QUICKSTART GUIDE

Beta Test Edition

 QUICKSTART GUIDE
Beta Test Edition

CREDITS CONTENTS
CREDITS, 1
System Design
Richard Baker, David Noonan, Stephen Schubert INTRODUCTION, 2
HOW TO GET STARTED, 2
Adventure Design
Richard Baker YOUR Alternity CHARACTER, 2
SKILLS , 5
Editing and Layout
David Noonan GEAR DESCRIPTIONS, 8
HAND-TO-HAND AND MELEE WEAPON STATS, 9
Cover Illustration
Roberto Gatto THE CORE MECHANIC, 10
COMBAT, 12
Cover Design
Corey Macourek WRECK OF THE MAGELLAN, 17
JETTISONED CARGO: THECAVE, 24
Interior Illustrators
Ayan Nag, Roberto Gatto THE SINGING DOME, 26
CONCLUSION , 27
Art Direction
Richard Baker ADVERSARIES, 28

Production Specialist
Nissa McCormack

Sasquatch Game Studio, LLC | Auburn, WA 98092 | sasquatchgamestudio.com

Alternity is a registered trademark of Sasquatch Game Studio LLC. Sasquatch Game Studio and the Sasquatch logo are
trademarks of Sasquatch Game Studio, LLC. All characters and the distinctive likenesses thereof are property of Sasquatch
Game Studio LLC. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction
or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of
Sasquatch Game Studio LLC. 2017 Sasquatch Game Studio, LLC.

QUICKSTART GUIDE
 QUICKSTART GUIDE
INTRODUCTION HOW TO GET STARTED
Welcome to Alternity, the science fiction Pick out someone in your group to be the
roleplaying game where you choose your own Gamemaster (GM). The GM should read through
future! This playtest packet provides the core the rules and the sample adventure ahead
elements you need to run a quick RPG session: ofthe game session.
Other players should pick out one pregen-
About Your Character erated character each. Each player should read
Skill Descriptions through the Your Alternity Character section of
Gear Descriptions this guide, and then review their character sheet
The Core Mechanic and the skill and gear descriptions as needed.
Combat Rules If youve got the time, it wouldnt hurt for
Wreck of the Magellan, a short adventure the players to become familiar with the Core
Adversaries for the adventure Mechanic and Combat sections too. But things
6 pregen PCs should work okay if players just pick up the
mechanics and combat rules by playing through
We arent including any character creation the adventure.
information in this guide, since we just want
to provide a demonstration of how the system
plays. Character creation is described in the
YOUR ALTERNITY CHARACTER
This section explains how to read the informa-
Alternity Core Rules. tion provided on each of the pregen character
sheets included in this guide. Choose one of the
About This Guide characters and refer to the sheet as you read this
If you have This guide is intended to serve as a bare-bones sectionitll help you make sense of this part of
questionsones rulebook and sample adventure for the Alter- the packet.
we can answer nity Demonstration Pack. If youre just getting
briefly during started, we suggest beginning with The Insti-
your game, send Name, Archetype, Story
tute introductory adventure (the other PDF in The basic introduction of your character. Feel
us a message on
this pack). free to change the name if you like, or come up
facebook/twitter:
This guide represents a beta version of the with a different story. Archetype describes your
facebook.com/
SasquatchGame-
Alternity SFRPG rules. Our game is still under heroic role in the party: Are you the muscle,
Studio or @ development, and we expect to make some the brains, or the everyman who steps in to
Sasquatch_Games changes and improvements as we continue make a difference? You probably dont think of
work on the Core Rules. yourself by your archetype name, since its not
We think you are an experienced RPG player. your career or profession. Its more of a way of
In this guide were not going to try to explain describing the role youre going to play in the
how you have a talky encounter with a NPC or action movie youre starring in.
fully define skills and special abilitieswere All the characters are Level 1, but that doesnt
providing the bare minimum for a sharp player mean theyre barely heroes. We assume that any
like you to infer the details. For example, our Alternity PC is already a hero capable of han-
Athletics skill description notes that you use that dling a mook (or three) in a brawl or a shootout.
skill for climbing things, but were not going to Higher levels mean moderately better skill
tell you much more than that because its not scores, more training to spread around, and
important for trying out the system. So, dont be some new talents. Youre not going to be ten
alarmed if some things like detailed skill defini- times tougher at 10th level.
tions have been left for later.
Abilities
Your characters natural strengths and weak-
nesses are described by six Ability ratings.
These are: Strength, Agility, Vitality, Intelligence,
Focus, and Personality. Scores range from
0to10, with a typical human having a score of
2 to 4 in each Ability.

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 BETA TEST VERSION

Pictured: Sasquatch game designers launching a new game.

Strength measures raw physical power and Focus is a measure of awareness, resolve, Your ability ratings
basic athleticism. Its good for hand-to-hand determination, and the ability to zero in and are a lot like
combat as well as climbing, running, jumping, concentrate on tasks that demand your full playing a d20 game
using your ability
and other physical challenges. attention. A good Focus rating helps with
modifier without
Agility represents hand-eye coordination, marksmanship, initiative, noticing concealed
a score attached.
balance, and flexibility. A good Agility is helpful danger, and resisting efforts to distract you.
A 3 is about the
in ranged combat, initiative checks, and for get- Personality describes your natural persua- same as a 10-11 in
ting out of the way of blasts or similar threats. siveness, charisma, likeability, and talent for a d20 game.
Vitality represents your health, endurance, leadership. Its the key ability for interacting
and physical resilience. It contributes to your with NPCs or exercising effective command.
characters overall durability (the ability to absorb
damage and keep going), and your ability to fight Species
off or resist the effects of poison, radiation, partial Alternity characters might belong to any number
vacuum, and other hazards youre exposed to. of unusual speciesdenizens of alien worlds,
Intelligence is a combination of your rea- cyborgs, androids, mutants, vampires, and so on. Intelligence scores
soning ability and your education. Its good for The choices available to you depend greatly on for game designers
invention, mechanics, sciences, and skills of what sort of setting your Gamemaster has cre- are left as an exer-
that sort. It doesnt often come up in combat ated for your game. For right now, were keeping cise for the reader.
situations, but a good Intelligence score might it simple: Your Alternity character is human.
be handy for improvising defensive measures
or disabling foes by making good use of the Hero Points
environment around you. Your hero points represent extraordinary luck,
(In case youre curious, most animals have an resilience, or perseverance. When the situation
Intelligence of 0. Animals with significant lan- appears to be unwinnable, you have a knack for
guage ability or sophisticated group behaviors finding your way through. You can spend a hero
have an Intelligence of 1. Any human child older point to add or subtract 1d10 from the check
than four or five has an Intelligence of at least 2. result of a skill check you make, or a skill check
This is not a linear scale.) made against you.

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 QUICKSTART GUIDE
The hero point die can make an otherwise The description for the wound categories
failed check succeed (if it now equals or exceeds notes the amount of penalty you take for having
20), or a successful check fail (if an adversarys a wound of that kind. For example, if you have a
result now falls under 20). Youre allowed to see Major Wound, you take a -2 die step penalty on
what success level you got *without* spending a all skill checks you make. Just use the worst one
hero point before you decide whether to spend that appliesthese penalties dont stack.
a hero point. Likewise, you get to know what If you have to mark off your last (highest)
success level an enemy acting against you gets. wound box, youre incapacitated: unconscious,
You can use 2 hero points during the sample dying, or dead. See the Combat section for more
adventure. information on taking damage.

Initiative Talents
At the beginning of an action scene, you make Your talents are special abilities, weapon tricks,
an initiative check to determine when you get to or advanced tactics that give you an edge in an
take your first turn. To make an initiative check, action scene. Your archetype provides a variety
roll d20 and compare it to your initiative score. of talent choices, but for this playtest document
Some characters also gain a difficulty die bonus weve picked out a few for the pregen charac-
when they make an initiative check. If your initia- ters. The descriptions of your talents are simply
tive says +1 die step, youll normally roll d20+d4 concise summaries providing just enough
when you roll for initiative. Well cover difficulty information to use them in playwell describe
die steps in the Core Mechanic section. them more carefully in the Core Rules.

Weapons Character Skills

Well explain This section of the sheet notes the weapons or The right-hand column of your character sheet
average, excellent, attack forms youre likely to have available and lists all of the skills in the core module of the
and stellar in more your attack bonus with each. The numbers also Alternity game. Each skill has a key ability, which
detail later, but for tell you how much damage you inflict with each tells you which ability (or two abilities) serve
now, suffice it to say weapon on an Average or Excellent hit (so a as the basis for checks against that skill. The
that the better your
light pistol deals 1d6+1 damage on an Average Points column lists the number of skill points
attack roll, the more
hit, or 1d6+5 damage on an Excellent hit). If your character has assigned to each skill. If you
damage youll do.
you get a Stellar hit, you deal Excellent damage dont have any points assigned to a skill, youre
twice. The type of damage a weapon inflicts is untrained in it, which means youre no better
usually physical or energy. Well cover grades of or worse than any average person in trying to
success in the Core Mechanic section. use that skill. The skill score shows the target
number for your skill check when you use that
Durability skill: for example, 12/17/22. The first result is an
Your characters durability describes how much Average success; the second is an Excellent suc-
physical punishment you can take and keep on cess; and the highest number is your threshold
going. When an enemy successfully attacks you, for a Stellar success.
its weapon deals a single box of damage rang-
ing from 1 to 16 (or more) in severity. Gear
You subtract your armors resistance value Special protective gear, weaponry, or handy
from the damage dealt by the enemy attack; items your character typically carries are listed
armor is rated for its effectiveness against physi- here. You can assume that you also have what-
cal or energy damage. ever might be typical for the average person in
After reducing the damage of the attack for the streeta shirt or blouse, pants or skirt, belt,
your armor, you mark off 1 box in the corre- shoes, light jacket or coat, wallet, key ring, and a
sponding injury band. If you have no boxes personal communication device (whatever the
available for a wound of that severity (usually future version of a smart phone turns out to be).
because of previous injuries you sustained),
mark off a box in the next highest severity with
an open wound box.

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 BETA TEST VERSION
SKILLS these penalties with Armor Training. And using
advanced powered armor definitely requires
Whether youre
trained or
Since the Alternity game is a skill-based game
system (mostly), your skills are your primary some specialized training. untrained, a good
At rank 1, 3, and 6, reduce your armors pen- rule of thumb is to
tool for interacting with the world around you ask for a skill check
and overcoming dangers. In the complete rules, alty to movement skills by 1 step.
only when success
each of these skills has a better description with At rank 2, 5, and 8, reduce your movement
and failure are both
notes about whats an easy or hard skill check. penalty by 2 meters.
a) possible; and b)
For purposes of this packet, were just providing Athletics (Strength): Your skill at climbing,
interesting. If that
a minimal description. Use your best judgment jumping, throwing, swimming, and general isnt true, dont roll.
about what a skill entails, and move on with the feats of strength. Throwing grenades is an
sample adventure. Athletics skill check. If you need to make a check
Key Ability: Each skill is tied to one or two key for something that seems to be a test of physical
abilities. Your skill score is equal to d20 your strength or power and you dont know what
skill bonus (your skill ranks + the key ability), plus other skill to use, its probably an Athletics check.
or minus a difficulty die. If a skill lists two key Awareness (Focus): Your ability to notice
abilities, you can choose whichever is best for that somethings wrong or out of place in your
you when you figure your skill score. (We did this environment. Usually, the GM asks you to make
already for the pregen characters.) this check.
Untrained: If you dont have any skill points Combat: Hand to Hand (Strength or Agil-
in a skill, youre effectively untrained in it. You ity): Your ability to attack effectively at very
know as much about it as any typical person close quarters. This covers unarmed styles like
on the street would know (so, if you have no brawling or martial arts, as well as small weap-
skill points in Computers, you can still turn on a ons that basically serve as extensions of your
computer and use a word processor program or hands (knives, brass knuckles, etc.). When you
do a basic web search). Likewise, you can drive assign a skill point to Combat: Hand to Hand,
a car even if you dont have any specific training choose a specialty: brawling, martial arts, knives,
in Vehicle: Driver, because most people can. But wrestling. You gain a +1 die step bonus on
you cant fly a helicopter without points in Vehi- attacks when you use your specialty style.
cle: Pilot, because most people cant. (Different types of hand-to-hand combat
If you need to make a check with an untrained skills will have different advantages in the full
skill, your skill bonus is your key ability (you rule set.)
have no skill points to add, but you may have Combat: Energy Weapon (Agility or Focus):
some natural aptitude). Your training in the use and maintenance of per-
sonal energy weapons ranging from laser pistols
to plasma rifles. Theyre a little different from
Skill Descriptions
The skills that appear on the pregenerated char-
acter sheets are described below.
Abilities and Checks
Academics (Intelligence): You have studied a In the Alternity game, most checks you make are based on your skills, not
soft science such as archeology, anthropology, your raw ability ratings. If youre not sure what kind of check to make, heres a
history, linguistics, political science, or sociology. quick guide.
Choose one field as your specialty; you gain a +1 Use Athletics for general Strength tests such as attempts to break some-
die step bonus when you make checks related thing, pick up something, or resist someone else pushing you.
to your special field. Use Dodge for general Agility-based tests, such as getting out of the way
Acrobatics (Agility): This skill covers bal- of something dangerous (a save vs. explosion, basically).
ance, tumbling, tightrope walking, tests of Use Endurance for general Vitality tests, such as resisting poisons or the
contortion or flexibility, and moving in zero-G effects of serious injuries.
Use Deduction for broad Intelligence tests such as decoding alien sym-
environments.
bols or solving a tough math problem in your head.
Armor Training (Strength or Intelligence):
Make an Awareness check for general Focus tests, such as noticing a
Your training in the use, maintenance, and
hidden danger or ignoring a distraction.
repair of heavy armor. Powered or unpowered, Use Influence for Personality tests such as an attempt to persuade some-
heavy armor generally impedes your movement one to do something you ask them to or believe something you say.
and fighting ability, but you can overcome

