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House Rules

Combat Clarification

• Critical Strikes calculate the total damage, then double for the final amount.

• Attacks on missiles or mini-missiles count as a normal attack with normal penalties to strike.

• PCs may forfeit initiative, but they may not hold their attacks until the end of the combat round.

Perception Rolls

• This type of roll uses the same mechanics as combat, horror factor, and saving throws.  Perception rolls are used to simulate the character’s five senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch) in situations where noticing something might be important or relevant.  Searching a room, standing watch listening through a door, peering into night-shrouded underbrush to see what might be lurking there; these are all situations where a perception roll might be called for.

• To determine whether the character’s perception finds something, the player must roll a 20-sided die.  Add I.Q. bonuses (use the M.E. bonus table, but use I.Q. instead: ex. an I.Q. of 20 give a +3 bonus), and any O.C.C. and R.C.C. bonuses.  Also, all characters get a +1 to perception at levels three, nine, and fifteen.  The Game Master then compares the roll to the table below.

  • • Perception Roll 4 or Better: Easy; hearing a loud noise, finding a bright-colored object against a white background.

    • Perception Roll 8 or Better: Moderate; looking for somebody in a well-lit area, hearing a slight noise..

    • Perception Roll 14 or Better: Challenging: looking for something in a poor light, hearing something over a noisy background.

    • Perception Roll 17 or Better: Difficult; finding something in the dark; hearing a snake sliding over a carpet.

• Combining Perceptions rolls with Skills: A number of skills, among them prowl, detect ambush, concealment, and detect concealment, all may impact on perception rolls.  When a perception roll is attempted against a skill roll, treat it as a combat roll; both characters (the person using the skill and the one using a perception roll) roll a 20-sided die and the higher roll wins.  To quickly convert a skill percentage into a bonus, divide the skill total by 15.

Talking During Combat

• Talking is a free action, but monologues are not.

• Brodkil - Brodkil are a race of savage sub-demons who are incredibly aggressive and warlike supernatural creatures, but do not possess significant powers other than Supernatural Strength, durable bodies, and the ability to tum invisible at will. Brodkil live the nomadic lives of raiders who take what they need from other people. Much like a wolf pack, they have a very basic, tribal society where strength and cunning rule and the strong dominate the weak. Although they have no technology of their own, Brodkil love high-tech weaponry and bionics, which they steal in raids leveled against military outposts, towns, and bands of mercenaries and adventurers as well as from those they slay in combat. This makes all Brodkil natural Cyber-Snatchers all too eager to butcher or kill someone to take their bionics for themselves or to trade for the bionic systems they'd like to have.

• C.H.I.M.E.R.A. - In the Full Circle campaign, the acronym for C.H.I.M.E.R.A. stands for Citywide Highly Integrated Metropolitan Emergency Response Agency. This agency is a purely administrative effort that analyzes and coordinates Houston's crime situation and the efforts to combat it. Like the three-headed mythical beast from which it takes its name, CHIMERA's field operations consists of three departments: The Houston Police Department, the government-based law enforcement agency ESWAT, and the top superhuman law enforcement group in Houston, The Justicars.

• Dragon Harmony - Arch-Mage's learn to focus their mind and strengthen their body through the use and learning of both Martial Arts, and Chi-Mastery.

  • Doubles P.P.E. (after all bonuses are totaled), 

  • Doubles CHI (after bonuses are totaled).

  • Adds +5 M.E., +4 P.E., and also +1 M.A.

  • Allows them to meditate a number of hours equal to half of their M.E., fractional numbers round down. During this meditation they heal at three times the normal rate (for their species), and can recover P.P.E., CHI, and I.S.P. at 10 (ten) times the normal rate!

  • Arch-Mages do not sleep, they rest through the above-mentioned meditation. The minimum daily need for rest is two hours of deep meditation per 24 hour period, during which they are aware of their surroundings, and can react to any perceived threats, and then return to meditation.

• E.S.W.A.T. - In the Full Circle campaign, the acronym for E.S.W.A.T. stands for Elite Superhuman Warfare & Apprehension Taskforce. ESWAT is the remnant of an ultra-covert quasi-military organization disbanded by Congress after the National Security Bureau’s meta-human protocols turned its recruits into superhuman assassins and foreign political instigators. As the government chose to defund the NSB after its covert operations were made public, Congress did manage to accomplish was to get ESWAT to form and fund a special Federal crime-fighting force dedicated to addressing inter-jurisdictional crimes committed by meta-humans. Typically, inter-jurisdictional crime is handled by the FBI, but ESWAT specializes in super-crime, where the FBI draws the line.

