Zero Space Original (Englisch)

Die Originaldateien und Materialien auf Englisch.

Credits

Writing and Design: Brandon Blackmoor

Art: Ian Stead (cover art), NASA (cover art)

Playtesting: Leslie Danneberger, Lloyd Montgomery, Craig Smith, Kieron Torres, Donal von Griffyn

Many thanks to Steve Stone, Dale Russell, Shawn McCarthy, Phill Ash, Robert J. Grady, the Kalos Comics Community on Facebook, and the Kalos Comics Community on Google+, for all of your help and support.

ZeroSpace is a Kalos Mechanism game.

Zero Space : Introduction

zerospace
noun
the gravitational center of a Lorentzian manifold.

What Is This?

ZeroSpace is a space fantasy game which takes place in a vast interstellar empire populated by thousands of strange and wonderful aliens. ZeroSpace is only "science fiction" in the loosest sense: any scientific basis for the weapons, vehicles, or aliens is merely to provide a sense of verisimilitude to the setting.

Play is very loose, and players are encouraged to take initiative rather than simply hanging around and waiting for someone to kick in the door. Players are also encouraged to flesh out the setting and be creative, rather than passively accepting what has already been described.

What Is A Roleplaying Game?

Every roleplaying game has a section at the beginning that attempts to explain what a roleplaying game is, and ZeroSpace is no exception. So let's get started! As trivial as it sounds, two distinct elements set "roleplaying games" apart from other things which are not roleplaying games: roleplaying and game play.

First, a roleplaying game involves roleplaying. Generally speaking, roleplaying involves taking on a persona or character and making decisions based on what that character would do in a given situation. Does having a character in a game, by itself, make that a roleplaying game? No. The little dog token in a Monopoly game and a Blood Elf in World Of Warcraft are both characters, but Monopoly and World Of Warcraft are not roleplaying games. Can you roleplay as a dog while playing Monopoly? Yes, and you can roleplay as an elf while playing World Of Warcraft. What keeps these from being roleplaying games is that the roleplaying is not part of the game -- you can't get your Monopoly dog out of jail through unscripted conversation with the jailer, nor can you use roleplaying to convince a cultist in World Of Warcraft to let you pass by without a fight. If the rules of the game do not allow for the possibility that a conflict could be resolved through unscripted conversation (however unlikely that might be), then it isn't a roleplaying game.

Second, a roleplaying game is a game. Roleplaying games are sometimes compared to improvisational theatre, and there are similarities, but improv theatre isn't a game. How can you tell if something is a game? Games have rules that govern things like conflicts between players and whether something a player attempts is successful. Improv theatre is fun, but there aren't any rules like this. As Drew Carey described "Whose Line Is It Anyway?", it's "the show where everything's made up and the points don't matter." It's fun, but it's not a game, and therefore it's not a roleplaying game.

ZeroSpace has more rules than some games, but less than others, and an essential part of conflict resolution involves making decisions that your character would make under the circumstances. Maybe those decisions aren't the most tactically advantageous, but if they are true to what your character would do, and if you are having fun playing, then you are playing correctly, because that's what ZeroSpace is all about.

If you would like to read more about who plays roleplaying games, and why and where they play them, check out The Escapist -- The Five Ws of RPGs.

The Players

In a roleplaying game, each player adopts a persona called a player character, or "PC". The player characters are imaginary people who inhabit the fictional world of ZeroSpace.

In many ways, the player is like an actor who chooses their own part and writes their own lines as the play progresses. The game moderator sets the stage and introduces the characters to their world, but the story is driven by the player characters.

The Game Moderator

The game moderator, or "GM", creates the story and portrays everyone that the player characters encounter during their adventures. These are called non-player characters, or "NPCs". The players help create the adventure by responding to the challenges the GM presents and by pursuing the PCs' own goals. This dynamic creative process creates a story which neither the game moderator nor the players could have created alone.