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 QUICKSTART GUIDE
firearms because they generally dont have much Computers (Intelligence): Your training
recoil, dont require you to lead the target or in advanced computer use. Anybody can run
account for a drop over distance, and operate on ordinary software or do a basic online search,
completely different mechanisms if you need to but if you have skill points in Computers, youre
repair them. When you assign a skill point to this good for programming, customizing hardware,
skill, choose a specialty: pistols, rifles, or assault hacking, and fixing the Blue Screen of Death.
weapons. You gain a +1 die step bonus on attacks Culture (Personality): Youre familiar with the
when you use your specialty energy weapon. language, customs, history, and popular culture
You flipped straight Combat: Firearm (Agility or Focus): Firearms of a particular species or country (depending
to the combat covers any repeating projectile weapon with on the scope of your campaign). Each time
skills, didnt you? cartridge-type ammunitionanything from you spend a skill point in Culture, you can pick
DIDNT YOU?!? a Colt .45 revolver up to a 21st-century bull- another species or country. Make a Culture
pup-design assault rifle. When you assign a skill check to identify useful contacts or as part of an
point to Combat: Firearms, choose a specialty: interaction challenge scene.
pistols, rifles, or assault weapons (SMGs and Deduction (Intelligence): Your ability to
shotguns). You gain a +1 die step bonus on notice important details and clues by care-
attacks when you use your specialty weapon. fully studying a situation and reason your way
Combat: Heavy Weapons (Strength or through puzzles, motives, or mysteries. Make a
Intelligence): Your training in heavy weaponry Deduction check to improve the quality of the
such as mortars, rocket launchers, crew-served clues you gain when you study a scene, a piece
machine guns, flamethrowers, or other such of evidence, or some other mystery.
implements of mayhem. As with other combat Dodge (Agility): Your ability to get out of the
skills, choose your specialty: heavy energy, heavy way of things. Usually you dont make a Dodge
firearm, or indirect fire weapons. You gain a +1 check on your turnyou attempt a Dodge
die step bonus on attacks with your specialty. check when the GM tells you that something is
Combat: Melee (Strength or Agility): Your exploding near you, falling on you, or speeding
skill with handheld striking or stabbing weap- in your direction.
ons like clubs, swords, spears, or axes. When you Characters who are highly trained in the
assign a skill point to Combat: Melee, choose Dodge skill gain more benefit from the Dodge
a specialty: light blade, heavy blade, striking action. If you have at least 3 skill points in
weapon, or energized weapon (sci-fi powered this skill, enemies attacking you while youre
melee weapons like laser swords or energy dodging take a -2 step penalty instead of a -1
maces). You gain a +1 die step bonus on attacks step penalty; if you have 6 points in this skill, the
when you use your specialty weapon. penalty is -3 steps; and if you have 10 points, the
Combat: Primitive (Agility or Focus): Youve penalty is -4 steps.
studied bows, slings, throwing weapons, or Endurance (Vitality): This skill represents
some other type of primitive ranged weapon. your physical conditioning and acclimatization
When you assign a skill point to Combat: Primi- to challenging environments. You cant breathe
tive, choose a specialty: bow, sling, bola, javelin. vacuum, but a great Endurance check means
You gain a +1 die step bonus on attacks when you might survive exposure a few seconds
you use your specialty weapon. longer than most people and perhaps give
Command (Personality): Your ability to take yourself a chance to shut the airlock or repair
charge in a conflict or challenge, determining a damaged suit. Like Dodge, this is a skill you
Command is an what needs to be done and inspiring your allies usually make when the GM asks you to make a
intentionally abstract to give it their best. Make a Command check check against it.
skill. It works best at
to designate a target or objective in an action Engineering (Intelligence): Your knowledge of
the table when the
scene; your allies gain a +1 die step bonus to applied technology such as systems, installations,
player can improvise
their next attack against that target or next power plants, construction, demolitions, and
an in-world reason
for that step bonus,
skill check to accomplish that objective. If you starships. In general, Engineering lets you operate
and it can fall flat score an Excellent success, your allies keep the and maintain systems, while Mechanics lets you
when the player bonus until three skill checks are failed against do hands-on work or jury-rig improvised repairs.
treats it as mere the target; on a Stellar success, the bonus is +2 Entertainment (Personality): Your abil-
mechanics. die steps. ity to entertain others with some kind of

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 BETA TEST VERSION
performanceacting, dancing, juggling, Actually curing a wound box requires time This is a game
singing, or maybe even a really blue stand-up and more advanced treatment. For this guide, without a dedicated
routine. Your check result is a good indication of you can assume that it takes a day and access to magic healer, so the
the quality of your act. reasonable facilities or supplies. Medicine skill mat-
Extreme Sports (Agility or Vitality): Your Misdirection (Personality): Your ability to ters. Even a point
or two can make
skill with sports or activities that most people deceive, distract, or misinform another person.
all the difference in
consider to be daredevil or stunt work: dou- You can also use Misdirection to fit in with your
the world.
ble-diamond skiing, hang gliding, big-wave surroundings and look like you belong where
surfing, extreme mountain biking and dirt you are. In combat, a successful Misdirection
jumping, that kind of stuff. check can make your enemy Distracted.
Influence (Personality): Your ability to con- Profession (any): Your education and practi-
vince someone to do something you want them cal experience in a specific trade or profession
to do, or adopt a particular attitude toward not otherwise covered by this selection of skills.
some person or situation. You might influence For example, if you want to be a highly skilled
people through persuasion, flattery, sincerity, lawyer, assign some skill points to Profession
seduction, or even outright intimidationall (lawyer). Other professions might include inter-
that matters is that you can influence their stellar trader, criminal, or businessperson.
actions or attitudes. Resilience (Vitality): Your ability to fight
Interview (Intelligence or Personality): Your through or minimize injuries with sheer will-
ability to draw out information from people power and a high pain tolerance. As an action
youre interacting with. Interview might cover in a combat scene, you can attempt a Resilience
broad efforts to gather information by talking to check to degrade a wound youve suffered by
lots of people in an area, interrogating a hostile 1, 2, or 3 categories for an Average, Excellent,
prisoner, or helping a confused witness to recall or Stellar result. You suffer the normal penalty
a potentially vital clue. for being wounded when you make the check.
Mechanics (Intelligence): Your knowledge When you reduce a wound category, clear the
of motors, vehicles, small machinery, basic box that is currently checked and check off a
chemistry, and mechanical repair and fabrica- wound box in the lower injury band. You can
tion. You know how to use most machine-shop only attempt a Resilience check once per action
tools, including various types of cutting torches scene (so you cant use multiple Resilience check
or welding kits. This skill covers jury-rigging to make a severe wound go away entirely).
and improvisation, such as sabotaging a power Science (Intelligence): Youre trained in a Science works best
conduit to electrocute bad guys nearby or science such as astronomy, biology, chemistry, when you exclaim
triggering the fire suppression system to cover genetics, physics, or planetology (a combination it loudly as you roll
your escape. of geology, meteorology, and environmental the dice: Science!
Medicine (Intelligence): Your medical science). Choose a field to specialize in; you
training. If you only have a skill point or two gain a +1 step bonus on checks related to that
in Medicine, you probably have some good specific field of study.
first aid training. Choose a specialty when you Security (Agility or Intelligence): Knowledge
spend skill points in Medicine: first aid, forensics, of alarms, detectors, locks, and monitoring sys-
pathology, surgery, or treatment. You gain a +1 tems, both physical and electronic. Burglars and
die step bonus on skill checks relevant to your safecrackers take this skill to be good at open-
specialty. ing things, while security professionals and law
Using Medicine to help someone in an action enforcers take this skill to set up systems crimi-
scene is usually a two-check process: First nals cant get through.
you need to evaluate the injury, and then you Stealth (Agility or Focus): The ability to not
need to provide first aid for the injury. (Hi-tech be noticed. In a natural setting, this involves
medical gear makes this easier.) Successful first making good use of cover and camouflage,
aid stabilizes the victim and prevents further staying downwind of ones target, and avoid-
worsening of his or her condition. If you achieve ing noisy twigs on the ground. Trying to not
an Excellent success, you also reduce any wound be noticed by fitting in with an urban set-
penalty the victim is suffering by 1 step (or 2 ting should be a Misdirection check, not a
steps for a Stellar result). Stealth check.

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 QUICKSTART GUIDE
Survival (Vitality or Focus): Knowledge of example, Initiative checks, Acrobatics, Athletics,
survival techniques and training for difficult envi- Dodge, Extreme Sports, or Stealth). Armor Train-
ronments. Freezing cold or days without water ing reduces this penalty.
might call for Endurance checks, but a successful
Survival check means you avoid that risk of expo- Special Armor Descriptions
sure from freezing cold or find a way to get water Carbon Fiber Plate: This armor offers excellent
before youre actually threatened with harm. physical protection, but degrades in effective-
Vehicle: Driver (Agility): Your training for ness with repeated hits. Each time the wearer is
challenging driving such as high-speed chases, hit for 10+ damage before the armors resis-
street races, or serious off-roading. Most people tance is applied, reduce the armors resistance
can drive in routine conditions without any values by 1.
particular skill in Vehicle: Driver. Power Assist Suit: Actuators in the suit boost
In some settings, Vehicle: Pilot (Agility or Intelligence): Your the wearers strength. The wearer gains a +2 die
Pilot has the same ability to fly or pilot craft such as helicopters, step bonus on skill checks that depend on raw
routine condi- light planes, multiengine planes, orbiters, or strength (lifting, breaking, throwing, resisting
tions rule as Driver.
starships. The Pilot skill includes navigation, knockdowns, but not most combat skills).
It all depends on
comm procedures, and the use of weaponry or
the prevalence
of autopilots,
special systems youd normally expect the pilot Weapons
robust air-traffic
to handle from the cockpit. Weapons range from simple melee knives to
control, etc. Willpower (Focus): The ability to concentrate or high-powered energy rifles. The tables below list
maintain ones determination in the face of distrac- the following attributes for each weapon:
tions, as well as resist unusual influences or mental Skill: Which Combat Skill you use to attack
attacks (in settings where that sort of thing can with the weapon.
happen). Like Dodge or Endurance, your GM will Type: When you choose a weapon skill, you
tell you when a Willpower skill check is called for. can choose a weapon type to specialize in. This
indicates what specialty the weapon falls under.
GEAR DESCRIPTIONS Range: The maximum effective range is indi-
Every character must be properly outfitted for cated for each weapon. From nearest to furthest,
adventure. This playtest provides a selection of the ranges are Adjacent, Close (10m), Medium
weapons, armor, and other gear for PCs. (50m), Long (200m), and Very Long range
(500m). Some weapons might have special prop-
erties that make Very Long range longer.
Armor
Mag: Indicates how many shots the
Armor ranges from 20th-century Kevlar vests to
weapon can typically take before requiring a
various advanced-material garments and suits
reload action.
of powered or unpowered plate armor.
Speed: The number of impulses it takes you to
Physical and Energy: The amount of damage
make an attack with this weapon (see Initiative
reduction the armor provides against this type
in the Combat section for more information).
of damage.
Damage: There are two levels of weapon
Move: The reduction in the wearers move-
damage that correspond to the varying degree
ment speed. Armor Training reduces this penalty.
of success of an attack, separated by slashes in
Armor Penalty: Some physical skills are
the damage expression. For example, 1d6+1/5
harder to perform in heavy or bulky armor (for
indicates that the weapons damage is 1d6+1

ARMOR STATS
Armor Physical Energy Move Penalty Special
Tactical Vest 2 2 meters 1 step
DuraWeb Coat 1 3
Hardmesh Uniform 2 2
Carbon Fiber Plate 6 3 4 meters 2 steps Degrades 1 after reducing hit of 10 or more
Power Assist Suit 4 4 2 meters 3 steps +2 steps on Strength checks

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 BETA TEST VERSION
for an Average success or 1d6+5 for an Excel- Grenade: You can throw a grenade up to
lent success. A Stellar success deals two wound 20 meters.
boxes using the Excellent damage roll. Weapon Blast Grenade: A simple high-ex-
damage has a type such as physical or energy, plosive bomb.
which may result in the damage being reduced Gas Grenade: (the ensuing description)
by the targets armor rating. Any living creature in the burst must make an
Endurance check. Creatures that fail take 1d8 + 4
Special Weapon Descriptions non-lethal damage, which ignores armor. Crea-
Blast Cannon: When you hit a target with a tures that are using sealed respiration systems or
blast cannon, make two damage rolls and apply that have unusual biochemistry arent affected.
each result. (In other words, blast cannons deal Lasers: Lasers are very accurate. When you
double damage at any range and can inflict attack with a laser, you gain a +1 die step bonus
on your attack roll. This is just an
wounds of different severities with one hit.)
appetizer for all the
Diskos: Its a hyper-sharp circular saw Shock Glove: When you hit a target with a
weapons that youll
on a 1-meter handle. (Hat tip to William shock glove, the target must make an Endurance
find in the full-
Hope Hodgson.) check with a +2 die step bonus or be stunned
fledged Alternity
Flechette Gun: The flechette gun shoots a for 1 round. If you got an Excellent success on game. We love
pattern of small but lethal darts. Its very accu- your attack, the targets Endurance check is at +0 our fictional guns,
rate and gives the user a +1 die step bonus on steps. If you got a Stellar success on your attack, power armor, and
the attack roll. In addition, when you hit a target the targets Endurance check is at 2 die steps. power-tools-repur-
at Close range, roll damage normally but mark Shock Rifle: If you hit, you deal damage nor- posed-for-combat
off one extra wound box. mally, and you create a 2-meter burst centered on around here.

