Bulletproof Blues 2e FR:Actions

Nous arrivons maintenant à la partie la plus compliquée de Bulletproof Blues : l'action ! Il y a beaucoup de règles dans ce chapitre car nous avons essayé de gérer les actions les plus courantes qu'un personnage pourrait entreprendre. Toutefois, ce n'est pas parce que nous l'avons écrite que vous avez l'obligation d'utiliser une règle, et vous ne devez pas hésiter à utiliser votre propre jugement si surgit une situation que nous n'avons pas anticipée. Vous devriez traiter ces règles comme des exemples, pas comme des restrictions à votre sens du fun et du fair-play.

N'utilisez pas les règles à moins que ça ne soit nécessaire.

Si vous pouvez jouer agréablement à Bulletproof Blues sans vous référer à ces règles, allez de l'avant. Utiliser votre meilleur jugement est souvent une solution préférable à tenter de trouver la règle qui s'applique à une situation spécifique. Rappelez-vous que c'est le choix des joueurs, pas les lancers de dés, qui guide le jeu.

Temps et Distances

Temps

Le temps est important. Sans une manière quelconque d'en garder la trace, tout se déroulerait au même instant, et ce cela créerait énormément de confusion.

Dans le jeu, le temps est en général divisé en scènes. Une scène débute habituellement quand les personnages arrivent à un endroit particulier, et se termine quand ils en partent. Une scène pourrait aussi être une période de temps pendant laquelle les personnages sont ensemble et se déplacent vers une destination. Dans certains cas, une scène peut même se terminer alors que les personnages ne se sont pas du tout déplacés -- par exemple, parce qu'ils s'endorment -- ou quand un combat se termine et que les héros entreprennent de négocier leurs projets immédiats. N'importe quelle période qui vous paraîtrait appropriée pour "une page de pub" ou "faire démarrer un nouveau chapitre" est un bon moment pour terminer une scène et en commencer une autre.

Si les personnages sont en combat ou une autre situation tendue, le temps paraît ralentir. Chaque décision prend une plus grande importance. Un concepteur de jeux vidéos du début des années 2000 pourrait appeler cela "bullet time", mais nous l'appelons simplement temps de combat.

Le temps de combat est divisé en rounds. Un round de combat dure, plus ou moins, six secondes, ce qui nous donne dix rounds par minute. Dans un round, chaque personnage à un tour. Durant son tour, un personnage peut se déplacer d'une distance maximale égale à son mouvement de base (en général en marchant) et avoir encore le temps de faire quelque chose d'utile (tel que réaliser une attaque ou utiliser une compétence), il peut, de plus, échanger quelque raillerie ou bavardage avec ses coéquipiers ou quelqu'un de proche (cracher, par exemple, à ses sbires : "fuyez, bande d'idiots !"). Nous baptisons ces actions, respectivement : "actions de déplacement", "actions concrète" et "actions de roleplay". Un personnage peut réaliser une action concrète avant ou après de se déplacer, mais il ne peut en général pas briser son mouvement pour insérer une action concrète au milieu de celui-ci.

Exemple :

Round 1	Tour de Blueshift Tour de Ganyeka Tour de Monolith Tour des sbires de Ganyeka
Round 2	Tour de Blueshift Tour de Ganyeka Tour de Monolith Tour des sbires de Ganyeka
Round 3	Tour de Blueshift Tour de Ganyeka Tour de Monolith Tour des sbires de Ganyeka

Tableau de Référence

Nous avons assigné des nombres aux capacités des personnages pour que nous puissions savoir ce qu'ils pouvaient faire. Personne ne veut avoir à deviner ce qu'un PJ peut soulever et à quelle vitesse il peut voler. Vous noterez que la relation entre un rang et le suivant n'est pas constante. Pour les rangs les plus faibles, chaque rang est globalement le double de la valeur du rang précédent, tandis que pour les plus élevés, ils sont huit fois plus grands. Entre les deux les rangs sont plus ou moins le quadruple de ceux qui les précèdent. Cette variation est intentionnelle, afin d'offrir une plus grande variété aux personnages de niveau "humain", tout en permettant une puissance réellement extraordinaire aux rangs les plus hauts. Tous les nombres de ce tableau sont approximatifs : ne vous préoccupez pas d'imprécisions aux limites entre une valeur et la suivante. Si vous avez un doute, tranchez à l'avantage des joueurs.

Les distances de déplacement dans ce tableau sont valables pour les pouvoirs, comme Vol, Super-course, et Téléportation. Si le personnage ne peut utiliser que ses formes de déplacements naturelles (courir, nager et sauter), alors les distances applicables pour celles-ci sont basées sur leur Agilité et leur Vigueur. Voir Déplacements pour plus d'informations.

Tableau : Tableau de Référence

Rang	Casse	Soulève	Lance (25 kg)	Affecte (rayon ou portée)	Mouvement de Base	Double Mouvement	Mouvement Intégral
					Par Round	Par Round	Par Round	KPH
1	Carton	50 kg	2 mètres	15 mètres	15 mètres	30 mètres	90 mètres	60 kph
2	Plastique	100 kg	4 mètres	30 mètres	30 mètres	60 mètres	180 mètres	120 kph
3	Bois	200 kg	8 mètres	125 mètres	125 mètres	250 mètres	750 mètres	500 kph
4	Os	400 kg	16 mètres	500 mètres	500 mètres	1 000 mètres	3 000 mètres	1 000 kph
5	Brique	2 tonnes	60 mètres	2 kilomètres	2 kilomètres	4 kilomètres	12 kilomètres	7 000 kph
6	Béton	7 tonnes	250 mètres	8 kilomètres	8 kilomètres	16 kilomètres	48 kilomètres	30 000 kph
7	Pierre	30 tonnes	1 kilomètre	30 kilomètres	30 kilomètres	60 kilomètres	180 kilomètres	100 000 kph
8	Céramique	100 tonnes	4 kilomètres	125 kilomètres	125 kilomètres	250 kilomètres	750 kilomètres	400 000 kph
9	Acier	400 tonnes	12 kilomètres	500 kilomètres	500 kilomètres	1 000 kilomètres	3 000 kilomètres	2 000 000 kph
10	Diamant	2 000 tonnes	60 kilomètres	2 000 kilomètres	2 000 kilomètres	4 000 kilomètres	12 000 kilomètres	7 000 000 kph
11	Nanodiamant	10 000 tonnes	500 kilomètres	15 000 kilomètres	15 000 kilomètres	30 000 kilomètres	90 000 kilomètres	60 000 000 kph
12	Stanlium	100 000 tonnes	5 000 kilomètres	125 000 kilomètres	125 000 kilomètres	250 000 kilomètres	750 000 kilomètres	500 000 000 kph
13	Siegelite	1 000 000 tonnes	40 000 kilomètres	1 000 000 kilomètres	1 000 000 kilomètres	2 000 000 kilomètres	6 000 000 kilomètres	0.9 c
14	Kirbium	10 000 000 tonnes	320 000 kilomètres	10 000 000 kilomètres	10 000 000 kilomètres	20 000 000 kilomètres	60 000 000 kilomètres	0.99 c

1. "Casse" indique la substance la plus solide que le personnage serait capable de briser dans des circonstances normales. L'épaisseur des matériaux et autres facteurs peuvent faire de cela une estimation au jugé, au mieux.
2. "Soulève" indique le plus grand poids qu'un personnage peut soulever en "épaulé-jeté" (prendre et lever au-dessus de sa tête). Une personne supportant un tel poids n'est capable au mieux que de faire un ou deux pas par round. Les personnages peuvent bouger normalement tout en portant un poids correspondant à un rang de moins que leurs Vigueurs. Par Exemple, avec une Vigueur de 8, ils peuvent porter jusqu'à 30 tonnes et ne souffrir en le faisant d'aucune pénalité à leurs déplacements.
3. "Lance (25 kg)" indique la plus longue distance à laquelle un personnage peut lancer un objet compact pesant 25 kg. Afin de déterminer à quelle distance il peut projeter des objets plus lourds, soustrayez le rang de Vigueur nécessaire pour soulever l'objet du rang total de Vigueur du personnage. Prenez cette différence et lisez le résultat dans la colonne "Rang", cela vous indiquera la distance que vous recherchez. Par exemple, un personnage avec Vigueur 4 (le summum du potentiel humain) pourrait lancer un objet pesant 50 kg (tel qu'un humain svelte et coopératif – 50 kg représente Vigueur 1) à une distance de 8 mètres.
4. "Affecte (rayon ou portée)" indique le rayon autour du personnage qu'il peut affecter avec ses pouvoirs dans le cas où ceux-ci ont une zone d'effet, ou alors la portée maximum applicable s'ils affectent une seule cible. Par exemple Maîtrise [Élémentaire] peut déplacer et manipuler l'élément choisi à l'intérieur de la zone d'effet et peut utiliser cet élément pour infliger des dégâts directs à une cible jusqu'aux limites de cette même distance. L'élément "rayon" n'est pas utilisé en tant que tel par les pouvoirs qui infligent des dégâts directement à moins qu'ils aient été acquis avec le Renfort Dégâts Explosifs.

Hors Limites

Manifestement, il y a des valeurs qui sont loin au-delà ou en deçà de ce que prend en compte le tableau. La Lune, avec une masse d'approximativement 8.1 x 10¹⁹ tonnes, pèse bien plus que ce qu'un personnage avec même Vigueur 14 pourrait déplacer. À l'inverse un bébé ou un chat ont clairement une Vigueur inférieure à 1. Ne vous en inquiétez pas. Pour de telles extrêmes, le MJ devrait juste utiliser son meilleur jugement, et les joueurs se contenter de suivre le mouvement.

ENCADRÉ : Combien Cela Pèse-t-il ?

