose of these rules, an object is a discrete, inanimate item like a window, door, metal pipe, screen, cable, table, chair, or stone block, not a building or a vehicle that is composed of many other objects.

STATISTICS FOR ENTITIES

When time is a factor, you can assign an Armor Class and hit points to a destructible object. You can also give it immunities, resistances, and vulnerabilities to specific types of damage. Armor Class. An object’s Armor Class is a measure of how difficult it is to deal damage to the object when striking it (because the object has no chance of dodging out of the way). The Object Armor Class table provides suggested AC values for various substances.

SUBSTANCE	AC
cloth, paper, rope	11
ceramic, crystal, glass, ice	13
Aluminum, bone, wood	15
Stone, hardened plastic	17
Steel, tempered glass	19
Carbon fiber, titanium	21
Diamond	23
Palladium micro alloy	25

ENTITY ARMOR CLASS

Hit Points. An object’s hit points measure how much damage it can take before losing its structural integrity. Resilient objects have more hit points than fragile ones. Large objects also tend to have more hit points than small ones, unless breaking a small part of the object is just as effective as breaking the whole thing. The Object Hit Points table provides suggested hit points for fragile and resilient objects that are Large or smaller.

ENTITY HIT POINTS

SIZE	FRAGILE	RESILIENT
Tiny (cup, watch)	2 (1d4)	5 (2d4)
Small (case, tablet)	3 (1d6)	10 (3d6)
Medium (dresser, desk)	4 (1d8)	18 (4d8)
Large (garage door, 10-ft Office Window)	5 (1d10)	27 (5d10)

Huge and Gargantuan Objects. Normal weapons are of little use against many Huge and Gargantuan objects, such as a docking ramp, towering stone column, or massive shipping container. That said, one match can light a Huge tent aflame, and the right number of explosive charges can reduce a structure to rubble. You can track a Huge or Gargantuan object’s hit points if you like, or you can simply decide how long the object can withstand whatever weapon or force is acting against it. If you track hit points for the object, divide it into Large or smaller sections, and track each section’s hit points separately. Destroying one of those sections could ruin the entire object. For example, a Gargantuan overhang might topple over when one of its Large support beams is reduced to 0 hit points. Objects and Damage Types. Objects are immune to poison and psychic damage. You might decide that some damage types are more effective against a particular object or substance than others. For example, bludgeoning damage works well for smashing things but not for cutting through cords or leather. Wood or cloth objects might be vulnerable to fire and lightning damage. A drill bit can pierce through stone but can’t effectively cut down a tree. As always, use your best judgment. Damage Threshold. Big objects such as building walls often have extra resilience represented by a damage threshold. An object with a damage threshold has immunity to all damage unless it takes an amount of damage from a single attack or effect equal to or greater than its damage threshold, in which case it takes damage as normal. Any damage that fails to meet or exceed the object’s damage threshold is considered superficial and doesn’t reduce the object’s hit points.

SECTION 6

COMBAT

The following are guidelines that expand the rules for combat detailed in chapter 9 of the Player's Handbook.

NARRATING COMBAT

A dramatic combat sequence can be a chaotic, fastpaced, action-packed experience. As exciting as it can be, it tends to lose some of its appeal when described in purely mechanical terms. Consider the following when narrating a combat scenario.

DESCRIBING ATTACKS AND DAMAGE

Standard combat terms such as hits, damage, and hit points can sometimes be taken in a literal sense, affecting how players visualize the way combat plays out. This is especially true with higher level characters who have a large pool of hit points. During a movie action sequence where the heroes are exchanging bullets or blaster bolts with a squad of adversaries, they’re not actually being struck multiple times by gunfire. Instead, they get pinned down, worn out, or run into too many close calls before needing to escape. When a combatant falls, its often from one or two well-placed wounds. When describing damage and hit point loss, consider adding these descriptions in alongside the mechanics. Likewise, a character’s aim or prowess isn’t necessarily the cause for a missed attack. Their opponent may just be quick on their feet or perhaps the attack was absorbed by their armor. These can be narrative examples of portraying a creature with a high Armor Class.

DESCRIBING DAMAGE STATUSES

Players often ask how wounded a creature looks or which one out of a group of creatures looks the most hurt. To avoid the encouragement of metagaming, you should never feel as though you should reveal a creature’s exact hit points. If a creature has less than half of its hit points remaining, you can instead describe it as wounded, battered, or beaten down. This lets the players know they’re making headway toward the creature’s defeat so they can plan accordingly. In the heat of battle, it should be extremely difficult for a player to tell how damaged one creature is versus another unless the difference between their remaining hit points is significant.

THREATS AND CRITICAL HITS

A threat follows the same rule for critical hits as a player character. If you use a threat’s average damage rather than rolling, when the threat scores a critical hit, roll all the damage dice associated with the hit and add them to the average damage. For example, if a bachorta normally deals 5 (1d6 + 2) slashing damage on a hit and scores a critical hit, it deals 5 + 1d6 slashing damage.

