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Copyright © 2011 The Welsh Piper www.welshpiper.com The Chimera Roleplaying Game TWP-1000 (6th Printing)

Chimera Basic 3

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Page 1: Chimera Basic 3

Copyright © 2011 The Welsh Piperwww.welshpiper.com

The Chimera Roleplaying GameTWP-1000 (6th Printing)

Page 2: Chimera Basic 3

The Chimera Roleplaying GameTWP-1000 (6th Printing)

Copyright © 2011 The Welsh Piperwww.welshpiper.com

ContentsIntroduction....................................................1

Chimera: the Nutshell...........................1What You Need to Play.........................1How To Get Started...............................1

Core Concepts.................................................2Abilities...................................................2Action Rolls.............................................2Alignment (optional)............................3Class and Advancement........................3Tech Levels.............................................3Commonly Used Terms........................4

Characters.......................................................5Character Generation...........................5Race and Class........................................6Character Races.....................................6Character Classes...................................7Boons and Baggage (optional).............8Character Advancement.......................9

Abilities..........................................................10Ability Descriptions.............................10

Perks...............................................................11Perk Descriptions................................11

Flaws...............................................................11Flaw Descriptions................................11Overcoming Flaws...............................11

Powers............................................................12Using Powers........................................12Resisting Powers..................................12Power Descriptions.............................12

Equipment.....................................................15Weapons................................................15Armour..................................................15Gear........................................................16Equipment Quality..............................16Equipment Damage and Loss.............16

Adventuring..................................................17Adventuring Hazards..........................17Breaking Objects..................................17Combat..................................................18Fighting Manoeuvres..........................19Movement.............................................19Healing..................................................19

Non-Player Characters.............................20Character Types................................20Creating NPCs....................................20

Monsters.....................................................21Base Stats...........................................21Adaptations.......................................21Creating Monsters............................21Monster Descriptions.......................22

Campaign Creation....................................24Select Genre & Setting.....................24Consider Technology and Powers..24Define Campaign Hook....................25Describe Cultures..............................25Map the Setting.................................26Create Points of Interest..................27Describe Campaign Conflicts..........28Create NPCs.......................................28Create Random Encounters............29Devise Adventure Hooks.................29

Creating Adventures.................................30Choose a Hook...................................30Invent the Background....................30Define the End Goal..........................30Define Rewards.................................31Create Encounters............................31Draw Map...........................................31Write the Epilogue............................31

Being the Game Master............................32Next Steps...................................................32

The Chimera Roleplaying Game™: Chimera BasicSimple Rules. Unlimited Options.TM

Copyright © 2006–2011 The Welsh Piper. All rights reserved.

The Chimera Roleplaying Game and The Chimera RPG logo are trademarks owned by The Welsh Piper. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or computerisation, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without per-

mission in writing from the publisher, The Welsh Piper.

CreditsAuthor: Erin D. SmaleEditors: Brian Kirby, Greg MacKenzieArtwork: Nova Development Corporation; Nathan Linder (front cover computer guy)Cartography: Erin D. SmaleHexographer Software: Joe Wetzelhttp://www.hexographer.comCharacter Sheet: Greg MacKenzieClutch Situations: with input from Christina Freeman and Tyson VickersChimera Logo: Michael MumichProject Control: Occam’s Razor

On the WebThe Welsh Piper (Campaign Development for Busy GMs):http://www.welshpiper.comhttp://www.welshpiper.com/forums

On the Facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/chimerarpg

Playtesters & Other HelpCyberkyd of BlakLite, Mark S. Deniz, Ben-jamin Eisenhofer, Christina “Da’ Vane” Freeman, Greg “Old-school” MacKenzie, Ty-son Vickers, and Toby “Who’s ethereal now?” Widner

DedicationTo my best special favourite friend Pooh, aka Peens, P-Pod, and Pipsquack, who was as loyal and loving as any two-legged friend I’ve ever had. Thanks for helping me type, reminding me when it’s break-time, and giving me head-butts when I needed them most. You are so sorely missed, my friend. Thank you for all the love you gave me.

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Chimera Basic 1

IntroductionWelcome to The Chimera Roleplaying Game! This is Chimera Basic, designed to show the game’s simple mechanics and modular guidelines. Chimera is a flexible, rules-lite engine that promotes your creativity over game rules. From fantasy to sci-fi, and everything in between, Chimera provides an easy-to-learn framework for all your roleplaying adventures.You can use the Basic guidelines to create any number of characters, settings, and campaigns. If you like what you see, check our Web site (www.welshpiper.com) for supplements that expand on these rules and make it even easier to run games in any setting.

Chimera: the NutshellChimera is a roleplaying game wherein players assume the roles of characters they make up, in a setting created by a Game Master (GM). That setting could be any time or any place: a land of medieval fantasy, a science-fiction future, apocalyptic Earth, America in the 1930s, any historical period, whatever is appealing.Player Characters (PCs) are characters in the setting whose actions are decided by the players. To help define their role in the setting, all PCs choose classes, or professions, which is essentially their “day job.” Each class is defined by its Abilities, which cover things that characters of that class are good at (e.g., scholars are good at academics, veterans are good at fighting, burglars are good at sneaking about, etc.). Abilities cover any action a character might attempt during the game, and characters can pick Abilities outside their class, though non-class Abilities are harder to master.The characters’ job in the setting is to go on heroic adventures: stopping evil forces, recover-ing lost riches, or exploring the vast unknown. Whenever you want your character to do something during an adventure (like fight a monster, hack a computer, or charm the border guard), you make an Action Roll (AR) with the Ability you’re using. If the roll equals or exceeds the Target Number (TN) assigned to the action, you accomplish what you wanted to do. Otherwise, you fail, and the GM usually determines what happens as a result.As your character completes adventures, he earns opportunities to improve his Abilities, increase his experience levels, get new Powers, even develop special advantages called Perks to give him an edge in certain situations. Your character can increase his chances of improv-ing by taking special risks, called Clutch Situations, essentially going above-and-beyond what’s necessary to complete his (and his companion’s) adventuring goals.An adventure can last many game sessions; your character “wins” if he completes his mission and survives to adventure some more. Over time, your character can become an accomplished hero in the GM’s setting.

What You Need to PlayChimera Basic contains all the guidelines you need to get started, plus a blank character sheet and several templates for the Game Master. You’ll also need paper, pencil, and polyhedral dice (the “standard” RPG dice numbering 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 20 sides, and, on occasion, a 30-sider). You’ll need one person to be the Game Master, and at least one player to run a character (though groups of 3–5 PCs are usually best—aside from having a stronger party of characters, Chimera is more fun when there are more players).

How To Get StartedRead through Chimera Basic to learn how to play. As you learn the rules, you’ll see how easy and flexible Chimera is, and how you can use it to run all your RPG campaigns. Don’t forget to visit our Web site (www.welshpiper.com) for free adventure scenarios, option-al rules, Game Master tips, and other Chimera content. While you’re there, why not sign up to our discussion forum (www.welshpiper.com/forum) for conversations with other Chimera players, product announcements, extra goodies, and subscriber-only content.We hope you find Chimera exciting and fun—take it for a spin and see if it serves your imagination as well as we think it will. Good gaming!

Using the Basic RulesChimera’s mechanics support any con-ceivable genre, allowing you to create campaigns based on traditional or his-toric settings, your favourite books and films, or your own creations. Chimera Basic is easy to learn and easy to play, while providing realistic outcomes that aren’t bogged down in detail.To make the most of Chimera, use the Basic Rules as guidelines instead of abso-lutes. During development, we concen-trated more on what happens instead of exactly how it happens—necessarily, some details are lost (or even deliberate-ly ignored). Our goal is a game that al-lows fast, yet reasonable, action resolution, with enough flexibility for players to tinker, tweak, and customise to suit their own style.That said, if your style demands more detail, you can add it—Chimera’s flexibil-ity lets you inject as much realism as you want, generally without “breaking” the system. However, the game doesn’t nec-essarily play better as a result. In fact, you may find that extra details slow things down and make actions more cumbersome to resolve.As it stands, Chimera Basic provides a solid foundation for immediate and rela-tively complete play. If you need more, we encourage you to modify what you like—it’s your game and your setting.

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Chimera Basic 2

Core ConceptsChimera is a multi-genre roleplaying game, meaning that you can use these guidelines to create and run a campaign in any setting you want: sci-fi, fantasy, apocalypse, modern, even historical. To achieve this, Chimera relies on a few core concepts.

AbilitiesThe first thing you’ll notice about Chimera characters is that they don’t have attributes—no ability scores like you might be used to in other roleplaying games (e.g., Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, et al.). Instead, everything your character can do is covered by an Ability, which is a broad category of related skills and talents. For example, the Animal Handling Ability covers animal care, training animals, and handling a mount—basically anything that has to do with an animal. The broad scope of Abilities lets you focus on what your character can actually do, instead of what an attribute score suggests he can do. It also prevents redundant skills, and it keeps play moving—no more worrying about the exact skill required to overcome every specific chal-lenge: If an action during the game involves an animal, chances are you’ll use the Animal Handling Ability to deal with it.

Action RollsEvery action your character attempts is resolved with an Action Roll (AR), made with a twenty-sided die (1d20). If the Action Roll result is equal to or greater than the required Target Number (TN), the attempt succeeds and you get the desired outcome. A result less than the Target Number means that the attempt failed.

Action DifficultyThe GM assigns Target Numbers, which indicate an action’s inherent difficulty, or how hard it is to accomplish absent any external factors. The Difficulty Levels sidebar at left suggests Target Numbers for varying degrees of difficulty.External factors—temporary and circumstantial conditions that influence an action’s outcome—are reflected by AR modifiers. Positive modifiers make the action easier, while negative modifiers make the action harder. When using an Ability, add your Ability’s AR modifier to the roll result. For example, the GM decides that finding food in a barren desert is Very Hard (TN 20). A character has Survival +2, so he adds 2 to the roll; if the modified result is 20 or more, he succeeds. Unless otherwise noted, all AR modifiers that influence a roll are cumulative.As a shortcut during play, you can determine the d20 result required to succeed by subtracting the total AR modifier from the roll’s TN. For example, Survival +2 against TN 20 requires a roll of 18 or more to succeed (i.e., 20 – (+2) = 18 = success).

Action Roll ResultsThere are four possible outcomes of any Action Roll:Critical Failure (CF): You fail miserably, and your incompetence creates another problemNormal Failure (NF): Your attempt simply doesn’t work (or it works at reduced effect)Normal Success (NS): Your attempt works and produces the desired results Critical Success (CS): You succeed brilliantly, and your cleverness produces an extra benefitCritical results occur when the d20 shows a natural result divisible by 4 (i.e., an unmodified 4, 8, 12, 16, or 20). If the modified result of such a roll equals or exceeds the required Target Number, the roll is a Critical Success; otherwise, it’s a Critical Failure.If the Action Roll is a natural “1,” the attempt is a Normal Failure. If the TN was 2 or less, interpret a natural “1” as a Critical Failure.If the Action Roll is a natural “20,” the attempt is an automatic Critical Success. If the TN was 21 or more, treat a natural “20” as a Normal Success.

Difficulty LevelsAn action’s Target Number indicates its inherent difficulty, independent of ex-ternal factors.For reference, the table below shows the Target Number and unmodified percent-age chance of success on a d20 (each +1 modifier adds +5%).

DIFFICULTY TN CHANCE OF SUCCESSAutomatic 2 95%*Very Easy 4 85%Easy 8 65%Difficult 12 45%Hard 16 25%Very Hard 20 5%Unlikely 24 –20%†Extraordinary 28 –40%†* A natural “1” always fails† The negative percentage to overcome, though a natural “20” always succeeds

Dice and Dice RollsChimera uses the six “standard” polyhe-dral dice. A “d4” refers to a 4-sided die, a “d6” refers to a 6-sided die, and so on. A number before the die type shows how many dice to toss; the result is the sum of each die. For example, 3d6 means roll three 6-sided dice and add them togeth-er (for a result of 3–18).

Die Roll ModifiersA value after a die roll is added to the result. For example, 3d6+4 means roll three 6-sided dice and add four; 3d6–2 gives a result of 1–16, and 3d6x10 results in 30–180.

TimeGame time refers to durations relative to the characters. It is measured in seconds, minutes, hours, etc. Two additional peri-ods are useful during play:

Round: 10 seconds Turn: 10 minutes (60 rounds)

A real-time measurement useful for tracking the duration of game play is called a session:

Session: 2–4 hours, the typical dura-tion of an evening’s worth of play

Scale and DistanceChimera is designed for use with table-top miniatures, where 1” equals ten feet indoors and 10 yards outdoors. Range and distance are noted in scale inches and refer to measurement rela-tive to tabletop miniatures. Thus, 4” is four real inches on the gaming table, 40 feet indoors, and 40 yards outdoors.

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Resistance RollsA Resistance Roll is an Action Roll made to counteract a special attack or effect (pg. 17). The Target Number required to resist is based on the danger posed by the hazard (use TN 12 unless otherwise noted).The Resistance Roll is modified by your experience level plus your AR in any related Ability (e.g., a 2nd-level character with Athletics +3 resists Burns at AR +5). A successful Resistance Roll cuts the effects in half; a Critical Success negates the effects completely.

Alignment (optional)Alignment (AL) is a convenient label to describe a character’s loyal-ties to those around him. There are three Alignments:Lawful: Primary loyalty is to others; capable of self-serving acts, but

not at the expense of other people (especially those in need).Neutral: Primary loyalty is to close or personal groups (e.g., family,

friends, faction, religion, racial type); capable of self-serving acts, but not at the expense of personal groups.

Chaotic: Primary loyalty is to self; capable of serving others, but only to further their personal agenda.

Alignment is completely optional—if you find it restrictive or unreal-istic for your setting, feel free to ignore it.

Class and AdvancementYour character’s profession in the campaign is represented by his class. In turn, each class is defined by a set of core Abilities and special talents. As you’ll see in the next section, classes may be combined to create “customised” professions.When a character completes an adventure, he can make an Advance-ment Roll against his AdCost to see if he can improve his skills or gain an experience level. Improving skills (Abilities, Perks, etc.) makes him better at his class, while a “level up” makes him a better overall adventurer. Check Character Advancement (pg. 9) for specifics.

Clutch SituationsHeroes tend to come through in a tight spot, and when your character is really up against it, he can declare a Clutch Situation to improve his chances of success. You can designate any die roll as a Clutch Situation—an Action Roll, Resistance Roll, Damage roll—which lets you throw one additional die when you make the roll. You select the best result. Each character gets one Clutch Situation per experience level, and you may apply multiple Clutch Situations to the same roll (one addi-tional die each). However, you must declare a Clutch Situation before any roll is made, and they’re lost once spent, regardless of the roll’s outcome. Clutch Situations renew when you level up; unused Clutch Situations do not carry-over from level to level (e.g., a 2nd-level character has 2 Clutch Situations until he reaches 3rd-level). However, if the GM uses Session Rewards (pg. 31), it’s possible to earn additional Clutch Situa-tions during play.

Tech LevelsChimera’s multi-genre framework supports ten Technology Levels (TL) to describe the relative technologies that exist in various cam-paign settings. Tech Levels can be loosely described via their Earth analogues, as shown below:

TECHNOLOGY LEVEL AGE/ERA EARTH TIME FRAME (AD) TL 1 Primitive Prehistoric TL 2 Ancient Pre-4th century TL 3 Medieval 4th – 13th century TL 4 Exploration 14th – 17th century TL 5 Imperial 18th century TL 6 Industrial 19th century TL 7 Modern First half of 20th century TL 8 Post-modern Second half of 20th century TL 9 Near-future 21st – 22nd century TL 10 Far-future 23rd century and beyond

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Commonly Used TermsWhat roleplaying game isn’t rife with acronyms? Here’s a list of terms and abbreviations used throughout the rules:Action Roll (AR): A 20-sided die roll to determine the success or failure of an attempted action; an Action Roll succeeds if the result equals or exceeds the required Target Number.Advancement Cost (AdCost): A value suggesting how much experi-ence a character must accumulate before he can improve; use as the Target Number when making Advancement Rolls (pg. 9).Adventuring Hazard: A condition or effect that causes damage or other difficulties for a character. A successful Resistance Roll usually reduces the effect by half (a Critical Success negates the effect com-pletely).Alignment (AL): A character’s tendency for loyalty, whether to all others, select others, or self. AR Modifier: A positive or negative value added to an Action Roll, indicating temporary or circumstantial conditions that effect the outcome. Unless otherwise noted, modifiers are cumulative, so bene-fits and disadvantages can cancel each other out. Blast Attack: An attack that causes damage to anyone within a certain radius of a central point of impact. For simplicity, a blast is Small (1” radius), Medium (2” radius), or Large (4” radius); everyone within the radius is affected by the blast (which could represent an explosion, gas cloud, radiation field, or the effects of a power).Cash ($): A generic unit of currency representing a setting’s dominant medium of exchange (e.g., dollars, pounds, gold pieces, silver pen-nies, et al.).Damage (Dmg): The damage caused by an attack, which is reduced by the target’s Defence.Defence (DF): Proof against damage provided by sheer physical resil-ience, mental resolve, armour, and other protections; Defence is subtracted from the Damage rolled after a successful attack.Encumbrance (Enc): The bulk and weight of items carried or worn, subtracted from your character’s Movement Rate. Fatigue: Non-lethal damage caused by exhaustion, exposure, or un-armed attacks; when fatigued, a character suffers a penalty to all rolls and his Movement Rate.Flaw: A fault or disadvantageous quality that imposes special limita-tions or penalties in specific game situations.Game Master (GM): A Chimera player who creates and runs the cam-paign setting, describes what the characters see and hear, plays the part of all non-player characters, and arbitrates the outcome of ac-tions within the game.Initiative Modifier (IM): An adjustment applied to Initiative rolls, indicating the relative quickness of an action attempted during a combat round.Mana: A point pool representing your character’s ability to use pow-ers effectively.Movement Die: A die whose result is added to your Movement Rate (MR) when running, or subtracted from your MR when creeping.Movement Rate (MR): The number of scale inches your character can walk in a round. Adjusted for Encumbrance, this figure is also the Target Number for attacks aimed at you. Your Movement Die is added to your MR when running, or subtracted from it when creeping.

Non-player Character (NPC): A character controlled by the Game Master.Parry: A combatant’s ability to ward off, block, or avoid blows; a target’s Parry is added to the TN of attacks aimed at him. Parry is optional—if it isn’t used, add the Parry bonus to the combatant’s Defence (DF).Perk: An advantage or special ability that grants a bonus in specific game situations. Player Character (PC): A character controlled by a player and through which the Game Master’s campaign setting is experienced.Power: Any supernatural ability not generally possible under “normal” natural laws (e.g., magic spells, divine miracles, psionic talents, or super powers). Range (Rng): The distance (in scale inches) at which an attack can hit a target. Rate of Fire (RoF): The number of shots a weapon can discharge as a single action; also the maximum number of targets an auto-fire weap-on can hit in a single round.Resistance Roll: An Action Roll used to reduce or negate the effects of an Adventuring Hazard (pg. 17). When making a Resistance Roll, characters always add their experience level to the result.Round (rd): A measure of game time spanning 10 seconds. There are six rounds in a minute, 60 rounds in a turn.Special Perk (Sperk): Perks available only by virtue of race or class; you may select Sperks during character generation or buy them later during Character Advancement (pg. 9). Each Sperk chosen increases your Advancement Cost (AdCost) by +1.Target Number (TN): The value an Action Roll has to meet or exceed to be successful. Assume an average TN 12 unless otherwise noted for easier or more difficulty actions.Turn (tn): A measure of game time spanning 10 minutes. There are six turns in an hour, 144 turns in a day.Wound Limit (WL): The maximum number of wounds a character can sustain before being vanquished (pg. 18).Wound Penalty (WP): A penalty indicating the negative effects of suffering damage, applied to all rolls and Movement Rate; each wound imposes a cumulative penalty of –1, which lasts until the wound is healed.Wound Severity: The intensity of a wound, equal to the Damage inflicted minus the target’s Defence. Healing applies to a wound’s severity; when severity is reduced to zero (0), the wound is healed, and its corresponding Wound Penalty is removed.

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Chimera Basic 4

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CharactersCreating a Player Character in Chimera is a breeze—just copy a character sheet and follow the steps below.

Character Generation

1. Start with Vision and Social StatusConsider the kind of character you want to play—a war-hardened soldier, an adventurous archaeologist, a brutish thug, a cunning sorcerer, or whatever’s appropriate for the GM’s setting. For flavour, start on your character’s background with the Social Station table at right.

2. Select RaceHumans are the dominant race in most campaigns. If your GM’s setting includes other races, you may be allowed to run a non-human character (pg. 6). Choose any racial Sperks at this time, but remember that each one you select increases your AdCost by +1.

3. Select ClassChoose a class (or combination of classes) to represent your character’s profession. The classes listed in Chimera Basic are generic, so you can use them in any setting or Tech Level. Choose any class Sperks at this time, with the provision that each Sperk selected increases your AdCost by +1. Note also that all Class Abilities start at AR +1.