Tableau : Poids des Objets

Objet	Poids	Vigueur ou Rang de Pouvoir (pour soulever)
tortue imbriquée, grand chien, adulte mince	45 kg	1
adulte typique, petit coffre-fort	90 kg	2
adulte lourd, réfrigérateur	130 kg	3
coffre-fort pour armes, moto de course	180 kg	3
dauphin, lion	225 kg	4
tigre, motocycle, coffre-fort moyen, un Twinkie de 35 pieds de long	275 kg	4
grizzly, motocyclette grand tourisme	400 kg	4
vache, cheval, bateau à voile	600 kg	5
petit hélicoptère civil	700 kg	5
voiture compacte	900 kg	5
missile à portée intermédiaire	1 100 kg	5
hippopotame, berline	1 800 kg	5
Humvee, petit hélicoptère militaire	3 tonnes	6
Humvee blindé	4.5 tonnes	6
éléphant, camion-benne vide	6 tonnes	6
avion chasseur de combat léger	8 tonnes	7
tracteur routier à vide, gros hélicoptère militaire	10 tons	7
avion chasseur de combat	15 tonnes	7
missile Polaris, cargaison internationale de marijuana	20 tons	7
camion-benne chargé	25 tonnes	7
jet d'affaires, wagon vide	30 tonnes	7
tracteur routier plus ensemble chargé, avion-cargo C-130 vide	40 tonnes	8
tête en pierre de l'Île de Paques, coffre de banque, camion-citerne chargé	50 tonnes	8
tank M1 Abrams, missile Trident, maison suburbaine	60 tonnes	8
avion-cargo C-130 chargé	85 tonnes	8
baleine bleue	100 tonnes	8
wagon chargé	140 tonnes	9
locomotive, bateau de pêche	200 tonnes	9
avion de passagers 747 vide	300 tons	9
train typique	400 tonnes	9
avion de passagers 747 chargé	450 tonnes	10
Navette Spatiale	2 200 tonnes	10
train de passagers, vedette des Gardes Cotes (USCGC)	3 000 tonnes	11
fusée Saturn V	3 300 tonnes	11
Tour Eiffel	7 000 tonnes	11
train de fret	8 000 tonnes	11
contre-torpilleur, sous-marin nucléaire	9 000 tonnes	11
immeuble de 10 étages	10 000 tonnes	11
Pont de Brooklyn	15 000 tonnes	12
long train de fret	16 000 tonnes	12
grand sous-marin nucléaire	20 000 tonnes	12
porte-avions	90 000 tonnes	12
navire-citerne chargé	120 000 tonnes	13
navire de croisière	140 000 tonnes	13
grand navire-citerne chargé, grand immeuble de bureaux	200 000 tonnes	13
Empire State Building, pétrolier Ultra Large Crude Carrier (pétrolier transporteur de brut ultra grand) vide	400 000 tonnes	13
Ben Franklin Bridge, pétrolier Ultra Large Crude Carrier chargé	700 000 tonnes	13
Golden Gate Bridge	900 000 tonnes	13
gratte-ciel colossal	1 000 000 tonnes	13
Grande Pyramide de Gizeh	6 000 000 tonnes	14
Mont Everest	180 000 000 000 tonnes	--

ENCADRÉ : À Quelle Vitesse Cela Va-t-il ?

Tableau : Vitesse des Objets

Objet	Vitesse	Rang d'Agilité	Rang de Pouvoir
course humaine moyenne	20 kph	2	1
course humaine maximum	40 kph	4	1
sous-marin rapide	80 kph	8	2
oiseau rapide, guépard, espadon voilier	120 kph	11	2
voiture rapide	320 kph	--	3
hélicoptère rapide	400 kph	--	3
vent de tornade Force 5	480 kph	--	3
vélocité terminale	526 kph	--	4
train à grande vitesse	560 kph	--	4
aéronef	800 kph	--	4
balle de pistolet	1 100 kph	--	4
son	1 200 kph	--	4
avion supersonique	1 900 kph	--	5
balle de fusil	3 100 kph	--	5
superjet	10 000 kph	--	6
vitesse de libération	40 000 kph	--	7
fusée	48 000 kph	--	7
vents solaires	480 000 kph	--	8
vitesses interplanétaires	5 000 000 kph	--	10
lumière	1 079 252 850 kph	--	14

Déplacements

En un round, un personnage peut normalement se déplacer en marchant sur une distance égale à trois fois son Agilité en mètres et avoir encore le temps d'entreprendre une action (une attaque par exemple). Ceci correspond à la vitesse de base du personnage. La vitesse de course d'un PJ est le double de sa vitesse de marche, et son allure de sprint est six fois cette même vitesse de marche.

Si le personnage n'a accès qu'à des modes de déplacement naturels (course, nage et saut), alors les distances qu'il couvre lors de ses déplacements sont basées sur ses valeurs d'Agilité et de Vigueur. Les distances de déplacement accordées par des pouvoirs comme Super Sprint, Filin, et Téléportation, sont notablement supérieures. Consultez le Tableau de Référence pour plus d'informations.

Tableau : Déplacement Normal au Sol

Agilité	Marche (mouvement de base)	Course (double movement)	Sprint (mouvement intégral)
	mètres/round	mètres/round	mètres/round	KPH
1	3	6	18	11
2	6	12	36	22
3	9	18	54	32
4	12	24	72	43
5	15	30	90	54
6	18	36	108	65
7	21	42	126	76
8	24	48	144	86
9	27	54	162	97
10	30	60	180	108
11	33	66	198	119
12	36	72	216	130
13	39	78	234	140
14	42	84	252	151

En nageant, la vitesse de base d'un personnage est égale à deux tiers de son Agilité en mètres. La natation peut être utilisée en mode de "course" (c'est-à-dire pour doubler le mouvement de base) ou de sprint (en mouvement intégral) mais ça n'est pas possible en sautant. La distance de saut en longueur sans élan d'un individu est égale à sa Vigueur, en mètres. Avec élan néanmoins, le déplacement au sol du personnage s'ajoute à sa distance de saut.

Tableau : Déplacement Aquatique Normal

Agilité	Nage (mouvement de base)	Nage rapide (double mouvement)	Sprint (mouvement intégral)
	mètres/round	mètres/round	mètres/round	KPH
1	1	2	6	4
2	1	2	6	4
3	2	4	12	7
4	3	6	18	11
5	3	6	18	11
6	4	8	24	14
7	5	10	30	18
8	5	10	30	18
9	6	12	36	22
10	7	14	42	25
11	7	14	42	25
12	8	16	48	29
13	9	18	54	32
14	9	18	54	32

Tableau : Distance de Saut

Vigueur	Saut en longueur (mètres)
1	1
2	2
3	3
4	4
5	5
6	6
7	7
8	8
9	9
10	10
11	11
12	12
13	13
14	14

Si le personnage court ou sprinte, il peut couvrir plus de terrain, mais il lui devient plus difficile d'utiliser ses compétences et ses attaques sont plus faciles à éviter. Un personnage qui court ou réalise un double mouvement subit un modificateur de difficulté de +3 à n'importe quelle attaque ou test. Un personnage qui sprinte ou réalise un mouvement intégral subit un modificateur de difficulté de +6 à ses attaques ou ses tests. Les pouvoirs de déplacement, comme Super Nage et Téléportation, entraînent les mêmes modificateurs quand ils sont utilisés pour "courir" (réaliser un double mouvement) ou "sprinter" (faire un mouvement intégral). Voir Jeter les Dés pour plus d'informations sur les tests et les modificateurs de difficulté.

Un personnage utilisant ses modes de déplacement naturels (basés sur l'Agilité) peut faire usage de son mouvement intégral pendant un maximum d'une minute, mais par la suite, il ne pourra pas aller plus rapidement que sa vitesse de base pour une durée dix fois plus longue que celle durant laquelle il aura eut recours au sprint. Par conséquent, un personnage qui a sprinté pendant trois rounds (18 secondes) ne peut plus courir ou sprinter durant les trente rounds (180 secondes) qui suivent. Cette limitation ne s'applique pas aux personnages qui utilisent un pouvoir de déplacement comme Super Sprint ou Super Nage. Lorsqu'ils utilisent des pouvoirs de déplacement, les personnages peuvent utiliser leur mouvement intégral sans avoir besoin de se reposer par la suite.

Notez que si un héros possède un pouvoir qui augmente sa vitesse de déplacement, tel que Super Sprint ou Super Sauts, alors il se déplacera à la vitesse déterminée par ce pouvoir plutôt qu'à celle accordée par son Agilité ou sa Vigueur. Super Sprint ne s'ajoute pas à la vitesse de déplacement naturelle (basée sur l'Agilité) au sol du personnage.

Portée Effective

Les armes et les pouvoirs efficaces à distance ont une portée utile basée sur le rang du pouvoir. Cette distance se trouve dans le Tableau de Référence dans la colonne "Affecte". Par exemple, une Rafale rang 7 a une portée efficace de 30 kilomètres. Attaquer des cibles a des portées supérieures est plus difficile ou impossible (à la discrétion du MJ). Si le MJ tranche en affirmant que cette attaque est possible, le défenseur gagne un modificateur de difficulté de +3 (ou bonus défensif) pour chaque rang d'écart entre la distance le séparant de son adversaire et la portée effective de l'attaque.

Par exemple, si un personnage était l'objet d'une attaque par quelqu'un se trouvant à 500 mètres de distance (portée effective 4), et que l'attaquant utilisait un pistolet (qui, avec une portée effective de 3, n'est normalement utile que jusqu'à 125 mètres), alors, il bénéficierait d'un bonus défensif de +3. Consultez Jeter les Dés pour plus d'informations sur les tests et les modificateurs de difficulté.

Actions

Il existe quatre types d'actions qu'un personnage peut réaliser lorsque c'est son tour d'agir durant un round : les actions libres, les actions de déplacement, les actions concrètes, et les actions de roleplay. Dans des circonstances normales, un personnage peut exécuter une action de déplacement et une action concrète pendant son tour. De plus, le personnage a droit à autant d'actions libres et d'actions de roleplay que le MJ considère comme raisonnable.

Quand un personnage est en dehors de son tour, il peut tout de même réagir aux événements autour de lui ou elle. Les réactions peuvent être tentées à n'importe quel moment et autant de fois que le MJ le pense pertinent.

Action Libre

Une action libre ne prend fondamentalement pas de temps. Même si un personnage ne peut pas réaliser d'action libre jusqu'à ce que ce soit son tour d'agir dans le round, pendant son tour il peut faire toutes les actions libres que le MJ considère comme raisonnables (peut-être jusqu'à une demi-douzaine). Des actions libres typiques seraient : activer un pouvoir (mais pas attaquer avec lui), désactiver un pouvoir, laisser tomber une arme, s'accroupir pour se mettre a couvert, et ainsi de suite.

Action de Déplacement

Avec une action de déplacement, un personnage peut se relever d'une posture au sol ou assise, il peut se déplacer de la distance accordée par son rang d'Agilité et/ou de Vigueur (selon qu'il coure, nage, saute ou coure puis saute), ou il peut utiliser un pouvoir de déplacement pour se transporter sur la distance maximum autorisée par le rang de ce pouvoir. Avec la permission du MJ, le personnage peut, à la place, réaliser une action équivalente : ouvrir un coffre de banque, visser une ampoule, ou n'importe quoi d'autre.

