Rough Magic 3e EN:GM Resources

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This chapter provides additional information for the game moderator, such as the movement capabilities of creates with attributes far beyond human limits, and the mass of commonplace objects, and the speed of various creatures and vehicles.

Hostile Environments

Table: Hostile environments
Environment Effect
Asphyxia Lose one endurance level per minute
Darkness Attack and defense bonuses (see Opposed Tasks)
Dehydration Lose 1 endurance level per day; task roll penalty (-3) on all tasks
Exposure Lose one endurance level, from once per minute to once per six hours
Falling Lose one endurance level for each ten meters fallen
Fire Damage rating depends on heat and intensity, once per round
Pathogens (acute) Brawn task roll, once; task roll penalty (-3) on all tasks
Pathogens (chronic) Brawn task roll, once per week; task roll penalty (-3) on all tasks
Poisons Brawn task roll, from once per round to once per hour
Pressure Lose one endurance level, from once per round to once per minute
Radiation Brawn task roll, once per week; task roll penalty (-3) on all tasks
Sleep Deprivation Lose 1 Reason per day, then lose 1 Will per day, then lose 1 endurance level per day
Starvation Lose 1 endurance level per week; task roll penalty (-3) on all tasks
Vacuum Lose one endurance level, from once per round to once per minute

Asphyxia

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

A character with Immunity to Asphyxia or suitable environmental gear 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 attacker incurs an atack penalty (-3). Conversely, if a defender can't see the attacker but the attacker can see them, the attacker gains an attack bonus (+3).

A character with the appropriate powers, or equipment permitting them to perceive normally, suffers 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 one endurance level per day until they are rehydrated. Additionally, the character incurs a penalty (-3) on all rolls. Protection against conventional forms of damage, such as armor and energy shields, are not effective against this damage, but rapid healing, such as that provided by Meditation and Regeneration, may offset the effects.

A character who is self-sustaining 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 levels until they 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, causes the character to lose one endurance level every six hours or so: brutal, but not immediately life-threatening. The same character in a blazing hot desert or standing on a ridge above the frost plains of Ribos might lose an endurance level once per minute. Protection against conventional forms of damage, such as armor and energy shields, are not effective against this damage, but rapid healing, such as that provided by Meditation and Regeneration, may offset the effects.

A character native to sub-zero enviroments is unaffected by extreme cold, while a character native to fiery enviroments is unaffected by extreme heat. A character with Harmony or suitable environmental gear is unaffected by either extreme.

Falling

A character who falls farther than they can jump takes damage based on the distance fallen. A character who falls and strikes a surface loses one endurance level for each ten meters fallen, rounded in the falling character's favor. Conventional forms of protection, such as armor and energy shields, are not effective against this damage.

Particularly soft or yielding surfaces can reduce the damage rating of the fall by as much as half, while particularly unforgiving surfaces may double the damage rating.

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 armor and energy shields, is normally effective against fire damage. The defense value of each target in the affected area is subtracted from the attack rating of the fire: each target in the affected area loses one endurance level per round for each three points of remaining damage.


Table: Fire
Fire Attack
Rating
Campfire, torch 6
Burning building 8
Burning flammable chemicals 10
Interior of a blast furnace 12
Molten lava 14
Surface of a star 16


Very cool and very hot fires are outside of this range. A lit spice-stick can cause painful burns, for example, but it's less damaging than attack rating 6. On the other hand, the interior of a star is far beyond even attack rating 16.

Fire has a reduced effect on a character native to fiery environments or a character with Harmony: their effective defense rating is doubled.

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 a difficulty based on the virulence of the pathogen (usually difficulty 3). 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: they lose one endurance level, which is not restored until the character recovers from the disease. The disease lasts for 2d6 days, during which the character feels terrible. Additionally, the character incurs a task roll penalty (-3) on all task rolls. Complete rest and appropriate treatment reduces the recovery time by one-half, and rapid healing, such as that provided by Meditation and 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 a difficulty based on the virulence of the pathogen (usually difficulty 3). 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 one endurance level. Unlike ordinary damage, resting for a half-hour or so does not restore this endurance level: in fact, the character will not recover any endurance levels until the disease is cured.

The character must attempt another Brawn task roll against the chronic infection once per week. Each failed Brawn task roll results in another endurance level lost. Additionally, the character incurs a task roll penalty (-3) on all task rolls, including the Brawn task roll to resist the pathogen. This continues until the character makes a successful Brawn task roll, or they are administered the appropriate cure for the disease (if one exists). Once the character makes a successful Brawn task roll against the damage rating of the pathogen or is administered the appropriate cure, they stop losing endurance levels and begin to heal normally. Rapid healing, such as that provided by Meditation and Regeneration, is effective at reducing the recovery time.

A character with Immunity To Disease or suitable environmental gear is unaffected by infectious microorganisms, parasites, and other pathogens such as prions.