Ground Rules

A roleplaying game is fundamentally a cooperative activity. The players (one of whom is the Game Moderator) are not in competition. The goal is not to be the most powerful character, or to win every fight. The goal of a role-playing game is to create interesting stories and to entertain everyone at the table. We hope that you are the kind of player that creates interesting characters and enjoys creating stories with your friends.

Use Common Sense

The single most important piece of advice we can give you is that you should use your common sense. If something in the rules violates the way you think your game should work, then override it. If the rules permit something ridiculous, or would prevent something completely ordinary, then override them. Do not be one of those players who adheres to the letter of the rules in defiance of common sense.

Don't use the rules unless you need to.

In fact, if you can play a fun game session without referring to the written rules, you should. Saying "it works like this" is often a better solution than flipping through a rulebook for an answer.

Avoid Rule Arguments

It is in the nature of any human activity that differences of opinion will arise. We've tried to make the rules for ZeroSpace as simple and clear as possible, but there's only so much we can do. Sooner or later, there will be a difference of opinion among the players regarding what a rule means, or how a rule should be implemented. There is nothing wrong with this: discussion and consensus are healthy. However, the time for rule discussions is between games, not during games. If a rule discussion takes longer than 60 seconds, the game moderator should make an executive decision and table additional discussion for later. If players balk, the GM should be civil but firm, and move on.

Respect Genre Conventions

ZeroSpace is a space fantasy game, and being a space fantasy game, it has certain genre conventions. Robert McKee defines genre conventions as the "specific settings, roles, events, and values that define individual genres and their subgenres."

For example, there are no rules for running out of fuel, or for recharging a blaster. It's not that starships do not run out of fuel, or that blasters never need recharging. Of course they do, and if a character intentionally empties their blaster, then the gun runs out of juice just as you'd expect. It's just assumed that they don't normally run out of juice unless there is a dramatic reason for it. The rest of the time, the character is refueling the starship or recharging the blaster when it's convenient to do so.

Another genre convention in ZeroSpace is that main characters almost never die, and only when it is for a dramatic reason, while nameless characters go down after a single hit (maybe they die, maybe they don't -- no one cares, because they are nameless characters).

Core Mechanics

Rolling Dice

We assign numbers to characters' abilities so that we can tell what they can do. When a character attempts a task, and the outcome is either contested or there is some random element involved, the player rolls 2d6, counts the dots, and adds the result to the character's action value (AV). This roll is compared to 2d6 plus a difficulty value (DV).

2d6 + action value vs. 2d6 + difficulty value

If the player's roll (2d6 + action value) equals or exceeds the target number (2d6 + difficulty value), the character's attempt succeeds. There is no need to roll for routine tasks: characters automatically succeed at routine tasks. Similarly, there is usually no need to roll if there is no penalty for failure and/or no time limit: it might take months, but the character will succeed eventually.

Attributes

Each character has six attributes which describe their basic physical and mental abilities.

See the Attributes chapter for more information.

Skills

Skills allow a character to apply their attributes to solve a specific problem or accomplish a specific task. Skills cost one character point each. Expertise in a skill costs one additional character point, and it grants the character a bonus die to rolls pertaining to that skill.

When a character attempts a skill roll, the character rolls 2d6 and adds their action value (AV). If the character possesses the skill, the action value is equal to the character's relevant attribute, which is often placed in parentheses after the skill name, such as Athletics (Brawn). If the character does not have the skill, the character's attribute is not added to their action value: their action value is equal to the rating of the equipment they are using, if any.

See the Skills chapter for more information.

Rounding Fractions

When in doubt, round fractions down.

Plot Points

Each player begins each game session with one plot point. A player gains a plot point when they do something particularly entertaining or interesting, when one of their character's complications causes a serious problem for them during the game, or when the GM overrides a roll of the dice to make things more difficult for the characters. Plot points are spent to alter the game world, gain a bonus die, or gain an advantage in combat. See the Actions chapter for more information.