HANDLING MOBS AND SWARMS

Having dozens of monsters in a battle can significantly slow down combat. When handling a crowded battlefield, you can speed up play by forgoing attack rolls in favor of approximating the average number of hits a large group of creatures can inflict on a target. Instead of rolling an attack roll, determine the minimum d20 roll a creature needs in order to hit a target by subtracting its attack bonus from the target’s AC. Record this number so you can refer to it throughout the battle. Look up the minimum d20 roll needed on the Mob Attacks table. The table shows you how many creatures that need that die roll or higher must attack a target in order for one of them to hit. If that many creatures attack the target, their combined efforts result in one of them hitting the target. For example, eight xamaron thralls surround a sentinel. The thralls’ attack bonus is +4, and the sentinel’s AC is 18. The thralls need a 14 or higher to hit the sentinel. According to the table, for every three thralls that attack the sentinel, one of them hits. There are enough thralls for two groups of three. The remaining two thralls fail to hit the sentinel. If the attacking creatures deal different amounts of damage, assume that the creature that deals the most damage is the one that hits. If the creature that hits has multiple attacks with the same attack bonus, assume that it hits once with each of those attacks. If a creature’s attacks have different attack bonuses, resolve each attack separately.

This method ignores critical hits in favor of reducing the number of die rolls. As the number of combatants dwindles, switch back to using individual die rolls to avoid situations where one side can’t possibly hit the other.

MOB ATTACKS

D20 ROLL NEEDED	ATTACKERS NEEDED FOR ONE HIT
1-5	1
6-12	2
13-14	3
15-16	4
17-18	5
19	10
20	20

IMPROVISED DAMAGE

In situations where damage isn’t specified by an attack or damaging effect, you need to determine damage on the fly. The Improvised Damage table offers suggestions for defining unspecified damage.

IMPROVISED DAMAGE

DICE	EXAMPLE
1d10	Burned by a steam pipe, hit by a falling shelf, shocked by an electrical panel
2d10	Being struck by lightning, pierced by flying space debris
4d10	Hit by falling debris in a collapsing building, stumbling into a vat of acid
10d10	Crushed by compacting walls, getting run over by a bus, falling into an incinerator
18d10	Getting caught in the blast of a ship engine, being struck by an asteroid
24d10	Falling into a ship’s reactor, getting crushed in a gravity well, being caught in a nuclear explosion

Use the Damage Severity and Level table to determine how deadly these damage numbers are for characters of various levels. Cross-reference a character’s level with the damage being dealt to gauge the severity of the damage.

DAMAGE SEVERITY AND LEVEL

CHARACTER LEVEL	SETBACK	DANGEROUS	DEADLY
1st-4th	1d10	2d10	4d10
5th-10th	2d10	4d10	10d10
17th-20th	10d10	18d10	24d10

Damage which causes a setback rarely poses a risk of death to characters unless they are severely injured. Dangerous damage poses a significant threat to weaker characters and could potentially kill a character of the corresponding level if they have few remaining hit points. Deadly damage is enough to reduce a character of the corresponding level to 0 hit points, possibly even killing them outright.

SECTION 7

CHASES

This section covers how to turn standard movement into a dynamic, exciting pursuit. Chases can be one of two types, a ground chase or a vehicle chase.

BEGINNING A CHASE

Each chase requires a target and at least one pursuer. The participants each roll initiative if they have not already done so. On their turn, each participant can move and take one action. The chase ends when the pursuers give up or the target escapes. When the chase begins, determine the starting distance between the pursuers and their target. Keep track of the distance between them, and designate the pursuer closest to the target as the lead. The lead pursuer may or may not change each round. When using vehicles, use each vehicle’s control speed to track movement.

CUT-AWAY CHASE

Sometimes a chase can begin during a combat encounter in which not all of the combatants would become chase participants. Creatures already engaged in combat with each other can initiate a chase only if the chase target starts their turn at a distance from their pursuers equal to at least twice the speed of the lead pursuer. For example, during a shootout between a specialist and a group of security guards, the specialist decides to take off down the street. If the specialist is at least 60 feet away from the security guards (which have a speed of 30 ft.), you can consider beginning a chase. Otherwise, it’s recommended you stick to standard movement. Should one of these chases begin, you can manage them in one of two ways. Simultaneous Sequences. Using this method, each creature acts on their initiative, regardless of whether or not they’re involved in the chase. This lets you resolve all actions at the same time and allows other combatants to become chase. Separate Sequences. Each creature still acts on their initiative, but the participants’ actions are resolved before or after the actions of those engaged in combat. While this gives the chase more of a cinematic “cut-away” feel, it can also feel like you’re running two separate encounters.participants.