Les déplacements ne demandent en général pas de test, quoique le MJ puisse demander un test d'Athlétisme s'il existe un obstacle quelconque à la liberté de mouvement du personnage (des distractions, des intempéries, des blessures, etc.).

Action Concrète

Avec une action concrète, le personnage peut tenter de réaliser une tâche. Cela pourrait être un test de compétence, essayer d'attaquer un ennemi en combat, activer un pouvoir et attaquer quelqu'un avec, ou une autre activité similaire. Dans des circonstances normales, un PJ peut accomplir une action concrète avant ou après une action de déplacement, mais pas pendant celle-ci.

Action de Roleplay

Comme une action libre, une action de roleplay ne prend globalement pas de temps. Pendant son tour, le personnage peut réaliser autant d'actions de roleplay que le MJ trouve raisonnable (peut-être jusqu'à une demi-douzaine). Des actions typiques de roleplay seraient : plaisanter avec ses coéquipiers, se moquer du nom ou du costume d'un ennemi, ou déclarer qu'un adversaire "ne passera pas par là".

À la différence des actions libres, un personnage peut en général réaliser des actions de roleplay n'importe quand, que ce soit son tour d'agir ou pas. Bulletproof Blues fait de l'interprétation des personnages une action explicite durant le combat afin d'encourager les joueurs au roleplay. Dans le feu du combat, il peut être facile d'oublier qu'interpréter le rôle de son personnage est une part essentielle du jeu.

Réaction

Les réactions sont en général des réponses à une action d'un autre personnage, et elles sont habituellement réalisées à la demande du MJ. Par exemple, si un personnage est frappé par une attaque stupéfiante, il devra réaliser un test de Volonté pour ne pas être stupéfait. Un personnage peut utiliser des réactions n'importe quand, et aussi souvent que le MJ juge raisonnable.

Jeter les Dés

Lorsqu'un personnage est confronté à un test, et que le résultat est soit contesté soit qu'il se trouve face à quelque élément dont il ne contrôle pas la nature, le joueur lance 2d6, les additionnent, et ajoute ce résultat à l'attribut approprié de son personnage. Ce jet de dé total est comparé à une valeur numérique de difficulté fixée par le MJ. La tentative réussit si le jet total du joueur excède ou égale la difficulté affectée à la tâche.

Test sans Opposition

Les tests sans opposition comprennent toutes ces actions pour lesquelles personne ne s'oppose activement à ce que le personnage tente de faire. Lorsque l'on tente un test sans opposition, le MJ fixe tout simplement une difficulté à ce test. Les tests plus difficiles ont un seuil de difficulté plus élevé. La tentative est une réussite si le jet total du joueur égale ou excède la difficulté du test.

Les tests faciles ne demandent pas de jet de dés du tout : si un personnage dispose d'une quelconque compétence en rapport avec un test facile, alors il réussit ce test. De manière similaire, les tests routiniers ne devraient que rarement demander un jet, à moins qu'il y ait un besoin dramatique pour celui-ci. Dans la majorité des cas, si le MJ demande au joueur de lancer des dés pour réaliser une action avec succès, c'est parce qu'il a estimé que la difficulté de cette action était "stimulante". Les tests stimulants exigent un jet pour être résolus et leur seuil de difficulté est de 12. Des tests plus difficiles ont un seuil de difficulté plus élevé, demandant également un jet supérieur pour réaliser l'action avec succès. Si la difficulté du test excède l'attribut approprié du personnage (bonus inclus) de plus de 12, cette tâche est tout simplement un problème à résoudre supérieur à ses capacités.

Tableau : Exemples de Difficultés

Difficulté du test		Exemples
--	Facile	Faire fonctionner des machines simples
9	Routine	Comprendre et modifier des machines simples, faire fonctionner de la technologie actuelle
12	Stimulant	Comprendre et modifier la technologie actuelle, faire fonctionner de la technologie avancée
15	Exigeant	Concevoir et construire la technologie actuelle, comprendre et modifier la technologie avancée
18	Frustrant	Concevoir et construire la technologie avancée, faire fonctionner de la technologie avancée extra-terrestre
21	Presque Impossible	Comprendre et modifier la technologie avancée extra-terrestre

Test en Opposition

Les tests en oppositions sont les cas où un personnage est en compétition active avec un adversaire quel qu'il soit. C'est souvent le cas en combat, mais parfois cela peut être non-violent. Par exemple, un hacker peut tenter de pénétrer un système informatique, tandis que l'administrateur système peut essayer de l'en empêcher et de le localiser. La personne qui est à l'origine du conflit lance les dés, et l'attaque réussit si le jet de l'agresseur égale ou excède le seuil de difficulté.

En cas de test en opposition, la difficulté du test est égale à 8 plus l'attribut approprié du défenseur.

Si les circonstances du conflit favorisent une partie ou l'autre, l'adversaire avec l'avantage circonstanciel reçoit un bonus. Une situation qui favorise l'attaquant accorde un bonus au test (souvent appelé "bonus martial" quand le conflit est violent). Une situation qui favorise le défenseur impose un modificateur de difficulté (généralement appelé "bonus défensif" si le conflit est guerrier).

De manière générale, ne s'appliquent que le meilleur des bonus aux tests et le modificateur de difficulté le plus important.

Par exemple, si l'attaquant est invisible (ce qui normalement accorde un bonus de +3 au test) et si la cible de l'attaque est surprise (ce qui, dans des circonstances standards donne +3 au test), l'attaquant gagnerait un bonus de +3, pas de +6. De manière équivalente, si un agresseur sprintait (ce qui impose normalement un modificateur de difficulté de +6) et que le défenseur sprintait également (imposant en situation normale un modificateur de difficulté de +3), cela donnerait au total un modificateur final de difficulté de +6, pas de +9.

Tableau : Bonus aux Tests

Bonus martial	Circonstances
+0	Le défenseur marche (vitesse de mouvement de base)
+1	Le défenseur est "au sol" ; l'attaquant est adjacent ou au corps à corps
+3	Le défenseur ne peut pas voir l'agresseur
+3	Le défenseur est entravé
+3	Le défenseur est surpris
+6	Le défenseur est complètement aveugle
+6	Le défenseur est inconscient ou sans défense

Tableau : Modificateurs de Difficultés

Bonus défensif	Circonstances
+0	L'attaquant marche (vitesse de mouvement de base)
+1	Le défenseur a une couverture partielle
+1	Le défenseur est "au sol" ; l'attaquant n'est pas adjacent et utilise une attaque à distance
+3	L'attaquant ne peut pas voir le défenseur
+3	L'attaquant est entravé
+3	L'attaquant court (mouvement de base x2)
+3	Le défenseur sprinte (mouvement de base x6)
+3	Attaquer un objet tenu
+6	L'attaquant est complètement aveugle
+6	L'attaquant sprinte (mouvement de base x6)

Tests Étendus

Certaines tâches sont plus complexes et demandent plus de temps que ce qui peut raisonnablement être résolu par un seul test. Par exemple, la construction d'un navire interstellaire, ou une course-poursuite à travers la métropole seraient des tests étendus. Lorsque l'on se tente à un test étendu, le MJ définit la difficulté du test et le nombre requis de succès pour sa réussite. Il peut également fixer un nombre d'essais maximum afin de préciser les tâches qui ont des limites de temps ou imposent des pénalités en cas d'échec, telle que qu'une tentative pour désarmer une bombe avant qu'elle n'explose. Si, lors d'un test étendu, un personnage, obtient un succès extrême, cela compte comme deux succès vis-à-vis du total nécessaire. Dans le cas de tests étendus en opposition, comme une compétition entre des scientifiques rivaux afin de découvrir un remède pour une maladie, la première personne ou équipe qui obtient le nombre requis de succès a réussi le test.

Certains tests étendus peuvent bénéficier d'une approche multidisciplinaire. Par exemple, désamorcer une arme apocalyptique extraterrestre demanderait certainement une expertise en ingénierie, mais une bonne compréhension de la psychologie extraterrestre et de la linguistique pourraient aussi êtres utiles. Ce genre de cas permet à des personnages avec des compétences diverses de combiner leurs efforts pour accomplir la même tâche.

Échec

Ne pas réussir un test, particulièrement un test de compétence, n'est pas la fin du monde. Une tentative manquée peut ne pas donner au personnage le résultat qu'il espérait, mais cela ne devrait pas signifier que la partie doive s'arrêter. Plutôt que d'interpréter un test raté comme une impasse, cela devrait impliquer que l'objectif visé a un coût supérieur, ou peut-être, que le résultat souhaité entraîne des effets secondaires indésirables. Rappelez-vous que le succès et l'échec sont deux voies vers le même objectif : rendre le jeu plus fun. Échouer est acceptable. S'ennuyer ne l'est pas.

L'échec ne devrait jamais rendre le jeu moins intéressant.

Par exemple, Grimknight essaye d'intimider un technicien de bas niveau d'ASGARD afin qu'il révèle des détails sur les plans de l'organisation pour distribuer un nouveau composé chimique psychoactif hautement addictif en le faisant passer pour une boisson énergisante. Le MJ fixe la difficulté du test à 12, mais le joueur de Grimknight obtient un 9. Plutôt que de clore abruptement cette piste là-dessus, le MJ a plusieurs options.

• Donnant-donnant : Le technicien va donner l'information à Grimknight, mais seulement si celui-ci lui donne quelque chose en échange. Cela pourrait être quelque chose d'aussi prosaïque que de l'argent, mais avec un opérationnel d'ASGARD le prix a plus de chance d'être quelque chose de rare ou d'unique, comme les plans pour un projet expérimental ou un échantillon de l'ADN de Grimknight.
• Fausse piste : Le technicien dit à Grimknight ce que celui-ci veut entendre, mais l'information n'est pas vraie, où elle envoie Grimknight à la chasse au dahu. Si le technicien est malin, il pourrait aiguiller le héros contre une cellule locale d'Aegis qui a causé des problèmes à ASGARD.
• Attiser le feu : Grimknight obtient les informations qu'il désire mais ses activités attirent l'attention. Une organisation rivale, la Société de la Lune de Jade, apprend l'existence de la boisson énergisante psychoactive d'ASGARD du fait des actions de Grimknight et elle tente de le prendre de vitesse. Alternativement, la Lune de Jade pourrait utiliser le héros comme un leurre, permettant à ASGARD et Grimknight de s'affronter afin qu'il soit plus facile pour la Société de voler le butin du vainqueur.
• Alerter l'ennemi : Grimknight obtient l'information recherchée mais ASGARD apprend son intérêt pour leurs activités et ils commencent à faire des préparatifs pour le recevoir. Il se pourrait même que, depuis le début, ce technicien se soit délibérément laissé capturer en vue d'une embuscade planifiée !