HAND-TO-HAND AND MELEE WEAPON STATS

Weapon Skill Type Speed Damage Special
Unarmed Hand Brawl 3 1d4 + 0/3 physical
Combat knife Hand Knife 3 1d4 + 1/5 physical
Shock glove Hand Brawl 4 1d6 + 2/3 energy Endurance check or stun
Police club Melee Striking 3 1d4 + 0/4 physical
Diskos Melee Powered 4 1d8 + 3/9 physical

RANGED AND HEAVY WEAPON STATS

Weapon Skill Type Rng Mag Speed Damage Special
Light pistol Firearms Pistol M 10 3 1d6 + 1/5 physical
Heavy pistol Firearms Pistol M 10 4 1d8 +1/6 physical
Shotgun Firearms Assault M 5 4 1d8 + 0/5 physical 2 wounds at Close
Battle rifle Firearms Rifle VL 20 3 1d8 + 3/8 physical
Sniper rifle Firearms Rifle VL 5 5 1d8 + 2/10 physical Ignore 1 step of range penalty
Laser pistol Energy Pistol L 10 3 1d6 + 0/6 energy +1 step accuracy
Laser rifle Energy Rifle VL 15 4 1d6 + 1/8 energy +1 step accuracy
Sonic bore Energy Assault C 10 4 1d8 + 0/5 energy 2 adjacent targets
Flechette Gun Firearms Assault M 10 3 1d6 + 1/5 physical +1 step acc, 2 wounds at Close
Plasma pistol Energy Pistol M 5 3 2d4/2d8 energy
Plasma rifle Energy Rifle L 10 3 2d6/2d12 energy
Blast cannon Heavy Direct L 5 5 1d10 + 2/8 energy Two damage rolls
Shock Rifle Heavy Direct L 10 4 1d8 + 1/7 energy Burst 2m
Grenade, Blast Athletics * 4 1d6 + 4 physical Burst 4m
Grenade, Gas Athletics * 1 4 special Burst 4m; Endurance check

9
 QUICKSTART GUIDE
Not every aspect the primary target. Any creature in the burst takes you use a medscanner you get a +2 die step
of a weapon is damage equal to a hit 1 success grade lower than bonus on Medicine checks to diagnose an
modeled in its stat the primary hit (so if you get an Average success injured character.
line. The sonic bore, on your attack, the burst effect deals no damage). Repair Kit: An assortment of tools needed
for example, is hid-
Creatures in the burst area can attempt Dodge to repair broken gear: wrench, pliers, hammer,
eously LOUD and
checks as normal to avoid the damage. screwdriver, fasteners like nails, bolts, and
a poor choice for
Shotgun: When you hit a target at Close screws, power meters, replacement wiring, and
would-be assassins.
range with a shotgun, roll damage normally but so on. Also includes a laser cutting torch.
mark off one extra wound box. Survival Pack: A light backpack containing
Sonic Bore: You can attack two targets at the two 1-liter water bottles, a water purifier, a
same time with this weapon, provided the two 2-person tent, a highly compressed sleeping
targets are adjacent to each other. Make sepa- bag, 5 kg of rations (sufficient for 7 days), a
rate attack and damage rolls. firestarter, 30 meters of light nylon cord (strong
enough to support 200 kg), a compass, a small
Other Gear knife, and a roll of duct tape.
Well cover more tools and special items in the
Core Rules. Here are a couple of sample items
mentioned on the pregen character sheets.
THE CORE MECHANIC
In the Alternity Roleplaying Game, your Gam-
Belt Jets: You can jump or fly up to 30 meters emaster presents a narrative that features a
in a short burst. This requires 2 impulses (see variety of mysterious, challenging, or danger-
The Action Round), so you cant jet and attack at ous situations. You decide how your character
the same time. If you dont alight on a solid sur- interacts with the story the GM presents: Do
face within 30 meters, youll fall from whatever you follow the drug lords courier, or do you
height youre at when the jets cut out. stay hidden and continue your stakeout? Do
Com Set: A light hands-free headset that you try to sneak past the sentry bot, convince
gives you radio comms with a range of 50 km it that you have the proper authorization
or phone comms if theres any local communi- to pass, or simply blow it to bits with your
cation net. plasma pistol?
Datapad: A portable handheld computer with Sometimes the GM simply incorporates your
a touch-screen interface and a number of useful decision into the narrative, and then describes
apps. Its got satellite-datalink capability so it can what happens next. But in situations where fail-
draw on the ships computer from anywhere in ure is a real possibility and comes with serious
the same hemisphere (and the ships computer consequencesfor example, failing to stop an
has a local clone of the world internet). orbiter from crashing or losing a gunfightthe
Geoscanner: A handheld ground-penetrat- narrative cant go forward until you find out
ing radar. You can see up to 10 meters into or whether your character succeeds or fails in the
through a surface such as earth, rock, dirt, or scene at hand.
Depending on even water to find buried or sunken objects. Checks: To determine whether your char-
your campaign You can detect open spaces inside the surface (a acters action succeeds or not, youll make a
setting and tech cave or cavity) but you cant see whats in them. check of some kind. Usually this will be a skill
level, characters Medkit: You can treat a wounded character as
might not benefit
check. To make a check, roll a d20 and compare
a 3-impulse action. When you do, roll a Medicine
from a medkit if a it to your characters skill score. If your die roll
skill check. Heal 1/2/3 wounds for an Average,
medkit was recently equals or exceeds your check score, you succeed
Excellent, or Stellar success, beginning with the
applied to that on the check.
biggest wound. On a failed check, heal the least
character. Effective
serious wound. . If you successfully diagnose
frequency may be
the injured character before treating him or her
Figuring Your Skill Score
limited to once per Your skill score is equal to 20 (your key ability
combat, once per with the medkit, you gain a +2 die step bonus
+ your skill training). For example, if you have
hour, or even once on the medkit healing check. A medkit can treat
Strength 5 and 4 skill points in Athletics, your
per day. For this 10 wounds before its expended.
Athletics skill score is (20 9) 11. Whenever you
playtest, there is no Medscanner: This device helps you diag-
make an Athletics check, youre trying to roll an
such restriction. nose injuries, poisons, diseases, and so on. If
11 or better to get an Average success.

10
 BETA TEST VERSION
The Difficulty Die The Difficulty Scale To put it another
way, the target DC
Your check scores are the same each time Not every advantage or disadvantage is created
for any skill check
you test themif your Strength is 4, your the same. The difference between a specific
is 20. Roll d20 and
untrained Strength check is +4 and your difficulty level and the next is referred to as a
add your ability
target number for success is 20 whether youre die step. A minor complication might be worth score and your skill
trying to break down a wooden panel door, only a 1-step penalty, but a major impediment points. Its the exact
bust through a steel fire door, or kick open an to your intended action might deserve a 2- or same math, its just
armored hatch in a spaceship. Clearly some 3-step penalty. You might also find that multiple a matter of whether
Strength checks are easier than others. To small complications add up to make an other- you want to figure
represent the difficulty of the specific check wise straightforward skill check extremely hard, out your target die
youre attempting, the GM assigns a difficulty or that the advantages and disadvantages offset rolls ahead of time
die to your check. (a +1 die step bonus winds up being canceled as skill scores or
Tests that are easier than normal allow you out by a -1 die step penalty). record your check
bonus instead.
to add a difficulty bonus die to the result of the You normally begin at an Ordinary level of
d20 you roll when you make a check. difficulty (no bonus or penalty with a difficulty
Tests that are harder than normal require die). As the GM applies a bonus or a penalty for
you to subtract a difficulty die penalty from the circumstances of the check, you effectively
the result of the d20 you roll when you move up or down the scale.
make a check.
The sum (or difference) of the d20 and your Example: Martin Ramirez finds himself in a
difficulty die is your check result. Compare this gunfight in the middle of a nightclub thats on
to the check score youre testing to see if you fire. He draws his pistol and targets the nearest
succeed or fail. thug, whos half-concealed in the doorway to
the kitchen. The GM decides that the thugs
Difficulty Die Modifier cover is worth a 1-step penalty to the attack,
Piece of cake +d20 and the thin smoke filling the room is worth
Extremely easy +d12 another 1-step penalty. The attack goes from
Ordinary difficulty (no bonus or penalty) to
Very easy +d8
Hard (a -d6 difficulty die).
Easy +d6 The next time Martin gets to shoot, that If its a key check
Moderately easy +d4 thug is suddenly badly distracted by the fact youre making, talk
Ordinary -- that his clothes just caught on fire. When you with the GM and
attack a distracted target you gain a +1 die briefly negotiate
Moderately hard -d4
step bonus to your roll. This offsets some of for positive steps
Hard -d6 depending on the
the previous penalty, making this next attack
Very hard -d8 only Moderately Hard (a -d4 difficulty die).
environment, the
Extremely hard -d12 tools at hand, and
other circumstances
Brutal -d20 In general, assigning the difficulty die and that may be in your
deciding which factors merit increasing or favor. That conver-
Design Note: A trained character has about a decreasing the size of the die are up to the GM. sation is the heart
50-50 shot of succeeding on a check of Ordi- Some common penalties or bonuses in combat of the game, and
nary difficulty. If you think the test is something situations are summarized in the next section. it sets you up for a
a trained character should have about a 75% dramatic die roll.
or 80% success rate on, make it Very Easy or Success Levels
Extremely Easy. If you think the trained charac- When your check result exceeds your check
ter shouldnt really fail the check, dont make score by a wide margin, you not only succeed--
a check at all. The GM can stipulate success in you succeed with better than normal results.
routine tasks. If your check result is equal to or better than
Untrained characters only have about a 20% your skill score, you achieve an Average success.
chance to succeed on an Ordinary check. Theyll If your check result is at least 5 more than your
probably fail unless they can find a way to make skill score, you achieve an Excellent success.
the check easier.

11
 QUICKSTART GUIDE
One of the great If your check result is at least 10 more than is therefore organized into action rounds.
things about success your skill score, you achieve a Stellar success on An action round is in turn broken into eight
levels is that you this check. impulses. The best way to think of the action
can improvise a
The exact effects of Excellent and Stellar success round and the impulses is like a clock. After you
bit and model
vary with the skill youre using. If youre attacking, complete impulse 8 of one round, you begin
degrees of success,
a better grade of success usually results in more impulse 1 of the next roundand characters
depending on the
Average/Excellent/
damage. If youre working your way through some that act late in the round might not act again
Stellar result. kind of challenge scene, a high success grade until impulse 2 or 3 of the new round.
might mean that you make better progress in
climbing the wall, solving the puzzle, completing Initiative
the surgery, or whatever it is youre trying to do. At the beginning of a combat scene, the GM
asks all players in the scene to make an Initiative
COMBAT check. (The GM makes one check for each sepa-
rate group of enemies in the scene.) A character
Characters in the Alternity game arent routinely
or creatures initiative score works just like a
wading into the science-fiction equivalent of
skill scorethe character rolls a d20 and adds
dungeons and chopping up hordes of aliens
or subtracts the appropriate difficulty die. This
with laser swords (although sometimes that
provides a Stellar, Excellent, Average, or Failure
sort of thing can happen). Combat scenes are
result for the characters initiative roll.
intended to serve as important obstacles and
Combatants that succeed on their initiative
challenges in the typical Alternity adventure.
check can take their first action in Impulse 1.
Theyre situations in which the characters are in
Combatants act in order of initiative success
real danger of getting hurt or killed as the story
on the first impulse of a combat scene (so a
unfolds. Most Alternity adventures feature at
Stellar result goes first, then an Excellent result,
least a few combat scenes as the heroes encoun-
then Average results). In subsequent rounds,
ter dangerous aliens, fight their way through a
combatants act as described below.
crime bosss thugs, or resort to force to stop a
As you play, plan master villain from doing something terrible. Combatants that fail on their initiative check
ahead! Know when can take their first action in Impulse 2.
Its not unusual for multiple characters from
youll act next
The Action Round
on the wheel either side in the combat to have an action
When you find yourself in a combat situation, its
and what can go available in the same impulse. When this hap-
important to figure out which characterhero,
wrong between pens, combatants act as follows:
now and then.
villain, or alienacts in what order. Combat
When two combatants have the same level of
success on their initiative checks and both are
taking their first action in the scene, the highest
actual total serves as the tiebreaker.
In later impulses, use a First-In First-Out
priority. In other words, the first character
whose prior action places him in Impulse 5 (for
instance) gets to act in Impulse 5 before the
second character whose prior action placed her
in Impulse 5, who acts before the third character
with an action to take in Impulse 5, and so on.
Combatants who have not acted yet in the
scene are considered First-In and act before com-
batants who took 1-impulse actions in Impulse 1.
If there are any environmental effects or
timed effects in play (for example, a radiation
field slowly killing everything in the compart-
ment), those effects are resolved at the end of
Impulse 8, after all heroes and adversaries who
act in that impulse have resolved their actions.

12
 BETA TEST VERSION

Terrain can be your best ally in combat or your worst enemy. Get to the good ground first!

The Next Action Move (2 impulses): Move up to 10 meters. One of the ways
When a creature acts in an impulse, the action Interact (1 impulse): Interact with an object. SF settings like
For example, draw a weapon, open a door, Alternity differ from
usually requires 1 to 4 impulses. That means
enter something on a keypad. their dungeonbound
that a character who takes a 3-impulse action
counterparts is that
in Impulse 2 gets to take his or her next action Stand or Fall Prone (1 impulse): Get up from
theres a lot more to
in Impulse 5. The next action wraps around the ground, or throw yourself prone.
interact with. Most
the end of the round, so a creature that takes encounters have
a 3-impulse action in Impulse 7 acts again in In addition, there are three special actions computers to hack,
Impulse 2 of the next round. We suggest using that modify other actions youre takingAim, buttons to press,
markers or tokens to keep track of when each Assault, and Dodge (sorry, you can only use one and death rays
character or adversary gets his or her next of these at a time). to activate.
action in the combat scene. Aim: You take careful aim when you make an
attack. You gain a +1 die step bonus on your
Actions and Impulses attack roll if you aim, but you increase the time
Actions in combat (or other time-sensitive it takes to make the attack by 1 impulse.
scenes) require some number of impulses. A list Assault: You move up to 5 meters and
of common actions appears below. make an attack with a hand-to-hand or melee
weapon. Assaulting requires 1 impulse more Two meters? Thats
Attack (3-5 impulses): Use a combat skill to than making a normal attack. inside the room!
make an attack, and move up to 2 meters. Dodge: You concentrate on not getting hit
Requires a number of impulses equal to the while youre performing any other action. Ene-
weapons speed. mies attacking you suffer a -1 die step penalty
Use a Skill (3 impulses): Use a non-combat on their attack roll, but you increase the time
skill suitable for an action scene. Move up it takes to complete the action by 1 impulse.
to 2 meters. For example, if you dodge while moving, its
a 3-impulse action. If you are highly trained