4. Update AbilitiesYou get 4 Improvement Points (IP) to spend on Abilities, Perks, Powers, and Mana, using the guidelines provided for Character Advancement (pg. 9). At the GM’s option, you gain 1 additional IP by starting a class Ability at AR +0, reducing your Wound Limit by 1, or accepting a random Flaw (pg. 11; note that taking a Flaw this way does not grant an Advancement Roll bonus).

5. Purchase EquipmentCharacters begin with 1d6 x $100 for armour, weapons, and gear (pp. 15–16), subject to GM approval (i.e., not all equipment is appropriate for all campaigns). The dollar sign ($) is a generic symbol for cash, indicating whatever unit of currency is dominant in the campaign setting (e.g., gold pieces, pounds, ducats, credits, etc.).

6. Update Character StatsRecord the following stats on your character sheet:Experience Level (Lvl): New characters start at 1st-level Movement Rate (MR): Based on race (typically 12”±1d6 for humans)Wound Limit (WL): Racial base, plus the WL adjustment for your class(es)Defence (DF): Typically zero (0), adjusted by armour wornResistance (RS): AR bonus equal to experience levelInitiative Modifier (IM): Typically zero (+0), adjusted by race and weapon sizeAdvancement Cost (AdCost): The sum of your race and class AdCost values

7. Finishing TouchesConsider how your character’s past contributes to his present career and future goals. You don’t need a full background, but a few details can help establish your motivations. If you’re in the mood for some random inspiration, use the Boons and Baggage table (pg. 8). This is also the time to choose an Alignment for your character. This isn’t relevant in all campaigns, so check with your GM first.Finally, don’t forget to give your PC a name (preferably suitable to the setting, as “Tim the Enchanter” will eventually stop being funny—unless that’s your plan, in which case you should go for it. Full-steam like).

Social StationThis aspect of a character’s background suggests which side of the tracks he comes from: was he a rich kid raised in the hills, a guttersnipe, or somewhere in between? Social station impacts starting cash and will probably colour a character’s inter-actions with people who put stock in appearance, come from old money, dis-trust outsiders, or wear a monocle. Those of low station will have had fewer opportunities to excel–perhaps as a re-sult of poor education, lack of adequate health care, difficult living conditions, or societal prejudice–but they will have strong survival instincts, iron will, and (as adventurers) plenty of drive. Those occupying the upper social tiers will have had better opportunities–through money, connections, and authority–but no guarantee of actually having exploited them to maximum ben-efit (e.g., an ivy league student who re-lies more on connections than grades to get into law school). Roll 1d8 to determine Social Station:1. Fringe: Not only poor, but a social

outlier, pariah, or other untoucha-ble (5% normal starting cash)

2. Low: Destitute and relies on alms, welfare, or other benefits for in-come (10% normal starting cash)

3. Low: Destitute and struggling to make ends meet through unstable sources of income (20% normal starting cash)

4. Middle: Barely comfortable, but with stable work (40% normal start-ing cash)

5. Middle: Moderately comfortable with stable work (80% normal start-ing cash)

6. Middle: Comfortable with stable work and middling influence (100% normal starting cash)

7. Upper: Well-off with lucrative work and notable influence (150% normal starting cash)

8. Upper: Lavish lifestyle with inde-pendent wealth and significant in-fluence (200% normal starting cash)

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Chimera Basic 6

Race and ClassBoth race and class are defined by a common set of characteristics:AdCost: Advancement Cost, or the Target Number to beat when mak-ing an Advancement Roll (pg. 9); the higher the AdCost, the harder it is to earn improvements for your character.MR: Your character’s base Movement Rate and Movement Die (determined by race, using the Monster Base Stats table (pg. 21)).WL: Your character’s base Wound Limit (determined by race), indi-cating his ability to withstand damage; this is adjusted by class.Abilities: Capabilities received as a result of character class; class Abilities start at AR +1.Perks: Special advantages received as a result of character race.Special Perks: Also known as “Sperks,” these are talents available only to members of a particular race or class. Sperks are optional: You may select some, all, or none, but your AdCost increases by +1 for each Special Perk you choose.

Character RacesRace indicates a PC’s species. Chimera’s multi-genre scope allows for any race you can imagine. Below are some common RPG races; they’re completely stereotyped but should serve as a good starting point for your own customisation.

AvianEssentially any intelligent humanoid with wings (for extra flavour, make them feathered for goodly creatures, or bat-like for evil types). All avians can fly at a speed equal to twice their MR.AdCost: 4 MR: 12”±1d6 WL: 1 IM: +0Perks: Fly (x2 MR), NimbleSpecial Perks

Eagle Eye: Improve Observe rolls by level when in flight

Cat PeopleBipedal felines with lightning-fast reflexes and the ability to pounce. They are proud, cruel, and capricious. In combat, they eschew armour and missile weapons, but are excellent climbers and possess natural claw attacks (2 claws at Fight AR; IM +1, Dmg 1d6).AdCost: 6 MR: 12”±1d8 WL: 2 IM: +1Perks: Imp. Infravision (8”), Pounce, Quick DrawSpecial Perks

Agile: Improve Athletics rolls involving balance/dexterity by level Nine Lives: Improve Resistance vs. Killer Blows by level Soft Landing: Reduce falling damage to 1d4 per 10” fallen

DwarfDwarves are stocky humanoids who dwell underground. They are familiar with stonework, smithing, and mining. They espouse person-al honour, but they hoard wealth and mistrust outsiders.AdCost: 6 MR: 8”±1d4 WL: 3 IM: +0Perks: Healthy, Imp. Infravision (8”)Special Perks

Buttress: Double the DF of a single piece of armour Deep Ways: Improve ARs underground by level

Elf Elves are graceful humanoids who prefer wilderness environments. They keep ancient secrets and have an affinity for things of beauty. Their long life spans promote a passive outlook on life that most non-elves find detached.AdCost: 4 MR: 12”±1d6 WL: 2 IM: +0Perks: Comely, Infravision (4”)Special Perks

Aloof: Improve Resistance vs. Enchantment by level Fey: Roll 1d8 for mana (pg. 13) Nature Ways: Improve ARs in the wilderness by level

HalflingHalflings are small humanoids about half the size of an adult human. They settle in open areas, far from noise and bustle, where they build close-knit communities. Halflings are congenial and love life’s com-forts, and seem to have uncanny luck when the odds are stacked against them.AdCost: 4 MR: 8”±1d4 WL: 2 IM: +1Perks: Lucky, NimbleSpecial Perks

Fleet: Improve Parry vs. larger foes by level (melee only) Indiscernible: Improve Sneak rolls by level

HumanHumans are normal men, generally average in all aspects, but highly adaptable. AdCost: 2 MR: 12”±1d6 WL: 2 IM: +0Perks: none (see below)To reflect human variants, the GM should create Perks and Special Perks based on background, upbringing, environment, or social val-ues. Some examples include:Desert nomads: Proud and honourable people with deep reverence for their gods. Their customs are intricate and their laws strict, with much emphasis on station.AdCost: 4 MR: 12”±1d6 WL: 2 IM: +0Perks: Energetic, EtiquetteSpecial Perks

Persuasive: Improve Diplomacy rolls when negotiating by levelSteppe nomads: Fiercely independent horsemen who subsist on hunting and animal husbandry; they can be galvanised into blood-thirsty conquerors.AdCost: 4 MR: 12”±1d6 WL: 2 IM: +1Perks: Mounted Assault, Quick DrawSpecial Perks

Horse warrior: Use Fight/Shoot for mounted attacks (instead of Animal Handling Ability)

Vikings: Sea-faring raiders prone to plunder. Viking culture is clan-based with great importance placed on personal valour. AdCost: 4 MR: 12”±1d6 WL: 3 IM: +0Perks: ToughSpecial Perks

Determined: Improve Resistance vs. Enchantment by level

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The Chimera Roleplaying GameTWP-1000 (6th Printing)

Chimera Basic 7

Character ClassesClasses are “bundles” of Abilities that represent professions. You can use classes singly or in combination to create your character’s voca-tion in the campaign (see Custom Professions, pg. 8).

Animist (Anm)Those possessing great affinity for the natural world, able to draw upon the “essence” of all things to produce powers.AdCost: +3 WL: +1 Abilities: Survival, WieldSpecial Perks

Essence: Access to 1 power school (pg. 12) One with Nature: Increase mana by level while in the wilderness

Burglar (Brg)Individuals generally on the wrong side of the law, adept at breaking and entering, stealth, and thievery.AdCost: +6 WL: +2Abilities: Chicanery, Observe, Sneak, TinkerSpecial Perks

Backstab: Use Sneak to attack undetected (use foe’s Surprise TN; melee only and cannot be used once engaged or if detected)

Escape Artist: Improve ARs related to escaping confinement by level

Faithful (Fai)Devout worshipers of a deity; they receive powers as divine miracles in exchange for their faith.AdCost: +3 WL: +1Abilities: Mettle, WieldSpecial Perks

Holy Roller: Increase attack ARs vs. the infidel by level Miracles: Access to 1 power school (pg. 12)

Gearhead (Grh)Gearheads are adept at operating and repairing machines, gadgets, computers, vehicles, and other technical devices.AdCost: +4 WL: +2Abilities: Manoeuvre, TinkerSpecial Perks

Overhaul: Use Tinker to reduce a hit’s severity by level; one attempt per hit each day (machines and vehicles only)

Medic (Med)Those with this profession are trained to administer medical atten-tion in the field.AdCost: +5 WL: +2Abilities: Athletics, First Aid, MettleSpecial Perks

Bedside Manner: Increase patient’s natural healing rate by level (pg. 19)

Ditch Medicine: Use First Aid to reduce a wound’s severity by level; one attempt per wound each week

First Responder: Use First Aid to revive an unconscious or stunned patient or to extend poison onset up to 1 turn/level

Mentalist (Men)People with heightened awareness or advanced brains who wield powers as psionic abilities.AdCost: +3 WL: +1Abilities: Observe, WieldSpecial Perks

Blank Stare: Improve Resistance vs. Enchantment by level Mind Blank: Improve Resistance vs. Divination by level Psionics: Access to 1 power school (pg. 12)

Occultist (Occ)Those who study ancient lore to obtain the secrets of magic spells.AdCost: +3 WL: +1Abilities: Academics, WieldSpecial Perks

Magic Resistance: Improve Resistance vs. Powers by level Spells: Access to 1 power school (pg. 12)

Scholar (Sch)People with formal education possessing broad knowledge in diverse fields and adept at research.AdCost: +3 WL: +1Abilities: Academics, ObserveSpecial Perks

Eidetic Memory: Improve recall-based ARs by level Flash of Genius: Academics rolls made with 2d20; take best result

Scout (Sct)These folks are at home in the wilderness and used to picking their way through harsh environments and hostile territory.AdCost: +5 WL: +2Abilities: Observe, Sneak, SurvivalSpecial Perks

Frontiersman: Survival rolls made with 2d20; take best result Nature Ways: Improve ARs in the wilderness by level

Thug (Thg)This profession is for street toughs and hired goons, prone to strong-arm tactics and intimidation.AdCost: +5 WL: +2Abilities: Athletics, Coerce, Street SmartsSpecial Perks

City Ways: Improve ARs in urban environments by level Stare-down: Coerce rolls made with 2d20; take best result

Veteran (Vet)Anyone with formal combat training is a veteran: soldiers, mercenar-ies, warriors, guardsmen, etc. AdCost: +7 WL: +4Abilities: Athletics, Fight, ShootSpecial Perks

Buttress: Double the DF of armour worn (melee only) Deadeye: Upgrade the damage of ranged weapons by 1 die En Garde: Increase Parry by Fight AR (melee only) Enemy Mine: Increase attack ARs vs. specific foe by level Mighty Blow: Upgrade the damage of melee weapons by 1 die

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Chimera Basic 8

Boons and Baggage (optional)Character background is a tricky thing—you don’t want to get too bogged down with specifics, but it does help to have a few details to explain where your PC comes from. The table below provides random conditions—boons and baggage—that represent extra details about a character at the start of play. Entries describe circumstances in the character’s present, but the player is free to craft whatever background story he wants to explain how the current situation came about (some GM tweaking required).

DIE ROLL (2D12) RESULT 2 Roll twice on this table at –1 each roll, ignoring results of “2” or “24” 3 Extorted by underworld figure; could be for protection or to keep someone quiet about something the PC did (or is said to have done) 4 Harassed by a rival who opposes the PC at every opportunity 5 Blackmailed by the authorities to spy on another PC 6 Wanted by the authorities in connection with a crime (PC may or may not be guilty) 7 Exiled from local community for putting its citizens or leader(s) in danger 8 Not raised by natural parents (e.g., crazy uncle, kidnappers, gypsies, wolves) 9 Criminal record for past crime; debt to society has been paid, but the stigma limits opportunities 10 Shunned within local community for real or perceived failing 11 Charged with the care of a dependent relative (e.g., invalid, child, or insane) 12 Saddled with a random Flaw (pg. 11; player needs to explain origin) 13 Character has an acute interest in (and talent for) some hobby (player’s choice) 14 Background justifies a free Perk (pg. 11; player needs to explain origin) 15 Knows the location of rumoured cache (e.g., riches, technology, lost knowledge) 16 Possesses a valuable family heirloom (weapon, armour, gear) 17 Beginner’s luck lets you automatically Resist a single Killer Blow (must be used before attaining 2nd-level) 18 Popular; begins adventuring career with 1d4 loyal (non-classed) henchmen (pg. 20) 19 Recipient of mysterious inheritance; could be lands, a title, or a piece of tangible property (e.g., a ship, trade goods, real estate) 20 Member of an exclusive club 21 Owed a favour from a powerful local figure (e.g., rich businessman, authority figure, politician) 22 Has connections to an influential organisation 23 Has the favourable attentions of a powerful (but unidentified) patron 24 Roll twice on this table at +1 each roll, ignoring results of “2” or “24”

Fleshing out the details of these items is a collaborative exercise for the player and the GM. In all cases, the results make for good adventure hooks (to be exploited at any juncture) or roleplaying opportunities, provided both the player and GM are willing to work toward adding a little extra detail to the setting.Note also that results are arranged on a curve, with “13” being average. Results of “14” and up are increasingly favourable, while results of “12” and below are generally bad.This makes the table “modifier-friendly,” so you can simulate the positive or negative effects (like social station, class, or racial type) by apply-ing modifiers to nudge characters in one direction or another according to your setting. For example, a race of high-born men might get a +1 to indicate their generally good fortune, or maybe characters who rolled 3 or less on Social Station (pg. 5) get a penalty of –2 to reflect their miserable lot in the campaign.Finally, don’t be shy about modifying the results above—these are generic possibilities and easily customised for a spe-cific campaign.

Custom ProfessionsChimera classes can be used as stand-alone professions or combined to create new professions particular to a given campaign.When combining classes, add the Ad-vancement Cost and Wound Limit ad-justments of each. Abilities of each class are considered class Abilities for purpos-es of advancement; if an Ability is com-mon to two or more combined classes, it gains AR +1. The character has access to Special Perks from all combined classes. Based on popular genres, here are some effective class combinations:Fantasy

Cleric/Priest: Faithful + Scholar Druid: Animist + Scout Paladin: Faithful (w/Holy Roller) +

Veteran (w/Buttress) Ranger: Scout (w/Nature Ways) +

Veteran (w/Enemy Mine) Rogue: Burglar + Veteran Wizard: Occultist + Scholar

Modern or Historical Big Game Hunter: Scout + Veteran Corpsman: Medic (w/First Respond-

er) + Scout Gangster: Burglar + Thug Private Investigator: Scholar + Thug

(w/City Ways) Professor: Scholar (w/Flash of Gen-

ius) Recon Specialist: Burglar + Scout Reporter: Profession (journalist) Abil-

ity + Scholar Sniper: Scout + Veteran (w/Dead Eye)

Sci-fi or Apocalypse Bounty Hunter: Burglar + Thug

(w/Stare-down) Empath: Mentalist + Scholar Hacker: Profession (comp sci) Ability

+ Scholar Technocrat: Gearhead + Scholar

Some of these examples are composed of classes and particular non-class Abilities. You can create these by buying non-class Abilities during Step #4 of Character Generation.

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Chimera Basic 9

Character AdvancementAt the end of every adventure, your character can make an Advancement Roll to see if he improves: roll 1d20 and subtract your current experience level from the result. If the Advancement Roll is equal to or greater than your character’s Advancement Cost (AdCost), you receive a number of Improvement Points (IP) equal to your current level (e.g., a 3rd-level character gets 3 IP). Otherwise, you must complete another adventure before you can try again. The GM may grant bonuses to the Advancement Roll for completing mission goals, overcom-ing specific adventure challenges, and defeating key opponents (pg. 31).Improvement Points may be spent to: Level Up: Increase your experience level by one and apply a +1 bonus to one of the following:

any class Ability, Movement Rate (MR), Wound Limit (WL), Defence (DF), or Initiative Modifier (IM). [IP cost equal to current level]

Improve a class Ability: Gain Ability bonus of AR +1. [1 IP]Acquire a non-class Ability: Gain new Ability at AR +0. [1 IP]Improve a non-class Ability: Gain Ability bonus of AR +1; you can improve each of your

non-class Abilities only once per experience level. [1 IP]Acquire a new Perk: Gain the “basic” version of a Perk. [1 IP]Improve an existing Perk: Gain the Improved version of an existing Perk. [2 IP]Acquire a new Special Perk: Gain a Special Perk from your race or class. [IP cost equal to

current level]Acquire a new power: Gain the power; you must have access to the power’s school (to access

new schools, re-purchase the Special Perk that allows you to use powers; e.g., Miracles, Spells, et al.). [IP cost equal to ¼ power’s Target Number]

Acquire Mana: Gain 1d6 Mana points. [1 IP]Acquire a new Class: Gain access to the new class’ Abilities and Sperks (Abilities already

possessed gain a bonus of AR +1). You must also add the new class’ AdCost to your existing Advancement Cost figure. [IP cost equal to current level]

Overcome a Flaw: Remove an existing Flaw; at the GM’s discretion (and depending on the Flaw affected), this may require constant effort (q.v., Overcoming Flaws, pg. 11). [2 IP]

Training (optional)To simulate the effort required for character improvement, the GM might require training as a component of advancement. In campaign terms, this represents tutelage, instruction, and practice in whatever’s being improved (e.g., practicing under a weapon master’s guidance to improve the Fight Ability, serving as a sorcerer’s apprentice to acquire a magic spell, or taking a course at the community college to improve Academics).Assuming a character can find a suitable instructor (and convince him to provide instruction), training takes time and money. Here are some guidelines:Gaining an experience level: Applying the lessons learned from adventuring to the physical

and mental improvements represented by level gain consumes 1 month of game time per level earned, at a cost of $1,000 per month of instruction.

Abilities: Improving an existing Ability by AR +1 requires a month of game time and $500. Acquiring a new Ability requires two months of game time at a cost of $1,000.

Perks: Acquiring a new Perk takes two months of game time and $1,000. Improving a Perk also takes two months, but the advanced training required costs $2,000.

Sperks: New Sperks are acquired in one game month at a cost of $2,000.Powers: Gaining a new power takes one game week per Target Number of the power, at a rate

of $250 per week. New powers are hard to find, as most instructors are reluctant to share such knowledge; finding a willing mentor requires the PC to make a Street Smarts roll against the TN of the power sought.

New Class: Training consumes the class’ Advancement Cost in game months, at a rate of $1,000 per month.

Creating New ClassesYou can create new classes by assem-bling appropriate Abilities and coming up with new Special Perks. Calculate Ad-vancement Cost as follows:

+1 per Ability +1 per WL adjustment

Special Perks are handled the same way as for races: they’re optional, and each one chosen increases the character’s Ad-Cost by +1.Remember that a class Sperk is available only to members of that class, so if oth-ers could reasonably have access to it, you should consider representing the class via a combined profession (pg. 8) instead of a stand-alone.

Creating New RacesDetermine a new race’s basic stats ac-cording to its size (pg. 21), then apply Perks, Flaws, and Adaptations to reflect inherent characteristics. Calculate the race’s AdCost as follows:

+1 per Perk or Adaptation +2 per Improved Perk/Adaptation +1 per WL adjustment

Special Perks require some thought (and GM approval). Try to come up with ad-vantages logical for the race, but not necessarily required or shared by every member of the race. When determining a Sperk’s benefit, re-member that most are tied to the character’s level (e.g., usable once per level each day, providing a die roll bonus equal to level, etc.). Don’t be afraid to be creative—a Sperk’s power is balanced by the fact that they’re available only to a specific race or class, and not even all members at that.

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Chimera Basic 10

AbilitiesChimera Abilities broadly represent various things your character can do during an adven-ture. They’re somewhat open-ended (i.e., purposely vague) so players and GMs can customise the specifics of each to suit their playing style and setting. When you’re uncertain about which Ability to use in a given situation, rely on common sense and group consensus (subject to GM approval). As a rule of thumb, the clever application of an Ability should be rewarded with at least a chance of success, especially if it’s reasonably plausible and keeps play moving.