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 a difficulty based on the potency of the poison (usually difficulty 3). 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 one endurance level. 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 endurance level lost. This continues until the character successfully makes a Brawn task roll, or they are administered the appropriate antidote. Once the character successfully makes a Brawn task roll against the poison or is administered the appropriate antidote, they stop losing endurance levels and begin to heal normally.

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

Protection against conventional forms of damage, such as armor and energy shields, are not effective against damage from poisoning, but rapid healing, such as that provided by Meditation and Regeneration, may offset the effects.

A character with Immunity To Disease or suitable environmental gear is unaffected by poisons.

Table: Poisons
Poison Type Difficulty
Amaranthine (gas) inhaled 3
Amaranthine (solid) ingested or injected 3
Seabat Venom1 injected 3
Amaurotic Gas2 inhaled 4
Blue Windflower Venom injected 5
Hebenon ingested 5
Black Vitriol2,4 contact 6
Tetrocaine3 ingested 7
Tetrocaine Gas3 inhaled 8
Turbocurarine injected 8
Benecyanide contact 8
Vexxine Gas contact 9
Vexxine Gas inhaled 12
  1. Character is also paralyzed
  2. Character is also blind
  3. Non-lethal
  4. Corrosive effects on the skin, eyes, and exposed mucous membranes

Pressure

Characters exposed to extreme atmospheric pressure lose endurance levels 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). How quickly they lose endurance levels depends on how prepared they are and the severity of the conditions. A trained diver 30 meters under water would lose one endurance level per minute: life threatening, but not immediately fatal. The same character 300 meters under water (approximately 30 atmospheres, or 3040 kPa) would lose one endurance level 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 armor and energy shields, are not effective against exposure to extreme pressure, but rapid healing, such as that provided by Meditation and Regeneration, may offset the effects.

A character wearing an exosuit designed for extreme pressure environments or who is native to deep sea environments is unaffected by high pressure, as is a character with Harmony.

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, 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 Brawn task roll against a difficulty based on the intensity of the radiation (usually difficulty 3). If the Brawn task roll is successful, the character takes no damage from the radiation and suffers only incidental side-effects such as nausea. If the Brawn task roll is not successful, the character has developed acute radiation syndrome, and they immediately lose one endurance level. Each week thereafter, the character must attempt another Brawn task roll. Each failed Brawn task roll results in another endurance level lost. Additionally, the character incurs a task roll penalty (-3) on all task rolls, including the Brawn task roll to resist the acute radiation syndrome. This continues until the character successfully makes a Brawn task roll, or they are administered the appropriate treatment. Once the character successfully makes a Brawn task roll against the radiation or is administered the appropriate radiation treatment, they stop losing endurance levels and begin to heal normally.

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

A character with Harmony or suitable environmental gear, or who is native to fiery climates is unaffected by ionizing radiation.

Table: Radiation
Radiation Difficulty
Fallout from a recent nuclear explosion 3
Vial of plutonium 6
Interior of a nuclear reactor 9
Nuclear explosion 12

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 Will per day until their Will equals 0. Once the character's Will is reduced to 0, the character loses one endurance level per day until they are allowed to sleep. 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 losing consciousness, they will eventually die. Protection against conventional forms of damage, such as armor and energy shields, are not effective against the effects of sleep deprivation, nor is rapid healing, such as that provided by Meditation and Regeneration.

A character who is self-sustaining 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 one endurance level per week until they eat something. Additionally, the character incurs a task roll penalty (-3) on all task rolls. Protection against conventional forms of damage, such as armor and energy shields, are not effective against the effects of starvation, but rapid healing, such as that provided by Meditation and Regeneration, may offset the effects.

A character who is self-sustaining is unaffected by starvation.

Vacuum

Characters exposed to vacuum lose endurance levels until they return to their natural atmosphere. How quickly they lose endurance levels 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 one endurance level per minute: life threatening, but not immediately fatal. The same character exposed to a vacuum without warning would lose one endurance level per round.

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

A character with Immunity To Asphyxia or suitable environmental gear is unaffected by vacuum.

Extraordinary Attributes

A character's attributes in Rough Magic are normally ranked on a scale from 1 to 10. The tables below provide values for attributes above rank 10.

Brawn

Brawn determines how much a character can lift and how far they can throw things.