13
 QUICKSTART GUIDE
The aim, assault, in the Dodge skill, the penalty to attack you +2 steps Stunned or unaware target
and dodge add-ons could be 2, 3, or even 4 steps; see the Dodge
really make tactical +2 steps Very big target (elephant, car)
skill for details.
combat come +1 step Big target (horse and rider)
alive. Whether
youre a player or
Movement and Position +1 step Attacker aimed
Creatures that are within 2 meters of each +1 step Target is dazed or distracted
a GM, remember
to use them! other are adjacent. In general, you need to be +1 step Target prone (vs. melee attacks)
adjacent to a target to attack it in hand to hand -1 step Target prone (vs. ranged attacks)
combat or melee combat.
-1 step Target is at Medium range
Facing isnt important in an Alternity game
combat scenewe assume that most creatures -1 step Target has some cover
can quickly turn to meet any approaching threat, -1 step Target is dodging
even when it isnt their turn to act. However, -1 step Small target (drone, raccoon)
there are two times when position is important: -2 steps Very small target (rat, soda can)
-2 steps Target has good cover
If two or more allies are adjacent to the
-2 steps Target is at Long range
same enemy, the allied creatures gain a +1
step bonus on their attacks. -3 steps Target is at Very Long range
Cover is often directionaljust because
you can turn to face the mutant sneaking Cover and Dodging: If a target is both dodg-
up behind you, it doesnt mean the wall ing and behind cover, dont stack the attack
youre hiding behind moves too. Moving to penalties. Just use the best one that applies.
a spot where you can attack around your Either youre trying to hide as much of your
enemys cover is Tactics 101. body as possible behind the cover, or youre
trying to keep moving to avoid being an easy
If you decide to use miniatures and a grid, hex target. You cant really do both at the same time.
map, or other such surface to represent tactical
positioning, we recommend a scale of 2 meters Range
to a square (or hex). Most people take up a lot In the Alternity game, your heroes might mix it
less space than that, but in a fight an average up in a knife-fight against an opponent within
human can control about a meter of space all arms reach or try to pick off enemies with 500-
around her. meter rifle shotsit all depends on the situation.
There are five range categories in the game:
Attacks
GMs: At the point When you try to punch, stab, or shoot an adver- Adjacent (2 meters or less)
where Alternity has sary, youre making an attack. An attack is basi- Close (2 to 10 meters)
a GM screen, you cally a skill check using the Combat skill appro- Medium (10 to 50 meters)
can bet these mod- priate for your weapon. (The weapons table in Long (50 to 200 meters)
ifiers will be front
the Equipment chapter lists the relevant skill for Very Long (200 to 500 meters)
and center on it.
each weapon.) Making a Combat skill check is
often referred to as making an attack roll. Some weapons have special characteristics that
Your targets defensive ability or situation is extend rangea powerful sniper rifle might allow
measured by modifying the difficulty die of your a shot of 1,500 meters or more, while a shotgun
attack check. A target thats small, well-covered, firing a rifled slug can attack at Long range.
or dodging effectively is a tough shot, and
might subtract 3 or 4 die steps from your attack Blasts
roll. A target that youve had a chance to zero If you have a grenade, youre not trying to hit
in on or that you catch completely off-guard is the bad guy with it. You just need to get it near
easier to hit than normal, so you might add a him. The attack roll of a blast weapon measures
die step or two to your attack roll. Heres a list of how close you got. Usually this is a Combat:
common attack modifiers: Heavy Weapons skill check for something like a
mortar, or an Athletics skill check for a thrown
weapon such as a grenade.

14
 BETA TEST VERSION
On any success, you hit the point you aimed Severity Result
The effects of losing
for. That is now the center of the blast. your top wound
0 or less No damage box might actually
On a failure, you miss your aiming point
by 1d4+2 meters in a random direction. 1 to 3 Graze vary with genre. In
4 to 6 Minor wound a gritty post-apoc-
You might still be close enough to injure
alyptic game, your
your intended target, or you might 7 to 9 Moderate wound
character might be
notit depends on the weapon youre 10 to 12 Serious wound dead, no questions
attacking with. 13 to 15 Critical wound asked. In a far-future
Creatures in the blast radius can attempt post-Singularity
16+ Mortal Wound
Dodge checks to escape or hit the deck. game, your con-
Any creatures remaining in the area take sciousness might
Armor Resistance: A targets armor reduces
damage from the blast. instantly download
incoming damage. Subtract the armor resistance to a clone or artifi-
value from the damage severity to determine cial body. A middle
Blasts simply deal a set amount of damage
the actual severity of the wound the target suf- of the road genre
in a radius. For example, a blast grenade
fers. For example, if the target is wearing a ballis- might give your
deals 1d6+4 physical damage to targets
tic vest that has a resistance of 3 and you hit him character a chance
within 4 meters.
with a rifle shot for damage 8, the targets armor to pull through with
Creatures threatened by a blast are allowed
reduces the injury to a minor wound of 5. medical attention
to make a Dodge skill check to get out of the or a great Resilience
Damage Type: Damage is described as physi-
blast radius. A successful check increases the roll and a chance
cal (bullets, blades, impact, etc.) or energy (lasers,
creatures distance from the blast center by 2, 4, to die without that
radiation, plasma, blast cannon, and so on).
or 6 meters for an Average, Excellent, or Stellar sort of help.
Some types of armor are more effective against
success. If the threatened creature is now out of
one kind of damage than othersa knights
the area of the blast, he or she takes no damage.
plate armor does okay with physical damage but
If you successfully dodge out of the area or take
doesnt help much against energy weapons.
damage from the blast, youre now prone. If
youre in the blast but take no damage, youre
still on your feet. The Durability Track
Hard cover also protects against blasts. A Your hero has a number of wound boxes that
character with cover between him and the correspond to the severity of damage results.
center of the blast gains a +1, +2, or +3 die step These boxes are grouped into damage bands. A
bonus on the Dodge check (for half, three-quar- typical character has two wound boxes in each
ters, or nine-tenths cover). Success increases band except the top band, where all characters
the effective distance as described above, but have just one. Some characters might have
you dont actually need to move--you just duck more or fewer wound boxes based upon their
in place and let your cover take some or all of archetype, attributes, and gear.
the blast. When your character takes damage, mark off
a wound box that corresponds to the severity
of the damage. If you have no wound boxes
Damage and Durability
remaining in that damage band, then you
A successful attack deals damage based upon
instead mark off an open box in the next high-
its success level. Each weapon or ability indi-
est damage band.
cates the base damage for average, excellent, or
stellar attacks.
Damage Severity: The effect of a successful Skills in Combat
hit is a single wound or injury with a severity Heres a quick summary of the skills you may need in combat:
of 0 to 16 or more. A laser pistol that hits for 8 Use a Combat skill to make an attack.
damage does NOT deal 8 points of damage--it A high Dodge skill makes your Dodge actions better.
Dodge also serves as a saving throw against area attacks.
deals one wound with a severity of 8. These
Endurance is your saving throw against poison, radiation, disease, or
arent hit points!
similar deleterious conditions.
Resilience allows you to minimize the effect of a wound you receive.
Medicine can allow you to treat the injuries of others.
Command allows you to coordinate teammates attacks.

15
 QUICKSTART GUIDE
Typical Hero Durability Track Conditions
Band Wds. Effects Well add more details on conditions, statuses,
1-3 qq No ill effects etc., as we continue to develop the system. In
4-6 qq No ill effects general, you can assume that you can attempt
to end a condition affecting you by making an
7-9 qq 1-step penalty to
appropriate skill check as a 1-impulse action.
all checks
The distracted
Distracted: Youre not able to pay full atten-
10-12 qq 2-step penalty to tion to your foes for some reason. Enemies
condition is a pretty
all checks attacking you get a +1 die step bonus, and you
good catch-all for
mild physical distress,
13-15 qq 3-step penalty to suffer a -1 die step bonus to all skill checks.
like sudden zero-G or all checks Usually you arent distracted for more than one
temporary extremes of 16+ q Incapacitated action, but if the effect is persistent, you can
heat or cold. attempt a Willpower check to shake it off.
Example: A laser blast hits Martin Ramirez Grappled: If youre grappled, you cant move,
for damage 8. His carbon fiber armor provides and you take a -1 die step penalty on all skill
3 resistance, so the actual wound severity is 5. checks except hand-to-hand attacks against
Martins player marks off a wound box in the your grappler or escape attempts. Usually you
4-6 tier. If Martin had no wound boxes remain- remain grappled until your grapplers next
ing in the 4-6 tier, his player would instead action. To escape early, make an opposed Ath-
mark off the first available box in the 7-9 tier. letics check against your grapplerif you equal
or beat your opponents level of success, you
Effects of Damage pull free.
A character suffers negative effects from taking Insane: You are not in control of your actions.
too much damage, determined by the high- The next time you take an action, roll a d10 to
est band in which the character has a marked determine what you do:
wound box (in other words, multiple wounds
dont produce stacking penaltiesyou just 13 Do nothing for 3 impulses
suffer the worst penalty you have). A hero can 46 Flee, moving away from
usually shrug off a few small hits, but too many other creatures
small hits--or one solid shot from an enemy--can 79 Attack the closest creature,
seriously affect the heros actions. friend or foe
Incapacitated: When a character checks off
10 Act normally
the highest wound box, he or she is incapaci-
tated. An incapacitated character falls uncon-
After you take the action dictated by your
scious and can take no actions. Instead, he or
insanity, you can attempt to shake off the condi-
she immediately attempts a Resilience skill
tion by making a Willpower check (0 additional
check (do not include the step penalty for inju-
impulses). If you fail, youre still insane at the
ries). If the character fails the Resilience check,
start of your next action.
he or she is unconscious and mortally wounded
Prone: Prone characters have a speed of
and will not survive the injury without urgent
2 meters. Standing up from prone takes a
medical intervention. If the character succeeds
1-impulse action.
on the check, he or she is unconscious but
Stunned: Delay your next action by
stable, and might pull through.
3 impulses. If you were dodging, you
For purposes of this Quickstart Guide, you can
stop dodging.
assume that an incapacitated character cannot
be revived without at least an hour of urgent
medical treatment in a trauma center. More
detailed death and dying rules appear in the
Alternity SFRPG Core Rules.

16
 BETA TEST VERSION
WRECK OF THE MAGELLAN Introductory Narration
Welcome to the 26th Century. Human govern- The Icarus Foundation is at the forefront of humanitys efforts to explore the
ment is in the power of an overbearing Stellar starsan expensive effort that Stellar Union bureaucrats are all too happy
Union bureaucracy and dozens of powerful to outsource to licensed exploration organizations. Icarus operates a dozen
megacorps, but a few forward-thinkers are survey driveships, but two weeks ago one of themthe Magellanreported its
dedicated to expanding the frontiers of human destruction via its automated beacon.
space. A leading light in this effort is the Icarus Magellan had previously reported the discovery of an important Hnaal
Foundation . . . but now one of the Foundations artifact at Xi Scorpii, a multistar system about 90 light-years from Earth. (The
survey ships, the Magellan, is missing. Hnaal are a long-vanished alien civilization; humans have found no Hnaal
sites less than a million years old.) Strangely, the last message Magellan sent

Setup was almost incomprehensible: Gnah . . . it calls, it calls, hishnaga zor gnah .
. . help us, for the love of God . . . free us, Gnah!
The Icarus Foundation has received a destruc-
Most of you are Icarus employees, the crew and science team of the
tion beacon signal from Magellan, a scout drivescout Simon Fraser. Your mission: Investigate the disappearance or de-
cruiser returning from an exploration of Hnaal struction of Magellan, and recover the artifact if possible.
ruins in the Scorpius Sector. Interestingly
enough, Magellan reported the discovery of an consisted of Captain Brock; Dr. Ayers, science In the absence
important artifact just before its destruction. Dr. team leader; scientists Falco, Perez, and Wirt; and of actual Greeks,
Tharsi and Captain Carr of the drivescout Simon crewhands Kemal, Morales, Rogers, and Zhang. pronounce it scor-
Fraser have been ordered to find the cruisers Is there anything dangerous out here? Humans pie-eye. It sounds
wreckage, determine what happened, and havent met any other starfaring species yet, but more SF that way.
recover its cargo. weve run across evidence of older starfaring
Hand out one pregenerated character to each races that explored this part of the galaxy in the
player. Encourage your players to share who distant past. Human outlaws or corporate con-
their characters are and why theyre on board flicts are a possibility closer to inhabited worlds,
Fraserthe partys been traveling together for but Xi Scorpii is a long way from any populated
days and theyve had plenty of time to make areas. Its very unlikely that other humans are
each others acquaintance. out this far.
When youre ready to begin, read the boxed Do we have a warp drive? How fast can our
Introductory Narration text. ship go? The ship has a FTL drive that can cover
about a light-year per day. For in-system maneu-
Characters vering ships use a reactionless EM drive that
Dr. Grace Tharsi, Senior Scientist can generate about 5G of thrust at full power.
Captain Vance Carr, commander of (Thatll get you from the Earth to the Moon in
the Fraser about 2 hours.)
Engineer Omari Temu of Fraser
Specialist Dieter Frank of Fraser For the GM: The Real Story
Archeologist Miles Montero, the antiqui- Magellan found a Hnaal artifact on a barren If you have a smaller
ties dealer world orbiting Xi Scorpii A (a different part of group, encourage at
Agent Masako Wade, Stellar Union Investi- this large and complex star system). The artifact least one player to
gative Service was a stasis chamber of some kind; the crew be either Vance or
Grace, and run any
brought their find on board and headed back to
Some additional guidance, if needed: civilization to begin the process of carefully sal-
unchosen characters
Whos in charge? Captain Vance and Dr. Tharsi as NPCs. Theyre
vaging its contentsseveral similar chambers
share command. They have about as much still present, even
have been recovered in recent years and usually if the PCs arent
authority as any mid-tier managers do, so they contain interesting artifacts. Unfortunately, running them.
cant legally shoot subordinates for refusing Magellans chief scientist inadvertently opened
commands (for example). the chamber and released a dangerous aliena
What do we know about Magellan? Do we living Hnaal anxious to return to its homeworld
have a crew list or manifest? Magellan is another at Xi Scorpii D.
drivescout, a little bigger than Simon Fraser. It The Hnaal are powerful telepaths. The crea-
had orders to explore Hnaal sites around Xi Scor- ture compelled Magellans crew to set course
pii A, a weeks travel from Xi Scorpii D. Its crew for Xi Scorpii D while clouding their minds to