ATTACKS AND ARCANE POWERS

A chase participant can make attacks and use powers against other creatures within range. Apply the normal rules for cover, terrain, and so on to the attacks and powers. Chase participants can’t normally make opportunity attacks against each other, since they are all assumed to be moving in the same direction at the same time. However, participants can still be the targets of opportunity attacks from creatures not participating in the chase. For example, characters who chase a spy past a group of gang members in an alley might provoke opportunity attacks from the gang members.

VARIANT: CINEMATIC DETOURS

Depending upon the environment, a participant can attempt to use their surroundings to their advantage to gain ground, such as leaping to a nearby platform or hopping over to an adjacent escalator. At the start of their turn, the participant expends an action and makes an ability check. You choose the type of ability check depending on what the participant is attempting to do. Leaping over to a nearby platform, for example, would call for a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. Likewise, charging through a sheet of drywall would call for a Strength (Athletics) check. If the check is successful, their speed increases by 10 feet until the start of their next turn. If the check is unsuccessful, their speed is instead reduced by 10 feet until the start of their next turn.

RUNNING A VEHICLE CHASE

Although expanded vehicle rules are provided in Vehicle Operations, you can use these rules instead as a faster way to resolve vehicle chases involving planetary vehicles or watercraft. Beast mounts follow the rules for a ground chase, with Constitution checks made by the mount instead of the participant. Unlike a ground chase, vehicle chases don’t require participants to use their own stamina. Operators can push their vehicles to close in on their target, traveling greater distances than normal and risking unintended consequences like vehicle crashes. Vehicle passengers provide support during a chase by either assisting the operator or hindering the target through action such as spotting obstacles or making attacks against the target or their vehicle.

GAINING GROUND

As an action, a vehicle operator can take the Dash action a number of times equal to 3 + their Wisdom modifier. Each additional Dash action they take during the chase requires the operator to succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity check. On a failed check, the operator has disadvantage on their next chase complication (see “Chase Complications”).

PASSENGERS

As an action, a passenger can serve as a lookout for random obstacles and blind corners by succeeding on a DC 14 Wisdom (Insight) check. If there are multiple passengers, this can be made as a group check. If successful, their vehicle’s operator has advantage on their next chase complication.

ATTACKS AND ARCANE POWERS

Attacks from vehicles work differently when resolving a chase. Operators and passengers can make attacks and use powers against other creatures and vehicles within range. Attack rolls have disadvantage and targets of esper powers have advantage to Strength and Dexterity saving throws against the powers’ effects. If a participant’s vehicle is hit with an attack, they have disadvantage on their next chase complication (see “Chase Complications”).

ENDING A CHASE

A chase ends when one side or the other stops, when the target escapes, or when the pursuers are close enough to their target to catch it. If neither side gives up the chase, the target can attempt to escape at the end of each round, after every participant in the chase has taken its turn. If being pursued on ground, the target makes a Dexterity (Stealth) check, the result of which is compared to the passive Wisdom (Perception) scores of the pursuers. If on a vehicle, the target instead makes a Dexterity check using their vehicle proficiency. If there are multiple chase targets, they all make the check. If the target is never out of the lead pursuer’s sight, the check fails automatically. Otherwise, if the result of the target’s check is greater than the highest passive score, that target escapes. If not, the chase continues for another round. The target gains advantage or disadvantage on its check based on prevailing circumstances, as shown in the Escaping Pursuit table. If one or more circumstances apply, giving the target both advantage and disadvantage on its check, the target has neither, following normal rules.

ESCAPING PURSUIT

CIRCUMSTANCE	CHECK HAS
Target has many things to hide behind	Advantage
Target is in a very crowded or noisy area	Advantage
Target’s distance is equal to or greater than 3x the lead pursuer's speed	Advantage
Target has few things to hide behind	Disadvantage
Target is in an uncrowded or quiet area	Disadvantage
The lead pursuer is a pathfinder or has proficiency in Survival	Disadvantage
Target’s distance is equal to or less than the lead pursuer’s speed	Disadvantage

At your discretion, other factors may help or hinder the target’s ability to escape, at your discretion. For example, a target using a flashlight to see in the dark might have disadvantage on checks made to escape because it’s much easier to spot. Escape doesn’t necessarily mean the target has outpaced its pursuers. For example, in an urban setting, escape might mean the target blended into a crowd or slipped around a corner, leaving no clue as to where it went.

CHASE COMPLICATIONS

Every exciting chase introduces complications to add tension to the scene. The following Chase Complications tables provide several examples. At the end of its turn, each participant in the chase rolls a d20. Consult the appropriate table to determine whether a complication occurs. If it does, it affects the next chase participant in the initiative order, not the participant who rolled the die. The participant who rolled the die or the participant affected by the complication can spend inspiration to negate the complication. Some complications can arise due to situational circumstances created by esper powers or innate abilities.