Prendre la Moyenne

Si le personnage n'est soumis à aucune pression et qu'il n'y a, soit pas de pénalité en cas d'échec, soit pas de limite de temps, alors le joueur peut choisir de "prendre la moyenne" plutôt que de jeter les dés. En pratique, il considère que son jet est moyen : 7. Si le joueur choisit de prendre la moyenne, le personnage n'obtiendra pas de succès extrême, quelle que soit la difficulté.

Notez que les tests en opposition -- que ce soit en combat physique (comme un échange de tirs), lors d'une lutte psychique (telle qu'une bataille de volonté), ou dans le cadre d'un conflit social (comme un litige conjugal à la cour) -- impliquent, en général, à la fois une limite de temps et une pénalité en cas d'échec, en conséquence de quoi, prendre la moyenne n'est pas une option.

Prendre le Max

Si le personnage n'est soumis à aucune pression, qu'il n'y a pas de pénalité en cas d'échec et pas, non plus, de limite de temps, alors le joueur peut "prendre le max" et considérer qu'il a obtenu le jet de dés maximum : 12. En pratique, le personnage essaye encore et encore, jusqu'à ce qu'il réalise le meilleur de ce qu'il soit capable de faire. Si le joueur choisit de prendre le max, le personnage n'obtiendra pas de succès extrême, quelle que soit la difficulté.

Notez que les tests en opposition -- que ce soit en combat physique (comme un échange de tirs), lors d'une lutte psychique (telle qu'une bataille de volonté), ou dans le cadre d'un conflit social (comme un litige conjugal à la cour) -- impliquent, en général, à la fois une limite de temps et une pénalité en cas d'échec, en conséquence de quoi, prendre le max n'est pas une option.

Succès Extrême

Si le jet de dés du joueur égale ou excède la difficulté du test, le personnage réussit ce test d'une manière totalement satisfaisante : l'indice est découvert, le langage est traduit, ou la rafale foudroyante frappe sa cible. Néanmoins, obtenir un résultat plus élevé que le seuil de difficulté requis par le test peut accorder des avantages supplémentaires. Si le joueur obtient trois ou plus au-delà de la difficulté du test, le personnage obtient un succès extrême. Par conséquent, si un personnage tentait un test stimulant (difficulté 12), et que le joueur ait obtenu un total de 15 ou plus, ce serait un succès extrême.

Si le joueur obtient un succès extrême alors qu'il réalise un test de compétence, peut-être le personnage connaît-il un instant "eurêka !", ou peut-être découvre-t-il des réponses à des questions qu'il ne savait même pas devoir poser. Si le joueur obtient un succès extrême en combat, l'attaquant peut choisir un des trois effets bonus à moins que la description du pouvoir s'y oppose : accabler, fracasser, ou stupéfier l'adversaire.

Une conséquence des succès extrêmes est que les personnages avec des Vaillance ou Précision très élevées peuvent compter faire des dégâts supplémentaires avec leurs attaques. Réciproquement, les personnages dotés de faibles scores en Vaillance ou Précision encaisseront souvent des dommages additionnels.

Attaque Accablante

Une attaque accablante ajoute un rang au pouvoir, uniquement pour les besoins particuliers de cette attaque. Pour les pouvoirs d'attaque qui infligent des dommages, cela signifie que leur indice de dégâts est augmenté de un. Si le pouvoir devenu accablant inflige normalement des dégâts à l'Endurance, l'indice de dégâts additionnel est aussi des dommages à l'Endurance, et les pouvoirs de protection de l'adversaire, comme Invulnérabilité et Champ de Force, s'appliqueront comme à l'accoutumée contre les dégâts de l'attaque. Pour les attaques infligeant une autre forme de dommage ou ayant un quelconque autre effet, le rang total du pouvoir est augmenté de un, avec les conséquences que cela entraîne sur l'adversaire.

Attaque Fracassante

Seules les attaques qui, normalement, causent des dommages à l'Endurance peuvent avoir un résultat fracassant. Si un protagoniste est frappé par une attaque fracassante, il peut tenter un test de Vigueur pour tenter d'y résister. La cible de l'attaque lance 2d6 et ajoute sa Vigueur ; la difficulté du test est de 8 plus le rang du pouvoir à l'origine de l'attaque. Si ce test est une réussite, le combattant encaisse la part fracassante de l'attaque sans conséquence néfaste. Si c'est un échec, il est "fracassé" et projeté en arrière sur une distance considérable. Lisez la marge d'échec de la cible sur ce jet dans le Tableau de Référence. Cherchez le rang correspondant à cette marge d'échec, et lisez la distance de projection dans la colonne "Lance".

Un personnage fracassé ne subit normalement pas de dégâts supplémentaires lors de son atterrissage, mais il ou elle est au Sol et doit utiliser une action de déplacement pour se relever.

Attaque Stupéfiante

Seules les attaques qui, normalement, causent des dommages à l'Endurance peuvent devenir des attaques stupéfiantes. Si une attaque stupéfiante frappe un personnage, celui-ci peut tenter un test de Volonté pour éviter d'être stupéfait. Il lance 2d6, y ajoute sa Volonté ; la difficulté du test est de 8 plus le rang du pouvoir à l'origine de l'attaque. Si ce test est une réussite, le combattant encaisse la part stupéfiante de l'attaque sans conséquence néfaste. Si c'est un échec, il est "stupéfait" et perd le bénéfice de son prochain tour d'action (son tour dans ce round s'il ou elle n'a pas encore agi ; ou bien, son tour dans le round suivant sinon).

Tous les pouvoirs qui doivent êtres actionnés, tels que Champ de Force et Croissance, sont normalement désactivés lorsqu'un personnage est stupéfait. Toutefois, pour maintenir ses pouvoirs actifs en cas de stupéfaction, un personnage peut tenter un test de Volonté stimulant (difficulté 12). Les pouvoirs désactivés par la stupéfaction ne peuvent pas être réactivés jusqu'à ce que le personnage puisse à nouveau agir, à son prochain tour.

Combat

Ordre de Jeu

Everything that happens in a round is assumed to occur more or less simultaneously, but the players can't all speak at once. To keep the game orderly, we need a way to determine the order in which characters act when combat starts.

The most important factor in determining who acts before whom is situational awareness. If a character is not aware of their opponent, then they don't have the opportunity to attack. For example, if a hero is lurking on a rooftop and observes a gang of hooligans breaking into an electronics store, there is no need to roll to see who goes first. The hooligans are unaware that there is anyone to fight, so they continue carrying boxes of loot out of the store. In the first round of combat, only the hero has the opportunity to act. Depending on what the hero does and how sneaky the hero is, it's possible that the hero might be the only one with an opportunity to act for several rounds. Only after the hooligans become aware of the hero do they get the opportunity to act. At that point, the order of action in each round is the hero first, and then the hooligans. If the combatants become aware of their adversaries in a set order, then that is the order in which they act in combat -- at least, until someone changes it.

Normally, characters take their actions in the same order that they have an opportunity to act. However, if the various combatants become aware of each other more or less simultaneously, or if you would prefer to roll dice to see who goes first, the players and the GM should each make a Perception task roll at the beginning of the scene. Turns proceed each round from the highest roller to lowest. If a character (or one of the non-player characters) has the Super-speed power, the player (or GM) gets a bonus to the Perception task roll equal to the rank in Super-speed (for example, rank 4 Super-speed would provide a +4 bonus to the Perception roll).

The environment always goes last in a round. Any falling objects (including characters) fall, and any free-rolling vehicles move, after all characters have had the opportunity to use their actions. This does not include thrown projectiles or character-controlled vehicles. If any object or vehicle is under direct control by a character, then the object or vehicle will move when that character moves it or at the end of the round, at the character's option. If a character chooses not to control a vehicle, then the vehicle will move at the end of the round.

If your character starts the scene by going last, either because your character was caught unaware or because you rolled poorly at the beginning of the scene, don't worry too much about it. The order of play will change almost immediately. Any character may delay their turn in a round, or force their next action to do something defensive. Additionally, characters who achieve an extreme success on a block or dodge roll revise the order of play so that the attacker whose attack was foiled goes after the defender in the following rounds.

Of course, this is all just an abstraction to make task resolution easier. In reality, everything that happens in a round occurs more or less simultaneously. The difference between going first in a round and going last in a round is less a matter of time and more a matter of who has the better awareness of the situation at that moment.

Delaying A Turn

If a player does not wish to use their character's turn when they have the opportunity, perhaps wanting to wait and see what an opponent does, the character may delay their turn, with the option of using it later in the round or on a successive round. The character may then pre-empt another character's turn.

Delaying a turn does not alter the order of play. After the character has taken their turn, the order of play resumes its previous sequence.

Example:

Combat starts when Blueshift runs around a corner and sees Ganyeka, who is giving commands to his henchmen. The GM declares that the order of play is Blueshift, then Ganyeka, then Ganyeka's henchmen.

Round 1

Blueshift's turn Ganyeka's turn Ganyeka's henchmen's turn

On the second round, Monolith runs around the corner, startling Ganyeka's henchmen because, wow, that guy is huge. The GM declares that the order of play is Blueshift, then Ganyeka, then Monolith, then Ganyeka's henchmen.

Round 2

Blueshift's turn Ganyeka's turn Monolith's turn Ganyeka's henchmen's turn

On the third round, Blueshift delays her turn, waiting to see what Monolith does. When it is Monolith's turn, he attempts to grapple with Ganyeka. Blueshift uses her delayed turn to assist Monolith by coordinating her attack with his.

Round 3

Ganyeka's turn Monolith's turn Blueshift's turn (delayed) Ganyeka's henchmen's turn

On the fourth round, order of play returns to its previous sequence.

Round 4

Blueshift's turn Ganyeka's turn Monolith's turn Ganyeka's henchmen's turn

Forcing An Action

Sometimes a character might need to take a desperate action before they have had the opportunity to take their turn in a round or after they have already taken their turn in a round. This is known as forcing the character's action. Forcing an action allows a character to sacrifice their next turn in order to block, dodge, dive for cover, activate a defensive power, or take another purely defensive action. A forced action can also be used to take a defensive action on someone else's behalf, such as diving in front of an attack to protect an innocent bystander. The character may not force an action which the GM could construe as an attack, such as blocking a bullet with an opponent's unconscious body or running into someone. When a character forces their action, they sacrifice their next available turn, whether that action would be in the current round or on the next round. A character may only force an action once per round.