17
 QUICKSTART GUIDE
keep them from realizing it had escaped stasis. weaponry. The ship is equipped with aerofoils
But controlling the whole crew at once proved and heavy landing struts for entering atmo-
too difficult, and in the end the Hnaals control sphere and landing on any reasonably clear
slipped. Two of Magellans crew managed to patch of ground. The ship carries no separate
escape by jettisoning themselves in the ships landing vehicles or shuttles.
cargo pod. Magellans pilot, struggling to resist Fraser has a simple onboard computer system
the alien compulsion, lost control of the ship (nicknamed Simon, of course) that is about as
during planetary approach and wound up sophisticated as your typical iPhone. Simon can
crashing hard on Xi Scorpii D-1, resulting in the open and close hatches or safely button up the
deaths of most of the crew. However, the Hnaal ship when the heroes are absent, but it cant fly
and Dr. Ayers survived the crash. The alien Fraser on its own.
salvaged some materials from the crash site, Finally, Fraser does have a drivecomm system
and set out on foot for the ancient Hnaal station that allows contact across interstellar distances.
it was trying to reach with Dr. Ayers under its But drivecomms have very limited bandwidth
telepathic control. (not much more than an early 20th-century
When the heroes arrive aboard their own ship, telegram), and it takes several days of real time
Magellan is wrecked on the surface of Xi Scorpii for the message to reach its destination.
D-1. Two survivors are hiding out near the hard-
to-spot remains of the cargo pod two hundred Xi Scorpii D-1
kilometers away. And the Hnaal and its captive All of the action in this adventure takes place on
are at a long-lost Hnaal site hidden in a moun- one planet of this system: Xi Scorpii D-1. The Xi
tain valley about fifty kilometers from the wreck. Scorpii star system is actually a five-star system
with three stars in one group, and two stars in a
DS Simon Fraser second group about 8000 AU distant. Xi Scorpii
Without chewing The heroes ship is a drivescout named Simon A is home to a Mars-like world with Hnaal ruins
the scenery too Fraser, after the Old Earth explorer. The ship is (this is the planet Magellan was sent to explore).
much, give Simon a about 80 meters long and 15 meters in diame- D and E are a pair of orange dwarfs. Each
personality of his ter. Most of its hull volume is taken up by drives has several barren rocky planets, but D is also
own. The PCs will
and power plants; the actual living space is a home to a terran-type world with a nitro-
likely interact with
module at the forward end, about the size of gen-oxygen atmosphere and a thriving bio-
Simon more than
decent 3-bedroom apartment. There are ten sphere. This is Xi Scorpii D-1, the scene of the
any other NPC.
small private cubicles for personal quarters, plus action in this adventure.
a cramped captains cabin and a mission com- D-1 is a little smaller than Earth, with about
manders cabin. It carries sufficient food sup- three-quarters Earths gravity and prominent
plies to support a crew of 6 for about 60 days; highlands. If you have to reduce it to one quick
the journey from the nearest Icarus base to Xi description, call it a mountain-jungle world
Scorpii takes about 10 days in drivespace. like the Andes Mountains. There are a number
Simon Fraser has no weapons, but its tough of Hnaal sites hidden in its rugged terrain, but
enough to stand up to just about any amount it will take months of careful survey to discover
of small arms fire or even light anti-vehicular them all. It would be a good candidate for
human settlement, although its native lifeforms
are pretty dangerous (as the heroes may learn).
Scene 1: Arrival Narration
You cut your drivespace generator and arrive in the Xi Scorpii star system as
Scene 1: Arrival
predicted by your nav systems. Youre in a solar orbit around Xi Scorpii D,
The adventure begins when the heroes arrive
the fourth of the five stars in this complex system. Its a K-type orange dwarf
near Magellans last reported position.
with three rocky planets in the inner system, an asteroid belt, and two medi-
um-sized gas giants.
Proceeding to D-1 is routineno skill checks
Magellans automated distress beacon is continuing to transmit. Now that are needed for just moving around the system.
youre in the same star system, you can localize the signal. Its coming from Some other things your players might want to
the surface of Xi Scorpii D-1, the first of the planets. Its a terran-type world try at this point include:
that looks like it supports a rich biosphere. Its a couple of million kilometers Scan for wreckage: Theres nothing in space
from your position, a few hours travel at sublight speeds. here. If theres wreckage down on the planet,

18
 BETA TEST VERSION
youll have to get closer and establish orbit
to make a good search and localize the exact Scene 2: Orbit Narration
source of Magellans distress beacon. Xi Scorpii D-1 is covered in rich green and gold hues, with small burgun-
Look for aliens: Using the ships sensors to dy-colored seas. Its a Mars-sized world with striking ten-kilometer mountains
scan the nearby area is a skill check: Science and a surprisingly dense nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere. From orbit there are no
signs of civilization or obvious wreck sites, but you can tell the distress beacon
or Vehicle: Pilot are most appropriate. How-
is transmitting from somewhere in the foothills of a mountain range a little
ever, there isnt anything to see here, so even
north of the equator.
if the PCs succeed they dont find anything.
There are no signs of habitation on any nearby
When the heroes find the wreck site, read: Success in the skill
planet, no structures in space, and no other challenge to search
ships in sight. for the Magellan is
You find a wreck site scattered across the
Can we explore the system? Sure, but its big automatic. Its just a
foothills of one of the big mountain ranges.
and empty. Xi Scorpii is enormous, and moving matter of how long
From orbit you can make out a long, plowed
around the system at sub-light speeds takes it takes the PCs to
impact scar across grassy highlands leading to
weeks and weeks. Even searching the asteroid conduct the search.
broken wreckage around a small crater. The
belt or other planets in the vicinity of D will
ships in a number of pieces, but it looks like
take several days. If there are any survivors
Magellan, and its clear that the wreck hap-
from Magellan, they might not be able to wait
pened recentlynot much more than a month
that long.
ago based on the burned patches of grass and
freshly turned-up dirt.
Scene 2: Orbit
When the heroes approach Xi Scorpii D-1, read Xi Scorpii D Sites
the scene narration.
To localize the automated beacon, the heroes
must make a careful search with orbital cams
and radar. They might also decide to study the
planet for other reasons while theyre at it.
Ask each player what he or she wants to do
while Fraser is in orbit: search for Magellan,
study the planets conditions and lifeforms, scan
for anomalies (basically, looking for anything
singing dome
else), or helping other characters.
Helping: Characters who arent good at
operating ship systems can still help. If a
character has at least 1 skill point in the rele- th
pa
vant skill, he or she can provide a +2 die step c ted
oje
bonus to the character he or she is helping. pr

If not, the bonus is only +1 die step (even an

wreck site
untrained character can help by providing a
second set of eyes).
Find Magellan: Locating the wreck requires
th
a successful skill check with Science or Vehicle: t pa
Pilot at a +3 die step bonus (theres a beacon, gh
fli
after all). The heroes need 3 successes to
locate the beacon. An excellent skill check
counts as 2 successes, and a stellar skill check
counts as 3. Each character participating in the jettisoned cargo
search can make 1 check per hour of search-
ing. When the heroes succeed, they find the
Wreck Site and can proceed to Scene 3 when-
ever they like.
0km 50 100 150

19
 QUICKSTART GUIDE
Multiple successes If the heroes accumulate 5 or more suc- or the remaining species represent survivors
are another way cesses in the search (most likely because from a mass extinction caused by intelligent
to model success multiple characters succeeded, or because action (or carelessness).
above and beyond
the players decided to take a little extra time 6+: The mass extinction took place about
the norm. In this
to be extremely thorough), they also spot the a million years ago. Many animals and plants
case it represents
Jettisoned Cargo site (see Scene 4) and can go were clearly bioengineered before that time.
thoroughness rather
than expertise.
there when they like.
Read the text below if the heroes spot the If the heroes have the information of at least
Jettisoned Cargo site: 3 successes when they land, they gain a +1 die
step bonus to initiative checks and non-com-
You discover a large piece of wreckage bat skill checks (for example, Awareness or
located in dense jungle about 200 kilome- Survival) when dealing with the lifeforms of
ters from the primary wreck site, back along D-1 in Scene 3 and Scene 4.
Magellans plotted impact course. Its about Search for Anomalies: The heroes may
the size of a standard cargo module, and study D-1 just to see if anything unusual or out
must have detached quite a distance before of the ordinary turns up. Academics, Science,
Magellan would have broken up on its own. or Vehicle: Pilot are the primary skills for this
A quick comparison of the pieces you can kind of search, although a character can also
observe at the primary wreck site suggests use Computers to refine search algorithms and
that the secondary site is indeed Magellans make the best use of Simons ability to collect
cargo module. and sort data. As before, each search requires
1 hour, and characters earn 1, 2, or 3 successes
Study Lifeforms or Conditions: Characters for an Average, Excellent, or Stellar skill check.
who spend time studying D-1s planetology If the heroes collect 3 or more successes,
or biosphere from orbit can attempt 1 Science they spot the Singing Dome site from orbit
skill check per hour. Since there isnt any real (Scene 5). Read the following:
end point to this effort, the amount of infor-
mation the heroes collect is based on the At first you dont find much out of the
number of successes they accumulate in this ordinary, but with the help of the ships com-
effort before they move on to something else. puter and some pattern-recognition filters,
(An Excellent skill check counts as 2 successes, you spot something interestinga slightly
and a Stellar result counts as 3.) too symmetrical site in a high altitude pla-
teau near the planets equator. It lies about
Landing the Simon 0: Its a Mars-sized planet with a nitro- a hundred kilometers further along Magel-
Fraser is pretty gen-oxygen atmosphere, densely covered lans final course if you were to extrapolate
routinethe heroes with grasslands and forests. the ships intended course from the wreck
dont have to make 1: The atmosphere is safe for humans site. The site consists of a domelike struc-
any skill checks to ture about 40 meters in diameter, partially
to breathe. Its a little warmer than Earth.
put Fraser on the buried by the surrounding soil and scrubby
Biochemistry appears similarthe plants use
ground. Its just a
photosynthesis, and might be edible. vegetation.
matter of choosing
where to land. The
2: Large animals are fairly common. You
heroes can land as can spot herds of big grazers in the high-lat- Characters trained in Academics recog-
close to a site as itude steppes and a variety of flying animals nize the sites plan as generally consistent
they like, although above the forests. with Hnaal ruins that have been found on
they probably 3: The animal life is comparable to Ice Age other worlds.
should land at least Earth in size and prevalence. Next: The heroes cant do much more from
100200 meters 4: Biodiversity is surprisingly lowthere orbit. Theyll need to set down at the Wreck
away to make sure are a lot of animals, but a smaller number of Site (Scene 3), orif they happened to spot it
they dont crush species than you would expect. and choose to go there firstthe Jettisoned
any evidence under
5: The low biodiversity appears artificial. Cargo (Scene 4) or Singing Dome (Scene 5).
their landing struts.
Either the planets natural variety was delib-
erately engineered at some point in the past,

20
 BETA TEST VERSION
Scene 3a: The Wreck Site Wreck of the Magellan
The obvious place to start looking for answers
is the main wreck site. Unfortunately, the local
wildlife is interested in the site, too.
Begin this scene by asking the players what
their characters are doing. If theyre investigat-
ing the wreck, ask them what theyre specifically
looking for. Each hour, each character can make
a skill check to see whether he or shes found
the evidence available.
After 1 hour of searching, interrupt with the
Local Denizens encounter (Scene 3b). engines
Standing Watch: No dangerous creatures x Zhang
are in sight when the heroes reach the wreck-
age. Characters may choose to not participate
in the investigation, and instead keep watch
for anything dangerous. When you begin the
Local Denizens encounter (Scene 3b), characters crew module power plant

standing watch have a better chance to spot the

x campsite
mist hunters before they attack. bridge x Perez
Investigate the Wreck: If your players arent
sure what else they ought to be doing, you
can remind them that theyre supposed to be
looking for survivors and that ships carry black
box-style flight recorders.
Find the Black Box: The black box is usually
located near the pilots station on the bridge,
but the bridge sustained a lot of damage in
the crash and its going to take some effort to
0m 100 200 300
retrieve the flight recorder. Finding the black
box requires 1 success in Deduction, Engineering,
or Vehicle: Pilot (+2 die step bonus). Removing the heroes find them, the two bodies thrown
it requires 1 success in Mechanics (a repair kit clear from the wreckage are Perez (scientist) and
is useful here). The black box can be linked to Zhang (crewhand). Falco, Rogers, and Ayers are
Frasers computer to access the Flight Record not at this site.
clue (see the sidebar). Examine the Debris: A character who studies
Look for Bodies: Two bodies are on the bridge; the debris field can attempt an Engineering
theyre easy to find, but theyre in bad shape check at a +2 die step bonus to discover that the
with extensive burns and gruesome crash
injuries. Searching the rest of the crew module Scene 3a: Wreck Site Narration
requires 1 hour, but no skill check is needed to Magellans wreck is scattered over a path roughly 1500 meters long and 300
find two more bodies here. Five bodies are not meters wide, scarring a grassy ridge that rises above dense forest-covered
in the wreckage (although characters who scout valleys. It looks like the ship nosed in pretty hard at the beginning of the debris
the area may find two of those). field and cartwheeled, breaking up into half a dozen big hull pieces in the
Identifying the bodies requires careful com- process and flinging smaller debris all over the place. The bridge and crew
parison to medical records provided to Frasers module are near the lower end of the debris field, while the drive, power
computer back at base. Any character trained in plant, and stores carried farther up the hillside.
Medicine can identify all the bodies recovered Tattered scraps of mist blow across the site; its warm and humid out there.
Nothing big seems to be moving near the wreck, but your audio pickups relay
with 1 hour of work (no check needed). The
animal calls and chatter from the forest edge a few hundred meters away. The
two on the bridge are Brock (the captain) and
distress beacon is still transmitting from the sensor and nav module, a short
Kemal (a crewhand). The two in the module are
distance from whats left of the bridge.
Wirt (scientist) and Morales (crewhand). And, if