GROUND STREET CHASE COMPLICATIONS

1d20 Roll	Complication
1-2	A large obstacle such as a car or terminal blocks your way. Make a DC 15 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to get past the obstacle. On a failed check, the obstacle counts as 10 feet of difficult terrain. If you fail the check by 10 or more, you collide with the object and fall prone, taking 1d6 bludgeoning damage.
3-4	A crowd blocks your way. Make a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (your choice) to make your way through the crowd unimpeded. On a failed check, the crowd counts as 10 feet of difficult terrain.
5-6	A large window, screen, or similar barrier blocks your path. Make a DC 10 Strength saving throw to smash through the barrier and keep going. On a failed save, you bounce off the barrier and fall prone.
7-8	A maze of shipping crates or similar obstacles stands in your way. Make a DC 10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) or Intelligence check (your choice) to navigate the maze. On a failed check, the maze counts as 10 feet of difficult terrain.
9-10	The ground beneath your feet is slippery with rain, spilled oil, or some other liquid. Make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, you fall prone.
11-20	No complication.

GROUND WILDERNESS CHASE COMPLICATIONS

1d20 Roll	Complication
1-2	Make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, you are blinded by blowing sand, dirt, or other form of environmental debris until the end of your turn. While blinded in this way, your speed is halved.
3-4	Uneven ground threatens to slow your progress. Make a DC 10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to navigate the area. On a failed check, the ground counts as 10 feet of difficult terrain.
5-6	A stream, ravine, or rock bed blocks your path. Make a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (your choice) to cross the impediment. On a failed check, the impediment counts as 10 feet of difficult terrain.
7-8	Your path takes you through a rough patch of brush. Make a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (your choice) to get past the brush. On a failed check, the brush counts as 5 feet of difficult terrain.
9-10	A creature indigenous to the area chases after you. The GM chooses a creature appropriate for the terrain.
11-20	No complication.

VEHICLE STREET CHASE COMPLICATIONS

1d20 Roll	Complication
1-2	You run across something in your path that impairs your handling, such as a large puddle, a magnetic rail, or a pressure shaft. Make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, you spin out and your speed is reduced to 0 until the end of your next turn.
3-4	You drive through a tightly packed crowd of pedestrians or vehicles. Make a DC 10 Dexterity check with your vehicle's proficiency to avoid the crowd. On a failed check, your speed is reduced by half until the end of your next turn.
5-6	You drive through an enclosed area filled with flashing signs and holographic effects. You must succeed on a DC 10 Intelligence saving throw or your speed is reduced by half until the end of your next turn. Passengers must make the same save or have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight until the end of their next turn.
7-8	A large exhaust grate spews a cloud of thick smoke into your path. You and all passengers must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned. Also, on a failed save, your speed is reduced by half until the end of your next turn.
9-10	You’re forced to make a tight turn around a large obstacle. Make a DC 13 Dexterity check with your vehicle's proficiency to avoid the obstacle. On a failed check, you collide with the obstacle, you and each passenger take 1d6 bludgeoning damage, and your speed is reduced by half until the end of your next turn.
11-20	No complication.

VEHICLE WILDERNESS CHASE COMPLICATIONS

1d20 Roll	Complication
1-2	You drive into a rough patch of brush. Make a DC 10 Dexterity check with your vehicle's proficiency to get past the brush. On a failed check, your speed is reduced by half until the end of your next turn.
3-4	Uneven ground threatens to slow your progress. Make a DC 10 Wisdom (Survival) check to navigate the area. On a failed check, your speed is reduced by half until the end of your next turn.
5-6	You run through an insect swarm (see the Threats Database for statistics, with the DM choosing whichever kind of insects makes the most sense). The swarm makes an opportunity attack against you (+4 to hit; 2d4 piercing damage on a hit).
7-8	Make a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, you are blinded by blowing sand, dirt, or other form of environmental debris until the end of your turn. While blinded in this way, your speed is halved.
9-10	You are caught in a stampede of spooked animals. Make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, you are knocked about, you and your passengers take 1d4 bludgeoning damage, and your speed is reduced by half until the end of your next turn.
11-20	No complication.

SPLITTING UP

Creatures being chased can split up into smaller groups. This tactic forces pursuers to either divide their forces or allow some of the targets to escape. If a pursuit splits into several smaller chases, resolve each chase separately. Run a round of one chase, then a round of the next, and so on, tracking the distances for each separate group.