Because a forced action is always defensive, it always takes place at the appropriate time, either before or during the attack which triggered it. The attacker does not have the opportunity to "take back" their attack.

Forcing an action does not alter the order of play. After the character's next available turn has passed (the turn they sacrificed in order to take a defensive action sooner), the order of play resumes its previous sequence.

Example:

Continuing from the previous example, on the fifth round, the order of play is Blueshift, then Ganyeka, then Monolith, then Ganyeka's henchmen.

Round 5

Blueshift's turn Ganyeka's turn Monolith's turn Ganyeka's henchmen's turn

On the sixth round, Blueshift makes short work of two of Ganyeka's henchmen with a sweep attack. Ganyeka then pulls out a sinister-looking weapon, aims it at Monolith, and fires. Blueshift forces her next action to leap between Ganyeka and Monolith, taking the full brunt of Ganyeka's attack.

Round 6

Blueshift's turn Ganyeka's turn Blueshift's turn (forced from round 7) Monolith's turn Ganyeka's henchmen's turn

On the seventh round, Blueshift loses her turn because she forced it in the previous round.

Round 7

Ganyeka's turn Monolith's turn Ganyeka's henchmen's turn

On the eighth round, order of play returns to its previous sequence.

Round 8

Blueshift's turn Ganyeka's turn Monolith's turn Ganyeka's henchmen's turn

Attack

Attacks generally have four steps: a task roll to affect the target, determination of the consequences of extreme success (if the attacker rolled an extreme success), subtraction of the defender's protection value (PV) from the damage rating (DR) of the attack, and the determination of the effect on the target. Attacks require a task action by the attacker. See Actions for more details.

Combining Attacks

Multiple characters can gang up on an opponent to increase the damage they inflict when they hit. In order to gang up and combine their damage, each character's attack must use the same attribute to target their attack and inflict the same type of damage. For example, two characters using Blast could gang up even if their Blast powers are dissimilar (an ice blast and a wind blast, for example), but a character using a Mind Blast would not be able to gang up with them since Mind Blast is targeted using Willpower rather than Accuracy.

All of the characters ganging up on an opponent must strike simultaneously. The successful attack which would inflict the most damage (or have the greatest effect, for non-damaging powers) provides the base damage (or effect) for the combined attack. Each additional successful attack increases the damage rating of the combined attack by +1.

Example:

Zero K, Manticore, and Tempest gang up on Thornmallow in an attempt to overcome his impenetrable rank 9 Force Field. All three characters are using the Blast power: Zero K uses her ice blast, Manticore uses a Gatling gun mounted on her jet wing, and Tempest calls down lightning to strike Thornmallow. All three powers require an Accuracy task roll to hit, and all three powers inflict Endurance damage. Zero K and Manticore delay their turns so that they can attack at the same time Tempest does.

The GM declares that the task difficulty to hit Thornmallow is 11. Zero K's player rolls a 10: Zero K's attack misses. However, Manticore and Tempest both hit successfully with a 12 and a 17, respectively. This is an extreme success for Tempest. Tempest's player chooses the "overwhelming" effect of an extreme success, increasing the damage rating of Tempest's attack from 7 to 8. This forms the base damage for the combined attack. Manticore's gatling gun, which normally has a damage rating of 6, adds +1 to the damage rating of the combined attack, making it 9.

Unfortunately, this is not enough to penetrate the protection value of Thornmallow's rank 9 Force Field. If Zero K's attack had been successful, the damage rating of the combined attack would have been 10, which would have reduced Thornmallow's Endurance by 1.

Zero K, Manticore, and Tempest need to find some other way to defeat Thornmallow than by sheer brute force. Perhaps they can use the environment against him, perhaps they can outsmart him somehow, or perhaps they need to retreat and seek additional help.

Coordinating Attacks

Multiple characters can work together to increase their chances of hitting an opponent. One character will actually make the attack, and the rest of the characters will attempt to assist them. Each character wishing to assist with the attack attempts a challenging task roll (task difficulty 12) using the appropriate attribute (usually Prowess or Accuracy). Each successful task roll increases the attack bonus of the attack by +1. If one of the characters attempting to coordinate their attacks rolls an extreme success, this increases the attack bonus of the attack by +2 rather than by +1. The character who actually rolls to hit the target provides the base damage (or effect) for the coordinated attack. If the character who actually rolls to hit the target fails their task roll, the entire coordinated attack fails.

Example:

Monolith and Grimknight attempt to coordinate their attacks in order to hit the inhumanly fast Karen X. Because Grimknight has a better chance to hit Karen X in combat (his Prowess is higher than Monolith's Prowess or Accuracy), they decide that Monolith will assist with the attack, and Grimknight will be the one actually attacking. It is up to the players to decide what this coordinated attack looks like, so they decide that Monolith picks up Grimknight and hurls him at Karen X.

Because this is a ranged attack for Monolith, he must attempt a challenging Accuracy task roll (task difficulty 12). If his roll is successful, then Grimknight's attack roll will have a +1 attack bonus.

Monolith's player rolls a 17: extreme success! Because this is an extreme success, Grimknight is granted a bonus of +2 on the coordinated attack.

The GM declares that Grimknight's task difficulty to hit Karen X is 17. Including the +2 bonus provided by Monolith's extreme success on the coordinated attack, Grimknight rolls a 16: Karen X sees the attack coming, and sidesteps.

Diversion

Distraction can be used by a character to mislead an enemy into dropping their guard. Distracting an opponent requires a Willpower task roll against the Willpower of the opponent. If the distraction is successful, the next attack against the distracted opponent on the following round receives a +3 attack bonus.

SIDEBAR: Why Willpower?

Using Willpower for distracting an opponent may seem counterintuitive. Wouldn't Prowess or Perception seem more appropriate? Not at all. Distracting an opponent -- whether in physical combat (such as a gunfight), psychic combat (such as a battle of wills), or in a social conflict (such as a marital dispute) -- isn't about how good you are in a fight or how good you are at noticing things. Anyone who has ever seen a talented stage magician at work knows that the real "trick" to most illusions is getting the audience to look where the magician wants them to look. In game system terms, that's a classic Willpower vs. Willpower task roll.

Additionally, one of the main reasons we added the distraction maneuver to Bulletproof Blues was to help characters with low physical attributes cope with combat. Characters with high physical attributes don't usually need to resort to distraction. Characters with high Willpower, on the other hand, are exactly the type of characters that need to use tactics like distraction.

Prises & Saisies

A grapple involves using one's extremities to hold or restrain another character. The maximum mass the character can effectively grapple is based on the rank of their Brawn. Find the rank of their Brawn in the Benchmarks table and look up the corresponding value in the "Lifts" column.

Grappling requires a Prowess task roll against the Prowess of the intended target. Grappling inanimate objects is generally automatic, unless the GM wants to make it difficult for some reason. To break free of the Grapple, the defender must make a successful task roll using their Brawn or Agility attribute (whichever is greater) against the attacker's Brawn or Agility (whichever is greater).

If the attacker rolls an extreme success, then the rank of their Brawn (or Agility) is increased by 1 for the purpose of breaking free of it. For example, if a character is being held by an attacker with rank 6 Brawn, and the attacker rolled an extreme success, the affected character would need to make a task roll against task difficulty 15 (7 + 8) to break free of the grapple.

If the defender succeeds at the task roll to break free, they may use their remaining movement action. If the character being grappled gets an extreme success on this roll, then they break free as a free action instead of a task action. For example, if a character is being held by an attacker with rank 6 Brawn, they would need to make a Brawn (or Agility) task roll against task difficulty 14 (6 + 8). If they roll a 17 or more, they achieve an extreme success, and breaking free is a free action. If the defender has Telekinesis, they may use the rank of their Telekinesis in lieu of their Brawn or Agility to break free.

Characters being grappled are considered "restrained". A restrained character is not helpless, but they can't use normal movement until they break free of the grapple. Attacking the held character is easier (attackers gain a +3 attack bonus when attacking the held character), and their attacks are easier to avoid (defenders gain a +3 defense bonus when the held character attacks them).

If the attacker wishes to exert strength or leverage in an attempt to hurt the grappled character, this causes Endurance damage, and the damage rating (DR) of this attack is equal to the attacker's rank in Brawn or Agility (whichever is greater). Any power or equipment that provides protection from Endurance damage, such as Invulnerability and Force Field, reduces the amount of damage the held character takes from the attack. The protection value (PV) of the protection power is subtracted from the damage rating of the grapple. The remaining damage is subtracted from the target's Endurance. Characters with human level Brawn or Agility (rank 3 or less) inflict stunning damage with their grappling attacks. A character with rank 3 Brawn or Agility would have damage rating 3, and any damage inflicted would be stunning, and therefore temporary. A character with rank 4 Brawn or Agility would have damage rating 4, and the damage inflicted would be normal. See Stunning for more details.

If the attacker wishes to move or throw the grappled character, the distance the attacker may move the defender is based on the Brawn of the attacker and the mass of the defender. First, look up the mass of the defender or object to be moved in the "Lifts" column of the Benchmarks table (rounding to the nearest weight value), and find the corresponding rank for that weight. Subtract that rank from the Brawn of the attacker, and look up that resulting rank in the Benchmarks table. Find the corresponding distance in the "Throws" column. This is how far the attacker could throw an object of that weight. This rank is also the damage rating (DR) of the impact if the attacker makes the defender hit a solid object such as a wall or the ground. Particularly soft or yielding surfaces can reduce the impact damage by as much as half.

Example:

Ganyeka has Brawn 5 and wants to throw Widow, whom he has successfully grappled. Widow weighs 148 pounds, which would be rank 1 in the "Lifts" column in the Benchmarks table. Subtracting 1 from Ganyeka's rank 5 Brawn, we find that Ganyeka can throw Widow 50 feet.

Instead, he throws her at a nearby brick wall. The impact has a damage rating of 4, which is the rank of 50 feet in the "Throws" column in the Benchmarks table. After subtracting Widow's rank 2 Invulnerability, she takes 2 Endurance damage from hitting the wall, and so she subtracts 2 from her current Endurance. The wall, being brick, has rank 5 Invulnerability, and is undamaged by having Widow thrown at it.