Ability DescriptionsAbilities are listed below; the numbers are provided to allow random determination by the GM when desired.1. Academics: Book smarts, recall, and logical deduction; this Ability represents broad and

unspecified knowledge accumulated through education and formal study. At the GM’s discretion, your character knows 1 foreign language for every 2 points of AR bonus.

2. Animal Handling: Train, care for, or ride an animal; used to make attacks while mounted.3. Athletics: Physical activity, including climbing, swimming, running, jumping, holding

one’s breath, bashing and breaking things, overpowering others, and unarmed combat.4. Chicanery: Pick pockets, pilfer items, perform sleight of hand, and conceal small items on

your person (including Small weapons).5. Coerce: Intimidate, taunt, and cajole others into carrying out your commands; use with

openly hostile people or when you don’t care if you look like a jerk.6. Diplomacy: Interact with people who aren’t overtly hostile or who you might want to be

friends with; reactions are based on your Action Roll result: CF (resistant), NF (neutral), NS (friendly), and CS (helpful).

7. Fight: Attack with hand-to-hand (melee) weapons; a successful hit lets you roll for dam-age against your target (two damage dice on a Critical Success). A Critical Failure causes a fumble, which translates to a –1 penalty to your Initiative Modifier next combat turn.

8. First Aid: Reduce a patient’s Wound Penalty (1 point per level per hour, or any combina-tion thereof) or negate 1 point of Fatigue per level (effects doubled with a Critical Success).

9. Manoeuvre: Operate vehicles and execute special manoeuvres; use this Ability to make attacks while driving or piloting a vehicle.

10. Mettle: Tenacity, drive, determination, and intestinal fortitude; can be used to resist fear or the influence of others.

11. Observe: Spot details, detect abnormalities, and notice peculiarities in your immediate environment or about a person you encounter.

12. Perform: Sing, act, dance, recite, or play an instrument to entertain crowds; Perform is also used to disguise oneself or otherwise pretend to be a different person.

13. Profession: Livable trade not covered by a more specific Ability. A professional’s skill is suggested by his AR bonus: Apprentice (up to AR +2), Journeyman (AR +3 or more), Master (AR +8 or more). Naturally, titles vary with the setting.

14. Shoot: Attack with ranged (missile) weapons; a successful hit lets you roll for damage against your target (two damage dice on a Critical Success). A Critical Failure requires an immediate Ammo Check (pg. 15) or means that your gun jams (Shoot roll to clear).

15. Sneak: Hide while stationary or creep undetected (MR – Movement Die; no movement possible if creeping MR is 0” or less).

16. Spelunking: Subterranean survival skills, including direction sense, determination of depth, slope detection, identification of formations and special underground hazards.

17. Street Smarts: Urban survival skills, including resource location, bluff, savvy, haggling, blending in, avoiding scams, gambling, and familiarity with local laws, customs, and landmarks.

18. Survival: Wilderness and outdoor skills, including hunting, tracking, foraging, identifica-tion of flora and fauna, direction sense, weather prediction, and survival.

19. Tinker: Work with machines (e.g., vehicles, locks, traps, computers) or reduce a machine’s Performance Penalty by 1 for 1 hour per level (AR –2 if older tech; AR –4 if newer).

20. Wield: Use of known powers and certain powered items, knowledge of supernatural lore, identification of supernatural beings, artefacts, and effects.

Untrained ActionsYour character may attempt any Ability, but if he’s not trained (i.e., he doesn’t have it), the attempt suffers a penalty of AR –4. This means that there’s always a chance for a character to pull things off, even if it’s by accident.

SpecialisationYour character may specialise in a spe-cific aspect of an Ability. For example, you could specialise Fight or Shoot with a particular weapon type, Academics with a particular field of study, Athletics with a particular activity, etc. All special-isations are subject to GM approval.Specialising is just like improving an Ability (pg. 9), except that you apply a bonus of AR +2 in the specialised area. This is independent of the Ability’s normal AR—there is no “stacking.” Each subse-quent improvement to a specialisation costs 1 IP and provides AR +2.The AR bonus for specialisation applies only to the aspect chosen. When using the Ability in other situations, apply the “normal” AR bonus. It takes dedication and effort to maintain a specialisation. If your specialisation AR ever falls below your “normal” Ability AR, you lose the specialisation. Example: Klar the Barbarian is a Veteran with Fight +1. He spends 1 IP to specialise in Fight (axe), so while his normal Fight Ability is AR +1, he swings an axe at AR +2. After some adventures, he gains 2 Improve-ment Points. Klar spends 1 IP on Fight and the other IP on Fight (axe). As a result, he now has Fight +2 and Fight (axe) +4.He could have spent his 2 IP for Fight +3, but then his “normal” Fight AR would have been greater than his AR with the axe, and he’d lose his specialisation.

Critical ResultsAn Action Roll resulting in a “natural” 4, 8, 12, 16, or 20 is a Critical Success or a Critical Failure, depending on whether the attempt succeeds or fails. Guidelines for interpreting a Critical re-sults are noted on page 2.

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Chimera Basic 11

PerksPerks are special talents available to anyone, regardless of race or class. Most operate automatically by adjusting die rolls or game me-chanics in specific situations. You must have the Perk for at least one experience level before you acquire the “Improved” version. Perks are also good for customising Chimera. Whenever you’re tempted to change the rules, consider assigning your tweaks to a Perk instead. Not only does this save you the effort of making wholesale changes to the entire system, but it lets you introduce the change faster and makes it easier to “pull back” if the tweak doesn’t work out the way you expected.

Perk DescriptionsPerks are listed below; the numbers are provided to allow random determination by the GM when desired. 1. Batter: Bonus of +1 to any hand-to-hand (melee) weapon damage

rolls. [Improved: Increase bonus to +2]2. Bullseye: Bonus of +1 to any ranged (missile) weapon damage

rolls. [Improved: Increase bonus to +2]3. Comely: Bonus of +1 to Diplomacy rolls based on physical attrac-

tiveness (subject to racial and gender preferences). [Improved: Increase bonus to +2]

4. Crackerjack: Bonus of +1 to Resist Traps. [Improved: Increase bonus to +2]

5. Economise: Bonus of +1 to Gear Checks. [Improved: Increase bo-nus to +2]

6. Energetic: Bonus of +1 to Resist Fatigue. [Improved: Increase bonus to +2]

7. Etiquette: Bonus of +1 to Diplomacy rolls with upper classes. [Improved: Increase bonus to +2]

8. Fire Conservation: Bonus of +1 to Ammo Checks. [Improved: In-crease bonus to +2]

9. Giant Killer: Bonus of +1 to attack and damage rolls vs. larger foes. [Improved: Increase bonus to +2]

10. Healthy: Bonus of +1 to Resist Disease and Poison. [Improved: Increase bonus to +2]

11. Insulation: Bonus of +1 to Resist Powers. [Improved: Increase bonus to +2]

12. Lucky: Bonus of +1 Clutch Situation each level. [Improved: In-crease bonus to +2]

13. Marksman: Bonus of +1 to Called Shots with ranged weapons. [Improved: Increase bonus to +2]

14. Mounted Assault: Bonus of +1 to attack and damage rolls while mounted. [Improved: Increase bonus to +2]

15. Nimble: Bonus of +1 to Parry. [Improved: Increase bonus to +2]16. Portage: Bonus of +1 point of “free” Encumbrance. [Improved:

Increase bonus to +2]17. Quick Draw: Bonus of +1 to Initiative rolls. [Improved: Increase

bonus to +2]18. Stout: Bonus of +1 to base Defence (DF). [Improved: Increase base

Defence by +2]19. Tough: Bonus of +1 to Wound Limit (WL). [Improved: Increase

Wound Limit by +2]20. Weapon Proficiency: Bonus of +1 to Initiative rolls with a particu-

lar weapon type (a group of related arms: swords, pistols, bows, rifles, etc.). [Improved: Bonus of +1 to damage rolls with profi-cient weapons]

FlawsFlaws are physical and mental maladies, bad habits, and other foibles. Every time your character takes a Flaw (willingly or not), he receives a one-time bonus of +1 to his next Advancement Roll (pg. 9).As with Perks, feel free to create custom Flaws for your setting. The only word of advice is to manifest the Flaw, wherever possible, through some mechanical effect. In other words, it’s easier to enforce a Flaw via a die roll modifier than to rely on a player’s ability (or consistent willingness) to roleplay it.

Flaw DescriptionsFlaws are listed below; the numbers are provided to allow random determination by the GM when desired.1. Awkward: Penalise Diplomacy rolls by –2 (socially inept)2. Butt Ugly: Penalise Diplomacy rolls by –2 (hideous visage)3. Butterfingers: Penalise Tinker rolls by –2 (clumsy)4. Cataracts: Penalise Observe rolls by –2 (can’t see well)5. Clueless: Penalise Academics rolls by –2 (dunce)6. Debt: Financial obligation of 3d6 x $1,0007. Frail: Reduce Wound Limit (WL) by –28. Gimp: Reduce Movement Rate (MR) by –2” and downgrade Move-

ment Die by 1 step (e.g., d8 to d6, d6 to d4, d4 to d2)9. Glass Ceiling: Increase Advancement Cost by +210. Hearing Defect: Penalise Observe rolls by –2 (can’t hear well)11. Humanitarian: Cannot land Killer Blow upon vanquished foes 12. Lazy: Penalise Resistance vs. Fatigue by –213. Oblivious: Penalise Observe rolls by –2 (doesn’t pay attention)14. Outsider: Penalise Diplomacy rolls by –2 (social prejudice)15. Pacifist: Fights only in self-defence16. Phobia: Requires Mettle roll (TN 8+threat’s level) to face a specific

threat17. Photosensitive: Penalise all ARs in full light by –218. Power Strain: Powers wielded at ½ normal effect19. Restricted Armour: Maximum armour bulk of Light20. Restricted Weapons: Maximum weapon size of Medium 21. Savage: Always lands Killer Blow upon vanquished foes22. Shakes: Resistance Roll vs. Fatigue required after any intense

action (combat, escape, et al.)23. Sickly: Penalise Resistance vs. Disease and Poison by –224. Slow: Penalise Initiative Modifier (IM) by –2 25. Spendthrift: Wasteful spending reduces effective income by 10%26. Spineless: Penalise Mettle rolls by –2 (lack of confidence)27. Unfriendly: Penalise Diplomacy rolls by –2 (you’re a jerk)28. Unlucky: Reduce Clutch Situations by –2 each level29. Wasteful: Penalise Gear Checks by –2 (careless consumer)30. Wild Shot: Penalise Ammo Checks by –2 (inconsistent shot)

Overcoming FlawsYou can overcome a Flaw by “paying it off.” This is done as an im-provement during character advancement (pg. 9) and costs 2 Im-provement Points.At the GM’s discretion, some Flaws require effort to suppress and control (e.g., Phobia, Unfriendly, Wasteful, et al.). This work is repre-sented by reducing the number of IP received at advancement time by 1. You may ignore this penalty, but that causes a relapse and the Flaw returns.

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Chimera Basic 12

PowersPowers represent supernatural or pseudoscientific forces—spells, miracles, voodoo, psionics, etc. Chimera powers are defined loosely, which allows you to separate cause from effect and gives the GM freedom to include powers in any campaign, using whatever logic is most appropriate for that setting. For example, a shock can come from a sorcerer’s scroll, a saint’s holy symbol, an empath’s mental blast, or even an alien artefact—regardless, it’s the shock power in all respects. While it may be brought about or appear in different ways, the effects of the power are unchanged.

Using PowersEach power has its own Target Number, which represents how difficult it is to use. To use a power, make Wield roll against the power’s TN, with these suggested results:Critical Failure: Power fizzles; wielder must Resist Fatigue against power’s TN (pg. 17)Normal Failure: Power succeeds; target gets normal Resistance Roll (pg. 17) but wielder must

Resist Fatigue against power’s TNNormal Success: Power succeeds; target gets normal Resistance Roll Critical Success: Power succeeds; target Resistance Roll penalised by Wielder’s level

Resisting PowersAn unwilling target of any power may attempt a Resistance Roll (pg. 17) against the power’s Target Number. Each power’s description notes which Ability (if any) may be used to “stack” onto the Resistance Roll. A successful Resistance Roll reduces the power’s effects by half; a Critical Success on the Resistance Roll negates the power’s effects completely.

Power DescriptionsWhat follows are capsule descriptions for common powers; the numbers are provided to allow random determination by the GM when desired.

Abjuration1. Counter (Abj; TN 12; Rng 1”/lvl; Dur 1 rd/lvl; RS n/a)

Negate all operating powers within a medium blast template (permanent duration on Critical Success); the Wield roll is penalised by the level of the countered power’s wielder.

2. Paralyse (Abj; TN 16; Rng 2”/lvl; Dur 1 tn/lvl; RS Athletics)Freeze a single target in place; target is aware of surroundings while paralysed.

3. Remove Curse (Abj; TN 8; Rng Touch; Dur Instant; RS n/a)Negates a curse; Wield rolls are penalised by the level of whoever created the curse.

4. Shield (Abj; TN 12; Rng 1”/lvl; Dur 1 rd/lvl; RS Sneak)Increase target’s Parry (or Defence) by +1/level; the bonus may be divided evenly amongst multiple targets.

5. Wall (Abj; TN 20; Rng 4”/lvl; Dur 1 rd/lvl; RS Athletics)Create a solid barrier from the current ground cover up to 1”x 1” per level. The wall forms in any shape or direction, but cannot be moved once placed; each 1” section provides a Cover bonus (pg. 18) based on its composition: Earth (Cover +2/lvl); Fire (Cover +0, 1d6 points of damage if touched or crossed), Ice (Cover +1/lvl); Stone (Cover +4/lvl); Thorns (Cover +0, 1 point of damage per level if entered or crossed). Each wall section has a WL and DF equal to the wielder’s level and may be destroyed by physical means.

6. Ward (Abj; TN 20; Rng Touch; Dur Special; RS Athletics)Create a protective mark on an object, portal, or container that triggers upon unauthor-ised access. Ward effects cover a small blast template; possible wards include: Fear (Resist via Mettle or flee in terror); Drain (as Energy Drain adaptation); Harm (inflicts 1 point of damage per level); Stun (inflicts stun penalty equal to wielder’s level); Warning (sends mental or audible alert; one word per level of the wielder); Weakness (Fatigue penalty equal to wielder’s level). A ward fades when triggered, but may be made permanent; a ward may be bypassed with a password chosen by the wielder.

Power-wielding SperksClasses that wield powers do so via a certain Sperk (e.g., Essence, Miracles, Spells, et al.). A separate “instance” of the Sperk must be acquired for each school accessed.Each time this Sperk is acquired, the character chooses the school it repre-sents. He automatically gains one ran-domly chosen power from the school selected, and may acquire other powers from that school as part of character advancement (pg. 9).As with other Sperks, every time the character gets access to a new power school, his AdCost increases by +1.

Power SchoolsEach power belongs to a school, or disci-pline, of related effects:Abjuration (Abj): Powers that create pro-

tective barriersAlteration (Alt): Powers that affect the

characteristics of inanimate objectsConjuration (Con): Powers that bring

forth inanimate objectsCosmology (Cos): Powers that manipu-

late time, space, and physical environ-ments

Divination (Div): Powers that impart knowledge

Enchantment (Enc): Powers that affect the characteristics of living things

Evocation (Evo): Powers that channel raw energy into a controlled force

Illusion (Ill): Powers that deceive the senses

Summoning (Sum): Powers that bring forth living things

Power DescriptionsEach power is noted with the following details:School: A 3-letter code indicating the

power’s school (see above) TN: The Target Number needed to Wield

the power successfullyRng: The range at which the power is

effective, in scale inchesDur: The power’s duration, or how long

its effect lastsRS: Ability used to Resist the powerUnless otherwise noted, “lvl” refers to the wielder’s experience level.

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Alteration1. Control Unliving (Alt; TN 16; Rng 2”/lvl; Dur 1 rd/lvl; RS Mettle)

Compel a single undead or constructed target to do your bidding; 1 order/level.2. Create Unliving (Alt; TN 20; Rng Touch; Dur Permanent; RS n/a)

Transform bodily remains into undead (e.g., skeleton or zombie) or a manufactured construct; Wield rolls are penalised by the level of the undead or construct created.

3. Permanency (Alt; TN var.; Rng Touch; Dur Permanent; RS n/a)Give a currently operating power unlimited duration; the Wield Target Number equals the TN of the power being made permanent.

4. Silence (Alt; TN 12; Rng 1”/lvl; Dur 1 rd/lvl; RS Sneak)Contain all sound within a small blast template; can move with wielder at TN 16.

5. Transmute (Alt; TN 16; Rng Touch; Dur 1 tn/lvl; RS n/a)Change the form and function of an inanimate object (up to 1 Encumbrance point per level affected, though Encumbrance value is unchanged).

6. True Strike (Alt; TN 12; Rng Touch; Dur 1 rd/lvl; RS n/a)Increase attack and damage rolls of a single weapon or ammo load by +1/level; the bonus may be divided evenly amongst multiple weapons/ammo.

Conjuration1. Control Weather (Con; TN 12; Rng 4”/lvl; Dur 1 tn/lvl; RS n/a)

Change weather within a large blast template; Moderate or Severe weather (pg. 26) may be created at TN 16 or TN 20, respectively. Weather changes inconsistent with the local environment halve the power’s duration (e.g., snow in a tropical desert).

2. Produce (Con; TN 12; Rng 1”/lvl; Dur Special; RS n/a)Create an inanimate object no bigger than Enc 1/level; lasts 1 minute/level (if rare or valuable), 1 hour/level (if inorganic), or 1 day/level (if organic or edible).

3. Sustenance (Con; TN 8; Rng Self; Dur Special; RS n/a)Create a day’s worth of food and water for 1 medium-sized creature per level.

4. Twin (Con; TN 20; Rng Touch; Dur Permanent; RS Mettle)Create a precise replica of a target creature, but at half the original’s level. The twin is an automaton under the control its progenitor and cannot gain experience or memories, but if the original is destroyed, the twin becomes an independent replacement, capable of advancement.

Cosmology1. Free Action (Cos; TN 16; Rng Touch; Dur 1 tn/lvl; RS Athletics)

Enable a target to survive and move/act without penalty in hostile or restrictive environ-ments (e.g., underwater, gas-filled chamber, vacuum, etc.); duration may be divided evenly amongst multiple targets.

2. Slow (Cos; TN 12; Rng 1”/lvl; Dur 1 rd/lvl; RS Athletics)Halve a target’s base Movement Rate and number of full actions per round, and impose an Initiative penalty equal to the wielder’s level.

3. Speed (Cos; TN 12; Rng 1”/lvl; Dur 1 rd/lvl; RS Sneak)Double a target’s base Movement Rate and number of full actions per round, and grant an Initiative bonus equal to the wielder’s level.

4. Suspension (Cos; TN 20; Rng 1”/lvl; Dur Permanent; RS Athletics)Place a single target in suspended animation; the target is unaware of his surroundings and recalls nothing while suspended. Targets neither age nor need to eat, but they do require air. A suspended target may be slain with one blow or bound as a full action.

5. Teleport (Cos; TN var.; Rng Touch; Dur Instant; RS Wield)Transport 1 individual per level to another location: Destination within sight (TN 8); destination out of sight but familiar (TN 12); destination out of sight but unfamiliar (TN 16); destination off-world (TN 20); destination in different dimension or plane (TN 24). Multiple targets must be in physical contact.

6. Timewarp (Cos; TN 20; Rng Self; Dur 1 rd/lvl; RS n/a)Stops time, granting the wielder 1 full action per round; while timewarp is in effect, wielder acts as if under the effects of free action and all surrounding beings are effectively suspended.

ManaMana is supernatural energy that im-proves your Wield Ability. Each Mana point spent grants AR +1 to any Wield roll.You must decide how much Mana to spend before making the Wield roll. Mana is lost regardless of the roll’s outcome, but recharges at the rate of 1 point per hour. Mana does not affect any other aspect of the power.

Power ModulationAspects of a power can be modulated, or changed in intensity. To modulate a power, apply the following AR modifiers to the Wield roll:Range

Per additional 1”: AR –1Duration

Duration x2: AR –2 Duration x4: AR –4

Effect Per additional target: AR –1 Use smaller blast template: AR +1 Use larger blast template: AR –2

Damage Damage (upgrade Damage die by 1

step (e.g., 1d6 to 1d8)): AR –1 Damage (+1 die): AR –2 Damage (+ level): AR –4

All modulation modifiers are cumulative.