SECTION 8

DISEASES

Imagine these scenarios: a viral outbreak consumes the population of a space colony, setting the adventurers on a quest to find a cure. A character emerges from a cave full of spores with no known origins, and soon finds herself suffering from a wasting illness. A mage is struck by a mechanical menace and is injected with a strange nanovirus that spreads whenever he uses his powers. A simple outbreak of a disease might amount to little more than a small drain on group resources, curable with powers such as minor remedy. A more complicated outbreak, however, can form the basis of one or more adventures as characters search for a cure, stop the spread of the disease, and deal with the consequences. A disease that does more than infect a few characters is primarily a plot device. The rules help describe the effects of the disease and how it can be cured, but the specifics of how a disease works aren’t bound by a common set of rules. Diseases can affect any creature, and a given illness may or may not pass from one species or kind of creature to another. A plague may affect only automatons and constructs, or sweep through an elven settlement but leave other species untouched. What matters is the story you want to tell.

SAMPLE DISEASE

The diseases here illustrate the variety of ways disease can work in the game. Feel free to alter the saving throw DCs, incubation times, symptoms, and other characteristics of these diseases to suit your campaign.

MINDBURN

This disease targets humanoids specifically. Harmful microbes infect the subject’s brain tissue. While in the grips of this disease, victims frequently succumb to uncontrollable shakes and unresponsiveness. Symptoms manifest 1d4 hours after infection and include fever and disorientation. The infected creature gains one level of exhaustion that can’t be removed until the disease is cured. Any event that causes the infected creature great stress—including entering combat, taking damage, experiencing fear, or having a nightmare—forces the creature to make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 5 (1d10) psychic damage and becomes incapacitated for 1 minute. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the convulsive shakes and incapacitated condition on a success. Any humanoid creature that starts its turn within 10 feet of an infected creature must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or also become infected with the disease. Once a creature succeeds on this save, it is immune to the effects of this disease for 24 hours. At the end of each long rest, an infected creature can make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a successful save, the DC for this save and for the save to avoid a convulsive episode drops by 1d6. When the saving throw DC drops to 0, the creature recovers from the disease. A creature that fails three of these saving throws gains a randomly determined form of indefinite madness, as described later in the section for Madness.

SEWER ROT

Sewer rot is a generic term for a broad category of illnesses that incubate in sewers, toxic dumps, and stagnant pools, and which are sometimes transmitted by creatures that dwell in those areas, such as bugs and vermin. Many city dwellers refer to it by its nickname: “the ick.” When a humanoid creature is bitten by a creature that carries the disease, or when it comes into contact with filth or offal contaminated by the disease, the creature must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or become infected. It takes 1d4 days for sewer rot’s symptoms to manifest in an infected creature. Symptoms include fatigue and cramps. The infected creature suffers one level of exhaustion, and it regains only half the normal number of hit points from spending Hit Dice and no hit points from finishing a long rest. At the end of each long rest, an infected creature must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the character gains one level of exhaustion. On a successful save, the character’s exhaustion level decreases by one level. If a successful saving throw reduces the infected creature’s level of exhaustion below 1, the creature recovers from the disease.

POISONS AND TOXINS

Given their deadly nature, poisons are treated as illegal substances in most parts of the galaxy but still remain a popular item in underworld markets. Poisons come in the following four types. Contact. Contact poison can be smeared on an object and remains potent until it is touched or washed off. A creature that touches contact poison with exposed skin suffers its effects. Ingested. A creature must swallow or be injected with an entire dose of ingested poison to suffer its effects. The dose can be delivered in food, drink, or by ampoule injection. You may decide that a partial dose has a reduced effect, such as allowing advantage on the saving throw or dealing only half damage on a failed save. Inhaled. These poisons are toxic chemical powders or gases that take effect when inhaled. Blowing the powder or releasing the gas subjects creatures in a 5-foot cube to its effect. The resulting cloud dissipates immediately afterward. Holding one’s breath is ineffective against inhaled poisons, as they affect nasal membranes, tear ducts, and other parts of the body. Injury. Injury poison is harmful when it contacts a creature’s bloodstream. They can applied to weapons, needles, darts, and other sharp objects that deal piercing or slashing damage and remains potent until delivered through a wound or washed off. A creature that takes piercing or slashing damage from an object coated with the poison is exposed to its effects.

SAMPLE POISION AND TOXIN

Each type of poison has its own debilitating effects. Arsenic (Ingested). A creature subjected to this poison must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, it takes 7 (2d6) poison damage and is poisoned for 24 hours. On a successful save, the creature takes half damage and isn’t poisoned.