Charge

A ramming attack involves using the velocity of the attacker to increase the damage inflicted. Ramming requires the attacker to use their movement action to travel directly toward the target, followed by a hand-to-hand attack. The ramming attack itself requires a Prowess task roll against the Prowess of the intended target, and the target receives a +1 defense bonus against the ramming attack. The damage rating of the ramming attack is equal to the attacker's rank in Brawn + 1 or the rank of the attacker's movement power, whichever is greater. Ramming may be called by various names depending on the technique the attacker uses, such as "flying tackle", "charge", or "pounce".

Takedown

A slam or takedown involves using a target's mass and velocity against them so that they fall to the ground. Slams are only effective against targets whose feet are on the ground to begin with. A slam can represent an aikido throw, a leg sweep, a judo hip toss, or even tripping someone with an umbrella, depending on the attacker's fighting style.

A slam requires a Prowess task roll against the Prowess of the intended target. If the slam attack is successful, the defender falls to the ground and may be injured by the impact. The damage rating of this attack is normally equal to the attacker's rank in Agility. Characters with human level Agility (rank 3 or less) inflict stunning damage with their slams. A character with rank 3 Agility would have damage rating 3, and any damage inflicted would be temporary. See Stunning for more details.

If the defender was moving, the damage rating of this attack is equal to the defender's rank in their movement power or the attacker's rank in Agility, whichever is greater. If the defender's rank in their movement power is 3 or less, the slam inflicts stunning damage.

Balayages

A sweep attack permits a character to make a hand-to-hand attack against everyone within reach. A sweep attack requires a single Prowess task roll against the Prowess of each of the intended targets. Each defender receives a +3 defense bonus against the sweep attack. The damage rating of the sweep attack is equal to the attacker's rank in Brawn.

Provocations

Taunts can be used to goad an opponent into attacking. Taunting requires a Willpower task roll against the Willpower of the character being taunted. If the taunt is successful, then the target of the taunt will use their next available action to attack the taunting character. If that attack misses the taunting character, the attack will instead strike whatever or whomever is directly behind the taunting character.

Defense

Defending against an attack typically has two parts: determining the difficulty against which the attacker must roll to successfully hit the target, and withstanding the damage that results from a successful task roll to hit. Avoiding an attack is referred to as defense, while the ability of a target to withstand all or part of the damage is called protection. Invulnerability and Force Field, for example, provide a protection value (PV) equal to the rank of the power.

If the target of an attack is unconscious or unable to move freely to avoid the attack, the attacker gains a +6 attack bonus. This applies to powers such as Telepathy in addition to more overtly damaging powers such as Blast.

Blocage

During their turn, or as a forced action, a character may use a task action to attempt to block an attack against them. The defender may continue attempting to block additional attacks until their next action.

A block might entail using brute force to withstand the attack, or it might involve using finesse to harmlessly divert an attack away: the choice is up to the player. To attempt a block, the player attempts a Prowess task roll against the rank of the attacker's power or weapon. For example, if the attacker had rank a 9 Blast, the task difficulty to block it would be 9 + 8 = 17. If the defender has expertise with blocking, they gain a +3 bonus on their Prowess task roll.

If the defender rolls an extreme success, then the order of play is revised so that on future rounds, the character whose attack was blocked acts after the character who successfully blocked the attack.

Example:

Ganyeka attacks Monolith, and Monolith forces his action in order to block. Monolith rolls an extreme success on his block. This revises the order of play so that Ganyeka's turn comes after Monolith's turn on successive rounds.

Round 1	Blueshift's turn Ganyeka's turn Monolith's turn (blocks attack by Ganyeka) Ganyeka's henchmen's turn
Round 2	Blueshift's turn Monolith's turn Ganyeka's turn Ganyeka's henchmen's turn

Normally, only attacks which inflict Endurance damage may be blocked. However, if the defender has the same power as the attacker, they may use that power to attempt to block. For example, a defender with Telepathy may use their Telepathy to attempt to block the Telepathy of an attacker. With the GM's permission, a character may attempt to block with a power that has a similar theme or power source. For example, a GM might permit a character to use their Telepathy to attempt to block an attacker's Mind Control.

A character chooses to block after determining if the attack will successfully hit: there is no need to block an attack that misses. A successful block completely negates the attack. An unsuccessful block has no effect on the attack.

Esquive

During their turn, or as a forced action, a character may use a task action to attempt to dodge an attack against them. The defender may continue attempting to dodge additional attacks until their next action.

To attempt a dodge, the player attempts an Agility task roll against the rank of the attacker's power or weapon. For example, if the attacker had rank a 9 Blast, the task difficulty to dodge it would be 9 + 8 = 17. If the defender has expertise with dodging, they gain a +3 bonus on their Agility task roll.

If the defender rolls an extreme success, then the order of play is revised so that on future rounds, the character whose attack was dodged acts after the character who successfully dodged the attack.

Example:

Continuing the example above, Blueshift attacks Ganyeka, and Ganyeka forces his action in order to dodge. Ganyeka rolls an extreme success on his dodge. This revises the order of play so that Blueshift's turn comes after Ganyeka's turn on successive rounds.

Round 3	Blueshift's turn Monolith's turn Ganyeka's turn (dodges an attack by Blueshift) Ganyeka's henchmen's turn
Round 4	Monolith's turn Ganyeka's turn Blueshift's turn Ganyeka's henchmen's turn

Normally, only attacks which inflict Endurance damage may be dodged. However, if the defender has the same power as the attacker, they may use that power to attempt to dodge. For example, a defender with Telepathy may use their Telepathy to attempt to dodge the Telepathy of an attacker. With the GM's permission, a character may attempt to dodge with a power that has a similar theme or power source. For example, a GM might permit a character to use their Telepathy to attempt to dodge an attacker's Mind Control.

A character chooses to dodge after determining if the attack will successfully hit: there is no need to dodge an attack that misses. A successful dodge completely negates the attack. An unsuccessful dodge has no effect on the attack.

SIDEBAR: Why Power Rank?

Basing the task difficulty of blocking and dodging on the rank of the attacker's power or weapon might seem strange to you. Wouldn't it make more sense to make these rolls against the attacker's Accuracy or Prowess? We base these rolls on the rank of the attacker's power for two reasons.

First, a character only chooses to block or dodge if the attack has already hit them, which means that there has already been an Accuracy or Prowess roll, and the attacker rolled well enough to hit. There is a good chance that a second roll would have a similar outcome, so we base the block and dodge rolls on the rank of the attacker's power or weapon in order to give the defender a chance to change the odds, particularly against attackers with very high Accuracy and Prowess.

Second, the rank of a power is more than just how much damage it does. The power's rank also reflects the character's skill and finesse in using that power. By basing block and dodge on the rank of the power, we take into account how much control the attacker has over the power in addition to how much sheer force they are using.

Having Partial Cover

If a character is hiding behind an obstruction that conceals at least half of their body from an attacker, the character is said to have partial cover. A character with partial cover is more difficult to hit. The defender gains a +1 defense bonus, which increases the difficulty of the attacker's task roll by +1.

Diving For Cover

Attacks which are particularly large, such as a thrown car or bus, are much more difficult to avoid. The only way to avoid such attacks is to not be under them when they land. If a character is about to be hit by a large attack, they can take a forced action to dive for cover. When diving for cover, the character moves to the nearest open ground beyond the area of the attack or behind the nearest cover, and ends up on the ground prone. A character may perform a forced action to dive for cover from an ordinary attack, if they want, but since it leaves the character prone and vulnerable, and it sacrifices their next action, doing so is probably unwise.

If the nearest safe area or cover is too far away for the character to reach it with an all-out move, then there is no benefit to diving for cover. Sorry.

Être au Sol

A prone character is easier for adjacent attackers to hit, but harder to hit with ranged, non-adjacent attacks. If the defender is prone and the attacker is adjacent or engaging in hand-to-hand combat, the attacker receives a +1 attack bonus on their task roll to hit the defender. If the defender is prone and the attacker is non-adjacent and using a ranged attack, the defender gains a +1 defense bonus, which increases the difficulty of the attacker's task roll by +1.

Dégâts

Once the attacker successfully makes their task roll to affect the target and the consequences of extreme success (if any) are determined, the damage rating (DR) of the attack is applied against the defender's protection value (PV).

In hand-to-hand combat, an unarmed character's damage rating is equal to their rank in Brawn. Characters with human level Brawn (rank 3 or less) inflict stunning damage with their unarmed hand-to-hand attacks. For example, a character with rank 3 Brawn would have damage rating 3, and any damage inflicted would be stunning, and therefore temporary. A character with rank 4 Brawn, however, would have damage rating 4, and the damage inflicted would be normal. See Stunning for more details.

Hand-to-hand weapons such as clubs and knives have a damage rating equal to the rank of the weapon or the character's Brawn rank + 1, whichever is greater. A knife with damage rating 1 wielded by a character with rank 2 Brawn would have an effective damage rating of 3. Using a weapon allows a character with Brawn of 3 or less to inflict normal damage rather than stunning damage.

The damage rating of a ranged attack is generally equal to the rank of the power or weapon being used.

Exploding, penetrating, and stunning attacks modify how much damage is caused or how a character defends against it.

Exploding

An exploding attack causes its damage to everyone within a certain range of the target. Because an exploding attack does not need to be aimed at a specific target, the difficulty of the task roll is 9. However, because exploding attacks are not targeted at specific individuals, they do not benefit from extreme success.

The damage rating of the explosion diminishes with distance from the center. The damage rating is at its full value within half of the total radius, and at one-half of its full value in the remainder of the explosion. For example, a typical fragmentation grenade would have a damage rating of 5 from the center out to a radius of 25 feet (half its total radius), and a damage rating of 3 from 25 feet out to the limit of its radius of 50 feet.

Penetrating

Damage from a penetrating attack ignores 50% of the defender's protection (round in defender's favor).

Assommer

Damage from a stunning attack is temporary. Record it separately; it all comes back after the fight is over, when the character has had a chance to rest and recuperate.

Protection

After determining the effective damage rating (DR) of the attack, that total is applied against the target's protection value (PV). The protection value is subtracted from the damage rating, and any remaining damage is subtracted from target's appropriate attribute (typically Endurance).

Endurance damage and Endurance protection are the most common, but some attacks inflict other forms of damage, and require other forms of protection. For example, a character attacked with Reason Drain would need some form of protection against Reason damage (Attribute Invulnerability, for example).