Power Wielding ExampleBrother Pirol the Pious wants to use remove curse on his friend Edric the Unlucky, who was cursed by a 2nd-level Occultist. Pirol has Wield +1, remove curse is TN 8, but the curse was created by a 2nd-level Occult-ist. These combine to a Wield modifier of –1 (+1 for Pirol’s Wield and –2 for the curse’s source). To improve his chances, Pirol spends 3 Mana points, raising his Wield AR to +2. Against a TN 8, Pirol needs to roll 6 or better on the Action Roll.

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Divination1. Commune (Div; TN 20; Rng Self; Dur Special; RS n/a)

Ask one “yes” or “no” question per level and get a correct answer from a supernatural authority known to the wielder (deity, spirit, demon, etc.). If the Wield roll is a Critical Success, one open-ended question may be asked.

2. Detect (Div; TN var.; Rng 1”/lvl; Dur Instant; RS Street Smarts)Check for a particular characteristic of persons or things within a small blast template: affected by a power (TN 12), determine alignment (TN 16), discern a lie (TN 12), or check for traps (TN 8).

3. ESP (Div; TN 12; Rng 1”/lvl; Dur 1rd/lvl; RS Academics)Read a single target’s thoughts.

4. Locate (Div; TN 8; Rng Self; Dur Instant; RS n/a)Determine the direction and distance of a sought-after person, place, or thing.

5. Scry (Div; TN 12; Rng Self; Dur 1 tn/lvl; RS Mettle)View a known person or place in real-time, regardless of distance (include audio at TN 16).

6. Translate (Div; TN 8; Rng Touch; Dur 1 rd/lvl; RS n/a)Allows the wielder to read and write any language; fluent speech and comprehension at TN 12.

Enchantment1. Bonus (Enc; TN 12; Rng Touch; Dur 1 rd/lvl; RS n/a)

Improve one Ability’s AR bonus by target’s level.2. Control (Enc; TN 12; Rng 1”/lvl; Dur 1 rd/lvl; RS Mettle)

Compel a single target to do your bidding; 1 order/level, though the target ignores self-destructive orders.

3. Curse (Enc; TN 12; Rng 1”/lvl; Dur Permanent; RS Wield)Inflict a random Flaw upon a single target; wielder may choose the Flaw at TN 16.

4. Enhance (Enc; TN 12; Rng Touch; Dur 1 rd/lvl; RS n/a)Double the effect of an existing Perk.

5. Fly (Enc; TN 12; Rng Touch; Dur 1 tn/lvl; RS n/a)Grant flight to 1 target/level; flight MR equals wielder’s level.

6. Heal (Enc; TN 12; Rng Touch; Dur Instant; RS n/a)Restore 1d6 points of severity to a single wound (1d8 on a Critical Success).

7. Petrify (Enc; TN 16; Rng 1”/lvl; Dur Permanent; RS Athletics)Turn a single target (and all items worn or carried) to stone.

8. Sleep (Enc; TN 12; Rng 2”/lvl; Dur 1 tn/lvl; RS Mettle)Induce slumber in targets within a small blast template; sleepers may be slain with one blow or bound as a full action.

Evocation1. Blast (Evo; TN 16; Rng 2”/lvl; Dur Instant; RS Athletics)

Hit all targets within a small blast template for 1d6 damage (normal DF applies).

2. Entangle (Evo; TN 12; Rng 1”/lvl; Dur 1 rd/lvl; RS Athletics)Create a snare covering a medium blast template; those within suffer a penalty to MR and physical Action Rolls equal to the wielder’s level (Athletics roll vs. TN 12 required to break free).

3. Light (Evo; TN 8; Rng 1”; Dur 1 tn/lvl; RS n/a)Illuminate a small blast template around the target; light moves with target at TN 12.

4. Restoration (Evo; TN var.; Rng Touch; Dur Instant; RS n/a)Remove an adverse condition suffered by a target: paralysis (TN 8), poison or disease (TN 12), suspension or petrifaction (TN 16), energy drain (TN 20), or death (i.e., resurrection; TN 24).

5. Shock (Evo; TN 12; Rng 1”/lvl; Dur Instant; RS Athletics)Launch a force that unerringly strikes a target for 1d4 points of damage (normal DF applies). For each level, the wielder can in-crease damage by +1 or shock a new/separate target (e.g., at 3rd-level, 3 shocks (Dmg 1d4 each) or 1 shock (Dmg 1d4+3).

6. Telekinesis (Evo; TN 16; Rng 4”/lvl; Dur 1 rd/lvl; RS Fight)Remotely move or control an object (up to 1 Tiny creature or Encumbrance 1 per level). Remote weapons attack via the Wield Ability. Objects may be hurled 1” per level for falling damage.

Illusion1. Charm (Ill; TN 12; Rng Touch; Dur 1 tn/lvl; RS Mettle)

Convince a single target that you are its trusted friend.2. Illusion (Ill; TN 12; Rng 2”/level; Dur 1 tn/lvl; RS Observe)

Create a phantasm of a person, terrain feature, creature, or thing; add sound, smell, animation, or “programmed” interaction (1 condition/level) at TN 16.

3. Invisibility (Ill; TN 12; Rng Touch; Dur 1 rd/lvl; RS Observe)Hide 1 target from sight; mask sound or smell at TN 16; invisibility grants an AR bonus to Sneak attempts equal to the wielder’s level, while attacks against invisible targets are made at AR –4 (AR –8 if sound or scent is also masked).

4. Obscure (Ill; TN 8; Rng 1”/lvl; Dur 1 rd/lvl; RS Observe)Create a visual barrier that conceals all within and behind a medium blast template (AR –4 to attack those thus protected).

Summoning1. Banish (Sum; TN 12; Rng 1”/lvl; Dur Instant; RS Mettle)

Force summoned creatures to return to their place of origin. The wielder can banish up to his level in summoned creatures; any remaining levels penalise the Wield roll.

2. Familiar (Sum; TN 16; Rng Self; Dur Permanent; RS n/a)Summon an animal companion from local environment; the familiar’s level equals the wielder’s, but it does not advance. Familiars establish a telepathic bond with the wielder (Rng 10”/level) and follow directives to the best of their ability. The familiar’s Wound Penalty is felt by the wielder as Fatigue.

3. Possession (Sum; TN 20; Rng 4”/lvl; Dur 1 tn/lvl; RS Mettle)Inhabit and control a target’s body; your own body is suspended during the possession and receives your “being” when the power ends or the host’s body is destroyed. If your body is destroyed, you become incorporeal until you can re-possess a host or your body is restored.

4. Servant (Sum; TN 12; Rng Self; Dur 1 tn/lvl; RS n/a)Bring forth an obedient (but non-combative) Medium-sized serv-ant to carry out mundane tasks; the servant has MR 8” + wielder’s level and possesses 1 Improvement Point per level for the GM to spend on Abilities. At the GM’s option, the servant may be capable of fighting if the Wield roll is a Critical Success.

5. Simulacra (Sum; TN 16; Rng 1”/lvl; Dur 1 rd/lvl; RS n/a)Creates 1 duplicate of a target per wielder’s level; duplicates mimic the original’s appearance, actions, and movement in real-time. Duplicates can make physical attacks, but they possess WL 0 and are destroyed if hit.

6. Summon (Sum; TN var.; Rng 1”/lvl; Dur Special; RS Mettle)Call forth creatures to perform 1 task/level (number appearing as per monster’s description), based on creature’s frequency: Com-mon (TN 8); Uncommon (TN 12); Rare (TN 16); Very Rare (TN 20); Unique (TN 24). Summoned creatures vanish when slain or their tasks are complete.

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EquipmentWeapons, armour, and gear are the tools of adventure—your character will need them.

WeaponsThe table below contains generic weapon stats.

WEAPON TL ABILITY SIZE PARRY DAMAGE* RNG** ROF ENC COSTAxe, battle 2 Fight Medium – 1d6 1” – 1 $10Axe, hand 2 Fight Small – 1d4 (2”) – – $10Bow, composite 2 Shoot Medium – 1d6 8” 1 – $120Bow, long 3 Shoot Medium – 1d6 16” 1 1 $80Bow, short 1 Shoot Medium – 1d4 4” 1 – $40Club 1 Fight Small – 1d4 1” – – $5Crossbow 3 Shoot Large – 1d8 4” ½ 1 $600Dagger 2 Fight Small – 1d4 (2”) 1 – $10Grenade 7 Shoot Small – 1d4/S 4” 1 – $8Mace 2 Fight Medium – 1d6 1” – 1 $20Machine gun, heavy 7 Shoot Fixed – 1d4 8” 6 4 $1,125Machine gun, light 7 Shoot Large – 1d4 8” 4 2 $600Pistol, blaster 9 Shoot Medium – 1d6 4” 1‡ – $80 Pistol, flintlock 5 Shoot Medium – 1d6 2” 1 – $40Pistol, revolver 6 Shoot Medium – 1d6 2” 1‡ – $40Pistol, semi-auto 7 Shoot Small – 1d6 2” 1‡ – $35Quarterstaff 1 Fight Large +2 1d6 2” 1 2 $100Rifle, anti-materiel 8 Shoot Fixed – 1d6 32” 1 2 $2,500 Rifle, automatic 8 Shoot Large – 1d4 4” 2 1 $400Rifle, blaster 9 Shoot Large – 1d6 8” 1 1 $600Rifle, bolt-action 7 Shoot Large – 1d4 16” 1 1 $400Rifle, breech-loader 6 Shoot Large – 1d6 8” 1 2 $300Rifle, flintlock 5 Shoot Large – 1d6 4” ½ 2 $150RPG 8 Shoot Fixed – 1d8/M 16” 1 2 $3,200Shotgun 7 Shoot Large – 1d6 2” 1‡ 1 $200Spear, normal 1 Fight Medium +1 1d6† (2”) 1 1 $20Sub-machine gun 7 Shoot Medium – 1d6 4” 2 1 $40Sword, bastard 3 Fight Medium +1 1d6† 1” – 1 $20Sword, broad 3 Fight Medium +1 1d6 1” – 1 $15Sword, great 3 Fight Large – 1d8 2” – 2 $200Sword, short 2 Fight Small – 1d4 1” – – $10* S, M, L indicates a blast attack using a template of the size indicated (Small, Medium, or Large)** Ranges in parenthesis are thrown, using the Shoot Ability; melee range is 1”† Increase damage die by one step when used 2-handed (e.g., 1d6 becomes 1d8)‡ Capable of Rapid Fire (pg. 19)

ArmourAny protective device worn to deflect or absorb damage from physical attacks.

ARMOUR TL BULK DF BONUS ENC COST NOTESBrigandine 3 Light +1 – $200Ballistic vest 8 Medium +2 1 $400Ballistic vest 9 Medium +2 – $800Ceramic armour 9 Heavy +4 1 $3,200 Combat fatigues 7 Light +1 – $200Cover, heavy – Heavy (+4) – – Provides a Cover bonusCover, light – Light (+1) – – Provides a Cover bonusCover, medium – Medium (+2) – – Provides a Cover bonusFurs, thick 1 Medium +2 2 $200Hide 1 Light +1 2 $50Leather 2 Light +1 1 $100Mail 2 Medium +2 2 $200Mail, light 3 Medium +2 1 $400Plate 3 Heavy +4 4 $400Shield, medium 3 Medium (+2) 1 $100 Provides a Parry bonusShield , small 2 Light (+1) – $50 Provides a Parry bonus

Weapon SizesA weapon’s size dictates how fast it can be brought to bear during a fight:Small (S): Wielded in 1 hand, +1 to initia-

tive rolls; may be concealed with a successful Chicanery roll

Medium (M): Wielded in 1 hand, no initi-ative modifier

Large (L): Wielded in 2 hands, –1 to initi-ative rolls; at the GM’s option, only Veterans may use Large hand-to-hand weapons

Fixed (F): Wielded from a fixed position but portable; takes a full action to set up for firing after moving and –2 to initiative rolls

CashPrices are noted in dollars, though the “$” symbol merely represents the domi-nant currency in the GM’s setting (where it should be referred by its proper name: pound, gold piece, silver penny, imperial credit, ducat, etc.). Actual prices are highly variable. The figures here should be used as guidelines to represent the relative cost of items, as opposed to what the purchasing market will actually bear.

AmmunitionInstead of tracking individual rounds, Chimera tallies ammo in “loads.”A single load of ammo costs one-tenth of the weapon firing it. Encumbrance per load is based on weapon size:

Small: Enc 1 per 8 loads Medium: Enc 1 per 4 loads Large: Enc 1 per 2 loads Fixed: Enc 1 per load

After a fight, any character who fired a shot must make an Ammo Check (i.e., a Shoot roll against TN 12). If the Ammo Check fails, a load’s been expended and his total is reduced by 1; zero loads means that he’s out of ammo.

Ranged Modifiers Shoot rolls at targets within a missile weapon’s “effective range” are made at AR +0. Longer shots are possible, but it’s harder to be accurate at range. Divide the distance to the target by the weapon’s effective range; the result is the AR penalty applied to the Shoot roll (drop fractions).

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GearGear is a general term for tools and supplies designed to perform a specific task. In Chimera, gear is bundled into gear packs, collections of related (but unspecified) tools. For example, Burglars’ tools include any gear related or useful to burglary: wire snips, lock picks, cord, glass cutter, and whatever else makes sense to include in the setting. While a gear pack’s contents aren’t specifically identified, assume that it contains whatever is needed to support its purpose. In other words, if you have a pack related to the task at hand, you have the equipment you need. Naturally, some items vary by Tech Level, though their general purpose is consistent.

GEAR ENC COST ABILITY* POSSIBLE CONTENTS†Academia 2 $200 Academics Books, database or Internet access, library cardArtists’ supplies 1 $100 Perform Materials appropriate to the artist’s mediaBurglars’ tools 1 $100 Tinker Lock picks, glass cutter, shears, twine, waxCamping supplies 2 $100 Survival Bedroll, tarp, flint & tinder, rations, water skin/canteenCartography desk 1 $200 Academics Ink, paper, rule, compass, sextant, quills/pensChemistry set 1 $200 Academics Beakers, chemicals, microscope, Ph kit, reagentsCraftsmans’ tools 2 $100 Profession Materials and tools appropriate to the craftExplorers’ pack 1 $100 Survival Backpack, local map, canteen, flares, rope, compassFighting gear 1 $50 n/a‡ Whetstone, armour repair kit, oilGun kit 1 $50 n/a‡ Cleaning kit, ammo mould, oilHoly kit 1 $200 Miracles Holy symbol, holy water, lectionary, prayer candlesMedical kit 1 $100 First Aid Bandages, ointments, antiseptic, syringes, snake bite kitMountaineering pack 2 $200 Survival Carabineers, hammer, pitons, rope, survival tentScribes’ desk 1 $100 Academics Ink, paper, quills/pens, wax, official seal(s)Spellbook 1 $200 Spells Parchment, quills, rare inks, scrolls, scroll tubesSpelunking pack 1 $200 Survival Hammer, iron spikes, torches, lantern, rope, oilSurvival pack 1 $100 Survival Backpack, bedding, flint & tinder, fishing tackle, sawToolbox 2 $200 Tinker Diagnostic gear, repair tools, spare parts* This is the Ability that may suffer a penalty if the gear is missing, lost, or damaged (see below)† Example items based on Tech Level; not meant to be an exhaustive list‡ Possibly required for weapon or armour repair in the field

Equipment QualityEquipment quality affects its performance and results from superior craftsmanship or the use of high-tech materials and manufacturing. You can designate an item of quality with a number of points, each of which can impart one of the following improvements:

Reduce Encumbrance by –1 (minimum Enc 0) Improve armour DF bonus by +1 Upgrade a weapon’s attack AR or damage by +1 Improve a missile weapon’s effective range by +1” Improve gear Durability or AR modifier when used by +1

Each quality point cumulatively doubles the equipment’s cost. You can use the same scale for poor quality equipment by reversing the benefits (e.g., increase Encumbrance by +1, reduce armour DF bonus by –1, etc.). Each reduction in quality cumula-tively halves the item’s cost (though the minimum value of any piece of equipment should be its Tech Level in dollars ($)).

Equipment Damage and LossIf a character’s equipment is depleted or lost, certain Abilities may be harder to execute, penalising related Action Rolls by a minimum of –4.However, if the character’s player can come up with a clever way to use the limited supplies available on-hand (though jury-rigging or by using improvised tools, for example), the AR adjustment may be as low as –2 or –1 (or perhaps negated completely). In all cases, any well-thought or clever solution to a given challenge should be considered. As a rule of thumb, if a player comes up with a plausible plan, he should be rewarded for his ingenuity with at least a chance of success (however remote that may be).

Gear DurabilityEach gear pack has 7–12 (1d6+6) uses—when it’s used up, you’ve worn out or consumed all the items it contained. But some gear is more durable than others, and it’s possible for a character to hus-band his supplies carefully.Every time you use the gear pack, you must make a Gear Check (i.e., an Observe roll against TN 12). If the Gear Check fails, the pack is depleted by one use; when a pack is empty, it must be re-placed.

EncumbranceEncumbrance (Enc) represents the bulk and weight of your character’s gear, which affects his actual Movement Rate.Subtract the Encumbrance of all equip-ment from your character’s base MR; the difference is his adjusted MR.For example, a character with MR 12”±1d6 wearing hide armour (Enc 2) and carrying a broad sword (Enc 1) has a total Encumbrance of 3 for an adjusted MR of 9”±1d6.

Container CapacityDetermine the Encumbrance of many small items (coins, gems, hairpins, grains of wheat) by the size of their container:

CONTAINER ENC* CAPACITY†Belt pouch, small 0 50Belt pouch, medium 0 100Backpack, rucksack 1 400Backpack, frame 2 800Chest, small 2 800Chest, medium 3 1,200Chest, large 4 1,600Sack, small 0 200Sack, large 1 400Strongbox, small 0 200Strongbox, large 1 400* Encumbrance when full† In coins (assume each is the size of an Amer-

ican dollar coin)

You’ll note an Capacity to Encumbrance ratio of about 400-to-1. Thus, carrying a medium belt pouch (Capacity 100) is En-cumbrance 0; carrying 4 full medium pouches would be Encumbrance 1.

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AdventuringAdventures are where the action is, what the characters do in the setting, and why players play the game. The guidelines here handle all the action of adventuring.

Adventuring HazardsAdventuring is rife with special hazards. Often, these hazards confront a character without warning, though he can weather the effects with a Resistance Roll (pg. 3). When Resisting a hazard, add your AR modifier in the appropriate Ability to the Resistance Roll.Unless otherwise noted, a successful Resistance Roll cuts a hazard’s effect in half (round fractions down), while a Critical Success negates the effect completely. Burns (Athletics): Any substance that damages tissue on contact (e.g., acid, electricity, fire,

frost). Burns are noted by intensity and effect. For example, Acid (RR: TN 16, Dmg 1d8) means Resistance Rolls vs. acid are against TN 16, and that failure causes 1d8 points of damage. When a damage roll is the maximum value for the die (e.g., “8” on a d8), any exposed equipment must make a Gear Check (pg. 16). If the check fails, the item loses 1 point of quality (pg. 16). If the Gear Check is a Critical Failure, the item is destroyed.

Disease (First Aid): Any microbe, virus, or bacterium that makes your character sick is a disease. Diseases are noted by virulence and effect. For example, Influenza (RR: TN 16, Fatigue 2) means Resistance Rolls vs. influenza are against TN 16, and that failure imposes a Fatigue Penalty of –2. A Critical Failure on the Resistance Roll doubles the effect. Each week the character is sick requires another Resistance Roll against the original TN, with cumulative effects as above; if the effect is completely removed, the character is cured.

Falling (Athletics): Your character suffers Dmg 1d6 for every 1” fallen or thrown (a softened impact reduces this to Dmg 1d4/1”). The Target Number is 12 and normal DF applies.

Fatigue (Athletics): Any non-lethal damage (excessive activity without rest, a failed Wield roll, or prolonged exposure) is represented by Fatigue. The GM decides when characters Resist Fatigue; the Target Number is always 12. If the Resistance Roll fails, you suffer a cumula-tive Fatigue Penalty (FP) of –1 to all rolls and your Movement Rate. If your Fatigue Penalty exceeds your Wound Limit, each subsequently failed attempt to Resist Fatigue counts as a severity 1 wound. Each full hour of complete rest reduces your Fatigue Penalty by 1, though recovery is effective only in the absence of the fatigue’s source (e.g., you must get out of the heat, in from the cold, or halt your forced march).

Poison (First Aid): Any toxic substance is poison, which can cause a variety of detrimental effects. Poisons are noted by their toxicity and effect. For example, Hemlock (RR: TN 20, Dmg 1d12) means that Resistance Rolls vs. hemlock are against TN 20, and that failure causes 1d12 points of damage. When poison causes damage, your character’s base DF applies, but he gets no bonus from armour. Unless otherwise noted, onset time (i.e., when the effect manifests) is the victim’s level in rounds.

Powers (variable): Unwilling targets may halve the damage or duration of a power with a successful Resistance Roll (a Critical Success negates the effect). The Ability used to modify power Resistance is noted in the power’s description (pp. 12–14).