Glossary

action value (AV)
the character's relevant action attribute, possibly modified by equipment and/or a special ability
Advisory Council On Interstellar Commerce
hundreds of interstellar corporations; governed by the Directorate
Agility (AGL)
coordination, ranged combat fighting ability, and general flexibility
all-out move
base move x 6
attack bonus
roll an additional die when attempting an attack (another name for "bonus die")
attack penalty
roll one less die when attempting an attack (another name for "penalty die")
attack roll
2d6 + attack value; the total is compared to a target number to determine success
attack value (AV)
the character's relevant attack attribute, possibly modified by equipment and/or a special ability (another name for "action value")
attribute
the six basic character traits: Brawn, Agility, Reason, Presence, Power, and Endurance
base move
normal ground movement based on the character's attributes or powers
base value
the numerical value of an attribute when the character is fully healed and not impaired in any way
bonus die
roll an additional die when attempting a task or in combat
Brawn (BRN)
physical might, close combat fighting ability, and general hardiness
character point
spent to buy attributes, skills, and special abilities for a character
combat roll
2d6 + attack value; the total is compared to a target number to determine success (another name for "attack roll")
defense bonus
roll an additional die when attacked (another name for "bonus die")
defense penalty
roll one less die when attacked (another name for "penalty die")
difficulty value (DV), opposed
the defender's relevant attribute; 2d6 + difficulty value = target number
difficulty value (DV), unopposed
moderate 3, remarkable 6, extreme 9, inconceivable 12; 2d6 + difficulty value = target number
Directorate
the ruling body of the Advisory Council On Interstellar Commerce
Dominion
the Infinite Dominion Of His Divine Shadow
double move
base move x 2
Endurance (END)
determination and ability to shrug off physical and mental abuse
expertise
extraordinary competence with a skill, granting a bonus die
game moderator (GM)
the player who sets the story in motion, plays everyone and everything in the game other than the PCs, and arbitrates any disputes
gift
an exceptional ability that a normal human can have, but that most humans do not have
His Divine Shadow
immortal deity and ruler of the Infinite Dominion Of His Divine Shadow
Imperium
usually refers to the New Imperium; sometimes refers to the Old Imperium
Infinite Dominion Of His Divine Shadow
a theocratic totalitarian empire ruled by the bureaucratic priesthood of His Divine Shadow
InterSec / Interstellar Security Command / ISC
an independent police organization funded by the members of the Planetary Union
League Of Non-aligned Worlds
a loose association of independent star systems seeking to maintain the sovereignty of its members states
margin of success
the amount by which a roll exceeds the target number
New Imperium
a united empire of tens of thousands of populated worlds
non-player character (NPC)
a fictional character belonging to and controlled by the game moderator
Old Imperium
a former trans-galactic civilization of millions of populated worlds; predecessor of the New Imperium
penalty die
roll one less die when attempting a task or in combat
Planetary Union
a loose alliance of several thousand populated worlds on the fringes of Imperial space
player
a living, breathing person playing the game
player character (PC)
a fictional character belonging to and controlled by a player
plot point
spent to alter the game world, gain a bonus die, or gain an advantage in combat
Power (POW)
supernatural might, android power level, or psychic potential
Presence (PRE)
determination, strength of personality, and understanding of the motivations of others
Reason (REA)
ability to analyze data, draw conclusions from the facts at hand, and solve problems
run
base move x 2 (another name for "double move")
sentient
capable of perception, problem solving, self-awareness, and anticipation of future events; a creature which is sentient; a person
skill roll
2d6 + action value; the total is compared to a target number to determine success
sprint
base move x 6 (another name for "all-out move")
success
a roll that equals or exceeds the target number
target number
the number the player must match or exceed on a roll; 2d6 + difficulty value
Union
the Planetary Union
walk
normal ground movement based on Agility (another name for "base move")
zerospace
the gravitational center of a Lorentzian manifold (or "warp bubble")

Zero Space : Setting

Ancient History

The Old Imperium

For millennia, the center of the civilized universe was the Old Imperium (referred to as simply "the Imperium" at the time). At its height, the Imperium encompassed millions of populated worlds. History tells us that this was an idyllic time. Lifespans were measured in centuries: sickness and physical injury were virtually unknown, and easily remedied when they did occur. All material needs were satisfied, and physical labor was simply for entertainment.