Table: Brawn
Rank Lift Throw
(25 kg)
Standing Long Jump
1 45 kg 1 m 1 m
2 65 kg 2 m 1 m
3 90 kg 3 m 2 m
4 125 kg 4 m 2 m
5 180 kg 6 m 3 m
6 250 kg 8 m 3 m
7 350 kg 11 m 4 m
8 500 kg 16 m 4 m
9 700 kg 23 m 5 m
10 1,000 kg 32 m 5 m
11 1,400 kg 45 m 6 m
12 2 tons 65 m 6 m
13 3 tons 90 m 7 m
14 4 tons 125 m 7 m
15 6 tons 180 m 8 m
16 8 tons 250 m 8 m
17 11 tons 350 m 9 m
18 16 tons 500 m 9 m
19 23 tons 700 m 10 m
20 32 tons 1 km 10 m
  1. Lifts indicates the greatest weight that the character can "clean and jerk" (pick up and lift overhead). A character carrying or supporting such a weight can take at most one or two steps per round. A character can move normally while carrying a weight corresponding to one rank less than their Brawn. For example, a character with rank 8 Brawn could carry up to 350 kg and suffer no penalties to their movement while doing so.
  2. Throws (25 kg) indicates the farthest distance that a character could throw a compact object weighing 25 kg. To see how far a character can throw heavier objects, subtract the Brawn rank required to lift the object from the character's total Brawn rank. Look up the difference in the "Rank" column: this indicates how far the character can throw the object. For example, a character with rank 8 Brawn (the peak of human potential) could throw an object weighing 65 kg (such as a cooperative slender human) up to 8 meters.
  3. Jumps indicates the character's standing long jump. With a running long jump, the character's ground movement is added to their long jump distance.

Agility

Agility determines a character's base movement speed (running, swimming, etc.).

Table: Agility
Rank Walk (Base Move)
AGL x 1.5
Run (Double Move)
AGL x 3
Sprint (All-out Move)
AGL x 9
1 2 m 3 m 9 m
2 3 m 6 m 18 m
3 5 m 9 m 27 m
4 6 m 12 m 36 m
5 8 m 15 m 45 m
6 9 m 18 m 54 m
7 11 m 21 m 63 m
8 12 m 24 m 72 m
9 14 m 27 m 81 m
10 15 m 30 m 90 m
11 17 m 33 m 99 m
12 18 m 36 m 108 m
13 20 m 39 m 117 m
14 21 m 42 m 126 m
15 23 m 45 m 135 m
16 24 m 48 m 144 m
17 26 m 51 m 153 m
18 27 m 54 m 162 m
19 29 m 57 m 171 m
20 30 m 60 m 180 m
Rank Swim (Base Move)
AGL x 1/3
Fast Swim (Double Move)
AGL x 2/3
Swim Sprint (All-out Move)
AGL x 2
1 1 m 1 m 2 m
2 1 m 1 m 4 m
3 1 m 2 m 6 m
4 1 m 3 m 8 m
5 2 m 3 m 10 m
6 2 m 4 m 12 m
7 2 m 5 m 14 m
8 3 m 5 m 16 m
9 3 m 6 m 18 m
10 3 m 7 m 20 m
11 4 m 7 m 22 m
12 4 m 8 m 24 m
13 4 m 9 m 26 m
14 5 m 9 m 28 m
15 5 m 10 m 30 m
16 5 m 11 m 32 m
17 6 m 11 m 34 m
18 6 m 12 m 36 m
19 6 m 13 m 38 m
20 7 m 13 m 40 m

Power

If the character has alien traits or esoteric powers, the character's rank in Power determines the potency of these powers.

Table: Power
Power
Rank
Maximum
Mass
Maximum
Length
1 45 kg 1 m
2 65 kg 2 m
3 90 kg 3 m
4 125 kg 4 m
5 180 kg 6 m
6 250 kg 8 m
7 350 kg 11 m
8 500 kg 16 m
9 700 kg 23 m
10 1,000 kg 32 m
11 1,400 kg 45 m
12 2 tons 65 m
13 3 tons 90 m
14 4 tons 125 m
15 6 tons 180 m
16 8 tons 250 m
17 11 tons 350 m
18 16 tons 500 m
19 23 tons 700 m
20 32 tons 1 km

Mass

Table: Item mass
Item Mass Brawn Rank (to lift)
full suitcase, female human glamour model 45 kg 1
large dog, slender human female 65 kg 2
typical human male, small floor safe 100 kg 3
heavy human male, refrigerator 125 kg 4
weapon locker, racing speeder bike 175 kg 5
large predator 225 kg 6
speeder bike, medium floor safe 300 kg 7
huge predator, touring speeder bike 400 kg 8
riding animal 600 kg 9
small civilian air speeder 700 kg 9
compact land speeder 900 kg 10
medium missile 1,100 kg 11
large herbivore, full size land speeder 2 tons 12
small military air speeder 3 tons 13
armored land speeder 4.5 tons 14
huge herbivore, empty cargo carrier 6 tons 15
light star fighter 8 tons 16
large military air speeder 10 tons 17
medium star fighter 15 tons 18
large missile, spice shipment 20 tons 19
loaded cargo hauler 25 tons 19
private star yacht 30 tons 20

Speed

Table: Item speeds
Item Speed Agility Rank
avg human running 12 kph 2
max human running 40 kph 8
fast submarine 80 kph --
fast bird, cheetah, sailfish 120 kph --
armored land speeder 320 kph --
civilian land speeder 400 kph --
speeder bike 560 kph --
air speeder 800 kph --
star fighter 1,900 kph --