Traps (Athletics): Any device or obstacle designed to capture or damage your character is a trap. Traps are noted with their complexity and effect. For example, Pit (RR: TN 8, Dmg 1d6) means that Resistance Rolls to avoid a pit are against TN 8, and that falling in causes 1d6 points of damage. Traps may be found and disarmed or avoided with a Tinker roll against the trap’s TN, but a Critical Failure springs the trap.

Breaking ObjectsBreaking an object with brute force (e.g., kicking in a door, bashing open a strongbox, a snapping a lock) requires an Athletics roll against a Target Number based on the object’s Material Strength (see sidebar at right). If you’re using a weapon to aid the effort, roll for damage and add the result to your Athletics roll. A Normal Success damages the object so that another full action breaks it (no roll required); on a Critical Success, the object is broken immediately.

Material StrengthsWhen attempting to break an object, use the following Target Numbers for the Athletics roll:

OBJECT’S CONDITION OR COMPOSITION IS BASE TN Decrepit TN 8 + EncWorn TN 12 + EncSolid TN 16 + Enc Sturdy TN 20 + EncUnbreakable TN 24 + Enc

Note that the object’s Encumbrance is added to the Target Number. When En-cumbrance is unknown, consult the fol-lowing as a guideline:

OBJECT’S SIZE SUGGESTED (RELATIVE TO MAN-SIZED) ENC Diminutive (x <¼) Enc 0Tiny (x¼ ) Enc 1Small (x½) Enc 2Medium (x1) Enc 4Large (x2) Enc 8Giant (x4) Enc 16Huge (x8) Enc 32Colossal (x16+) Enc 64

Relative sizes are not exact and are in-tended only to provide a fast and worka-ble value during game play.

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Chimera Basic 18

CombatChimera combat can be short and deadly—those who rush unto the breach may not live long enough to regret it. That said, when your PC gets in a fight, here’s how to handle it.

SurpriseYou may surprise a foe with a Sneak roll against his Surprise TN. If successful, you may either execute a full combat action before your foe can respond (see Combat Actions, at left), or you may apply a bonus of AR +2 to whatever action you perform on the first round of the fight (at the GM’s discretion, you may apply both benefits if the Sneak roll is a Critical Success).

InitiativeWhen a fight starts, time switches to 10-second rounds. At the start of each round, every combatant chooses his action and rolls 1d12 for Initiative (adjust the roll by the chosen action’s Initiative Modifier (IM)). The highest result goes first, then the next highest, and so on until everyone has a turn. Actions are resolved on their turn, so it’s possible to dispatch a foe before he can act. If the fight isn’t over after everyone’s turn, the fight moves to the next round and combatants roll again for Initiative to repeat the process.

AttackingAttacks are made with a Fight or Shoot roll against a Target Number equal to your foe’s adjusted Movement Rate (see Attack Target Numbers, at left). If the attack succeeds, the defend-er is hit, and the attacker rolls the weapon’s damage die (2 dice if the attack is a Critical Success).

Parrying & Cover (optional)Parrying uses a shield or melee weapon to block or deflect blows; any parry bonus (pg. 15) is added to the attacker’s Target Number.Cover is any material barrier that reduces a defender’s exposure to attack; cover bonuses (pg. 15) are also added to the attacker’s Target Number, based on target exposure:

Light: Covers ¼ of the target (+1 cover bonus) Medium: Covers ½ of the target (+2 cover bonus) Heavy: Covers ¾ of the target (+4 cover bonus)

Add the Cover bonus (and shield bonus, at the GM’s option) to your Resistance Roll vs. blast attacks (pg. 19; double the bonus for thick, strong, or reinforced barriers).Parry and Cover are optional; if you don’t want to use them, apply any Parry or Cover bonus noted in the rules to the combatant’s Defence (DF).

DamageWhen hit, a defender suffers a wound of severity equal to the damage roll minus his Defence (ignore “wounds” of severity zero or less). Regardless of severity, each wound suffered imposes a cumulative Wound Penalty (WP) of –1 to all rolls and Movement Rate.If the total number of wounds, or the severity of a single wound, exceeds the defender’s Wound Limit, he’s vanquished, and the attacker chooses his fate (see Vanquishing Foes, at left). Classed characters (PC or NPC) may Resist a “Killer Blow” against TN 12. Success indicates that he’s Unconscious but suffers a permanent injury in the form of a random Flaw (pg. 11).

MoraleWhen a combatant’s Wound Penalty is half his WL, his leader falls, or his allies suffer more than 50% casualties, he must make a Resistance Roll against his Morale TN to stay in the fight. Failure means surrender or retreat. Player characters do not need to check morale.

Ending CombatCombat ends when one side no longer poses a threat to the other. After a fight, combatants must spend 1 full turn (10 minutes) checking the wounded, tending injuries, and otherwise composing themselves. Failure to spend this “cool-down” period mandates an immediate Resistance Roll against Fatigue. Anyone who engaged in ranged combat must also make an Ammo Check at this time (pg. 15).

Combat ActionsFull Actions: Consume an entire 10-sec-

ond round and include any Action Roll (except a Resistance Roll), readying an item, and running or creeping (i.e., MR ± your Movement Die).

Free Actions: Take no time and include shouting orders, dropping an item, making a Resistance Roll, and walking no more than your MR (i.e., MR without applying your Movement Die).

You can perform any number of free actions each round, but only 1 full action is permitted.

Vanquishing FoesAfter overcoming a foe, a victorious at-tacker decides his opponent’s fate:Capture: Foe is bound, trussed, or other-

wise restrained; impose a penalty of –4 to all rolls and MR while bound.

Driven Off: Foe is sent packing and flees the scene; he will not return before a number of turns equal to the attacker’s level.

Killer Blow: Foe is killed, dead, gone to meet his maker; he has become an ex-foe. Dead foes are usually gone for good, but may be restored if the cam-paign allows it.

Unconscious: Foe is knocked out for 1d6 turns. Upon revival, the foe’s wounds and Wound Penalty are unchanged. Unconscious foes may be dispatched with a coup de grâce as a free action.

Attack Target NumbersThe base Target Number to hit a defender is his adjusted Movement Rate. In this case, adjusted MR means the base MR modified by Encumbrance, terrain, Wound Penalty, and the effects of slow or haste powers. Use this value even when the target is running or creeping.

Combat PositionsIt’s assumed that you’re standing while fighting, but you can also:Crouch: Low profile movement; this is a

full action at your creeping MR, but you gain +1 cover bonus vs. Shoot and Blast attacks.

Prone: You can lie flat as a free action and gain a +2 cover bonus vs. Shoot and Blast attacks. While prone, you may move at your creeping MR or Shoot. Getting up is a free action, but costs your Encumbrance in MR.

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Combat ExampleKlar the Barbarian (MR 11”±1d6; DF 3; WL 6; AT axe +2 (IM +1, Dmg 1d6)) bursts into a room to confront a cultist (MR 10”±1d6; DF 2; WL 3; AT short sword +0 (IM +0, Dmg 1d4)). In the first round, Klar attacks with his axe, the cultist with his sword. Each rolls 1d12 for Initiative: Klar rolls a 12, adjusted to 13 for his Initiative Modifier of +1; the cultist rolls 9, with no IM adjustment, so Klar attacks first.The cultist’s MR is 10”, so Klar’s Fight roll must be 10 or more; the cultist needs an 11 or more to hit Klar.Klar adds +2 to his axe attack (axe +2); he rolls 1d20 for Fight and gets 9, adjusted to 11 (Normal Success); he rolls 1d6 for damage and gets 5. Subtracting the cultist’s DF 2 means that 3 points of damage get through, so the cultist has a single wound (severity 3) for a Wound Penalty of –1.The Wound Penalty changes the cultist’s at-tack from short sword +0 to short sword –1; he needs a 12 or better to hit Klar. He rolls 15 and hits for 1d4 damage. He rolls 2 damage, but Klar’s DF 3 reduces this to –1, so the hit bounces off Klar’s armour. The first combat round is over.Klar presses the attack on round 2 and gains Initiative. He needs a 7 or more (TN 9 because of the cultist’s Wound Penalty and axe +2). His attack roll is 16–Critical Success! He rolls 2d6 for damage and gets 8. The cultist’s DF 2 reduces this to a severity 6 wound, but this still exceeds his Wound Limit of 3, so he’s out of the fight—his fate is now up to the barbar-ian Klar...

Fighting ManoeuvresUse the following options to make combat more realistic in specific situations:Automatic Fire: Firearms with a Rate of Fire (RoF) 2 or more can fire multiple shots as a single

action. To launch an auto-fire attack, select a number of targets up to the weapon’s RoF, and make a separate Shoot roll for each target. For each target hit, roll Damage dice equal to the weapon’s RoF divided by the total number of targets (add any remainder to the damage roll result). Recoil degrades accuracy: apply AR –2 against a single target, or AR –4 if firing at multiple targets. Reduce recoil by AR +2 if the weapon is fixed (pg. 15).

Blast Attacks: All targets within the radius of a blast (pg. 4) take damage, but get a Resistance Roll against TN 12 for half-damage; targets enjoy their normal Defence.

Called Shots: An attempt to hit a specific location on the target. Shots at the head or other vital organs are at AR –4, but inflict an extra die of damage. A shot at the arms or legs is AR –2 and causes normal damage, but arm hits cause objects to drop, and leg hits impose a penalty of MR –1 for the duration of the fight.

Careful Aim: You can line up a shot with any ranged weapon that has RoF 1. The shot is made at AR +2, but with Initiative Modifier –4 and you cannot move prior to pulling the trigger.

Check: You may skip your turn and hold your action until any subsequent turn during the round; whatever action you attempt is at AR +2, and if you respond to another combatant’s action, your action is resolved before his.

Death from Above (or Behind): Attacks from above or behind are made at AR +1 (AR +2 if both conditions are met), and the defender cannot parry.

Multiple Actions: Each full action in a round beyond the first is at AR –2. When attacking with a weapon in each hand, each attack is made at AR –2.

Rapid Fire: You can rapid-fire any gun that has RoF 1 and an internal magazine (e.g., revolver or semi-automatic sidearm). The maximum number of shots equals your Shoot AR. Roll separately for each shot at AR –1 (AR –2 if shooting at multiple targets). For Ammo checks, the RoF equals the number of shots fired.

Shaky Ground: Fighting on an unstable, slippery, or moving surface imposes a –1 penalty to all rolls and MR. If wounded on shaky ground, make an Athletics roll (TN 12) or fall.

Stunned: Physical or mental shock can stun a character. Stunned characters suffer a penalty to all rolls and Movement Rate equal to the stun damage inflicted. Stun damage wears off at the rate of 1 point per round.

Unarmed Combat: When fighting without weapons, attacks are made with an Athletics roll; damage is based on the attacker’s size (pg. 21) and treated as Fatigue. The GM may create Athletic specialisations for unarmed fighting styles (e.g., judo, karate, wrestling, etc.)

MovementA character can walk up to his Movement Rate (MR) each round as a free action. For each round spent running or creeping, roll your Movement Die and add or subtract the result, respectively, from your MR. Running and creeping are considered full actions (MRs less than 1” are possible, so you may need to reduce Encumbrance before creeping).When travelling overland, you can cover your adjusted MR in miles per day (e.g., MR 12”±1d6 equates to 12 miles per day). This is a base rate that assumes a comfortable pace and frequent rest stops; it may be adjusted by terrain as the GM sees fit. You can force-march to cover 50% more ground, but this requires a Fatigue check each hour.

HealingHealing ministrations are applied to a wound’s severity. When a wound’s severity is reduced to zero, it is completely healed, and its corresponding Wound Penalty goes away. The First Aid Ability does not heal wounds, but temporarily reduces a character’s Wound Penalty. True healing requires a medic, certain powers (i.e., heal), or advanced technology. Lacking these expedients, wounds heal naturally at the rate of 1 point of severity per week of complete rest (i.e., no activity beyond eating, sleeping, and moaning in pain).

Healing ExampleKlar gets into trouble later—he suffers 2 wounds at the hands of the cultists: the first is severity 3 and the second is severity 2; his Wound Penalty is –2 (for having 2 wounds).He gets some First Aid from a 3rd-level com-rade, and his state improves to WP –1 for 3 hours (after which the ministrations wear off and he’s back to WP –2). After the adventure, he visits a healer (a 2nd-level Medic), whose Ditch Medicine restores 2 points of wound severity on each wound (2 points for a 2nd-level medic). The first wound is reduced from severity 3 to severity 1—not enough to heal it completely, so it still counts against his Wound Penalty.However, the second wound is reduced to se-verity 0, meaning that it’s healed, and that it no longer contributes to his Wound Penalty. As a result, Klar has a single wound (severity 1) for WP –1. A week of complete bed rest will heal that remaining point of severity, thus healing the wound and negating his Wound Penalty completely.

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Chimera Basic 20

Non-Player CharactersDuring his adventures, your character will meet other people in the setting. These other people—heroes, allies, villains, and everyday folks—are Non-player Characters (NPCs).

Character TypesIt takes all kinds of people to populate a campaign setting, but not everyone has what it takes to be an adventurous hero (or diabolical villain)—the world needs average schleps, too. To reflect the difference between heroes and zeroes, there are two character types in Chimera:Classed: Like player characters, any NPC with a character class (pg. 7) and capable of earning

experience levels within it. Classed characters are a cut above the rest of the population—these are the movers and shakers of the world—who have full access to class advancement options, class Sperks, Improved Perks, and Clutch Situations.

Non-classed: The everyday people of the campaign: rank-and-file soldiers, minions, torch-bearers, shop keepers, citizens, farmers, and angry mobs. As implied, non-classed charac-ters do not possess a class nor can they gain experience levels (they are considered 0-level). These characters start with the statistics shown for their racial type, plus 1d4 Improvement Points for any Abilities and Perks appropriate to their role (IP are spent as per the Character Advancement guidelines on page 9).

A summary of NPC capabilities is noted below:CHARACTER GAIN IMPROVED RACIAL CLASS CLUTCHTYPE LEVELS? PERKS? PERKS? SPERKS? SPERKS? SITUATIONS?Classed Y Y Y Y Y YNon-classed N Y N Y N N

Creating NPCsCreating NPCs is an art, not a science. If there’s one rule to creating NPCs, it’s that you should not use the same guidelines used for creating player characters. Ultimately, you can equip NPCs with whatever capabilities they need to do their job in the campaign, but if you like structure, follow these guidelines to create classed NPCs (for non-classed characters, see the sidebar at left):1. Race: Pick a race to determine the NPC’s initial stats, Perks and Adaptations.2. Class and Level: Pick a class to determines initial Abilities, WL adjustment, and Sperk

availability. You can assign any experience level desired (though 12th-level is the typical maximum for Chimera characters). Do not worry about the NPC’s Advancement Cost—if the character is destined to become a long-term NPC, you can improve him whenever (and however) you see fit.

3. Abilities: NPCs start with their class Abilities and receive 1d4 points per level for improve-ments (as Step #4 of Character Generation, pg. 5). All Abilities start at AR +1.

4. Perks: Apply whatever Perks suit the NPC’s role; a good guideline is 1 Perk per level, but you can assign more if the NPC’s job depends on it.

5. Powers: While any NPC can acquire the Wield Ability, only NPCs with a Sperk to access power schools can actually use powers (i.e., only classed NPCs can Wield powers); as a guideline, the number of powers known should not exceed twice the NPC’s level.

6. Equipment: Supply the NPC with whatever armour, weapons, and gear he needs. Howev-er, keep in mind that any equipment, money, or valuables possessed by an NPC can eventually end up in a PC’s hands.

7. Stats: Determine stats as for player characters:7.1 Movement Rate (MR) = race’s MR – Encumbrance (armour, weapons, gear)7.2 Wound Limit (WL) = race’s WL + class WL adjustment7.3 Defence (DF) = base DF + armour bonus7.4 Resistance (RS) = AR bonus equal to experience level7.5 Initiative Modifier (IM) = race’s IM

8. Level Bonus: Apply 1 point per level across Movement Rate, Wound Limit, Defence, or Initiative Modifier per the Level Up guidelines on page 9. (e.g., a 3rd-level Veteran could add 1 point to his WL and 2 points to his MR).

NPC PersonalitiesUnless you already know an NPC’s out-look and demeanour, roll 2d12 to suggest his personality:

1D12 OUTLOOK 1D12 DEMEANOUR 1 Bigoted 1 Violent 2 Paranoid 2 Overbearing 3 Bleak 3 Arrogant 4 Fearful 4 Capricious 5 Hedonistic 5 Careless 6 Practical 6 Emotional 7 Naive 7 Quiet/Shy 8 Stoic 8 Exacting 9 Adventurous 9 Curious 10 Hopeful 10 Generous 11 Charitable 11 Outgoing 12 Cheerful 12 Friendly

Outlook is one’s attitude (how one views the world). Demeanour is one’s behav-iour (how one acts). Together they form personality, which is simply a guideline for roleplaying the NPC—it has no bear-ing on die rolls or stats.Note also that the table is arrayed such that more “negative” dispositions occu-py low results, while higher rolls give more “positive” qualities. This lets you generalise entire populations (e.g., all NPCs living in the shadow of Depression Mountain roll on this table at –2).

Creating Non-classed NPCsThe guidelines at right are intended for creating classed NPCs—relatively impor-tant heroes, villains, allies, and connec-tions for the campaign’s PCs.Creating non-classed NPCs requires less detail:1. Start with racial type to determine

initial stats, Perks, and Sperks.2. Roll 1d4 to determine initial Im-

provement Point allowance (–1 IP per racial Sperk chosen, +1 IP per Flaw)

3. Spend Improvement Points on Abili-ties and Perks using the guidelines for Character Advancement (pg. 9); All Abilities start at AR +1. Improved Perks are off-limits.

4. Equipment (q.v., Step #6, at right)5. Stats (q.v., Step #7, at right)At the GM’s option, non-classed NPCs may receive a bonus of 1 IP for every 5 years spent in their chosen profession or campaign niche.

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MonstersMonsters are creatures in the setting (animals, predators, fantastic beasts, etc.). While intelligent or “social” monsters may have classes, most don’t, and are represented by base stats and Adaptations.

Base StatsA monster’s base stats are suggested by its size, as shown below:

SIZE LENGTH MR* WL IM DMG RNG** TN† ENC‡Diminutive (D) <1’ 4”± 0 0 +4 1 0” 2 –Tiny (T) 1’ 4”± 1d2 1 +2 1d2 1” 4 –Small (S) 3’ 8”± 1d4 2 +1 1d4 2” 8 –Medium (M) 6’ 12”± 1d6 3 +0 1d6 4” 12 –Large (L) 12’ 12”± 1d8 4 –1 1d8 8” 16 +1Giant (G) 24’ 16”± 1d6 5 –2 1d10 12” 20 +2Huge (H) 48’ 16”± 1d8 6 –4 1d12 16” 24 +4Colossal (C) >96’ 16”± 1d10 10 –8 1d20 24” 28 +8* Suggested base only; adjust appropriately for fast or slow monsters** Applies to natural missile attacks† Base Target Number to Resist certain monster attacks or Adaptations‡ Encumbrance points that the creature can carry for “free”

AdaptationsAdaptations are Perks available only to non-humans. Adaptations marked with a dagger (†) operate only when a monster’s attack roll results in a Critical Success.Achilles Heel: Monster suffers damage only when hit in a particular

location, which requires a Called Shot (pg. 19) to hit.Armour: Natural protection (thick hide, hard shell, etc.) that im-

proves Defence.Bug: Creepy bugs have a Sneak AR equal to their level, and can climb

vertical/inverted surfaces at their base Movement Rate.Burn: Inflicts acid, electricity, fire, or frost damage, up to once per

level each day with damage based on monster size (Resistance TN based on monster’s size).

Charge: Inflicts 2 dice of damage when charging or swooping on foes; requires at least 2” of clear ground to the target.

Construct: Manufactured automatons immune to Poison, Disease, Fatigue, Called Shots, and Enchantment. Constructs ignore Wound Penalties and never check morale. “Healing” a construct requires Tinker instead of First Aid.

Disease†: Inflict sickness with effects up to the GM; Resistance TN based on monster size.

Energy Drain†: Permanently reduce a foe’s Wound Limit by –1; Resist-ance TN based on monster size.

Fearless: Monster never checks morale (always stays in the fight and fight to the death).

Ferocious: Upgrade monster’s natural attack damage die by one step.Grip†: Hold a foe for automatic damage each round; victim breaks

free with a successful Athletics roll vs. monster’s Size-based TN.Gulp†: Swallow whole any foe 2 or more sizes smaller; victim is alive

for 2d8 rounds and may attack from the inside at AR –2.Hypersensitive: Surprised only when Sneak roll is a Critical Success

(regardless of actual Surprised stat value).

Incorporeal: Lacking substance, such creatures can pass through solid objects. They attack via (and are vulnerable only to) powers of certain schools.