• moudyte - 1 moudyte of Thessalon is 867.5309 metric grams

• Narcotics - several narcotics unique to this campaign are listed here:

  • Porn Star: oral sexual performance enhancer; last 2 hours. Side Effects: mildly addictive, causes vascular dysfunction.

  • Torp:  optical adrenaline enhancer, gives +2 strike, parry & dodge for first 30 minutes. Side Effects: highly addictive, psychosis, aneurysms, optical nerve damage.

  • Whip: oral steroid/stimulant, used to increase workouts, last usually 6 hours. Side Effects: sleep deprivation, blood clots, hallucinations, heart attack.

Special Rules

Casting Spells

• A mage can not cast any spell they do not know. The only exception to this is a spell scroll (very rare on Earth) in which the scroll is read aloud to cast the spell. But once read, the words magically vanish or a powerless mystic symbol. To cast a spell requires verbalization and often hand gestures. The mantra of the spell must be spoken aloud and with authority. Hand gestures are usually part of the casting process, helping to focus and direct the mystic energy.

• The casting of a spell is done as follows:

  • Level 1-5 count as 1 melee attack/action (about 3 seconds).

  • Level 6-10 count as 2 melee attacks/actions (about 6-7 seconds).

  • Levels 11-15 and Spells of Legend use up 3 melee attacks/actions (9-10 seconds).

• The weakness of spell casting is that even offensive spells have their limitations in range, damage, etc., and the unspoken limitation that the spell caster is not the best at one-on-one combat action. They usually lack initiative and is the last to attack/respond in melee combat rotation. However, the restructuring of the amount of time it takes to cast low level spells gives the character a chance to respond quickly and get their spell off as fast or faster than their opponent may get off a gunshot. This also makes logical sense, because it is the low-level spells that cost the least P.P.E. and are the most likely to be fired off in a combat or panic situation. The more powerful mid- to high-level spells require more time, concentration and focus, but the low level spells are so familiar to the character (because they are used often) that they are like second nature to cast.

• When firing off a low-level (1-5) invocation, roll Initiative as usual. If the spell caster gets initiative, they get to use their magic before opponents, if it is a low-level spell counting as one of the spell caster's melee attacks/actions. Mid- to high-level spells count as 2 or 3 of the melee attacks/actions of the spell caster, and will require the spell caster to take a step back from the action to use their magic to the best strategic purpose. While they may remove them from the immediate action of combat, their spell may have a profound effect on the battle, that is the trade-off.

• Most practitioners of magic are not experts in hand-to-hand combat. Often, they can handle themselves in a fight, but they are not warriors; they just are not. Furthermore, magic has the disadvantage of requiring concentration and speaking, two things that are difficult while under attack. So unless the spell being cast is a level 1-5 invocation that can be popped off in three or four seconds, the action of Parrying, Dodging, or Striking back will break the spell invocation and prevent the mage from casting their spell (they will need a 'breather' of 7-10 seconds to cast a higher level spell). Likewise, getting popped in the mouth or stomach, or getting knocked down or blinded, or anything that breaks the spell caster's concentration and makes them stop in the middle of their verbalization of the spell prevents them from finishing it. When interrupted the mage must start all over again. They do not lose any P.P.E. (that is not spent until the spell is completed and cast), but they do lose precious time. This also means if the mage is being hammered by a full press attack (i.e. their attacker keeps striking at them at every opportunity), even if the sorcerer is successfully parrying each attack, the sorcerer is focused on protecting and defending themselves can can not get a higher level spell off. The same is true if they are doing the physical attacking, or running, or performing any physical action. To cast the spell the practitioner of magic will need to stop, catch their breath (that should count as one or more of their melee attacks/actions) and then cast the spell (another one or more of their melee attacks/actions depending on the spell level).

• The spell caster/creator of magic can cancel/stop its effect or influence instantly at any time. Likewise, the magic-weaver does not have to create magic for its full duration, but can impose any amount of time, as long as it does not exceed the maximum possible duration. The same is true of damage. The spell caster may intentionally reduce the amount of damage a spell inflicts, but the player must announce this intention, otherwise it is assumed the full damage (or duration) is used.