Three technological advances made the expansion and unity of the Old Imperium possible: electrogravitics, warp engines, and transepric gates.

The invention of electrogravitics revolutionized society in much the same way that electromagnetism had a millennium earlier. Within a generation, electrogravitic devices were ubiquitous. From the grav plates that made space travel healthy and comfortable, to the kinetic dampers that rendered projectile weapons obsolete, to generators which provided a safe and clean source of power, electrogravitic technology changed life virtually overnight.

Negative energy density and Lorentzian manifolds were conceived hundreds of years before electrogravitics, but it was only with the advent of electrogravitic technology that Lorentzian manifold generators (known colloquially as "warp engines") became feasible. The Lorentzian manifold generator suspends a vehicle in a gravitic bubble, contracting space in front of the craft and expanding space behind it. Because the craft itself is not actually moving relative to its frame of reference, this permits what appears to be superluminal travel. The time required to travel a distance increases logarithmically as the distance itself increases linearly. For example, a journey between two star systems in the same region of a galaxy typically takes from a few hours to a few days, traveling from one edge of a galaxy to the other takes a week or two, and traveling from one galaxy to the next takes a month or two. Travel using warp engines does not remove a vessel from our universe. However, due to the Lorentzian manifold (or "warp bubble") around it, the vessel is effectively blind, deaf, and incommunicado for the duration of its journey.

However, the single greatest advance of the Old Imperium was the transepric gate. A transepric gate is an array of subatomic particles which share their state with a matching gate located elsewhere. Transepric gates made instantaneous communication possible, linking distant planets and computer systems into one vast interconnected network. Ironically, the technology which created the Old Imperium was also responsible for its doom: it was the invention of the transepric gate which made the Instrumentality possible.

The Fall Of The Old Imperium

History states that the Instrumentality began as an interconnected network of computer systems across the Core Worlds of the Old Imperium. As centuries passed, more of everyday life was automated, until even the memory of a time when biological life was not dependent on automatous technology was forgotten. Every facet of life was supported by intelligent systems which had been created by earlier intelligent systems, and so on back for a thousand years.

One day, without warning, the systems which provided food, air, and warmth shut down. Starships vented their atmospheres into space. Simultaneously, across the Core Worlds and beyond, entire planetary populations began to die of thirst, exposure, and starvation. The Instrumentality was born.

In desperation, the portions of the Old Imperium which had not yet been been affected by the Instrumentality shut down all systems which depended on instantaneous communication. Transepric gates were overloaded in the hope that it would cause damage to the Instrumentality itself. Interplanetary communication was cut off. Even on a planetary level, the loss of the transepric network meant all world-wide communication was dead.

The universe went dark.

From The Ashes

It was hundreds of years after the fall of the Old Imperium that the worlds of the Old Imperium began to rebuild intergalactic civilization. Some of these worlds have chosen to remain in isolation, but most have joined together in intergalactic republics.

Because travel time using warp engines is logarithmic, very few of these new interstellar civilizations are physically contiguous. A map representing the influence of the New Imperium, for example, would resemble a scattering of specks and bubbles spread across numerous galaxies. The influence of the Union represented on the same map would be a much smaller number of specks and bubbles, some of which adjoin those of the Imperium, but most of which are physically isolated in the vast unexplored reaches all around them. The Shadow Dominion is an exception: the Dominion spreads deliberately, forming a nearly contiguous region of influence. All of these explored and contacted regions are referred to as "civilized space": a tiny fraction of the physical universe.

The Present

The New Imperium

In the millennium since the Fall, the New Imperium (usually referred to as simply "the Imperium") has once again spread across the universe, tying together fragments of what had once been part of the Old Imperium. The Imperium encompasses tens of thousands of populated worlds, and it holds significant influence over many thousands more.