Multiple layers of the same type of protection do not stack: only the greatest protection value applies. For example, a character with rank 6 Invulnerability would not benefit from a rank 5 Force Field, nor from wearing an armored vest that provides rank 2 Invulnerability.

Rétablissement

After a chance to rest and recuperate (maybe half an hour), an injured character recovers half the endurance they have recently lost. After that, injuries normally heal only with extended rest or with medical care. With this rest or medical care, the character will regain one Endurance per day; without it, they will regain one Endurance per week.

If the character has taken some other form of damage, such as Strength damage or damage to one of their powers, this damage is temporary. It all comes back after the fight is over, when the character has had a chance to rest and recuperate.

Mort

If a character's Endurance is reduced to zero, they are rendered unconscious. If a character's Endurance is reduced to the negative of its starting value (-6 for a character whose normal Endurance is 6, for example), death is the most likely result. However, if most of the damage was mental rather than physical, the character may be rendered comatose for an indefinite period of time.

Even if the character dies, there is precedent in the Kalos Universe for death not being final. Depending on the character, their background, and the needs of the story, death may be temporary or merely a transitional phase. For example, when Dryad was killed during the Audobon Park Massacre, her oak tree on the grounds of the Vanguard headquarters seemed to die as well. It was only later when Doctor Morpheus joined Vanguard that it was discovered that her tree was not dead, but merely dormant, setting the stage for Dryad's eventual return.

Whether death is final for a character also depends on how they died. Did the manner of their death leave any room for doubt? Might their powers provide a way for them to return from the circumstances that killed them? And most importantly, did their death have an important impact on the story? The way a character dies may be their most defining moment; if so, it would cheat them and the story for their death to be temporary. Still, there is always a loophole if you need one. The most important thing to remember about death is that it should never be decided by a roll of the dice.

Points de Trame

Each player begins each game session with one plot point. A player gains a plot point when one of their character's complications causes a serious problem for them during the game, or as a reward when they do something particularly entertaining or interesting, or when they cooperate with the GM to make things more difficult for the characters. Plot points are spent for an automatic success, to gain a temporary increase in power, to gain a temporary power, or to alter the game world in some way.

Gaining Plot Points

Players receive plot points for helping make the game more fun, and they spend them to make their character more effective. Each player starts each game session with one plot point, and should get one or two more during each game session. It's in the players' best interests to spend these plot points before the end of the game session, because any unspent plot points do not carry over to the next game (unless the GM makes an exception).

Plot points shouldn't be given to a player just for roleplaying their character -- they should be doing that anyway. The GM should give out a plot point when the player does something really exceptional or inventive, or when the player volunteers for their character to suffer some dramatic setback. The player might even suggest ways that their character's complications can come into play, giving the GM an opportunity to ramp up the tension. The GM can also reward a player for roleplaying in accordance with their character's motivations when it's not in the character's best interests to do so.

It's important for the GM to remember that while plot points are a reward for making the game fun, they also make the characters more powerful. A game in which plots points are handed out by the handful will have a much different feel than one in which they are given out sparingly. It's probably reasonable for each player to receive two or three plot points over the course of a typical three or four hour game session.

Spending Plot Points

The examples listed here are the most common uses for plot points, but they aren't the only ones. If a player wants to spend a plot point to make something fun happen, and it has about the same impact on the game as these examples, the GM should consider permitting it. For example, let's say an invasion of lava pygmies has caused extensive damage to a street, destroyed a few cars, and melted a mailbox. If a character with time control powers wanted to spend a plot point to reverse time and undo this damage after the lava pygmies have been repelled, should the GM permit it? Sure! It's fun, and it doesn't unbalance the game.

Automatic Success

An automatic success is just that: the player spends a plot point, and their character succeeds at the current task roll. This can be a skill roll, or it can be an attempt to hit in combat. If the player wants to check for extreme success, the player should roll as usual: anything less than extreme success is treated as a normal successful roll. The GM may forbid the use of a plot point to achieve an automatic success if the task is simply impossible.

An automatic success lasts as long as the effects of the roll would normally last.

Inspiration

Despite the best intentions of the GM, sometimes players get stuck. All of the leads have been followed, all of the witnesses have been interviewed, and the players are oblivious to the obvious solution the GM has given them to their dilemma. When all else fails, a player can spend a plot point to make an intuitive leap and receive a hint from the GM on what to do next.

If the GM finds this happening with any regularity, it might be worthwhile for them to make their plots a bit less challenging.

Power Boost

A power boost increases one of the character's attributes or powers by one rank (rank 14 maximum). A character with Brawn 5 could gain a temporary boost to Brawn 6, or a character with Flight 7 could gain a temporary boost to Flight 8. Power boost can also be used to add a power enhancement to a power. For example, a character with rank 4 Healing could use a power boost to add the Diseases and Toxins power enhancement, or a character with the Blast power could use a power boost to add the Explosive Damage power enhancement.

Power boosts usually only last for one round, but they might last as long as a scene if that seems to make sense and the GM agrees.

Power Stunt

A power stunt permits a character to use their current powers in new and creative ways. For example, a character with a rank 4 Ice Blast might use a power stunt to hack into a computer by freezing its memory, giving them a rank 4 in Computing for that purpose. A character with a rank 8 Force Field might use a power stunt to turn their force field into a rank 8 force blade. The outcome of a power stunt is not automatically successful: the player still needs to roll to determine the outcome, if the outcome is contested or subject to some uncontrolled factor. A character who used a power stunt to gain rank 4 in Computing would still need to make a Computing task roll in order to hack the computer.

Power stunts usually only last for one round, but they might last as long as a scene if that seems to make sense and the GM agrees. For example, if a character with a rank 6 Time Control used a power stunt to gain rank 6 Extra Attacks, then the Extra Attacks power should last until the end of the scene or until the six Extra Attacks are used, whichever comes first.

Rally

Under normal circumstances, an injured character recovers half the endurance they have recently lost after they have had a chance to rest and recuperate (maybe half an hour). Spending a plot point allows a character to rally, and recover as though they'd had a half-hour's worth of rest.

Retcon

"Retcon" is short for "retroactive continuity": changing the past in some way that supports the current needs of the plot. This can involve the realization that a needed resource is available, but had previously been overlooked ("Oh, what I wouldn't give for a holocaust cloak"), or it can take the form of a character revealing a previously unknown era in their history, thus giving them new background skills ("As a matter of fact, I spent my senior year of high school studying in Japan").

A good retcon should not overtly violate what has been established in the game: it should build on what has been established in a fun and inventive way.

Retcons are essentially permanent.

L'Environnement

Asphyxia

A character who needs to breath but is unable to do so, such as someone drowning or suffocating, loses one Endurance per minute until they can breathe freely again. Protection against conventional forms of damage, such as Invulnerability and Force Field, are not effective against this damage, but rapid healing, such as that provided by Regeneration, may offset the effects.

A character with Immunity to Asphyxia is unaffected by asphyxia.

Darkness

Darkness, fog, rain, blizzards, and other visual impediments can make combat much more difficult. If an attacker can't see the defender, the defender gains a +3 defense bonus; if the attacker can't see at all, the defender gains a +6 defense bonus. Conversely, if a defender can't see the attacker but the attacker can see them, the attacker gains a +3 attack bonus; if the defender can't see at all but the attacker can, the attacker gains a +6 attacker bonus.

A character with Super Senses such that they can perceive normally suffer no ill effects from darkness.

Dehydration

A character who goes more than 24 hours without drinking begins to suffer the effects of dehydration. Initially, the character experiences headaches, loss of appetite, and dry skin, followed by rapid heart rates, elevated body temperatures, and fatigue. After three days without water, the character experiences tiredness, irritability, and dizziness. Severe dehydration results in death.

Characters suffering from dehydration lose 1 Endurance per day until they either die or are rehydrated. Additionally, the difficulty of any task roll the character attempts increases by 1 for every day that the character has been without water. Protection against conventional forms of damage, such as Invulnerability and Force Field, are not effective against this damage, but rapid healing, such as that provided by Regeneration, may offset the effects.

A character with Immunity to Starvation is unaffected by dehydration.

Exposure

Extremes of heat and cold can be dangerous to those without adequate protection from the elements. Characters exposed to extreme temperatures gradually lose Endurance until they either die or find shelter. How quickly they lose Endurance depends on the severity of the conditions. A hot summer day without shade or water, or a frosty winter night without a coat cost a character one point of Endurance every six hours or so: brutal, but not immediately life-threatening. The same character in a blazing hot desert or standing on a ridge in the Antarctic would lose a point of Endurance once per minute. Protection against conventional forms of damage, such as Invulnerability and Force Field, are not effective against this damage, but rapid healing, such as that provided by Regeneration, may offset the effects.

A character with Immunity to Exposure (Cold) is unaffected by extreme cold, while a character with Immunity to Exposure (Heat) is unaffected by extreme heat.

Falling

Falling inflicts damage based on the distance fallen. Look up the distance the character falls in the "Throws" column in the Benchmarks table, and find the corresponding rank. This rank is the damage rating inflicted by falling that distance. Under normal circumstances, the maximum damage inflicted by falling is 8, due to the resistance of the Earth's atmosphere.

Particularly soft or yielding surfaces can reduce the impact damage by as much as half.

Fire

The rank and damage rating of a fire depends on its heat and intensity. Any power or equipment that provides protection from Endurance damage, such as Invulnerability and Force Field, reduces the amount of damage a character takes from a fire. The protection value of the power is subtracted from the damage rating of the fire. The remaining damage is subtracted from the target's Endurance once per round.

A character with Immunity to Exposure (Heat) may apply one-half of their rank in Immunity against the damage rating of the fire.

Table: Fire

Rank	Fire
1	Campfire, torch
2	Burning room
3	Burning house
4	Butane torch
5	Burning warehouse
6	Flame thrower, napalm
7	Burning flammable chemicals
8	Interior of a blast furnace
9	Burning explosive chemicals
10	Oxy-fuel cutting torch
11	Molten lava
12	Interior of a volcano
13	Surface of the Sun
14	Earth's core

Very cool and very hot fires are outside of this range. A common household match can cause painful burns, for example, but it's less damaging than a rank 1 fire. On the other hand, the interior of the sun is far beyond the temperature of even a rank 14 fire.

Pathogens

Pathogens are usually infectious microorganisms which cause disease, such as bacteria and viruses, or parasites, such as fungi and protozoans. Each disease has its own array of symptoms, and not every person afflicted with a given disease will present every symptom.