21
 QUICKSTART GUIDE
character who jury-rigs a power supply (1 suc-
Clues at Magellans Wreck cessful Computers or Engineering skill check) and
The heroes may turn up several valuable clues in their investigation of the then searches for something out of the ordinary
wreck site. (3 successes with Computers or Security) can find
Flight Record: Analysis of the black box date reveals that Magellan attempt- the Security Footage clue.
ed to land, but was piloted with an extreme lack of skill that probably caused
Next: The heroes should be able to deter-
the crash. The record also indicates the cargo module was jettisoned shortly
mine that several of Magellans personnel are
before the crash.
not accounted for. They may also learn the
The Campsite: A short distance from the wreck someone set up a temporary
camp. Survival supplies are stockpiled by the remains of a campfire, along
cargo module was jettisoned, and that some-
with the discarded wrappers of rations. Small pieces of hull debris have been one at the site left on foot heading up toward
dragged to the campsite and show signs of cutting and welding with a laser the highlands. If the heroes did not find the
torch. Drag marks leading away from the campsite suggest that somebody Jettisoned Cargo or Singing Dome sites in their
hauled away a simple sled, heading east (the trail is impossible to follow for planetary survey in Scene 2, they may need to
more than a few hundred meters). return to Fraser and conduct a more thorough
Security Footage: A review of internal security cam footage shows Magel- search (they gain a +3 die step bonus on checks
lans crew loading a big golden egg-shaped object in the cargo hold about 4 to locate those two sites if they find the Flight
weeks ago. Recording cubes are then missing for the next 6 days, but a few Record or Campsite clues, respectively).
minutes of footage immediately before the crash are still on hand. They show
Captain Brock staggering up onto the bridge and initiating the landing proce-
dure, only to stop and start again several times.
Scene 3b: Local Denizens
The wreck site is not as abandoned as it looks. A
pack of mist huntersdangerous local pred-
This is likely the ships cargo module is missing. (If the player tells
ators with claws, fangs, and chimpanzee-level
first battle. Take you he or she is specifically checking to see if all
your time, but dont intelligenceregard the wreck site as their
the wreckage is accounted for, success is auto-
sweat the details too territory. Initially scared off by the arrival or
matic.) The character can also attempt a Deduc-
much. If the players overflight of Simon Fraser, they return in an hour
tion check to observe that debris has already
end this fight with and attack any characters who are engaged in
been moved aside and survival supply lockers
an understanding of searching the site.
are empty (again, if the player specifically tells
the die step system
and how damage
you he or she is checking survival stores, they
4 mist hunters (see Adversaries)
works, youve automatically succeed on this check).
done your job. Find the Beacon: Any character trained in
You can assume the party is generally concen-
Engineering or Vehicle: Pilot can find the distress
trated around the wreckage of the bridge when
beacon with a little time and effort. Its located
the pack appears, and that the characters are all
in the ships avionics and nav system bay, just
within about 40 meters of each other.
behind the crew module. It triggered automat-
Beginning the Encounter: Allow any charac-
ically on the ships destruction, and hasnt been
ter standing watch to make an Awareness check
tampered with since. Its got its own power supply
with a +3 die step bonus. On a success, the char-
and runs for another month unless shut off.
acter on watch spots the pack 90 meters distant.
Scout the Area: A character who searches
Otherwise, the mist hunters are only 50 meters
around the site automatically finds one of the
distant when the character on watch spots
missing bodies (Perez) and can attempt an Aware-
them. If no one is on watch, the mist hunters get
ness or Survival skill check at a +3 die step bonus.
within 30 meters when the encounter begins.
With 1 success, the character finds the Campsite
When the heroes see the mist hunters, read:
clue. With 3 successes, the outside search turns up
another missing body (Zhang) that was thrown
completely clear of the wreckage. A sudden movement in the drifting mists
Check the Engines: Sorry, but Magellan is catches your eye. Something is picking its way
never going to fly again. A successful Comput- through the debris fielda large alien quad-
ers or Engineering check reveals that the ship ruped with taloned feet, powerful jaws, and a
appeared to be in fine working order until leathery crest atop its bullet-shaped head. It
it crashed. looks a bit like a blue-scaled lion . . . and you
Check the Computer: Magellans computer realize theres a small pack of the creatures
system was damaged in the wreck, but a trotting toward you, fangs gleaming.

22
 BETA TEST VERSION
Have everyone roll initiative. Make one roll for No one is at the crashed module, but if the
the mist hunters. The hunters are hungry and heroes land and investigate, add:
hostile, and they really cant be reasoned with.
Tactics: The mist hunters use their actions Inside the cargo module you find a large
to move as fast as they can toward the heroes, all-terrain groundcar, still chained down to
relying on their scattering hide to protect them the deck. The groundcar is pinned in place
on the way in. by the crumpled hull of the cargo module,
Mist hunters use their claw attack to rake their and cant be extricated now. You also find a
prey and grab it; if a mist hunter begins its turn strange block of golden metal inscribed with
with a grabbed target in its claws, it can use its weird hieroglyphs chained in place beside it.
rend attack to maul the target with its fear- The block is about 1 meter by 1 meter, and is
some jaws. The hunters are eager to make their about 20 centimeters tall.
own kills and avoid ganging up on the same
prey. They split up to attack different heroes The groundcars survival kits are missing.
if possible. (Falco and Rogers removed them after giving
If three of the mist hunters are incapacitated, up on trying to get the groundcar out of the
the last one flees. wreckage.)
Retreat: If the heroes are close to Simon The golden metal block is a Hnaal artifact; Like Anton Chekhov
Fraser, they might be tempted to run back to any character trained in Academics recognizes once said, if you put
their ship. The mist hunters are about twice as the hieroglyphs and the general appearance. a golden artifact in
fast as the heroes are, so it depends on where A trained character can attempt a skill check the first chapter, it
the ship landed. You can assume its about 100 to guess at the blocks function; on a success, has to summon a
meters from the wreckage of Magellans bridge transdimensional
he or she recognizes it as the mechanism of a
if the players didnt tell you anything else. How- gate by the second
now non-functioning Hnaal stasis chamber.
or third...
ever, if the heroes get to their ship, its simple to The Missing Crew: No one is around the
close the door. The mist hunters wander off after cargo module site, but heroes searching the
a few minutes of prowling around Fraser. area may attempt Deduction or Survival skill
Next: Return to the Wreck Site investigation checks with a +3 step bonus. On a success, the
the heroes probably have more clues to find. searching character discovers a rough foot-
path marked by tree blazessmall squares
Scene 4: Jettisoned Cargo of bark cut out of trees alongside the path Another battle! If
Before Magellan crashed, two of her crewsci- to mark the way. The path leads about 300 the players seem
entist Jim Falco and engineer Toshira Rogers meters up the hillside to a cave (see below). proficient with the
jettisoned themselves in the ships cargo If the heroes miss the blazes, they might combat system,
module to escape from the Hnaal. The modules also find the path or the cave by searching encourage more
maneuvering thrusters couldnt quite handle improvisational play
the area. An area search requires 1 hour per
the landing, creating a second crash site about by offering bonuses
check, and the heroes must accumulate 3
and penalties
200 kilometers west of Magellans final resting successes to locate the cave. Each group of
for combatants
place. heroes searching together makes one check, manipulating the
When the heroes locate the cargo module using the best skill check of any character in environment: fire,
and investigate, read: the group. If the heroes dont find the cave rocks from the
within 1 hour, theyre too late to save Falco cave, vegetation,
You find the jettisoned cargo module in a and Rogers. and so on.
dense forest a couple of hundred kilometers The Cave: The two Magellan crewhands
from Magellans wreckage. The module is found a cave to serve as a temporary shelter
equipped with maneuvering thrusters, but and set up camp to await rescue. However,
it looks like they couldnt stand up to the theyve got a big problem: A voracious forest
impactthe module is badly damaged, lying predator is trying to dig them out of their hole
half-crumpled in a steep-sided streambed sur- when the heroes arrive. If the heroes find the
rounded by broken tree trunks. Its a little tight, cave in time, read:
but theres enough room to set down Fraser in
the forest clearing provided by the stream.

23
 QUICKSTART GUIDE
You find a rough new footpath leading about
300 meters from the streambed up to a cave
JETTISONED CARGO:
in the forested hillside. A crude barrier of logs THECAVE
and sharpened stakes blocks the mouth of the If the heroes dont find the cave in time, read:
cave, but between you and the cave mouth
stands a big, wormlike creature the size of a You find a rough new footpath leading about
small car. The creature is digging steadily at 300 meters from the streambed up to a cave
one side of the barrier; you hear human voices in the forested hillside. A crude barrier of logs
shouting from inside the cave. and sharpened stakes lies on the ground in
front of the cave.
Jettisoned Cargo: The Cave
Assuming the heroes are in time, theyll
need to deal with the forest worm before
they can get to the cave. Its a dumb, hungry
brute, and its more than happy to try to
make a meal out of would-be rescuers that
R
present themselves.
F
fire 1 forest worm (see Adversaries)

Thick foliage limits line of sight near the

cave, so the heroes dont spot the forest worm
until theyre 30 meters away from the creature.
worm
emergence Its possible to lure the forest worm away by
point enticing it with another meal (say, a PC serving
as bait) or to startle it into fleeing with a very
loud noise, such as an explosion. Otherwise,
the heroes can solve the problem with fire-
power. Make an initiative check; the worm
moves toward the closest character and tries
to eat it.
rough footpath
Survivors: Two injured Magellan survivors
are in the cave: Jim Falco and Toshira Rogers.
They are delighted to see rescuers and thank
the heroes profusely. They explain that they
set up camp inside the cave to await rescue
after failing to get the groundcar out of the
module, only to find themselves under siege
from local predators.
When the heroes question Falco and Rogers
0m 2 4 6
300m to cargo module about Magellan, read:

We spent our mission exploring Hnaal

ruins on Xi Scorpii A-3, Falco explains. It was
Found Security Footage pretty routine stuff, but on our last day there
If the heroes review the data cubes from Falco and Rogers cave, theyre in for
a shock. The cubes clearly show a tall alien creature with three tentacle-like
we found a big stasis unit that was still run-
arms moving about Magellan. Its often seen in the same room as one or more ning. Well, opening those is a real challenge,
of Magellans crew, but the humans seem to just not notice it. A character so we loaded it on board to take back to base
trained in Academics recognizes the tentacled creature as a Hnaal from what for full analysis and lifted off. But the next day
little is known of the aliens hieroglyphic language. when I went to check on it I found that the
stasis field had cut off, and there was noth-
ing inside.

24
 BETA TEST VERSION
Thats when things started getting weird,
Rogers says. Neither of us can remember Scene 5: Singing Dome Site Narration
much of anything about the trip from A-3. This plateau is high and arid, a desolate spot nearly 6000 meters above sea
Youd find yourself standing in the room with level. Now that you are closer, you can make out faint hints that some larger
complex might have once stood in the middle of this plainthere are frag-
no idea why you were there or what you were
ments of stone walls, odd well-like depressions, and black columns of volcanic
doing. Sometimes youd get this sense that you
glass that clearly dont belong here. At the center of the site stands a domelike
were being watched, but there was noth-
structure about 40 meters in diameter, half- buried in the earth. A crude sledge
ing there. heaped with supplies stands just outside a round door in the side of the dome.
I finally woke up enough to realize that Two more doors lead inside, spaced equally around the perimeter. However,
someone had changed our course for this one of the other doorways is almost completely buried in the ground.
planet, Falco continues. And I knew that as Your audio feed provides an eerie sighing sound from outsidethe wind
soon as whatever it was noticed that I was blowing through odd perforations in the dome.
awake that it was going to put me under again.
So I decided to get off the ship before we set No Survivors: If the heroes dont find Falco
down. I pulled the ships security records so and Rogers in time, the forest worm kills
that it wouldnt be able to tell what wed done, them, then leaves. Their partially devoured
then I got Rogers to jettison the cargo module bodies remain in the cave, along with the data
with us in the groundcar. Didnt work as well cubes. The data cubes hold the six days of
as I would have hoped, though. missing security footage removed from Magel-
lans computer.
Both Falco and Rogers are very distressed to Next: If the heroes missed the Campsite clue
learn that Magellan crashed and that most of at Magellans wreck and didnt spot the Sing-
their shipmates were killed. Falco still has the ing Dome from orbit, they may believe theyre
data cubes from Magellans computer, with the done. Falco and Rogers can fill them in on most
six days of missing footage (see the Found Secu- of what happened, and Dr. Ayerss fate simply
rity Footage sidebar). He has not watched them remains a mystery. However, if the heroes
yet, because he doesnt have anything that can realize they need to keep searching, they can
play them. return to orbit and search until they find the
If the heroes encourage them to keep going Singing Dome.
or try to draw out details, an Interview skill check
is appropriateFalco and Rogers want to coop- Scene 5: Singing Dome Site
erate but its difficult to sort out for them. The Hnaal and Dr. Ayers survived Magellans
The Hnaals ability
Who opened the stasis chamber? Maybe Dr. crash by strapping down in the most secure part
ot erase itself from
Ayers? You shouldnt tamper with them until of the crew module just before impact. Both were
perception entirely
you get them to a lab, but she spent a lot of injured, but not severely. The Hnaal realized that can be played
time looking at the device. Maybe she opened it its commandeered ship had crashed just a short up for horror, if
by accident. distance from its objectivethe Singing Dome, a your table is up
Was there an alien on board? I dont know. I spatial gate in the highlands of D-1. for it. Theres a
remember feeling a presence, something that The Hnaal kept Dr. Ayers under its control, particular fright
didnt like us, but I cant remember seeing any- and with her assistance fabricated a sledge when the boogey-
thing. There was something there, though! from the ships debris and set out to reach the man is something
How did you wake up? I think I was just far Singing Dome. Theyve been here for about a others can see, but
enough away for long enough that I came out week now; the Hnaal is trying to reactivate the you cannot.
of it. I was working back in a core-sampling lab a ancient mechanisms so that it can find more
good ways from the crew area. of its kind.
A thorough medical checkup of Falco and When the heroes visit the site, read the open-
Rogers requires at least 1 hour in Frasers sick ing narration above.
bay. The examining character can attempt The Hnaal is working inside the dome. Its
a Medicine check with a 2 die step penalty; attempting to repair the ancient machinery,
if the check succeeds, the character finds while Dr. Ayers stands mutely by in a hypnotic
subtle changes in brain chemistry consistent trance. The creature is arrogant and believes
with dreaming or hypnosis, which are now humans are no match for itand it might be
wearing off.