POSION & TOXINS

Item	Type	Cost Per Dose
Arsenic	Ingested	600 cu
Blue Mercury	Contact	1,600 cu
Chloral Hydrate	Ingested	5,000 cu
Kleesh Venom	Injury	800 cu
Knockout Gas I	Inhaled	1,200 cu
Nerve Gas	Inhaled	2,000 cu
Quantum Burn	Injury	6,000 cu
Seethe Blight I	Injury	8,000 cu
Snapper Saliva	Ingested	1,200 cu
Tear Gas	Inhaled	1,000 cu
Tetrodotoxin	Contact	800 cu
Truth Serum	Ingested	750 cu
Xergy Venom	Injury	1,000 cu

Blue Mercury (Contact). A creature subjected to this toxin must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 24 hours. The poisoned creature is unconscious. The creature wakes up if it takes damage. Chloral Hydrate (Ingested). A creature subjected to this toxin must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 4d6 hours. The poisoned creature is incapacitated. Cyanide (Ingested). A creature that ingests this poison must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 24 (7d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Kleesh Venom (Injury). A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 hour. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the creature is also unconscious while poisoned in this way. The creature wakes up if it takes damage or if another creature takes an action to shake it awake. Knockout Gas (Inhaled). A creature subjected to this toxin must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 8 hours. The poisoned creature is unconscious. The creature wakes up if it takes damage or if another creature takes an action to shake it awake. Nerve Gas (Inhaled). A creature subjected to this toxin must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or take 10 (3d6) poison damage, and must repeat the saving throw at the start of each of its turns. On each successive failed save, the character takes 3 (1d6) poison damage. After three successful saves, the effects of the toxin ends. Quantum Burn (Injury). A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw, taking 31 (9d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Seethe Blight (Injury). This poison must be harvested from a dead or incapacitated seethe stinger. A creature subjected to this poison must make a DC 19 Constitution saving throw, taking 42 (12d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Snapper Saliva (Ingested). This poison is harvested from ceti snappers. A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or take 3 (1d6) poison damage and become poisoned. The poisoned creature must repeat the saving throw every 24 hours, taking 3 (1d6) poison damage on a failed save. Until this poison ends, the damage the poison deals can’t be healed by any means. After seven successful saving throws, the effect ends and the creature can heal normally. Tear Gas (Inhaled). A creature subjected to this toxin must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 hour. The poisoned creature is blinded. Tetrodotoxin (Contact). This toxic secretion is often harvested from particular sea creatures. A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. The poisoned creature is paralyzed. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If the creature remains under the effect for 3 minutes or more, it starts to suffocate. Truth Serum (Ingested). A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 hour. The poisoned creature can’t knowingly speak a lie, as if under the effect of the detect truth power. Xergy Venom (Injury). This poison must be harvested from a dead or incapacitated xamaron centurion. A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

PURCHASING POISONS AND TOXINS

The Poisons and Toxins table lists suggested prices for a single dose of various substances. Most poisons and toxins are illegal to possess and transport. They can be acquired from underground fixers or black market dealers in areas with lenient regulations, such as Pel Tavaria or several Rim Sector outposts. They can also be purchased via the ShadowNet but such purchases would still have to be picked up in person.

CREATING POISONS

Characters with proficiency in chemistry supplies can make use of their downtime to create a basic poison ampoule using the crafting rules described in chapter 8 of the Core Manual. At your discretion, characters can also craft other types of poisons, though tracking down the ingredients for them can become a daunting task. A character can attempt to harvest poison from an incapacitated or dead creature, such as a ceti snapper or a kleesh. Harvesting poison in this way requires 1d4 minutes followed by a DC 20 Intelligence (Xenobiology) check. On a successful check, the character harvests enough poison for a single dose. On a failed check, the character is unable to extract any poison. If the character fails the check by 5 or more, the character is subjected to the creature’s poison.

MADNESS

In a typical campaign, characters aren’t driven mad by the horrors they face and the carnage they inflict day after day, but sometimes the stress of being an adventurer can be too much to bear. If your campaign has a strong horror theme, you might want to use madness as a way to reinforce that theme, emphasizing the extraordinarily horrific nature of the threats the adventurers face.

ALTERNATED STATES OF MIND

Various supernatural effects can inflict madness on an otherwise stable mind. Certain powers, such as baneful trigger, can cause insanity, and you can use the madness rules here instead of the effects of those powers. Diseases, poisons, and alternate reality effects such as technoblight or the Valshion Surge can all inflict madness. Some cypheos can also break the psyche of a character who uses or gains affinity with them. Resisting a madness-inducing effect usually requires a Wisdom or Charisma saving throw.

MADNESS EFFECTS

Madness can be short-term, long-term, or indefinite. Most relatively mundane effects impose short-term madness, which lasts for just a few minutes. More horrific effects or cumulative effects can result in longterm or indefinite madness. A character afflicted with short-term madness is subjected to an effect from the Short-Term Madness table for 1d10 minutes. A character afflicted with long-term madness is subjected to an effect from the Long-Term Madness table for 1d10 × 10 hours. A character afflicted with indefinite madness gains a new character flaw from the Indefinite Madness table that lasts until cured.

