TAKING ACTIONS
There are two types of action a character can take. The first type of action is when the action is taken against an opposing character or NPC, and the second type is when a character tries to do something unopposed.
GENERAL:
Taking an action involves using one of a character’s skills or attribute. The level of the skills or attribute is the number of dice rolled for the success roll. In order to succeed in the task, the total of the dice rolled must be higher than a difficulty number. The difficulty number differs for the two types of action.
Wheather to use the skill or attribute depends on the type of action taken. If a specific skill exists for doing the action, then the skill must be used. If there is no specific skill for that action, use the attribute. If, for example, the character tries to fix a computer, use his Electronics skill. If the character tries to break a door, use his Strength attribute.
When taking an actions in a situation that is not optimal, it may be harder to succeed. When taking an action in a situation when the character is aided it may be easier to succeed. In order to reflect this, a modifier to the skill or attribute level may be applied. A positive modifier makes that task easier to succeed, and a negative modifier makes that task harder to succeed. A modifier can’t reduce that level below 1.
For example, trying to fix a computer in the darkness (with only a flashlight) may apply a –2 modifier to the skill level, while using a top line electric toolkit may add a +1 to the attempt. The modifiers are cumulative, so the latter attempt to fix the computer would result in a –1 modifier to the skill level.
OPPOSED ACTIONS:
When a character is doing something which is opposed by someone else, both characters make success rolls. The difficulty number for each character is the roll of the other. This means that the one with the higher total sicceeded, while the other failed. If both roll the same number, there is a tie and another success check needs to be made.
Joe Hening the cat burglar is in a Mitsumi office, looking for some ducoments he was paid to retrieve. Suddenly he hears a sound from the door. A security guard on a routine patrol decides to check in the office. Hening dives under the table, using his Stealth skill to hide. On the other hand, the guard uses his Perception to see if there’s something wrong. The GM decide that since the room is dark, it is easier for Hening to hide, hence apply a +1 to his skill level and a –1 to the guard’s attribute level. Both roll the dice. If Hening got a higher number, the security guard will leave the room, thinking it is empty. If the guard got a higher number, he would notice Hening. If the rolls are identical, the guard would stick around for a few more seconds, and a second opposed action check will be made.
UNOPPOSED ACTIONS:
When attempting to succeed in an unopposed action, the difficulty number depends on the difficulty of the action taken:
Very Easy (difficulty 5): Knowing that PolyGraphics is a famous computer company or attaching a laser sight to a gun. Most of the times, a very easy task can be assumed to succeed automatically.
Easy (difficulty 10): Knowing that PolyGraphics is famous for its cyberspace simulation software. Attaching a smart module to a weapon.
Moderate (difficulty 15): Knowing that PolyGraphics was the first megacorp to develop ICE. Fixing a malfunctioning laser sight.
Difficult (difficulty 20): Knowing the software development strategy of PolyGraphics. Fixing a wrecked smart module.
Very Difficult (difficulty 30): Suggesting a development plan for one of PolyGraphics projects. Building a smart module.
Continuing the above example, Hening had managed to hide from the guard, and found the file cabinet. But much do his dispair, it is locked. He takes out his lock picks and tries to open the lock. He will use his Sleight of Hands skill for this attempt. The GM decides that it is a moderate difficulty action (based on the lock type), and sets up a defficulty number of 15. The GM also informs Hening that since it is dark he will have a –1 modifier for his action. Hening now rolls dice equal to his skill level-1 and needs a total greater than 15.
DEFAULTING TO ATTRIBUTES:
A character will come to sitiations when he will need to do things he doesn’t have skills for. Not having a skill doesn’t mean that the character can’t succeed in the action, but rather means that he haven’t learned how to do it. He can, however, use his intuition and basic instincts to aid him in his action. This is done by defaulting to the relevant attribute.
Each skill has it’s attribute, and when taking an action which requires a skill the character doesn’t have, he uses his attribute level, but with a –2 modifier. This modifier reflects the unfamiliarity of the character with the skill.
Just after Hening opened the file cabinet, his light amplification goggles ceased to function. He wants to check out what’s wrong with the goggles, but doesn’t have an Electricity skill, so he will have to use his Technical attribute instead but at –2. The GM decides that it very easy to determine what’s wrong with the goggles (difficultty 5) so Hening rolls Technical-2 (with a minimum of 1 die) and has to roll greater than 5. If he succeeds in his rolls, he will probably have to make another roll to fix the problem, and this roll would probably have a greater difficulty number.
HERO POINTS
Each character starts the game with 1 hero point. Hero point allow the character to become heroic for a short period of time.
A character can use his hero points to do a specific action, or during a combat. When a character uses a hero point for a specific action, all his attributes and skills levels are doubled for that action. When a character uses his hero point during combat, all his attributes and skills are doubled for the duration of the combat turn.
Once a hero point is used, it’s lost for the duration of the adventure (or for the duration of an episode in a long adventure). When the adventure is over, the character gets all his hero points back. If the adventure was successful, or at least the character did his best to try to make it successful, he earns another hero point.
EXPERIENCE POINTS (XP)
Experience points (XP) are points awarded by the GM after the end of the adventure (or the end of an episode in a long adventure).
Experience points represent how much experience the character received in the adventure. In order to turn the XP into real experience, the character buys skills improvement. A character can’t improve his attributes because atttributes are inborn and not learned during the life of the character.
To improve a skill by 1 level, the character needs to spend XP equal to the current level of the skill. For example, to raise Firearms from level 4 to level 5, the character needs to spend 4 XP.
To learn a new skill, the character needs to spend XP equal to the skill’s attribute level –1. For example, to learn Firearms for the first time, a character with a Dexterity attribute of 3 needs to spend 2 XP.
There is a special case with the Cyberspace skills (Computers and CyberDeck). When a character increases his skill level in one of these skills, all the sub skills of the current skills are also increased by 1. Furthermore, the character can improve 1 sub skill of the skill by another 1 level. This represents the character’s specialization in a specific area of the skill.
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