25
 QUICKSTART GUIDE
What better way
to test Alternitys
right. Its telepathic powers allow the Hnaal to
simply erase awareness of itself from any mind
THE SINGING DOME
If any character viewing the scene succeeds
combat than to within 100 meters. When one or more heroes on the Willpower skill check, add:
pit the PCs against enters the dome, have each player whose char-
each other? acter is looking inside attempt a Willpower skill
A strange-looking alien creature stands
check. If the check fails, read:
by the rock column, regarding you with
some interest. Its tall, easily two meters or
The perforated dome covers a strange col- more, and it has three tentacle-like arms and
lection of dull-colored crystals embedded in a three sturdy, compact legs. It holds a human
column of fluted rock. Most of the floor is sand plasma pistol in one arm. But a moment later
that seems to have drifted in over the years, and it seems to simply vanish, and you realize
a strange sighing soundthe wind moaning that there isnt anything here.
through the domes openingsrises and falls as
the wind shifts. Dozens of fist-sized crystals lay Roll initiative. The Hnaal has no interest in
scattered on the floor around the column in the more slaves and wants to deal with this inter-
middle of the chamber, along with a collection ruption as swiftly and ruthlessly as possible.
of tools from a typical ships repair kit.
A single human figure stands silently against 1 Hnaal (see Adversaries)
the wall: Dr. Regina Ayers. She looks gaunt Dr. Ayers (see Adversaries)
and her clothing is torn and tattered. She
doesnt acknowledge you at all, simply staring Dr. Ayers takes no part in this encounter
blankly ahead. unless the Hnaal makes her, and doesnt even
The Singing Dome defend herself if attacked. She is virtually
catatonic after a week of constant control by
column
the Hnaal.
Hnaal Invisibility: Each time that a player
character begins his or her turn, the charac-
H ter must attempt a Willpower skill check. On
a success, the character sees the Hnaal and
remembers what is going on in this scene. On
a failure, the character does not see the Hnaal
buried door A and has no memory of the creature at all.
crystal column Characters whose minds are clouded in this
way cant attack the Hnaal directly, but they
can do other things like tend to wounded
characters, study the surroundings, or pos-
sibly even return fire if shot atalthough all
they see is that plasma bolts appear to be
column hitting around them, without any clear idea of
sledge where theyre coming from or whos shoot-
ing at them.
column Tactics: The Hnaal begins by using its
Mental Command ability to dominate the first
hero it sees. It intends to use a hero to kill as
track many of its enemies as possible without giving
itself away. However, if the Hnaal is directly
ruined wall attacked, it returns fire with its borrowed
plasma pistol. Naturally, it focuses its fire on
characters who seem to be better able to
0m 4 8 12 perceive it. If an enemy corners the creature in
melee, it attacks with its tentacles instead.

26
 BETA TEST VERSION

The roar of the liftoff thrusters... sounds like victory.

If the Hnaal decides it needs a distraction,

it uses its Mental Command on Dr. Ayers and
CONCLUSION
The adventure ends when the heroes save
directs her to attack the heroes. Dr. Ayers is Dr. Ayers from the Hnaal, rescue Falco and
not much of a combatant, but she grabs a Rogers, and recover the black box from the
heavy wrench from a toolbox and may catch wreck of the Magellan. That solves the mys-
the heroes off-guard. tery to the satisfaction of the Stellar Union
If the Hnaal marks off 5 wound boxes or at Investigative Service and the Icarus Founda-
least 2 boxes in the 13-15 band, it attempts tion. While the chance to communicate with
to flee through the open door. It attempts to a living Hnaal is a lost opportunity, the Hnaal
skulk around the site and hide nearby, using in this case cannot be reasoned within its
the fragmentary walls and old stone columns time it was a monstrous criminal to its own
for cover. It knows that if it moves too far people, and it sees nothing in humankind that
away from the dome it would easily be spot- entices it to go along with any effort to estab-
ted on the open plain. lish some sort of friendly relations.
Dr. Ayers: If a hero tries to bring Ayers
out of her stupor, make a Medicine check to
diagnose her condition. On a success, the Level Up!
character examining Ayers realizes she can be At the end of the adventure, the heroes gain a level. When you gain a level,
brought around with a stimulant shot. Admin- you gain 6 skill points to assign. You can assign no more than 2 to the same
istering the shot requires a medkit and a skill.
standard action. Ayers is confused at first, but You gain 2 hero points.
soon comes to her senses and tries to help the You can pick a new talent. Here are a couple of sample talents to choose from:
Expert Assault: You can attack with a ranged weapon when you use the
heroes against the Hnaal.
Assault special action.
Tough: Add one wound box at your durability band with the fewest boxes
(other than 16+).
Specialist: Improve your bonus for specializing in a skill from +1 step to +2 steps.

27
 QUICKSTART GUIDE
ADVERSARIES Forest Worm
Nearly 6 meters in length and as thickly built as a
Mist Hunter horse, this multi-eyed, multi-legged creature looks
This powerful predator is a meter tall at the like a gigantic centipede with a gold and green
shoulder and resembles a scaly, saurian lion with carapace and jaws like bolt-cutters.
a leathery crest instead of a mane. Its scales are a The forest worm is a natural predator of Xi
mottled dark and light blue. Scorpii D-1. Its hungry and ferocious, if not
Mist hunters are clever pack predators. They particularly bright.
are aggressive and highly territorial. They were
engineered as guard-beasts long ago, and their Senses low-light, infrared
Awareness 15/20/25
hides have a natural ability to dissipate laser fire.
Initiative 14/19/24
Speed 8 meters
Senses low-light vision, scent
Str 8, Agi 2, Vit 5, Int 0, Foc 5, Per 1
Awareness 14/19/24
Attack Actions
Initiative 12/17/22, 1 step
Thrash (Speed 3): Melee, one or two adja-
Speed 20 meters
cent targets, 10/15/20 attack (+1 die step
Str 6, Agi 5, Vit 4, Int 1, Foc 4, Per 1
bonus); 1d4+1/5 physical, and the target is
Attack Actions
knocked prone.
Claws (Speed 3, make 2 attacks): Melee;
Crushing Bite (Speed 3): Grappled target;
11/16/21; 1d6+1/3 physical. A target hit by a
10/15/20 attack (+2 die step bonus);
claw attack must make an Athletics check or
1d6+4/8 physical.
become grappled until the end of the hunters
Tongue Barb (Speed 1): Close range, one
next turn (or until the target breaks free).
target, 10/15/20 (+1 die step bonus); 1d6+0/3
Rend (Speed 3): Grappled target; 11/16/21
(+2 die step attack bonus); 1d6+2/6 physical. physical, and the target is grappled.
Durability Special Actions
Armor 2 physical, 2 energy (5 vs. laser) Drag: As a 1-impulse action, the worm can
pull a grappled target 6m closer. The dragged
(1 to 6 damage) q
(7 to 9 damage) q 1 step on checks target can attempt an Athletics check to resist
(10 to 12 damage) q 2 steps on checks being dragged.
(13 to 15 damage) q 3 steps on checks
(16+ damage) q incapacitated Durability
Dodge: 15/20/25 Armor 4 impact, 2 energy
Endurance: 16/21/26 (1 to 6 damage) qqq
(7 to 9 damage) qqq 1 step on checks
Willpower: 16/21/26 (10 to 12 damage) qqq 2 steps on checks
Traits (13 to 15 damage) qq 3 steps on checks
(16+) q incapacitated
Scattering Hide Mist hunters have improved
armor against laser weapons and similar Dodge 18/23/28
effects (shown above). Endurance 15/20/25
Other Willpower 15/20/25
Skills Awareness 14/19/24, Survival 13/18/23 Traits
Infrared Sight Forest worms can see
heat, and can easily find their prey even in
total darkness.
Other
Skills none

28
 BETA TEST VERSION
Hnaal Dr. Ayers
Dark and rubbery in appearance, this tripedal Francine Ayers is a confident, assertive scien-
creature has three stubby legs, a long torso, and tist who has studied Hnaal artifacts her entire
three strong tentacles just below its bullet-shaped career. She is currently so deeply under the
head. Its three eyes are a baleful red. Hnaals mental domination that she can take no
The Hnaal were a starfaring species that action unless it thinks to compel her to move.
colonized many worlds in this part of the galaxy
more than a million years ago. They were aggres- Senses normal
sive conquerors with a powerful telepathic Awareness 14/19/24
ability to cloud or control weaker minds. Only a Initiative 13/18/23, 1 step
few remain alive today, mostly hidden in deep Speed 10 meters
Str 3, Agi 4, Vit 4, Int 5, Foc 3, Per 4 (1)
refuges or trapped in temporal stasis chambers.
Attack Actions
Heavy Wrench (Speed 4): 14/19/24; 1d6+0/3
Senses low-light, infrared
physical.
Awareness 13/18/23
Durability
Initiative 12/179/22
Armor 2 physical, 2 energy
Speed 10 meters
Str 7, Agi 3, Vit 7, Int 6, Foc 5, Per 5 (1 to 9 damage) q
(10+ damage) q incapacitated
Attack Actions Dodge 16/21/26
Tentacles (Speed 3, make 3 attacks): Melee; Endurance 16/21/26
11/16/21; 1d4+1/4 physical. Willpower 17/22/27
Plasma Pistol (Speed 4): Medium range; Other
12/17/22; 2d4/2d8 energy. Skills Academics 10/15/20, Computers
Compulsion (Speed 3): Close range, one target. 12/17/22, Deduction 12/17/22, Culture
The target must make a Willpower check; on fail- 13/18/23, Science 12/17/22, Vehicle:
ure, it becomes temporarily insane. Pilot 12/17/22
Special Actions Gear hardmesh uniform, heavy wrench
Mental Command (1 impulse): Close range,
one target affected by compulsion.The Hnaal
chooses which insanity effect applies to the tar-
gets next action. If the Hnaal uses this power on
a second target while another creature is already
affected, the effect ends on the first target.
Durability
Armor 3 impact, 3 energy
(1 to 6 damage) qqq
(7 to 9 damage) qqq 1 step on checks
(10 to 12 damage) qqq 2 steps on checks
(13 to 15 damage) qqq 3 steps on checks
(16+) q incapacitated
Dodge 15/20/25
Endurance 11/16/21
Willpower 15/20/25
Traits
Cloud the Mind Living creatures that begin
their turn within 50 meters of the Hnaal must
make Willpower checks. On a failure, the
creature does not see the Hnaal and is tempo-
rarily unaware of its existence.
Telepathy The Hnaal can communicate tele-
pathically with any creature it can see within
Long range. If they do not share a language, it
can only convey feelings and images.
Other
Skills Awareness 12/17/22, Command
12/17/22, Deduction 12/17/22), Engineering
11/16/21, Science 11/16/21, Stealth 13/18/23.

29
 DR. GRACE THARSI
Level 1 Human Leader
A Senior Scientist of the Icarus Foundation, Dr. Tharsi shares command of the Magellan Recovery Mission with Cap-
tain Carr of the Fraser. She is a native of Mars with specialties in life science and medicine. She is smart, ambitious, and
determined; at Icarus she worked tirelessly to gain her Exploration and Command ratings, eager to make her mark in
the annals of discovery.

STRENGTH 3 INTELLIGENCE 6 SKILLS

AGILITY 5 FOCUS 3 Name Ability Pts Skill Score
VITALITY 2 PERSONALITY 4 Academics Int
Acrobatics Agi 2 13/18/23
Move 10m Hero Points 2 Armor Training St/In
Initiative 12/17/22 Athletics Str
Awareness Foc
Laser Pistol 11/16/21, 1d6+0/6 energy, +2 steps Combat: Hand St/Ag 2 13/18/23
Unarmed 13/18/23, 1d4+0/3 physical, +2 steps +1 step bonus with martial arts
Combat: Heavy St/In
DURABILITY Combat: Energy Ag/Fo 4 11/16/21
Dmg Description Wounds +1 step bonus with pistols
13 Minor (no effect) qq
46 Light Wound (no effect) qq Combat: Firearm Ag/Fo
79 Serious Wound (1 die step) qq Combat: Melee St/Ag
1012 Major Wound (2 die step) q Combat: Primitive Ag/Fo
1315 Critical Wound (3 die step) q Command Per 3 13/18/23
16+ Incapacitated (cannot act) q
Computers Int
Culture Per
Dodge: Attacker takes 2 step penalty
Deduction Int
Armor: Resist 2 physical, 2 energy
Dodge Agi 3 12/17/22
Endurance Vit
TALENTS
Engineering Int
Dr. Tharsi is at her best with a good team around her. Shes
Entertainment Per
a skilled medic and quick-thinking leader.
Extreme Sport Agi
Quick Assessment: You can make a Command skill
Influence Per
check as a 1-impulse action.
Interview In/Pe
Tactical Command: You can take a 3-impulse action to
Mechanics Int
direct one ally of your choice within 10 meters to immedi-
Medicine Int 4 10/15/20
ately take an action of your choice (usually a move or an
Misdirection Per
attack). Your allys next action is delayed by 1 impulse.
Profession In/Pe
First Aid Expert: You can diagnose injury as a 1-impulse
Resilience Vit
action. The success level of your skill check to diagnose
Science Int 5 9/14/19
injury is the minimum success level for your ensuing treat-
+1 step bonus with life sciences
ment check.
Security Ag/In
Skirmish: When an enemy makes an attack against you
Stealth Ag/Fo
and misses, you can immediately move 2 meters.
Survival Vi/Fo
Vehicle: Driver Agi
GEAR
Vehicle: Pilot Ag/In
Hardmesh Uniform (2 physical, 2 energy)
Willpower Foc 2 15/20/25
Laser Pistol (Medium Range, 1d6+0/6 energy, +1 step
bonus to attack)
Med Scanner (+2 step bonus on diagnosis)
Med Kit (+2 step bonus on treatment, reduce wound
severity by 2/3/4 wound tiers)
Com Set, Flashlight, Datapad, Survival Pack

QUICKSTART GUIDE
 CAPTAIN VANCE CARR
Level 1 Human Leader
Easygoing and popular, Captain Carr is the commander of the drivescout Fraser, an exploration vessel in the service
of the Icarus Foundation. The Foundation believes in a shared-command philosophy under which the leader of the
embarked scientific contingent is responsible for the overall mission while the ship commander is responsible for
the safety of the ship. As a result, Captain Carr has a new co-commander for the Magellan Recovery Mission: Senior
Scientist Grace Tharsi.