SHORT-TERM MADNESS

D100	Effects (Lasts 1d10 Minutes)
01-20	The character retreats into their mind and becomes paralyzed. The effect ends if the character takes any damage.
21-30	The character becomes incapacitated and spends the duration screaming, laughing, or weeping.
31-40	The character becomes frightened and must use their action and movement each round to flee from the source of the fear.
41-50	The character begins babbling and is incapable of normal speech or spellcasting.
51-60	The character must use their action each round to attack the nearest creature.
61-70	The character experiences vivid hallucinations and has disadvantage on ability checks.
71-75	The character does whatever anyone tells them to do that isn’t obviously self-destructive.
76-80	The character experiences an overpowering urge to eat something strange such as dirt, slime, or garbage.
81-90	The character is stunned.
91-100	The character falls unconscious.

LONG-TERM MADNESS

D100	Effects (Lasts 1d10 x 10 Hours)
01-10	The character feels compelled to touch or tinker with unfamiliar objects.
11-20	The character experiences vivid hallucinations and has disadvantage on ability checks.
21-30	The character suffers extreme paranoia. The character has disadvantage on Wisdom and Charisma checks.
31-40	The character regards something (usually the source of madness) with revulsion, as if affected by the antipathy effect of the antipathy/sympathy power.
41-45	The character experiences a powerful delusion. Choose a compound. The character imagines that they are under its effects.
46-55	The character becomes attached to a “lucky charm,” such as a person or an object, and has disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws while more than 30 feet from it.
56-65	The character is blinded (25%) or deafened (75%).
66-75	The character experiences uncontrollable tremors, which impose disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws that involve Strength or Dexterity.
76-85	The character suffers from partial amnesia. The character knows who they are and retains all traits and class features, but doesn’t recognize other people or remember anything that happened before the madness took effect.
86-90	Whenever the character takes damage, they must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be affected as though they failed a saving throw against the haze of chaos power. The effect lasts for 1 minute.
91-95	The character loses the ability to speak.
96-100	The character falls unconscious. No amount of jostling or damage can wake the character.

INDEFINITE MADNESS

D100	Effect (Last Until Cured)
01-15	“Being drunk keeps me sane.”
16-25	“I keep whatever I find.”
26-30	“I try to become more like someone else I know adopting their fashion style, mannerisms, and name.”
31-35	“I must bend the truth, exaggerate, or outright lie to be interesting to other people.”
36-45	“Achieving my goal is the only thing of interest to me, and I’ll ignore everything else to pursue it.”
46-50	“I find it hard to care about anything that goes on around me.”
51-55	“I don’t like the way people judge me all the time.”
56-70	“I am the smartest, wisest, strongest, fastest, and most beautiful person I know.”
71-80	“I am convinced that powerful enemies are hunting me, and their agents are everywhere I go. I am sure they’re watching me all the time.”
81-85	“There’s only one person I can trust. And only I can see this special friend.”
86-95	“I can’t take anything seriously. The more serious the situation, the funnier I find it.”
96-100	“I’ve discovered that I really like killing people.”

ENDING MADDNESS

A pacify power can suppress the effects of madness, while a minor remedy power can rid a character of a short-term or long-term madness. Depending on the source of the madness, restore pattern might also prove effective. A major remedy power or more powerful effect is required to rid a character of indefinite madness.

RADIATION EXPOSURE

Radiation exposure can occur whenever a character spends time in an irradiated area or comes into close proximity to a source of radiation, such as an unsealed biohazard container or a leaking containment core. Radiation can also come from natural sources like certain stars and celestial bodies.

CONTRACTING RADIATION SICKNESS

Creatures exposed to radiation may become afflicted with radiation sickness. Contracting this sickness is dependent upon the length and level of exposure to a source of radiation. Different sources of radiation have varying levels of intensity. The following are some examples: Minor forms of radiation can come from Tiny or Small irradiated objects such as a vehicle’s fuel cell or a meteorite. Severe radiation levels can be encountered by direct contact with a Large or larger source of radioactive material or wandering through an area with a nearby collection of irradiated objects. Deadly levels of radiation can come from being blasted with intense gamma rays or being in an area flooded with radioactive gas. When a creature is exposed to a radiation source, they must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, they contract radiation sickness. Consult the Radiation Exposure table to determine the DC for the save. Creatures resistant to disease have advantage to this saving throw, while those immune to disease automatically succeed. The character may have to repeat their saving throw depending upon how long the character stays in contact with the irradiated source, as represented on the table. For example, an engineer is exploring uncharted caverns on a remote planet. The glowing flora that grows all about the cavern emits severe levels of radiation. Every minute spent within the cavern, the engineer must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become afflicted with radiation sickness A character that contracts radiation sickness acquires it at a degree which corresponds with the level of radiation to which they were exposed. For example, the engineer exposed to severe levels of radiation would contract severe radiation sickness.