Infravision: See in darkness to 4” + level.Lowlife: Squishy invertebrates, fungal colonies, and puddles of goo

immune to weapon-based attacks, but can be harmed with burns or powers; all lowlifes gain a Sneak AR equal to their level.

Movement: Alternate form of movement (e.g., flying, burrowing, gliding, et al.) at MR based on GM’s discretion.

Paralysis†: As the paralyse power (pg. 12); Resistance TN based on monster’s size.

Petrifaction†: Turns foes into stone (or places them into suspended animation) via a touch, gaze, or other natural attack; Resistance TN based on monster’s size.

Pounce: Grants a +1 to attack and damage rolls when leaping on a surprised foe. [Improved: Increase bonus to +2]

Power: The monster has one or more innate powers, useable once per level each day (no Wield roll required; Resistance TN based on monster’s size). [Improved: use power at will, no daily limit]

Regeneration: Automatically restore 1d4 points of wound severity at the start of every combat round. [Improved: Restore one whole wound, regardless of severity]

Resilient: Ignores Wound Penalties resulting from hits sustained. [Improved: Ignores wounds completely; vanquished only if an attack’s Damage exceeds Wound Limit]

Resistance: Suffer half-damage from specified attack type(s). [Improved: Complete immunity from specified attack type(s)]

Undead: Reanimated corpses immune to Poison, Disease, Fatigue, Called Shots, and Enchantment. Undead have WL –1 for their size but ignore Wound Penalties and never check morale. Undead suffer Dmg 1d6 from holy water.

Venom†: Inject natural poison into a foe; damage and Resistance TN based on monster size (but can vary at the GM’s discretion).

Weakness: Suffer double damage from specified attack type(s); if the attack type is a power, a Normal Success on the Resistance roll has no effect. (Critical Success required for halved effect).

Creating MonstersMonsters are varied, so don’t constrain yourself to creating them with the same guidelines used for player characters or NPCs. Instead, follow these simple steps when creating monsters:1. Base Stats: Determine the monster’s initial stats based on its size.2. Capabilities: Assign whatever Abilities, Perks, Adaptations, and

Powers (at whatever degrees of effectiveness) are appropriate to the monster’s role in the setting.

When creating a monster, focus on matching the monster’s capabili-ties with the challenge it’s supposed to represent—tough opponents get high Fight ARs, Defence, and Wound Limits; humanoid rabble are weaker but come in hordes; weird creatures probably have uncon-ventional means of attack and defence (indeed, part of the challenge they represent is figuring out their weaknesses).Don’t worry if a monster is too powerful for the characters—they’ll either overcome it (with much rejoicing) or learn (perhaps the hard way) that discretion is the better part of valour.

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Chimera Basic 22

Monster DescriptionsThe monsters that populate your campaign can be described in terms of their stats, much like characters. What follows is a broad sample of beasties, using the following descriptors:Name: The monster’s name, title, or creature type Class and Lvl: The monster’s class(es) and level; “Lvl” indicates a

non-classed Monster or NPCMove Rate (MR): The monster’s MR, with Movement Die shown;

Encumbrance is shown parentheticallyWound Limit (WL): Size is listed parentheticallyDefence (DF): Total Defence, composed of base DF plus any armour;

the optional Parry adjustment is shown parentheticallyAbilities (AB): The creature’s Abilities and AR modifiersAttacks (AT): Listed by type and AR adjustment, including Initiative

Modifier (IM), Damage (Dmg), Range (Rng), and Rate of Fire (RoF); only one of the attacks listed is allowed each combat turn, but if multiple attacks are noted (e.g., “2 claws”), roll separately for each attack and count it as a single action (damage is applied for each successful hit, though the defender’s DF applies only once)

Special (SP): Perks, Sperks, Flaws (underlined), and Adaptations pos-sessed; “Imp.” denotes an Improved Perk or Adaptation; you may also include any powers possessed (with the adjusted Wield TN, if necessary)

Resistance (RS): Resistance roll modifier, based on level alone (i.e., applicable Ability modifiers are excluded)

Surprised (SR): Surprise Target Number, required for Sneak rolls to surprise the monster; typically TN [8 + level + Observe AR]

Morale (ML): Morale Target Number, required for the monster to stay in the fight (pg. 18); typically TN [16 – level – Mettle AR] (you may use “n/a” if the monster doesn’t check for morale)

Align. (AL): The monster’s Alignment; apply only if Alignment is used in the setting; use “n/a” for monsters is of animal intelligence or (because of instinct or programming) has no moral compass

Freq. (FQ): Frequency, or how common the monster is relative to other monsters (which can be adjusted within a given setting): Common (encountered 40% of the time), Uncommon (30%), Rare (20%), or Very Rare (10%); die rolls following frequency indicate the number encountered in the wilderness or within the monster’s actual lair (or whatever passes for its permanent home)

Equip. (EQ): Equipment carried (ammo loads are noted parenthetical-ly), and any wealth or valuables possessed

Stat BlocksMonsters are presented via a stat block, which contains all the infor-mation needed to run the monster during an adventure. The standard stat block also provides a brief description of the monster’s appear-ance, habits, and other details. You can also use an abbreviated stat block when you just need stats for an encounter. For example, here’s an abbreviated stat block for a giant centipede (compare with the full stat block at right):Centipede, giant (Lvl 1; MR 4”±1d2; WL 1 (T); DF 1 (+2); AB Athletics +1,

Sneak +1; AT bite +1 (IM +2, Dmg 1d2+paralysis† (RR: TN 4, 1 turn)); SP Bug; RS +1; SR 9; ; ML 15; AL n/a)

ANT, GIANTClass & Lvl : Lvl 1 Attacks: 1 bite +1 (IM +2, Dmg 1d2)Move Rate: 4”±1d2 (0) Abilities: Athletics +1, Sneak +2Wound Limit: 1 (T) Special: Bug, Grip†Defence: 2 (+1) Morale: 15Resistance: +1 Freq.: Uncommon (1d4/4d4)Surprised: 9 Align.: n/aGiant ants are 1’ versions of normal ants. When encountered, they are either looking for food (60%) or carrying food back to their nest (40%). In the nest, 1 ant in 6 is a warrior (Lvl 2; WL 2; DF 3; RS +2; AT 1 bite +2; PK Venom†). Each nest houses a single queen responsible for laying eggs and who is protected by warriors. Ant queens (Lvl 3; WL 3; DF 1; RS +3) are immobile and have no attacks; when defending their queen, ants never check morale.

APEClass & Lvl: Lvl 3 Attacks: 2 fists +2 (IM +0, Dmg 1d6), 1 bite +2 (IM –1, Dmg 1d8)Move Rate: 13”±1d8 (0) Abilities: Athletics +2Wound Limit: 5 (L) Special: Charge, InfravisionDefence: 3 (+1) Morale: 12Resistance: +3 Freq.: Common (1d4/3d4)Surprised: 11 Align.: n/aApes are territorial primates who form tight-knit clans around a strict, male-dominated hierarchy. Young males constantly vie for supremacy against es-tablished patriarchs, but all apes aggressively defend clan females and young. Rumours abound of semi-intelligent ape clans that ward jungle ruins and use crude spears and stone axes to defend them.

BEETLE, GIANTClass & Lvl: Lvl 2 Attacks: 1 bite +1 (IM +1, Dmg 1d4) Move Rate: 8”±1d4 (0) Abilities: Athletics +1, Sneak +2Wound Limit: 3 (S) Special: Bug, PhotosensitiveDefence: 3 (+1) Morale: 14Resistance: +2 Freq.: Uncommon (1d4/2d6)Surprised: 10 Align.: n/aGiant beetles are scavengers encountered in dark, moist, and rotting places. Roughly 3’ long, they attack small prey with their giant mandibles. Through fairly revolting, beetles are high in protein—a single beetle can provide a medium-sized creature with enough nourishment for a single day.

CENTIPEDE, GIANTClass & Lvl: Lvl 1 Attacks: 1 bite +1 (IM +2, Dmg 1d2) Move Rate: 4”±1d2 (0) Abilities: Athletics +1, Sneak +1Wound Limit: 1 (T) Special: Bug, Paralysis†Defence: 1 (+2) Morale: 15Resistance: +1 Freq.: Uncommon (1d4/1d6)Surprised: 9 Align.: n/aGiant centipedes are foot-long versions of their normal cousins, found in dark, damp places. They are adept hunters and ambush prey. A centipede’s bite contains a mild venom (TN 4, paralysis 1 turn). This venom is occasionally valuable to alchemists, apothecaries, and the medical community; a successful First Aid roll (TN 12) extracts $2 worth of venom per point of success (double with a Critical Success).

CRAB, GIANTClass & Lvl: Lvl 1 Attacks: 2 claws +1 (IM +1, Dmg 1d4) Move Rate: 8”±1d4 (0) Abilities: Athletics +1, Sneak +1Wound Limit: 2 (S) Special: Bug, Grip†Defence: 3 (+1) Morale: 15Resistance: +1 Freq.: Rare (1d4/2d6)Surprised: 9 Align.: n/aGiant crabs are 3’ wide arthropods that inhabit coastal areas. Scavengers, crabs prefer carrion, but attack with their claws if threatened. At home in the water, crabs can breathe air for an hour before they must make a Fatigue check. Humans (and humanoids) dwelling near the sea use the carapace of the giant crab to fashion shields and armour.

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DEFENCE ROBOTClass & Lvl: Lvl 2 Attacks: 2 blasters +2 (IM +0, Dmg 1d6, Rng 4”, RoF 1‡), 1 vibroblade +1 (IM +0, Dmg 1d6)Move Rate: 12”±1d6 (0) Abilities: Athletics +1, Fight +1, Observe +2, Shoot +2Wound Limit: 4 (M) Special: Construct, Insulation, Resistance (edged, piercing), Stout, ToughDefence: 4 (+2) Morale: n/aResistance: +2 Freq.: Rare (1/1d4)Surprised: 12 Align.: n/aDefence robots are Tech Level 9 constructs assigned to guard or defend a specific location (e.g., a control room, a military base, a research facility, etc.). They are programmed to attack trespassers (i.e., those who do not present the proper ID), but can be ordered to stand down with a successful Tinker roll (or given new directives if the roll is a Critical Success). Defence robots maintain radio communications with each other and carry 4 loads of blaster ammo each.

GHOULClass & Lvl: Lvl 2 Attacks: 2 claws +1 (IM +0, Dmg 1d6) Move Rate: 10”±1d6 (0) Abilities: Athletics +1, Sneak +1Wound Limit: 2 (M) Special: Paralysis†, UndeadDefence: 2 (+1) Morale: n/aResistance: +2 Freq.: Uncommon (1d6/2d8)Surprised: 10 Align.: n/aGhouls are gaunt, undead humanoids who haunt graveyards and burial grounds. They have a taste for living flesh and can paralyse a victim for 2 turns when either of their claw attacks result in a Critical Success. Ghouls haunt graveyards, where they feed on the corpses of newly buried dead.

GOBLINClass & Lvl: Lvl 1 Attacks: 1 weapon (IM +2, Dmg bw) Move Rate: 7”±1d4 (–1) Abilities: Fight +1, Shoot +2, Sneak +2Wound Limit: 2 (S) Special: Infravision, PhotosensitiveDefence: 1 (+0) Morale: 15Resistance: +1 Freq.: Uncommon (2d6/6d8)Surprised: 9 Align.: ChaoticGoblins are small humanoid rabble who dwell in craggy hills, dark forests, and caves. They do little for themselves, preferring to go raiding for their needs. Because of their small size, goblins avoid direct combat and prefer to ambush foes with ranged attacks. For every 12 goblins, there is a sub-chief (Vet 2; WL 3; DF 2; RS +2; Fight +2, Shoot +2, Sneak +2); for every 3 sub-chiefs, there is a chieftain (Vet 3; WL 4; DF 5; RS +3; Fight +3, Shoot +3, Sneak +2). When led by a sub-chief, goblin morale improves to TN 12 (TN 10 when under the control of a chieftain). Goblins go raiding with light armour, short bows, and clubs, but chiefs and sub-chiefs get the best of the tribe’s spoils, including medium armour and steel weapons.

OGREClass & Lvl: Lvl 4 Attacks: 1 weapon (IM –1, Dmg bw+1) Move Rate: 10”±1d8 (–2) Abilities: Athletics +2, Fight +3, Mettle +2Wound Limit: 5 (L) Special: Batter, StoutDefence: 3 (+1) Morale: 10Resistance: +4 Freq.: Rare (1d4/2d4)Surprised: 10 Align.: ChaoticOgres are large, misshapen humanoids about 8’ tall. Brutish and unintelligent, they have no patience for strategy and use force to get what they want. Ogres do very little for themselves, stealing what they can from weaker foes (or making weaker foes serve their needs). They like to fight and prefer hand-to-hand weapons and medium armour. Always hungry, ogres band in small clan units, but to ensure a steady diet of food and violence, they’ll sometimes work for goblin tribes as hired muscle.

SKELETONClass & Lvl: Lvl 1 Attacks: 1 weapon –1 (IM –2, Dmg bw) Move Rate: 10”±1d4 (0) Abilities: Fight +0, Sneak +1Wound Limit: 2 (M) Special: Gimp, Resistance (edged, piercing), Slow, UndeadDefence: 1 (+0) Morale: n/aResistance: +1 Freq.: Uncommon (1d6/3d6)Surprised: 9 Align.: n/aThe reanimated skeletal remains of humans, skeletons are mindless undead who serve as timeless guardians of ancient and evil places. Clad in tattered armour and bearing rusty weapons, skeletons attack without fear or concern for themselves.

SNAKE, CONSTRICTORClass & Lvl: Lvl 3 Attacks: 1 bite +2 (IM –2, Dmg 1d6) Move Rate: 10”±1d4 (0) Abilities: Athletics +2, Observe +1, Sneak +2Wound Limit: 4 (M) Special: Gimp, Grip†, SlowDefence: 4 (+0) Morale: 13Resistance: +3 Freq.: Uncommon (1/1d2)Surprised: 12 Align.: n/aConstrictors grow to 6’ long (though larger specimens can exist). They ambush prey with their strong bite; if they get a Critical Success, they wrap their muscular bodies around their victim and squeeze for 1d6 points of damage each round until the prey is crushed or suffocated.

SPIDER, HUNTINGClass & Lvl: Lvl 2 Attacks: 1 bite +1 (IM +1, Dmg 1d4) Move Rate: 8”±1d4 (0) Abilities: Athletics +1, Observe +4, Sneak +2Wound Limit: 2 (S) Special: Bug, Pounce, Venom†Defence: 2 (+1) Morale: 14Resistance: +2 Freq.: Uncommon (1d4/2d4)Surprised: 14 Align.: n/aGiant spiders are 3’ long and live in dark underground or heavily forested places. They do not spin webs, but instead lie in wait for prey, using their Pounce ability to seize victims by surprise. If a spider bite results in a Critical Success, they inject venom (RR: TN 8, Dmg 1d4).

TROLLClass & Lvl: Lvl 6 Attacks: 2 claws +4 (IM –1, Dmg 1d8+1) Move Rate: 12”±1d8 (0) Abilities: Athletics +4, Sneak +2, Survival +2Wound Limit: 7 (L) Special: Batter, Regeneration (1d4 points/round)Defence: 4 (+2) Morale: 10 (see below)Resistance: +6 Freq.: Rare (1/1d3)Surprised: 14 Align.: NeutralTrolls are sickly hued and misshapen humanoids who dwell in swamps and rainforests. When wounded, a troll regenerates 1d4 points of wound severity each round, though wounds caused by burns cannot be regenerated. Trolls are territorial but unintelligent; unless confronted by burn attacks, they fight without fear (no morale checks necessary).

ZOMBIEClass & Lvl: Lvl 2 Attacks: 1 fist +1 (IM –2, Dmg 1d6) Move Rate: 10”±1d4 (0) Abilities: Athletics +1, Sneak +2Wound Limit: 2 (M) Special: Gimp, Resistance (bludgeoning), Slow, UndeadDefence: 2 (+1) Morale: n/aResistance: +2 Freq.: Uncommon (1d4/3d4)Surprised: 10 Align.: n/aZombies are mindless, reanimated corpses. Clad in decayed remnants, they attack in simple waves, pummelling with their fists. Holy water inflicts 1d6 points of damage on a zombie.

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Campaign CreationThe game campaign consists of everything surrounding (and including) the PC—the setting, its history, the people who live there, important places, and, of course, adventures.That’s a lot of material to create, but it’s possible to devise a campaign quickly by concentrat-ing on the most important details, laying a solid foundation, and building it over time. It doesn’t have to take weeks and months—if you concentrate on the basic structure, you can create a complete (and expandable) campaign from the ground up in a matter of hours. Just follow the steps below:1. Select Genre and Setting2. Consider Technology and Powers3. Define Campaign Hook4. Describe Cultures5. Map the Setting6. Create Points of Interest7. Describe High-level Conflicts8. Create NPCs9. Create Random Encounters10. Devise Adventure HooksAs a final note, these are generic guidelines, useful for any genre, but they aren’t customised for any particular setting. Feel free to tweak results to suit your vision.

Select Genre & SettingStart with a genre that interests your playing group: fantasy, science-fiction, old west, etc. This sounds elementary, but it’s crucial—players who want to run WWII infantry squads won’t have fun in a fantasy world. The good news is that a genres can be very broad, and Chimera’s flexibility makes it easy to create any setting or style you like, even those based on your favourite books, movies, and television shows. Don’t feel like you have to stick with the traditional RPG genres if you and your players want something a little (or a lot) different from the norm. The setting is the campaign’s time and place—when and where it occurs. Your genre has a big influence, so fantasy campaigns might take place on made-up continents in pseudo-medieval times or perhaps a fantastic version of ancient Earth, sci-fi campaigns take place on different planets and solar systems sometime in the future, and historical campaigns take place at a specific time and place in Earth’s past (e.g., your WWII campaign might take place in 1944 France). Remember that setting can also differentiate campaigns within the same genre (e.g., a fantasy campaign set in a desert is different from one set in the cold tundra).

Consider Technology and PowersBased on your genre, you should have an easy time assigning a Technology Level (pg. 3), which is a broad label for describing the overall extent of tools and science used by people in the setting: gear (armour, weapons, equipment, and vehicles), food production, transporta-tion, architecture, et al. You don’t need to identify every piece of kit, but you should note particular technical accomplishments and trappings that promote the genre. This means that you can use Tech Levels as presented, but you can also invent new technolo-gies to suit your genre, like steam-based engines that allow air and space travel during the Industrial Revolution, or special weapons based on fledging sciences that “work” in your setting.Powers are special cases. Genre typically implies whether or not powers—supernatural abilities—exist in the campaign, but you needn’t be a slave to convention: remember that powers are simply supernatural effects. As a result, powers can work in a modern campaign, just as they are expected to exist in a fantasy setting. Because powers are “code” for the supernatural, it doesn’t matter if they’re derived from arcane lore, divine miracles, mental abilities, or whatever—if you want powers, simply ascribe them to the campaign’s definition of “supernatural” and have done with it.

Select Genre & SettingI want to create a Fantasy Apocalypse campaign—basically a chaotic, dystopian medieval environment whose inhabit-ants struggle in a world devastated by the malfunction of an ancient doomsday device. The concept is based on the classic post-apocalypse vision of a future Earth wrecked by nuclear war, except that this setting never advanced beyond the mid-dle ages and the doomsday device was the errant technology of an advanced, ancient people (like Atlanteans or Lemu-rians). The setting will include familiar apoca-lypse trappings: mutants, concentrated fields of dangerous radiation, lost tech-nology, local warlords, resource scarcity, and a survivalist flavour.

Tech Level & PowersTempering the campaign’s fantasy ele-ment with its apocalyptic trappings sug-gests that most cultures are at Tech Level 2, though it’s likely that some primitive (or terribly devolved) species are even lower, at TL 1. Conversely, ad-vanced cultures could have attained the equivalent of medieval technology (TL 3), and these would be the dominant peoples. There are also bits of ancient technology left over from the race who created the doomsday device. These artefacts are TL 9 or 10, but very scarce and too complex for most people to figure out (plus most are in need of repair or lack adequate power sources). Only the very wise (or egregiously foolish) actually try to use such items—given its ancient origin and dangerous associations with the apoca-lypse, ancient tech is anathema to most.Powers exist in two forms: Either as ge-netic mutations caused by the doomsday device’s residual effects or as spells wielded by learned practitioners. Mutations are handled via the Power Ad-aptation (pg. 21). Spells represent a branch of arcane knowledge discovered and researched by the ancients, but rare-ly used given their preference for tech-nology, which they believed was more reliable and therefore more easily con-trolled. Modern spell-casters assert the precise opposite, though most people can’t tell the difference between spells and ancient artefacts. The distinction is moot, however, as both are viewed with great suspicion at best, and mob violence at worst.