STRENGTH 4 INTELLIGENCE 5 SKILLS

AGILITY 4 FOCUS 3 Name Ability Pts Skill Score
VITALITY 4 PERSONALITY 4 Academics Int
Acrobatics Agi
Move 10m Hero Points 2 Armor Training St/In
Initiative 13/18/23, +1 die step bonus Athletics Str 2 14/19/24
Awareness Foc
Plasma Pistol 11/16/21. 2d4/2d8 energy, +1 step Combat: Hand St/Ag 2 14/19/24
Unarmed 14/19/24, 1d4+0/3 physical, +1 step +1 step bonus with brawling
Combat: Heavy St/In
DURABILITY Combat: Energy Ag/Fo 5 11/16/21
Dmg Description Wounds +1 step bonus with pistols
13 Minor (no effect) qq
46 Light Wound (no effect) qq Combat: Firearm Ag/Fo
79 Serious Wound (1 die step) qq Combat: Melee St/Ag
1012 Major Wound (2 die step) qq Combat: Primitive Ag/Fo
1315 Critical Wound (3 die step) qq Command Per 1 15/20/25
16+ Incapacitated (cannot act) q
Computers Int
Culture Per
Armor: Resist 2 physical, 2 energy
Deduction Int
Dodge Agi
TALENTS
Endurance Vit 1 15/20/25
Vance Carr has an uncanny knack for improvisation and
Engineering Int 2 13/18/23
charismatic leadership.
Entertainment Per
Inspiration: When one of your allies spends a hero
Extreme Sport Agi
point, you gain a hero point (to a maximum of 2). When
Influence Per 4 12/17/22
you spend a hero point, all your allies gain a +1 die step
Interview In/Pe
bonus on their next attack roll or skill check in addition to
Mechanics Int 1 14/19/24
the benefit you gain.
Medicine Int
Resourcefulness: You gain a +2 step bonus on any check
Misdirection Per 2 14/19/24
to interact with a terrain feature and trigger its special effect.
Profession In/Pe
Fast Draw: You gain a +1 die step bonus on initiative
Resilience Vit
rolls (included above). You draw a weapon as a free action
Science Int
when you attack.
Security Ag/In
Double Tap: If you score an Excellent or better success
Stealth Ag/Fo
at Close range with your pistol, make a follow-up attack
Survival Vi/Fo
against the target as a free action.
Vehicle: Driver Agi
Vehicle: Pilot Ag/In 5 10/15/20
GEAR
Willpower Foc
Hardmesh Uniform (2 physical, 2 energy)
Plasma Pistol (Med. Range, 2d4/2d8 energy)
3 gas grenades (Athletics, 4m burst; targets must make
Endurance check or take 1d8+4 nonlethal and be nau-
seated, save each round)
Com Set, Binoculars, Survival Pack

QUICKSTART GUIDE
 ENGINEER OMARI TEMU
Level 1 Human Survivor
A former merchant spacer with a checkered past, Omari Temu won a job with the Icarus Foundation when she traded
repair work on a drivescouts balky nav system for passage out of a station where she was in trouble with the author-
ities. One mission led to another, and then another, until the Foundation HR team decided to make the position
permanent. Shes been assigned to the drivescout Fraser for six months now, working for Captain Vance Carr.

STRENGTH 4 INTELLIGENCE 5 SKILLS

AGILITY 3 FOCUS 5 Name Ability Pts Skill Score
VITALITY 4 PERSONALITY 3 Academics Int
Acrobatics Agi
Move 10m Hero Points 2 Armor Training St/In
Initiative 12/17/22 Athletics Str
Awareness Foc 1 14/19/24
Flechette Gun 10/15/20, 1d6+1/5 physical, +2 steps Combat: Hand St/Ag 4 12/17/22
Deals 2 boxes at Close range +1 die step bonus with knives
Combat Knife 12/17/22, 1d4+1/5 physical, +1 step Combat: Heavy St/In
Unarmed 12/17/22, 1d4+0/3 physical Combat: Energy Ag/Fo
Combat: Firearm Ag/Fo 5 10/15/20
DURABILITY +1 die step bonus with assault weapons
Dmg Description Wounds Combat: Melee St/Ag
13 Minor (no effect) qqq
46 Light Wound (no effect) qq Combat: Primit. Ag/Fo
79 Serious Wound (1 die step) qq Command Per
1012 Major Wound (2 die step) qq Computers Int 1 14/19/24
1315 Critical Wound (3 die step) qq Culture Per
16+ Incapacitated (cannot act) q
Deduction Int
Dodge Agi
Armor: Resist 1 physical, 3 energy
Endurance Vit
Engineering Int 5 10/15/20
TALENTS
Entertainment Per
Omari is a scrapper. Shes tough, determined, and surpris-
Extreme Sport Agi
ingly sneaky when she needs to be.
Influence Per
Iron Will: You cant become distracted in combat. Reduce
Interview In/Pe
the check penalty you take for being wounded by 1 step.
Mechanics Int 3 12/17/22
Shrug It Off: You can make Resilience checks to down-
Medicine Int
grade wounds as a 1-impulse action. You can make up to
Misdirection Per
two Resilience checks per action scene.
Profession In/Pe
Deadly Reply: When an enemy hits you with an attack, you
Resilience Vit 3 13/18/23
gain a +2 step bonus on your next attack against that enemy.
Science Int
First Strike: Add 1 to the damage you deal with any
Security Ag/In
attack you make against an enemy who hasnt acted yet
Stealth Ag/Fo 3 12/17/22
in the action scene, or an enemy who is distracted or not
Survival Vi/Fo
aware of you when you attack.
Vehicle: Driver Agi
Vehicle: Pilot Ag/In
GEAR
Willpower Foc
DuraWeb Coat (1 physical, 3 energy)
Flechette Gun (Medium, 1d6+1/5 physical, deals 2
damage at Close range, +1 step bonus to attack)
Repair Kit (+2 step bonus with Mechanics)
Datapad, Com Set, Flashlight, Survival Pack

QUICKSTART GUIDE
 SPEC. DIETER FRANK
Level 1 Human Battler
Something of a jack-of-all-trades on board Fraser, Specialist Frank is a cargo handler, mess steward, maintenance
technician, and janitor . . . and hes also the ships resident expert in heavy weapons and combat armor. Hes used to
providing security for all kinds of scientific expeditions, standing watch with a shock-rifle while happy scientists dig,
sample, catalog, or observe strange things on planets all over the galaxy. Someones got to watch their backs.

STRENGTH 6 INTELLIGENCE 3 SKILLS

AGILITY 3 FOCUS 5 Name Ability Pts Skill Bonus Armor Pen.
VITALITY 4 PERSONALITY 2 Academics Int
Acrobatics Agi -1 step
Move 8m Hero Points 2 Armor Training St/In 2 12/17/22
Initiative 12/17/22, +1 die step bonus Athletics Str -1 step
Awareness Foc
Shock Rifle 10/15/20, 1d8+1/7 energy, +1 step Combat: Hand St/Ag
Diskos 10/15/20, 1d8+3/9 physical, +1 step Combat: Heavy St/In 4 10/15/20
Unarmed 14/19/24, 1d4+0/3 physical +1 step bonus with direct fire
Combat: Energy Ag/Fo
DURABILITY Combat: Firearm Ag/Fo
Dmg Description Wounds Combat: Melee St/Ag 4 10/15/20
13 Minor (no effect) qqq
46 Light Wound (no effect) qqq +1 step bonus with energy melee
79 Serious Wound (1 die step) qq Combat: Primit. Ag/Fo
1012 Major Wound (2 die step) qq Command Per
1315 Critical Wound (3 die step) qq Computers Int
16+ Incapacitated (cannot act) q
Culture Per
Deduction Int
Armor: Resist 7 physical, 4 energy (degrade 10+)
Dodge Agi 1 16/21/26 -1 step
Endurance Vit 2 14/19/24
TALENTS
Engineering Int
Dieter can protect his allies and stand up to a great deal of
Entertainment Per
punishment.
Extreme Sport Agi -1 step
Improved Armor: Improve the damage resistance of
Influence Per
your armor by 1 (included above).
Interview In/Pe
Threat: You can choose to threaten enemies you attack
Mechanics Int 3 14/19/24
in melee or at close range. If you do, the threatened ene-
Medicine Int 2 15/20/25
mies take a 2 die step penalty to attack any of your allies
Misdirection Per
until your next action.
Profession In/Pe
Deadly Reply: When an enemy hits you with an attack,
Resilience Vit 3 13/18/23
you gain a +2 die step bonus on your next attack roll so long
Science Int
as you attack the enemy who hit you on your next action.
Security Ag/In 2 15/20/25
Shrug It Off: You can make Resilience checks to down-
Stealth Ag/Fo -1 step
grade wounds as a 1-impulse action. You can make two
Survival Vi/Fo
Resilience checks per action scene.
Vehicle: Driver Agi
Vehicle: Pilot Ag/In 2 15/20/25
GEAR
Willpower Foc
CF Plate Armor (6 physical, 3 energy; each hit of 10+
against you degrades resistance by 1)
Shock Rifle (Long, 1d8+1/7 energy, 2m burst deals -1
grade damage, Dodge negates)
Diskos (Melee, 1d8+3/9 physical)
Survival Pack, Flashlight, Repair Kit

QUICKSTART GUIDE
 ARCHEOLOGIST MILES MONTERO
Level 1 Human Striker
Scientists of the Icarus Foundation represent the best of the bestexperts in their fields who are fearless, physi-
cally fit, and morally upstanding. Miles Montero is not that kind of scientist. Hes a wildcat hunter of alien artifacts,
comfortable with black market deals and collectors who dont ask questions. But he happens to be one of the few
humans familiar with Hnaal relics, which is why Icarus paid him well to join Frasers mission to find the Magellan.

STRENGTH 4 INTELLIGENCE 5 SKILLS

AGILITY 5 FOCUS 3 Name Ability Pts Skill Score
VITALITY 3 PERSONALITY 4 Academics Int 4 11/16/21
+1 die step bonus with archeology
Move 10m Hero Points 2 Acrobatics Agi
Initiative 12/17/22 (+3 die step bonus) Armor Training St/In
Athletics Str
Laser Pistol 10/15/20, 1d6+0/6 energy, +2 steps Awareness Foc
Unarmed 15/20/25, 1d4+0/3 physical Combat: Hand St/Ag
Combat: Heavy St/In
DURABILITY Combat: Energy Ag/Fo 5 10/15/20
Dmg Description Wounds +1 die step bonus with pistols
13 Minor (no effect) qq
4-6 Light Wound (no effect) qq Combat: Firearm Ag/Fo 4
7-9 Serious Wound (1 die step) qq +1 die step bonus with pistols
10-12 Major Wound (2 die step) q Combat: Melee St/Ag
1315 Critical Wound (3 die step) q Combat: Primitive Ag/Fo
16+ Incapacitated (cannot act) q
Command Per
Computers Int
Armor: Resist 1 physical, 3 energy
Culture Per
Deduction Int
TALENTS
Dodge Agi 3 12/17/22
Miles wins fights by shooting first and shooting often.
Endurance Vit
Expert Dodge: When you Dodge while taking an action,
Engineering Int
increase the penalty to enemy attacks by 1 step. (Your
Entertainment Per
Dodge is worth 3 die steps when this talent is included.)
Extreme Sport Agi 3 12/17/22
Fast Draw: You gain a +1 die step bonus on initiative
Influence Per
rolls (included above). You can draw a weapon as a free
Interview In/Pe 2 14/19/24
action when you attack.
Mechanics Int
Dual Pistols: When you are armed with two pistols, you
Medicine Int
can shoot with each pistol when you attack. Both shots
Misdirection Per
suffer a 1 step attack penalty (or 2 steps if you shoot at
Profession In/Pe
two different targets).
Resilience Vit
Skirmish: When an enemy makes an attack against
Science Int
you and misses, you can immediately move 2 meters as a
Security Ag/In 3 12/17/22
free action.
Stealth Ag/Fo
Survival Vi/Fo
GEAR
Vehicle: Driver Agi
DuraWeb Coat (1 physical, 3 energy)
Vehicle: Pilot Ag/In 1 14/19/24
2 Laser Pistols (Long Range, 1d6+0/6 energy, +1 step
Willpower Foc
bonus to attack)
Geoscanner (Close Range, find buried objects)
Belt Jets (jump 30 meters as micro action)
Com Unit, Survival Pack, Flashlight

QUICKSTART GUIDE
 AGENT MASAKO WADE
Level 1 Human Survivor
Agent Wade is the only person on board Fraser not directly employed by the Icarus Foundation. She serves in the
National Investigative Service of the Stellar Union. Shes been assigned to investigate the presumed destruction of
the driveship Magellan and determine whether some entity hostile to humanity was responsible. Agent Wade has
broad authority to compel aid from Icarus Foundation employees . . . but Fraser isnt her ship, and she isnt in charge.

STRENGTH 5 INTELLIGENCE 4 SKILLS

AGILITY 2 FOCUS 6 Name Ability Pts Skill Score
VITALITY 3 PERSONALITY 3 Academics Int
Acrobatics Agi
Hero Points 2 Armor Training St/In
Initiative 12/17/22 Athletics Str 1 14/19/24
Awareness Foc 3 11/16/21
Heavy Pistol +10, 1d8+1/6 physical, +1 step Combat: Hand St/Ag 5 10/15/20
Shock Glove +10, 1d6+2/3 energy and stun +1 step bonus with martial arts
Unarmed +10, 1d4+0/3 physical, +1 step Combat: Heavy St/In
Combat: Energy Ag/Fo 4 10/15/20
DURABILITY +1 step bonus with pistols
Dmg Description Wounds Combat: Firearm Ag/Fo
13 Minor (no effect) qq
46 Light Wound (no effect) qq Combat: Melee St/Ag
79 Serious Wound (1 die step) qq Combat: Primitive Ag/Fo
1012 Major Wound (2 die step) qq Command Per
1315 Critical Wound (3 die step) qq Computers Int
16+ Incapacitated (cannot act) q
Culture Per
Deduction Int 2 14/19/24
Armor: Resist 2 physical, 2 energy
Dodge Agi
Endurance Vit
TALENTS
Engineering Int
Masako is skilled with small arms and martial arts tech-
Entertainment Per
niques for taking down dangerous criminals fast.
Extreme Sport Agi
Defensive Stance: If you have cover against an attack,
Influence Per
increase the penalty to the attackers attack roll by 1 step.
Interview In/Pe 3 13/18/23
Martial Artist: Enemies attacking you hand-to-hand
Mechanics Int
or with melee weapon suffer a 2 step penalty to their
Medicine Int
attack rolls. You gain a +1 step bonus to attack anyone who
Misdirection Per
doesnt have a hand-to-hand skill.
Profession: Police In/Pe 1 15/20/15
Pistol Expert: Add 1 to the damage you deal when you
Resilience Vit 2 15/20/25
attack with a pistol (included above).
Science Int
Shrug It Off: You can make Resilience checks to down-
Security Ag/In 2 14/19/24
grade wounds as a 1-impulse action. You can make up
Stealth Ag/Fo
to two Resilience checks to downgrade a wound per
Survival Vi/Fo 2 12/17/22
action scene.
Vehicle: Driver Agi
Vehicle: Pilot Ag/In
GEAR
Willpower Foc
Hardmesh Uniform (2 physical, 2 energy)
Heavy Pistol (Medium Range, 1d8+1/6 physical, 1 step
accuracy penalty)
Shock Glove (1d6+2/3 energy, target must make
Endurance check or be stunned)
Datapad with Chem Analysis Probe, Com Unit, Survival
Pack, Flashlight, 2 sets of restraints

QUICKSTART GUIDE
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