RADIATION EXPOSURE

Radiation Level	Save DC	Exposure Period
Minor	10	1 hour
Severe	15	1 minute
Deadly	20	1 round

RADIATION SICKNESS

Radiation sickness attacks a creature’s cellular structure. It has no effect on ashenforged and can’t be contracted by automatons or constructs. Symptoms manifest within hours to days depending upon the degree of the sickness. Initial symptoms include nausea, vomiting, discomfort, headaches, and respiratory issues. The infected creature suffers one level of exhaustion and can’t regain hit points from resting. At the end of each long rest, the creature must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the character takes necrotic damage and gains one level of exhaustion. The Radiation Sickness table provides the DC required for the save as well as the damage taken upon failure. If the creature is treated with a medkit during the long rest, on a successful save, the character’s exhaustion level decreases by one level. If a successful saving throw reduces the infected creature’s level of exhaustion below 1, the creature recovers from the disease.

RADIATION SICKNESS

Spending a long rest in a medbay or regeneration pod removes the sickness. Creatures also recover immediately under the effects of a major remedy power.

Degree	Save DC	Necrotic Damage
Minor	10	1d6
Severe	15	2d6
Deadly	20	3d6

VACUUM EXPOSURE

In heroic sci-fi campaigns where heroes and villains can shape reality while traveling across the stars, hard vacuum can happen when you least expect it. All it takes is a stray bullet hitting an airlock window in a damaged, leaky starship to have all hell (and atmosphere) break loose.

ATMOSPHERIC VACUUM

Many types of vacuums are not exposed to outer space but are regions with little to no atmospheric pressure. Airlocks, vacuum sealed chambers, and ships devoid of life-support are examples of these regions. Creatures exposed to a vacuum suffer the same effects as if they were suffocating (see chapter 8 of the Player's Handbook.) After 3 rounds of exposure, the creature suffers from aeroembolism, which results from air pockets forming in the blood. At the start of its next turn, the creature must make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or fall unconscious A creature can attempt to hold its breath to survive longer, though doing so causes damage to its lungs. A creature takes 10 (3d6) necrotic damage at the start of each of its turns while holding its breath and gains one level of exhaustion.

OUTER SPACE VACUUM

The hard vacuum of space is extremely cold, with a temperature of -454.75°F. In addition to the effects of an atmospheric vacuum, a creature exposed to the vacuum of space without adequate protection takes 10 (3d6) cold damage and 10 (3d6) necrotic damage at the start of each of its turns.

VARIANT: “NOT-SO-HARD” ADAPTATION

Races genetically adapted to being in such harsh atmospheres. If you wish to make vacuum exposure a bit easier for your characters to handle, consider using only the rules for suffocating with no additional effects. Additionally, consider the environmental effects of outer space to instead be a region of extreme cold (see chapter 7).

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Chapter 1: Running Your Game

Table of Contents

SECTION 1

GROUND RULES

RESPECT AND COURTESY

COMMUNICATION

ROLLING DICE

ATTACK AND DAMAGE ROLLS

DISCUSSING RULES

METAGAMING

NO-SHOW PLAYERS

SMALL GROUPS

INTRODUCING NEW PLAYERS

GAMEMASTERING STYLES

ROLL VS ROLE

STARTING A SESSION

KEEPING A CHRONICLE

SHARING RESPONSIBILITIES

STORYTELLING

SHARED ENTHUSIASM

SETTING THE SCENE

CINEMATIC NARRATION

SUSPENSE

KEEPING THINGS MOVING

SECTION 2

USING ABILITY SCORES

ABILITY CHECKS

MAKING MULTIPLE CHECKS

CONTESTS

PASSIVE CHECKS

SAVING THROWS

DIFFICULTY CLASS

ATTACK ROLLS

PROFICIENCY

SKILLS

TOOLS

VEHICLES

ATTACKS AND SAVING THROWS

ADVANTAGE AND DISADVANTAGE

INSPIRATION

AWARDING INSPIRATION

USING INSPIRATION

SECTION 3

MAPPING

TRAVEL PLACES

MAP TRAVEL

GROUND MAP TRAVEL PACE

VEHICLE TRAVEL SPEEDS

BEAST MAP TRAVEL SPEEDS

PLANETARY VEHICLE TYPE

SPECIAL TRAVEL PACES

OUTDOOR VISABILITY

VISIBILITY IN OUTER SPACE

NOTICING OTHER CREATURES

SECTION 4

EXPLORATION

GALAXY EXPLORATION

Locate Galactic Destination

SYSTEM EXPLORATION

FINDING GRAVITY WELLS

Map Star System

RESOURCES

RESOLUTION

STARSHIP SYSTEMS

ANALYZING SYSTEM DATA

Celestial Analysis

RESOURCES

RESOLUTION

EXPLORATION FROM ORBIT

World Anaylsis

RESOURCES

RESOLUTION

RESEARCH OUTCOMES

World Mapping

RESOURCES

RESOLUTION

RESEARCH OUTCOMES

SWITCHING OUT OF HEXPLORAITON

WORLD EXPLORATION

SENSOR DIFFICULTY CHECKS