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Define Campaign HookThe campaign hook is a generalisation of the underlying conflict within the setting. Put another way, what is the conflict that permeates the characters’ goals and motivations? As such, the hook describes a condition that the PCs must address, either to preserve some-thing they have, or to acquire something they want. For example, the struggle of the rebellion against the empire, the search for lost technology, the exploration of new frontiers, the subjugation of barbarian hordes, the defeat of an ancient evil, or the establishment of new trade routes are all campaign hooks. Think of campaign hooks as an undercurrent of conflict that ripples throughout the setting. Not every mission addresses the campaign hook, but every adventure should remind the characters that it’s there, either through direct confrontation or indirect efforts intended to strengthen the characters for a confrontation later. If you’re basing your campaign on a book or film, you already have an idea of your hook, but if you’re building from scratch, this is a chance to create your own hook, or to put a twist on a common theme. To get you started, roll 3d12 and consult the table below. The first d12 suggests (in high level terms) the nature of the conflict, the second d12 identifies the primary antagonist standing in the PCs’ way, and the third d12 hints at the antagonist’s motive for doing so.1D12 UNDERLYING CONFLICT ANTAGONIST ANTAGONIST’S MOTIVE

1 Elevate a ruler Extraterrestrials Money/Wealth 2 Overthrow a ruler Terrible monster Gaining/Maintaining power 3 Recover technology/artefact Ruler Fulfilling a prophecy 4 Defeat an ancient evil Secret cult Keeping a secret 5 Find or rescue someone Lost race Prejudice/Hatred 6 Explore ancient ruins Guild or corporation Protecting knowledge 7 Rebuild a broken civilisation Criminal organisation Pact with a 3rd party 8 Discover or tame territory Supernatural being(s) Fulfilling a vow or oath 9 Unravel an ancient mystery Star chamber Insanity/Jealousy 10 Promote trade/make money Government agency Secret agenda 11 Destroy technology/artefact State religion Love 12 Discover/recover a resource Rival adventurer(s) Self-preservation

Describe CulturesTo keep things interesting, we suggest you populate your campaign with 3–8 (1d6+2) different cultures. Based on genre and setting, each “culture” is an intelligent species or character race, a national or ethnic group, or separate social units within the same society. Roll 1d12 to determine each culture’s general disposition, probable alignment, and relative population within the campaign:1D12 DISPOSITION ALIGNMENT POPULATION

1 Scavengers (seeks stability through exploitation) Chaotic Low 2 Raiders (seeks stability by preying on other populations) Neutral Medium 3 Producers (seeks stability through labour) Neutral High 4 Producers (seeks stability through innovation) Neutral Low 5 Subjugated (recently conquered or annexed) Neutral Medium 6 Ascendant (aspires to dominate through conquest) Chaotic Medium 7 Ascendant (aspires to dominate through reform) Lawful Low 8 Ascendant (aspires to dominate through commerce) Neutral Low 9 Oppressed (enslaved or assigned low status) Neutral Low 10 Declining (aloof as a result of moral decay) Chaotic Low 11 Dominant (cruel/oppressive leadership) Chaotic High 12 Dominant (benign/enlightened leadership) Lawful High

Use the results from the Culture table above to make assumptions about each culture’s race, social values, relationships with other cultures, and special roles that might support elements of the campaign hook. As a final note, give each culture a name and assign a suitable Technology Level; in general terms, the lower the roll on the table above, the lower the Tech Level.

Campaign HookAt a high level, the conflict in most apoc-alyptic settings is the struggle for surviv-al. However, fantasy settings support a much wider array of conflicts. I think the best approach is to roll 3d12 and read the results as if I were creating a fantasy campaign, but with a survivalist spin based on the apocalyptic trappings I’ve been on about. My 3d12 results are “5,” “2,” and “12.”According to the Campaign Hook table, this gives me:

[5] Underlying Conflict: Find or res-cue someone

[2] Antagonist: Terrible monster [12] Antagonist’s Motive: Self preser-

vationSo let’s try this: There’s a colony of an-cients in suspended animation (find or rescue someone). These sleeping an-cients can, if woken, “scrub” the envi-ronment of the radiation leaked by the doomsday device. However, a race of mutated creatures (terrible monster) wards the sleepers to prevent them from waking, because they need the radiation to survive (self preservation).This is very high-level, and not some-thing I’d throw in front of the characters right away (mostly because I’m not ready to flesh out all the details yet). But it does make a good, setting-wide conflict that I can develop as the campaign matures.

CulturesRolling 1d6+2, I come up with 4 campaign cultures. Here are the d12 results for each, and the assumptions I made about each to support the campaign hook:

[12] Dominant: High population of benign, Lawful leaders (TL 3; I decide these are pure-strain humans)

[5] Subjugated: Medium population of recently conquered Neutral people (TL 2; I decide these are humans with some mutations, annexed by the Dominant humans above)

[7] Ascendant: Low population of Lawful humans seeking reform (TL 3; reform against the Dominant race’s policies? If so, then these guys are sympathetic to subjugated mutants)

[2] Raiders: Medium population of Neutral humans (TL 1; I think mutat-ed sub-men who live on the frontiers and wilderness will do nicely)

I assigned races based on my preferences for the setting. Note also that I haven’t defined the “antagonist” race from the campaign hook—that’ll come later.

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Map the SettingIf you’re running an historical or modern campaign, you’ll want to use a real-world map of the setting. However, if you’re making up a new setting, these simple guidelines can help you generate an initial campaign map in short order.Start off small to save time and avoid unnecessary work. The Sub-hex map template (included at the end of this book) provides plenty of real estate for your initial setting. You’ll note two hex sizes on the template: small, 5-mile regional hexes and large, 25-mile atlas hexes.Map the setting by adding terrain to each regional hex on the template, using the symbols shown at left. Use only the terrain types that support your vision of the campaign, the populations who live there, and the encounters and adventures you plan to create. 1. Draw coastlines (if any); by definition, these lines indicate sea level2. Add terrain in reverse order of elevation: mountains, hills, forests, plains/grassland,

desert, swamp, and sea/ocean. 3. Draw in rivers; as a rule of thumb, rivers flow either into bigger rivers or the sea. 4. Check terrain transitions for continuity: hills border mountains, desert gives way to

grassland, grassland gives way to forest, etc.5. Define settlement patterns by partitioning your map into Civilisation, Wilderness, and

Frontier: Civilisation: Areas where people build settlements because of favourable terrain,

abundant resources, or commercial benefits. All dominant cultures, as well as many ascendant, declining, and producing cultures, reside in civilised territory.

Wilderness: Areas unsettled and untamed because of harsh terrain, inaccessibility, or dangerous inhabitants. Most raiding and scavenger cultures, along with some ascend-ant and oppressed cultures, will be found in the wilderness.

Frontier: Areas immediately bordering expanding civilisations act as a buffer against the wilderness. The frontier is a “middle-ground,” and while it’s not entirely cut off from civilised comforts, neither is it completely safe from wilderness dangers.

6. Place settlements for each culture. Base the size and number of settlements for each culture on its population, assuming that a High population is roughly equal to 2 Medium or 4 Low populations. In turn, a High population occupies 1 large, 2 medium, or 4 small settlements on the map (a Medium population would occupy 1 medium or 2 small settle-ments). A settlement need not be an actual town or village—it might be an underground cave complex, a fortified stronghold, or a simple encampment in the woods.SETTLEMENT SIZE EXAMPLE INFLUENCE* POPULATION LIMIT

Small Village 1 RH Low Medium Town 1 RH + 6 surrounding RHs Medium Large City 1 AH High

* Range of patrols and limits of legal jurisdiction (RH = Regional Hex; AH = Atlas Hex); settlers within the sphere of influence are safer than those outside it, due to the policing efforts of the local government (encounters within the sphere reflect this, consisting predominantly of armed patrols, commercial traffic, and peaceful travellers).

7. Determine the characters’ home base. This is a “safe harbour” and headquarters that supplies a variety of adventuring needs: rumours; weapons and armour; gear and trades-men to create and repair it; facilities for training, healing, and research; and a full cast of Non-Player Characters to act as allies, enemies, retainers, hirelings, rivals, and sources of information. A small settlement is recommended, because it takes less effort to detail.

Though the Sub-hex template appears small, resist the temptation to map out a larger area or start with the Regional template. First, it’s not worth the effort to do extra prep work at this early stage—once you start playing and the PCs start interacting with the setting, you’ll get plenty of ideas about the directions in which you want the campaign to expand.Second, the Sub-hex template’s size is deceptively large: Each 5-mile regional hex has an area of 21.6 square miles; there are 100 of them on the Sub-hex template, for a total area of 2,160 square miles (about the size of the Palestinian West Bank). When your campaign eventually progresses beyond the map, you can either extend it with another Sub-hex map template, or you can transfer it to the larger Regional template (also included at the end of this book).

Map the SettingI’ve mapped out the terrain on the Local Template (see map, at right). The Domi-nant and Subjugated human cultures each occupy Civilised areas, while the Ascendant culture is found along the frontier; the sub-men (being somewhat disorganised raiders) have isolated en-claves throughout the hills and moun-tainous wilderness.You’ll also note that I didn’t use the ter-rain symbols below. Instead, I created the map with Inkwell Ideas Hexographer software, which is a fantastic tool for creating hex maps quickly. You can check out Hexographer at:http://www.hexographer.com

Weather ConditionsCertain areas of your map may support weather conditions (storms, winds, and precipitation) that complicate actions.For simplicity, describe weather as Mild, Moderate, or Severe and adjust appro-priate Action Rolls (e.g., Athletics, Shoot, Survival, etc.) as suggested below:

Mild: AR +0 Moderate: AR –2 Severe: AR –4

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Create Points of InterestYour campaign map also needs to show points of interest—places to explore, natural features, monster lairs, and (of course) adventure sites.Excluding settlements, there are 4d4 points of interest on your map. Use the table below to identify each one. The roster contains idea-starters you can customise for your genre and setting. This is the time to be creative: Exploit any opportunity to make connections between individual points of interest and the cultures and concepts you’ve already created.1D20 POINT OF INTEREST DETAILS (ROLL 1D6) 1 Fort/Stronghold Warded by: 1–2 ruler; 3 settlers; 4–5 fighting order; 6 adventurer 2 Religious Order Alignment: 1–2 Lawful; 3–5 Neutral; 6 Chaotic 3 Ruin Type: 1 church; 2–3 stronghold; 4 dwelling; 5 infrastructure; 6 settlement Abandoned because: 1 disease; 2–4 attack; 5 migration; 6 disaster 4 Monster Lair Type (d10): 1–4 common; 5–7 uncommon; 8–9 rare; 10 very rare 5 Industrial Site Collects/processes some resource type based on surrounding terrain 6 Encampment Used by: 1–2 raiders; 3–4 hunters; 5 soldiers; 6 messengers 7 Historic Site Site of: 1–3 battle; 4–5 important figure’s birthplace; 6 religious event 8 Construction Site Building: 1 stronghold; 2–3 infrastructure; 4–5 homestead; 6 religious centre 9 Isolated Dwelling Home of: 1 hermit; 2 mad hermit; 3 oracle; 4 retired adventurer; 5 outlaw; 6 homesteaders 10 Sacred Ground Designated as: 1–3 burial grounds; 4–5 consecrated area; 6 hunting range 11 Crossing Condition: 1–2 fortified; 3–4 warded by monster; 5–6 in disrepair (even result on d6 indicates toll charged) 12 Ancient Structure Type: 1–2 tomb; 3 astrological calendar; 4 point along a ley line; 5–6 pagan shrine 13 Hazard Type: 1–2 poison; 3 disease; 4 unstable ground; 5 electromagnetic field; 6 radiation 14 Treasure Value: 1–3 low; 4 medium; 5 high; 6 supernatural 15 Contested At issue: 1–3 resources; 4–5 strategic location; 6 religious significance 16 Infrastructure Type: 1 beacon; 2 watch tower; 3 transit station; 4 mine; 5 power station; 6 research facility 17 Gathering Place Type: 1–3 tribal moot; 4–5 free trading post; 6 hospitaliers 18 Natural Resource Type: 1–2 rare animal; 3–4 rare vegetable; 5–6 rare mineral 19 Natural Feature Type: 1 unusual weather; 2 geothermal activity; 3 peculiar growth; 4 blight; 5 natural caves; 6 grove 20 Supernatural Feature Type: 1–2 teleportation portal; 3 dimensional gate; 4 time distortion; 5 anti-magic field; 6 wild-magic field

Points of InterestRolling 4d4, I come up with 9 points of interest. For each, I roll 1d20 to deter-mine its identity. I’ve also placed each on the map and added some details off the top of my head:

[14] Treasure (Low value; #0807): Pos-sibly a cache of weapons and armour.

[4] Monster Lair (Common; #0806): Let’s say a hive of mutated ants, which the characters will eventually need to exterminate.

[4] Monster Lair (Common; #0501): I’m going to use this slot for a forti-fied sub-men bandit camp.

[20] Supernatural (Wild magic field; #0209): Given the genre, I’m changing this to a radiation field, which fills the entire hex; travellers who fail a Resistance roll risk sickness or muta-tion (Critical Failure).

[16] Infrastructure (Watch tower; #0804): Used by the Dominant hu-mans to watch for sub-men raiders; I’m thinking it’s lightly garrisoned.

[2] Religious Order (Neutral align-ment; #0109): I’m seeing a fringe cult of survivalists in a shrine dedicated to some ancient artefact (whose powers and form are as yet undecided).

[20] Supernatural (Teleportation por-tal; #0908): This could be an ancient transport device, though I’m not yet sure how it works, where it leads, or if it’s actually reliable (maybe charac-ters can figure it out how to operate it consistently with a Wield roll?).

[14] Treasure (High value; #0902): Naturally, this is some piece of an-cient technology. I have no idea what it looks like or what it will do, but that’s definitely what’s here.

[3] Ruin (Settlement; #0203): A village razed by sub-men raiders seems too obvious, so let’s say instead that this was a town destroyed by terrible mu-tants (maybe our “antagonist” race?). Not sure why the town was de-stroyed, but the ruins consist of burnt out buildings, untamed growth, and a couple of strangely intact structures. I’m also 99% sure that there’s some sort of catacomb network below.

I’ve made some liberal interpretations about these areas, but that’s how this part of the process works—be creative. None has any detail at this point, but that’s fine, because I’m just using them as idea starters—they’re subject to change, and I’ll flesh them out as the campaign develops.

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Describe Campaign ConflictsConflict makes the campaign go round—it is the basis for every story, the motivation behind every NPC, and the whole reason characters go adventuring. Consider the tensions in the setting—who’s upset with whom and why? What does it mean for the campaign, the setting, and (most importantly) the player characters?Determine campaign conflicts by identifying tensions between the campaign’s cultures. Colour these high level tensions with the campaign map’s terrain, settlement placement, and Points of Interest. All the while, make sure you’re setting the stage for conflicts that cater to the players’ gaming style. For example, if your players are interested in combat or “stab-and-grab” adventures (i.e., kill monster, take stuff), create (or position) conflicts that involve force of arms, a lot of action, and solutions that involve fighting. If your players are interested in political intrigue or solving mysteries, create conflicts that involve sleuthing, social manoeuvres, and dangerous liaisons (Malkovich-style). In short, create conflicts that your players find compelling.At this stage, you don’t need much detail—just notes on high-level conflicts. Be aware that Country A and Country B are at (or on the verge of) war, or that MegaCorp LLC is waging cyber-terrorism to undermine the competition, or that the Frog Cult is opposing Lord Bolser’s efforts to turn the local swamp into farmland. You’ll find that the nature of the conflict isn’t as important as how you frame it. In other words, if your players like combat, then position the Frog Cult as an entity that must be assaulted and defeated; if your players like intrigue, then the Frog Cult must be eliminated through political manoeuvring. The conflict is one thing—how your players address it is up to them, so keep in mind how your players are likely to respond to conflicts you set before them.As a side note, the cohesion between a campaign’s conflicts—how closely they’re related—reflects how “open” the campaign is. Sandbox campaigns give PCs many open-ended adven-turing choices, so the conflicts tend to be unrelated, involving disparate antagonists with independent goals. Conversely, linear campaigns take PCs along a more scripted adventuring path, so the conflicts are usually connected in a progressive fashion, with escalating difficulty as the PCs advance in ability. Of course, you can always start with unrelated conflicts and connect them later, as opportunities present themselves through character actions.

Create NPCsBroadly speaking, non-player characters (NPCs) are anyone in the campaign setting who isn’t a player character. At this stage, though, all you need to worry about are the non-player characters who create, perpetuate, or support your campaign’s conflicts, either as enemies or allies of the PCs, or as important witnesses to their struggles.As such, non-player characters might be scheming (and possibly recurring) villains, patrons, hirelings, helpful citizens, law enforcement, or whomever has an effect on the PCs’ mission (or ultimate goal). Most will be classed and occupy some significant level of stature (or notoriety) in the setting. However, in some circumstances, you may want to also create a few non-classed “norms” who have no especial abilities or particular interest in the PCs, but who nevertheless give colour to the setting. These worthies may be the source of (or participants in) adventure hooks as the campaign develops: A shopkeeper with access to hard-to-find wares; a low-level politician with little to no influence, but who’s willing to help the PCs navigate the local bureaucracy; or a street urchin who can guide the characters unerringly through the city sewers.To keep things simple and fast, invent only the NPCs who can motivate storylines or affect the characters. As a rule of thumb, consider 1–4 NPCs for each settlement (regardless of size) and 1d6+2 additional NPCs to spread across your various Points of Interest. This is easier than it might sound: when creating these NPCs, include only the NPC’s name, class, level, alignment, job or campaign role, and what he’s up to. Don’t bother to stat out these NPCs until you need them for an adventure. Naturally, if you have ideas about an NPC’s abilities, perks, flaws, etc., jot them down, but don’t feel like you need to provide more than just topical detail at this point (not only does this ease your task and save you time, but it also gives you the freedom to add or change details as the setting matures).

Create NPCsGiven my settlements and Points of In-terest, I’m looking at about 20 NPCs. That’s too many to list here, but the ros-ter includes:

Lord Drift (Vet 4, AL N): Archon of Purity; savvy politician who puts pure-strain humans above all (could be a patron to PCs looking for com-missions)

Stinger (Sct/Thg 3, AL N): Bounty hunter aligned with rebels opposed to Lord Drift’s expansion; he targets Drift’s “profiteers:” any official or agent (including adventurers) acting on behalf of Lord Drift.

Father Tang (Fai 2, AL N): Pure-strain human cultist tending the Silver Ora-cle (hex #0109); he believes the Oracle can reveal the location of an intact, ancient city

Glimmer (Vet 3, AL C): Mutated hu-man warrior living in Tumble (hex #0203); his mutation lets him detect alignment, and he’s building a coali-tion to rid the area of monsters and start a new city-state

Ash (Anm/Vet 2, AL N): Sub-man chieftain who’s trying to drag his clan out of the raiding business, but no one (not even other sub-men) trusts his motives

Campaign ConflictsI’ve decided that the Dominant culture of pure-stock humans have subjugated an enclave of mutated humans (Subjugated culture) and annexed their territory. The Dominant humans (being Lawful) are trying to work to mutual benefit, but there are “purist” elements who have no respect for mutants. Concomitantly, there are rebellious mutant factions who oppose the pure-strain’s expansionist agenda.I think Ascendant race wants to reform the pure-strain’s imperialist agenda, and I further suppose that they support mu-tant rebels. Clearly, this puts them on the pure-strains’ naughty list, and I'll poke at this by placing a cache of ancient technology on the Ascendant culture’s land—naturally, the pure-strains want to investigate, but it won’t be easy.The sub-men are a threat to everyone because they like to raid and plunder. I also like the idea of a clan of sub-men slavers who traffic only in pure-strain humans.

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Create Random EncountersUnlike your Points of Interest, which have fixed locations, random encounters can occur anywhere on the campaign map. Random encounters are usually with potential opponents, but they can consist of anything that helps to give flavour to your setting—unusual weather, hazardous terrain, or visual contact with something scary or threatening (as op-posed to a physical confrontation). As a rule of thumb, a random encounter oc-curs 1 chance in 6 for every regional (i.e., 5-mile) hex the characters enter or explore; feel free to modify encounter frequency based on terrain, time of day, or location.To save time and avoid extra work, create a pair of high-level encounter tables: One each for settled and wil-derness areas. On each table, add ge-neric entries that you can expand with more specific sub-tables. For example, include “patrol” to indi-cate armed watchmen in any settled area—you can customise individual patrols later (by size, armament, or disposition). If you have additional time, you can customise additional tables for specific terrain types or proximity to particular settlements or Points of Interest, but don’t get bogged down in detail—at this stage, generic is best because you’ll get more clarity about possible encounters as the PCs explore the setting.To keep your tables simple and to determine probabilities easily, use a d10- or d20-based format for each. This makes it easy to adjust the chances of each entry in increments of 10% or 5% (this also makes it easy to include monsters by their frequency; pg. 22).