Most diseases caused by pathogens can be categorized as either acute or chronic. Acute infections affect the patient quickly, run their course, and the patient typically recovers completely. Chronic diseases are long lasting and may have debilitating effects.

If the GM determines that a character has been exposed to a pathogen that could cause an acute infection, the character must make a Brawn task roll against the rank of the pathogen (usually rank 4). If the Brawn task roll is successful, the character resists the pathogen and may suffer only incidental side-effects such as an itchy throat. If the Brawn task roll is not successful, the character has succumbed to the pathogen. The disease lasts for 2d6 days, during which the character feels terrible. Additionally, the difficulty of any task roll the character attempts increases by 1 until the disease runs its course. Complete rest and appropriate treatment reduces the recovery time by one-half, and rapid healing, such as that provided by Regeneration, is also effective at reducing the recovery time.

If the GM determines that a character has been exposed to a pathogen that could cause a chronic infection, the character must make a Brawn task roll against the rank of the pathogen (usually rank 4). If the Brawn task roll is successful, the character resists the pathogen, typically without any symptoms whatsoever. If the Brawn task roll is not successful, the character has succumbed to the pathogen, and they immediately lose 1 Endurance.

The character must attempt another Brawn task roll once per week. Each failed Brawn task roll results in another point of Endurance lost. Additionally, the difficulty of any task roll the character attempts (other than the Brawn task roll to resist the pathogen) increases by 1 for every failed Brawn task roll. This continues until the character makes an extreme success on their Brawn task roll, or they are administered the appropriate cure for the disease (if one exists), or they die. Once the character makes an extreme success on their Brawn task roll against the rank of the pathogen or is administered the appropriate cure, they stop losing Endurance and begin to heal normally. Rapid healing, such as that provided by Regeneration, is effective at reducing the recovery time.

A character with Immunity to Pathogens is unaffected by infectious microorganisms, parasites, and other pathogens such as prions.

SIDEBAR: The Burroughs Plague

In 2011, a macabre linguistic infection known as the Burroughs Plague resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people in College Park and Beltsville, Maryland. The symptoms of the disease included aphasia, dyslexia, dementia, and psychosis, ultimately resulting in irreversible homicidal rage. The epidemic was contained and sterilized by the Justifiers before it could spread, and there have been no other outbreaks since.

Poisons

Poisons, venoms, and toxins are substances which disrupt biological processes when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism. The symptoms of poisoning are so variable that there is no easy way to classify them. Some poisons increase heart rate, while others cause lowered heart rate. Some poisons cause lethargy, while others cause hyperactivity. Some poisons cause pain or gastrointestinal distress, while others cause a mild, pleasant elation.

Immediately after exposure or ingestion (depending on the type of poison), a poisoned character must make a Brawn task roll against the rank of the poison. If the Brawn task roll is successful, the character takes no damage from the poison and suffers only incidental side-effects such as nausea. If the Brawn task roll is not successful, the character has succumbed to the poison, and they immediately lose 1 Endurance. Periodically thereafter, the character must attempt another Brawn task roll (once a round for very potent poisons, once an hour for very weak poisons, and once a minute for normal poisons, at the GM's discretion). Each failed Brawn task roll results in another point of Endurance lost. This continues until the character successfully makes a Brawn task roll, or they are administered the appropriate antidote, or they die. Once the character successfully makes a Brawn task roll against the rank of the poison or is administered the appropriate antidote, they stop losing Endurance and begin to heal normally.

Some poisons have effects other than or in addition to Endurance damage and eventual death. A few such effects are indicated in the table of poisons below.

Protection against conventional forms of damage, such as Invulnerability and Force Field, are not effective against damage from poisoning, but rapid healing, such as that provided by Regeneration, may offset the effects.

A character with Immunity to Poisons is unaffected by poisons.

Table: Poisons

Rank	Poison	Type
3	Copper(II) Sulfate	injected
3	Lead Arsenate (gas)	inhaled
3	Lead Arsenate (solid)	ingested
3	Rattlesnake Venom	injected
3	Scorpion Venom	injected
4	Atropine	injected
4	Paris Green (gas)	inhaled
4	Paris Green (solid)	ingested
4	Puffer Fish Poison1	injected
5	Arsenic	ingested
5	Blue-ringed Octopus Venom	injected
5	Tear Gas2	inhaled
6	Chloroform (vapor)3	inhaled
6	Cyanide	injected
6	DDT	inhaled
6	Mustard Gas2,4	inhaled
8	Belladonna	injected
8	Chloral Hydrate3	ingested
8	Curare	injected
8	Knockout Gas3	inhaled
8	Cyanogen	inhaled
8	Sarin Nerve Agent	inhaled
8	Strychnine	injected
8	VX Nerve Agent	contact
10	VX Nerve Agent	inhaled

1. Also inflicts Hold at the poison's rank
2. Also inflicts Blindness at the poison's rank
3. Non-lethal: will not reduce Endurance below 0
4. Corrosive effects on the skin, eyes, and exposed mucous membranes

Pressure

Characters exposed to extreme atmospheric pressure lose Endurance until they return to their natural atmosphere, or their internal and external pressure is equalized (generally through the use of an air supply specifically designed for use at that pressure), or they die. How quickly they lose Endurance depends on how prepared they are and the severity of the conditions. A trained diver 100 feet under water would lose a point of Endurance once per minute: life threatening, but not immediately fatal. The same character 1000 feet under water (approximately 30 atmospheres, or 450 psi) would lose a point of Endurance once per round unless they had specialized breathing apparatus designed to maintain a constant pressure inside their bodies. At higher pressures, even specialized breathing apparatus is not enough to protect the body from the structural failure of tissue, not to mention the pressure on unprotected nerves causing them to stop transmitting impulses.

Protection against conventional forms of damage, such as Invulnerability and Force Field, are not effective against exposure to extreme pressure, but rapid healing, such as that provided by Regeneration, may offset the effects.

A character with Immunity to Pressure is unaffected by high pressure.

Radiation

Radioactivity is caused by the decay of the atomic nucleus of an unstable atom. Living things exposed to high amounts of ionizing radiation develop acute radiation syndrome (ARS), also known as radiation poisoning or radiation sickness. Acute radiation syndrome is an umbrella term for a variety of symptoms which occur within 24 hours of exposure and which may last for several months.

The symptoms of acute radiation syndrome depend on the exposure. Relatively small doses of radiation result in nausea and vomiting, headaches, fatigue, fever, and a reddening of the skin. Intermediate exposure can result in more severe gastrointestinal and symptoms related to a drop in the number of blood cells, such as infection and bleeding. Larger doses can result in neurological effects such as dizziness, headache, or decreased level of consciousness, followed shortly thereafter by death.

Twenty-four hours after exposure, a character exposed to radiation must make a successful Brawn task roll against the rank of the radiation. Failure indicates that the character has developed acute radiation syndrome and they immediately lose 1 Endurance. Each week thereafter, the character must attempt another Brawn task roll. Each failed Brawn task roll results in another point of Endurance lost. Additionally, the difficulty of any task roll (including Brawn task rolls) the character attempts increases by 1 for every week that the character has been suffering from acute radiation syndrome. This continues until the character dies or successfully makes the Brawn task roll. Once the character successfully makes the Brawn task roll against the rank of the radiation, they stop losing Endurance and may begin to heal normally.

Suitable treatment grants a +3 bonus on the victim's Brawn task roll. Small doses of radiation are treated with blood transfusions and antibiotics, while greater doses of radiation require exotic treatments such as bone marrow transplants. Large doses of radiation are invariably fatal to normal human beings.

Protection against conventional forms of damage, such as Invulnerability and Force Field, are not effective against damage from acute radiation syndrome, but rapid healing, such as that provided by Regeneration, may offset the effects.

A character with Immunity to Radiation is unaffected by radiation.

Table: Radiation

Rank	Radiation
4	Fallout from a recent nuclear explosion
6	Vial of plutonium
8	Interior of a nuclear reactor
10	Nuclear explosion

SIDEBAR: Liefeld Radiation

Exposure to Liefeld radiation typically results in spontaneous painful deformity followed by death. Symptoms include atrophy of the hands, feet, and abdomen, and a grotesque increase in musculature in the chest and thighs. However, in rare and isolated cases, exposure to Liefeld radiation has resulted in a permanent transformation from human to posthuman. Such cases are one in a million, at best.

Sleep Deprivation

A character who goes more than 24 hours without sleep begins to suffer the effects of sleep deprivation. Initially, the character experiences weariness, confusion, and irritability. After three days without sleep, the character experiences hallucinations and decreased cognitive ability. Prolonged, complete sleep deprivation results in weight loss and ultimately death.

A character suffering from sleep deprivation loses 1 Reason per day until their Reason equals 0. Once the character's Reason is reduced to 0, the character loses 1 Willpower per day until their Willpower equals 0. Once the character's Willpower is reduced to 0, the character loses 1 Endurance per day until their Endurance equals 0. Under normal circumstances, the character will fall unconscious at this point and remain so for at least a day. However, if the character is physically prevented from sleeping they will continue to lose 1 Endurance per day until they die. Protection against conventional forms of damage, such as Invulnerability and Force Field, are not effective against the effects of sleep deprivation, nor is rapid healing, such as that provided by Regeneration.

A character with Immunity to Sleep Deprivation is unaffected by sleep deprivation.

Starvation

A character who goes more than 7 days without eating begins to suffer the effects of starvation. Initially, the character experiences weakness, confusion, and irritability. After three weeks without food, the character experiences hallucinations and convulsions. Starvation eventually results in death.

Characters suffering from starvation lose 1 Endurance per week until they either die or eat again. Additionally, the difficulty of any task roll the character attempts increases by 1 for every week that the character has been without food. Protection against conventional forms of damage, such as Invulnerability and Force Field, are not effective against the effects of starvation, but rapid healing, such as that provided by Regeneration, may offset the effects.

A character with Immunity to Starvation is unaffected by starvation.

Vacuum

Characters exposed to vacuum lose Endurance until they return to their natural atmosphere or they die. How quickly they lose Endurance depends on how prepared they are and the rapidity of the loss of atmosphere. A trained astronaut who is exposed to a loss of atmosphere over the course of a minute would lose a point of Endurance once per minute: life threatening, but not immediately fatal. The same character exposed to a vacuum without warning would lose a point of Endurance once per round.

Protection against conventional forms of damage, such as Invulnerability and Force Field, are not effective against exposure to vacuum, but rapid healing, such as that provided by Regeneration, may offset the effects.

A character with Immunity to Vacuum is unaffected by vacuum.