• Interrupting a spell caster, preventing them from completing the spell, will force the mage to stop and start again, from the beginning. No Potential Psychic Energy is lost, so the spell caster can stop reciting a spell in mid-incantation without expending any P.P.E. or causing any side effects.

Inner Strength Points

• Meditation is an automatic skill/ability known to all psychics. It is the only ability that can be done at any time and costs no I.S.P. to perform. Meditation is not so much a psi-power as it is a mental discipline that enables the psychic to concentrate deeply and focus one's abilities and thoughts. The exact techniques of meditation may vary from focusing on a mental object or notion to chanting or humming a mantra. The result, regardless of technique, is a deep relaxation and focus to achieve insight and harmony into one's self and the world around him.

• A relaxing meditative state also offers the following benefits to all psionics:

  • one hour of meditation restores six (6) I.S.P. and is the equivalent of two hours of sleep/rest for the physical body.

  • Inner Strength Points can also be restored during sleep and/or total relaxation at a rate of two (2) per hour.

Telekinesis Questions

• Can one fight using telekinesis? Like holding the weapons with their mind and fighting? How would alignment oriented weapons work in that case?

  • Answer: TK combat could be used in the manner you described. Weapons that would be fulfilling the function of their alignment would probably not object too much to being handled in that fashion but weapons that feel this sort of combat is degrading or beneath them might hold back from their full potential (attack, defense, damage, etc.).

• Using Super Telekinesis, one could lift a non-psionic NPC hundreds of feet into the air then drop the poor sap to a nice rocky death without even the benefit of a psionics save. This interpretation seems unfair and at the very least unbalancing. Did we totally misconstrue the abilities of this power or is this possible?

  • Answer: If Super TK is used as an attack, an attack roll is required, and the intended victim should receive a saving throw.

• Can a character move him/herself with telekinesis?

  • Answer: They cannot.

• Can a character with sufficient ISP seize an opponent and throw the opponent with telekinesis? Does the Psionic retain control for the duration of the psi-power or is ISP expended every time an opponent is thrown? Is there any way to resist being thrown telekinetically? How much damage would it do to be thrown with telekinesis?

  • Answer: If using TK as an attack, the Psionic must roll his attack on a D20. The defender can roll his resistance on his D20 with the high score winning (much like normal combat). If caught by the TK attack, the target may attempt to break free with a P.S. saving throw. If unsuccessful, the damage inflicted will be 1D6 per 10 mph.

• What level of accuracy/fine control is available with telekinesis? Can the character perform delicate tasks (pick locks, writing etc.) using telekinesis? Can a character use telekinesis to manipulate and fight with a weapon with the usual +4 to strike and parry, and if so at what range?

  • Answer: TK is not designed for fine manipulation. If attempted to be used in this manner, there should be a penalty ranging from -2 to -10 (depending upon the specific use, the finer the control attempted, the greater the penalty).

• The rules say that the Telekinesis Super has the advantage of being able to manipulate greater weight, but it does not give a max weight. Is it only limited to when the psychic runs out of ISP or what?

  • Answer: That is correct; there is no maximum weight limit on Telekinesis (super).

• Can a Psionic use telekinesis on opponents’ armor and crush their body? Can Telekinesis rip an opponent’s limbs off?

  • Answer: No to both.

• With Telekinesis Super does it always cost 10 ISP to lift something say a baseball or can you use less ISP like with TK minor?

  • Answer: You will have to pay the minimum I.S.P. cost. For this reason it might be appropriate to have both Psi powers and use the appropriate one at the appropriate time.

• Can someone using telekinesis (super) attack with more than one object at once if there all the objects do the same action. Ex. could a third level psionic attack the same target with two weapons in one attack or only one object per attack.

  • Answer: They can use more than one object, but it will be considered one strike (with one strike roll) and they will tend to be confined to a small area (i.e. hurling a container of knives at someone, a successful dodge will allow the character to avoid all the knives).

• Using Super TK as a form of flight, how could I reasonably determine speed per I.S.P. spent?

  • Answer: You cannot use Telekinesis (any) to fly.

• Can a Psionic with super telekinesis twist someone's neck with it (in turn killing them)?

  • Answer: No, The attack is likely to cause the victim to spin around.

• At what speed do telekinetically hurled and/or moved objects travel? Do heavier objects move more slowly etc.?

  • Answer: A baseball sized object will move at 60 mph, heavier objects will slow down proportionately to their greater mass.

"Hattori wakizashi (curved Japanese short sword)" by xxx