Devise Adventure HooksAdventure hooks are plot seeds designed to motivate the PCs to action. Using your high-level conflicts, NPCs to promote them, and random encounters to give them flavour, devise some adventure ideas that appeal to your PCs’ interests and style of play. Writing adventure hooks is a quick exercise—simply review your high-level conflicts with an eye for detail, and isolate a few threads of activity in each. Consider the likely outcome of each activity and present them as they relate (or would be of interest) to the PCs. Each hook requires three elements:

An antagonist (e.g., an NPC, monster, faction, government, cult, etc.) An action initiated by the antagonist The consequence of that action, which affects the PCs in some way

A compelling hook (i.e., one that will get your players’ attention) either deprives the PCs of something they need or rewards them with something they want; when presented with good hook, PCs will actively and purposefully work to prevent a negative effect or to take advan-tage of an opportunity.The key to successful hooks is knowing your players’ preferences, for they’ll ignore a hook that’s unattractive or dull. If your players enjoy action and combat, create hooks that involve swashbuckling and force of arms to achieve goals. If your group is after intrigue, use diplo-matic and problem-solving hooks that require more roleplaying than roll playing. Once you have a roster of hooks, your campaign is pretty much ready to go—the last remain-ing task is to flesh out one of those hooks and create an adventure for your players.

Devise Adventure HooksThere are plenty of potential adventure hooks in this setting. Here are a few off the top of my head:

Mutant ants are stealing livestock, and Purity’s food supply is threatened

Father Tang discovers the location of the ancient city, presaged by the Sil-ver Oracle, and he needs an escort to get there (it may involve the portal in hex #0908)

A pure-strain noble is taken by slav-ers, and his family offers a reward for his return (he’s actually been kid-napped by the bounty hunter Stinger)

Sub-men raiders have laid siege to Scrutiny (hex #0804), and the garri-son is cut off

Create Random EncountersBelow are 3 tables: 1 for Settled hexes, 1 for Wilderness, and 1 sub-table for Com-mon monsters:

1D10 SETTLED ENCOUNTERS1–2 Light patrol3 Adventurers4 Heavy patrol5–6 Travelling merchant7 Pilgrims8–9 Common monster10 Uncommon monster

1D10 WILDERNESS ENCOUNTERS1–3 Common monster4–5 Uncommon monster6 Rare monster7 Radiation cloud8 Ancient tech (40% functional)9 Sub-men slavers10 Adventurers

1D10 COMMON MONSTER ENCOUNTERS1–2 Hunting spiders3–5 Giant ants6–7 Game animal8 Hiver frogs9 Glow crows10 Bile worm

As advised, the entries are high-level, and I’ll have to add some detail before I can use them during an adventure. But as idea-starters, they’ll help me flesh out setting-appropriate encounters that support the campaign’s conflicts.

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Creating AdventuresHaving adventures is why your players play Chimera. It’s where the action is and how the players experience the GM’s setting. Creating adventures is easy, because an adventure is really little more than a set of connected encounters. Provided you’re familiar with your setting, you do not need to write pages of descriptive material, detailed maps, or extensive background. Instead, you can use a simple template (like the one-page Adventure Template included at the end of this book) to help you “fill in the blanks” you need to run an adventure. As a rule of thumb, each template should be “self-contained.” For example, if you’re running a multi-level dungeon, use one template for each level; if you’re detailing a large city, use one page for each of the city’s neighbourhoods.We’ve provided a completed Adventure Template at the end of this book as an example of the process below.

Choose a HookSelect one of the hooks you devised in the previous section. You can turn it into an adventure by fleshing it out with the Adventure Template as a guide.When choosing the hook, first consider how it affects the characters: The PCs need to feel that getting involved in the story is worth more than ignoring it (or, more practically, the players showed up to play, so give them something entertaining). Don’t be afraid to use a range of motivations to get the PCs involved: wealth, power, influence, revenge, justice, self-preserva-tion, altruism, love, personal values, spirituality, and many more.

Invent the BackgroundWhile a hook hints at what’s happening, the background reveals what’s really going on—the antagonist, his motivation, and what he hopes to achieve. The background should identify:Antagonist & Special Foes: In simple terms, the initiator of the conflict that the PCs have

become part of. This could be a recurring villain, a powerful monster, or an entire population (e.g., a tribe of sub-men). This is also the time to identify the antagonist’s allies, who become special foes for the PCs (e.g., the antagonist’s robot minions). Unlike other, incidental opponents the characters might face during the adventure, these allies—these special foes—merit (and must receive) special attention.

Motivations & Goals: Figure out why the antagonist is causing problems. Use the same set of motivations you use to prod the PCs into action: wealth, power, influence, revenge, etc. Also, remember that no “evil” villain actually believes he’s evil—he always has a good reason for his behaviour (even though it’s not helpful or of benefit to anyone else). This is the key to creating multi-dimensional antagonists, and it makes the setting far more interactive and believable.

The background may be exactly what the hook implies, or it may be a complicated reality far more complex than the hook suggests. When the adventure begins, the PCs may have a chance to poke at the hook for more information about the background, but sometimes it’s more fun to dole out bits and pieces as the adventure unfolds. If you make the PCs work for these clues, they’ll have more fun discovering your setting’s secrets for themselves.

Define the End GoalThe end goal defines the successful conclusion, or “victory conditions,” of the adventure. From a storytelling perspective, this clarifies when the PCs have completed their mission. End goals should be simple and specific: “Bring Countess Samon to justice,” or “Retrieve the Great Artefact of the Ancients.” Goals can also be multi-part, like “Protect the village from attack, then eliminate the raiders where they sleep.”When the end goal is achieved, the adventure is over, and the characters earn their reward (see below). This is not to say that the adventure cannot spin other threads—just that the immediate goal has been achieved. For example, the PCs might bring Countess Samon to justice, though her followers might cause problems of their own down the road.

AntagonistsAn adventure’s antagonist is typically a classed NPC with some level of influence in the campaign setting. He could be a one-shot “boss” or a recurring villain. Your adventure hook probably suggests who the antagonist is, but if you need some inspiration, roll on the table below:

1D12 ANTAGONIST’S IDENTITY 1 Bureaucrat/secular official 2 Ruler/government 3 Criminal/insane guy 4 Occultist 5 Scholar 6 Veteran 7 Clergy/non-secular official 8 Investigator/inquisitor 9 Star chamber 10 Monster hive or infestation 11 Barbarian chieftain 12 Singularly powerful monster

Special FoesThe antagonist’s minions are the special foes encountered in the adventure. These are the guys who carry out the antagonist’s plans and protect him from harm (or, more precisely, adventurers).In most cases, the adventure hook and the antagonist’s identity suggest what special foes the PCs encounter. However, if you need some random guidance, roll on the table below:

1D12 SPECIAL FOES 1 Thugs/petty criminals 2 Special or secret agents 3 Disgusting bugs 4 Constructs (e.g., robots, golems) 5 Assassins 6 Mercenaries 7 Brainwashed cultists 8 Ninjas 9 Sub-men rabble 10 Monster hordes 11 Undead 12 Other-worldly horrors

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Monster EncountersMonster encounters can occur with any creature, who may or may not be friend-ly (as suggested by its alignment and perhaps the results of a Diplomacy roll). For random monster encounters, deter-mine monster type by its frequency:

1D10 MONSTER FREQUENCY 1–4 Common (40%) 5–7 Uncommon (30%) 8–9 Rare (20%) 10 Very Rare (10%)

TrapsA trap is any mechanism designed to harm trespassers. Cautious characters can find a trap with a successful Observe roll; a successful Tinker roll will disarm it. Characters who blunder into a trap invariably set it off and suffer the effects noted below (though a successful Resist-ance roll can reduce or negate the ef-fects).

1D10 TRAP TYPE 1 Pit (Dmg 1d6) 2 Poison gas (Dmg 1d6) 3 Fog (looks like poison gas) 4 Fog (limits vision to 1”) 5 Spikes (Dmg 1d6) 6 Blades (Dmg 1d8) 7 Dart or arrow (Dmg 1d6) 8 Dart (Dmg 1d4 + poison) 9 Sliding stairs 10 Ward or Illusion

Special EncountersAny odd encounter that doesn’t fit one of the previous categories, like a puzzle, a discovery, or the possibility of some ben-efit the PCs might take advantage of.

1D10 SPECIAL ENCOUNTER 1 Puzzle (must solve to continue) 2 Safety (PCs can rest undisturbed) 3 Equipment, armour (Q 0–3) 4 Equipment, weapon (Q 0–3) 5 Equipment, gear (Q 0–3) 6 Rare or special item (needed to defeat antagonist) 7 Ally or potential retainer 8 Healing or medical supplies 9 Vision or helpful clue 10 Unguarded treasure

Define RewardsAdventuring garners two types of rewards for characters: Wealth: Any material gain (e.g., money, land, gear, rare items, etc.). The quantity of wealth

available and the form it takes really depends on the setting—in the fantasy genre, wealth might be gold coins, gems, and magic weapons, though in an apocalypse setting, wealth could simply be untainted food supplies, ammunition, and working technology. Wealth can come from goods carried by foes overcome, caches pilfered in the antagonist’s lair during the adventure, or rewards from a patron when the mission is complete.

Experience: During the adventure, characters might have the opportunity to earn special experience rewards. For each major adventuring goal (defined by the GM), a contributing PC earns a +1 bonus to his Advancement Roll (pg. 9) when the adventure is complete. Worthy adventuring goals could include discovering an important clue, defeating a “level boss,” or negotiating a special encounter with a clever solution.

Session RewardsAt the GM’s option, PCs might also earn a session reward for heroic actions. This requires a little more bookkeeping, but it’s more immediately rewarding to the players. When a charac-ter uses a Clutch Situation to do something heroic (as determined by the GM), grant a session reward based on the roll’s outcome:

Critical Failure: Reward of 1 IP (pg. 9), which may be spent at any time Normal Failure: No reward Normal Success: Reward of 1 additional Clutch Situation Critical Success: Reward of +1 bonus to Advancement Roll when adventure is complete

Create EncountersAn encounter is any challenge the PCs must overcome to complete the adventure. Encounters can be monsters, obstacles and traps, or special challenges. As a rule of thumb, every adven-ture should have between 1–2 encounters per PC (e.g., a party of 4 PCs should have about six encounters per adventure), and about a third of those should be with the antagonist or his special foes. The remaining two-thirds if the encounters can be determined randomly:1D6 ROLL ENCOUNTER DETAILS (ROLL 1D6) 1–2 Monster Monster is: 1 establishing a lair; 2 going about his business in his lair; 3 scouting/foraging; 4 setting an ambush; 5 chasing down prey; 6 lost 3–4 Obstacle Type: 1–2 adventuring hazard (pg. 17); 3–4 an obstacle that hinders movement; 5 alarm; 6 false trap 5 Trap See sidebar at right 6 Special See sidebar at right

Draw MapThe Adventure Template contains a 20x20 square grid you can use to draw the layout of the adventure site. In most cases, this is the interior of some structure: a temple, a dungeon level, a cave complex, a starship deck, etc. Use a separate template for each level, floor, or locale of a multi-part adventure site.Start with a basic layout showing rooms and passages that connect them; more detailed map symbols are included with individual genre supplements.

Write the EpilogueThe epilogue is the ripple effect that occurs when characters complete the adventure. Most outcomes will be obvious (e.g., the Countess is brought up on trial, the Great Artefact is recovered, or the village is saved). However, you might consider a few loose ends to use as a “sequel,” just to keep the campaign exciting and the players engaged. For example, the Countess’ minions might continue what she started or attempt to rescue her, or the Great Artefact could be stolen by a rival. This is how you can inject recurring villains into the campaign, or draw out the consequences that might result when the PCs leave a few stones unturned.

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Being the Game MasterThere are a lot of tips and best practices when it comes to campaign development (and, to that end, I selfishly invite you to check www.welshpiper.com as a starting point). The guidelines in these Basic Rules handle much of what PCs will do, but there are elements to game mastering that take some experience. Here are some tips to consider:Don’t Plan Ahead: It’s easy to get caught up with grand story arcs and

scripted adventures. However, PCs are notorious for going in their own direction (particularly if they detect that they’re being “herded” by the GM). When running an adventure, concentrate on the current hook, but leave outcomes open, based on the logical consequences of the PCs’ actions. Don’t worry if you don’t get a chance to introduce a clever plot twist or a cool villain—there will be other opportunities. In the meantime, your goal is to ensure that everyone is having a good time playing, and that means giving your players the freedom to make their own choices.

Let the Dice Do Their Job: When you consult the dice, you’re soliciting random guidance from tiny, plastic oracles. In the context of running an adventure, the dice are your friends because they’ll suggest directions that you might not consider on your own. This is not to say that you must slavishly obey your polyhedral mas-ters, but unless the dice suggest nonsense outcomes, it’s worth considering what they have to say. As a GM, it’s tempting to fudge a roll here and there, particularly if it means saving the PCs’ bacon so they can continue adventur-ing. But doing so is tantamount to saying that the dice only matter when you like the outcome. This approach is actually unfair to the PCs—while the players are expected to adhere to die results, the GM suffers no such restrictions. If you let the dice tell the story, you’ll not only come up with realistic outcomes, but you’ll also challenge the PCs to handle unforeseen situations. In the end, your players will have more fun overcoming obstacles and digging deep when they need to. Your campaign will be more enjoyable for it.

Winging It: Be prepared to abandon whatever expectations you have for how the PCs will respond in a given situation, or how they’ll solve a particular challenge. This is easier if you look at your Adventure Template more as an outline than as a script—the notes are simply guidelines for what the adventure contains, but they don’t predict what will happen or how the PCs react to what you throw at them.In fact, players are notorious for reacting in ways you never anticipated, and they’ll solve problems with approaches that you haven’t considered. That’s fine and, actually, something you should encourage—after all, the adventure is all about the PCs’ choices within your setting. This unpredictability won’t ruin your game. Quite the contrary—it actually makes it better. If you know your NPCs’ goals and motivations, and you under-stand your adventure hook in the context of the larger campaign, and you have a reasonably flexible background, you can easily work with the PCs’ moves, whatever they may be. When the PCs move in a direction you don’t expect, simply default to your intimate knowledge of the setting and adjust your adventure (and the direction it takes) accordingly.

Balancing Encounters: A lot of unnecessary work goes into making sure that a given encounter is matched to the PCs’ ability, and some systems even go so far as to provide “point” based rating systems to help the GM establish equality between characters and the challenges they face.Unfortunately, such systems are only partially effective, because they have no way to account for tactics or the players’ innova-tion. Operating under the assumption that your players will re-spond in ways you cannot always anticipate, develop encounters so that they make sense in the context of your campaign. Not only will you save yourself unnecessary work, but if an en-counter proves too difficult, the PCs will adjust their tactics—perhaps even retreating in the face of overwhelming odds. If, on the other hand, an encounter is too easy, you’ll know to make the next one a little harder.

Challenge the Players, not the Characters: The characters are only vehicles through which the players experience your campaign setting. While every player wants a powerful character, capable of fighting, figuring, or fast-talking his way out of any scrape, it’s the players whose interest you have to maintain. As a result, don’t let players simply rely on their characters’ abilities or dice rolls to carry the day—present them with the opportunity to devise clever solutions, unusual approaches, and personal choices. Remember—Chimera is about making up a story; make sure the players have a role in telling it.

Awarding Experience: While the point of the game is to have fun, character advancement is part of what keeps players interested. Yet advancement in Chimera is not automatic, and despite a player’s best efforts during an adventure, his character might just get an unlucky result when he makes his Advancement Roll (especially if the PC has a high Advancement Cost). If this discour-ages players and detracts from their enjoyment of your cam-paign, you can always give them more opportunities to earn bonuses for adventuring goals. Better yet, consider ways to en-courage PCs to use their Clutch Situations for more immediately-useful Session Rewards (pg. 31).

Next StepsNow that you’ve seen Chimera Basic, we want your feedback (crave it, really). We want to know what works, what doesn’t, what’s missing, and how we can improve Chimera. So here’s the deal: As long as you keep sending us your feedback, we’ll keep Chimera Basic free.Share your comments and suggests on our Chimera RPG discussion group at www.welshpiper.com/forum. We look forward to hearing from you.

ChimerapediaIf you want more from Chimera, check out Chimerapedia, a quarterly update that picks up where this volume leaves off. Formatted for NBOS’ The Keep software, Chimerapedia is available on our website at: www.welshpiper.com/store. Chimerapedia subscribers get rule updates; new monsters, gear, and powers; and programmatic tools for building settings and adven-tures. If you manage your campaign with The Keep, or if you bring your laptop to the gaming table, this is a great way to build and manage—and customise—your Chimera campaign.

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Hook Mutant ants are stealing livestock, and Purity's food supply is threatened

Background & End-goal The colony of giant, mutated ants is depleting local food sup-plies. All they do is burrow, eat, and make little baby ants. Lord Drift (Lord of Purity) posts a reward to be rid of them. The PCs must exterminate the entire colony—ants, eggs, and queen

Rewards Lord Drift offers $20 for each ant killed ($50 for the queen), plus healing/burial expenses. Advancement Roll bonuses: +1 for destroying the hidden eggs (#7); +1 for fol-lowing the escape tunnel (#8) to its exit.

Epilogue If the queen escapes or any eggs remain intact, the ants will start a new colony. If the PCs succeed, they earn Drift's trust and bigger commissions.

EncountersMAP KEY ENCOUNTER DETAILS

#1 Entrance 4 drones moving dirt to repair the entrance; they attack any intruder. #2 Stinky mud PCs can mask their scent by spending a turn covering their skin with mud; this removes the Sneak penalty against ants for 1d4 turns. #3 Fungus farm 2 drones tending fungus; they release poison gas if threatened (floods chamber for 2d6 turns). #4 Empty Cluttered with gear scavenged by the ants (2 survival gear packs, 1 medical kit). Sinkhole in SW corner (Trap TN 12 or sink in 1d8 rds; Athletics TN 12 at cumulative AR –1/rd to escape, AR +2 if aided). #5 Eggs 4 drones carrying eggs; they flee if threatened, leading PCs the egg chamber, where they make a stand. #6 Queen’s chamber Ant queen defended by 6 warriors; if 2 warriors are slain, 4 drones arrive to move the queen into the escape tunnel (#8). #7 Egg chamber 2 warriors with giant mandibles (Dmg 1d6) guarding 10 eggs (DF 0, WL 1 each); there are 8 more eggs hidden under the soil (Observe TN 12 to find 1d4 hidden eggs). #8 Escape tunnel The queen’s escape route, breaks the surface in hex #0805; GM can expand into more chambers if desired.

FoesNAME (#) LVL MR WL DF RS AT (IM, DMG, RNG, ROF) AB PK

Drone Lvl 2 8”±1d4 2 (S) 2 (+1) +2 1 bite +1 (IM +1, Dmg 1d4) Athletics +1, Sneak +2 Bug, GripWarrior Lvl 3 8”±1d4” 3 (S) 3 (+1) +3 1 bite +2 (IM +1, Dmg 1d4) Athletics +2, Sneak +2 Bug, Grip, Venom (TN 8, Dmg 1d4)Queen Lvl 4 1”±1” 5 (M) 3 (+0) +4 by mutation Observe +6 Mutations (poison gas, sonic wave)Ants possess infravision (4") and are hypersensitive (Surprise TN 12), with Morale of 16–level. Each ant has a random mutation (1d6): 1 poison gas (TN 8, Dmg 1d4, Rng 2”) in Small blast template 2 giant mandibles (Dmg 1d6) 3 wings (fly MR 12”±1d4) 4 sonic wave (Dmg 1d4 stun; Rng 4") in Medium blast template 5 paralysis Adaptation (Resist at TN 8 (plus Athletics AR) or paralysed 1 turn/level) 6 impervious (RS +4)

Apocalypse Ants

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The Chimera RPG Adventure TemplateVersion 3.0

Updates available at: http://www.welshpiper.com/adventure-template/

EncountersMAP KEY ENCOUNTER DETAILS

#1 ______________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ #2 ______________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ #3 ______________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ #4 ______________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ #5 ______________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ #6 ______________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ #7 ______________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ #8 ______________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________

FoesNAME (#) CLASS/LVL MR WL DF RS AT (IM, DMG, RNG, ROF) AB PK__________ __________ ________ ____ ____ ____ ____________________________ ______________________ __________________________ ____________________________ ______________________ ____________________________________ __________ ________ ____ ____ ____ ____________________________ ______________________ __________________________ ____________________________ ______________________ ____________________________________ __________ ________ ____ ____ ____ ____________________________ ______________________ __________________________ ____________________________ ______________________ ____________________________________ __________ ________ ____ ____ ____ ____________________________ ______________________ __________________________ ____________________________ ______________________ ____________________________________ __________ ________ ____ ____ ____ ____________________________ ______________________ __________________________ ____________________________ ______________________ ____________________________________ __________ ________ ____ ____ ____ ____________________________ ______________________ __________________________ ____________________________ ______________________ ____________________________________ __________ ________ ____ ____ ____ ____________________________ ______________________ __________________________ ____________________________ ______________________ __________________________

Hook

Background & End-goal

Rewards

Epilogue

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