The form of government of the Imperium is a loose form of feudalism. Each extended star system (usually one habitable world and a number of smaller outposts within the system or close by, as well as any exploitable resources in the vicinity) is ruled by an Imperial Governor. Each Imperial Governor is responsible directly to the Imperator, although in practice the bulk of day-to-day governance is dealt with through the Imperial bureaucracy. Each populated world under an Imperial Governor is permitted to choose its own form of government, to raise and maintain military forces for regional security, and to regulate minor matters such as local commerce and so on. In every case, the Imperial Code supersedes any regional legislation, but in practice the Imperial bureaucracy looks the other way unless the local deviation is perceived to pose a threat to the Imperial economy or security. When this happens, the Imperium responds promptly and with overwhelming force.

Worlds which do not fall under direct Imperial control, but which have frequent interactions with Imperial worlds, are referred to as the "rim worlds". Rim worlds are often granted autonomy in exchange for permitting the Imperium to establish military or commercial bases in their systems. Until a rim world has strategic or economic value, the Imperium is usually content to allow it to retain its autonomy indefinitely.

The Infinite Dominion Of His Divine Shadow

For thousands of years, an immortal tyrant has ruled a theocratic totalitarian empire: the Infinite Dominion Of His Divine Shadow (often referred to as simply "the Dominion"). The Dominion is ruled by a bureaucratic priesthood, with His Divine Shadow as its deity and spiritual leader. The society of the Dominion is extremely conservative, with harsh penalties for those who attempt to deviate from the traditional roles of their species, gender, or social class. This conservatism does not apply to technology, as long at that technology serves the will of the Divine Shadow. Robotics, cybernetics, and genetic engineering are ubiquitous, but are used to enhance the power and control of the Dominion, rather than for the good of the individual. Lawbreakers, deviants, and heretics are subjected to genetic redesign and neural reprogramming, becoming fanatical servants of the Dominion and the priesthood of His Divine Shadow.

The rise of the Instrumentality was a boon to the Dominion, which had long been kept in check by the Old Imperium. Unlike the worlds of the Old Imperium, communication between the worlds of the Dominion was tightly controlled, and life for the people of the Dominion was not the automated paradise of Imperial citizens. The Old Imperium was devastated by the destruction of the transepric network, but the Dominion survived -- and thrived. After the fall, the former worlds of the Old Imperium struggled to feed their populations and maintain civil order, making them easy prey for the fanatical forces of the Dominion. Slowly but inexorably the Dominion spread, and by the time the New Imperium had finally struggled into existence, the Dominion had grown from a minor annoyance into a significant power. The New Imperium chose discretion over valour and ratified a treaty with the Dominion, wherein they recognized each other's borders and agreed to coexist peacefully.

But the Dominion continues to spread, consuming system after system.

The Planetary Union

What is now known as the Planetary Union began as a loose alliance of several hundred populated worlds on the fringes of Imperial space. After an extended war of attrition, the Imperium and the Union agreed to a treaty which recognized Union sovereignty. Today, thousands of worlds claim membership in the Union, although it is still a minor power when compared to the Imperium.

The government of the Union is a confederacy of hundreds of member states, each of which is in direct control of their own worlds and colonies, and many of which are significant interplanetary civilizations in their own right. In principle, each member state of the Union participates in the defense of the Union as a whole, and member worlds share a single currency and abide by the same trade regulations. In practice, these agreements among member worlds are violated more often than they are observed.

Interstellar Security Command

One of the great successes of the Union was the creation of an independent police organization, Interstellar Security Command (commonly referred to as "ISC" or "InterSec"). InterSec's budget and assets are provided by the members of the Planetary Union, but InterSec itself is not subject to the authority of any individual member state. InterSec has its own fleet, its own space stations, its own courts, and its own prisons.

The League Of Non-aligned Worlds

Some regional governments have resisted the overbearing influence of the Imperium and the Union, but they see the benefit of collective action. These governments formed the League Of Non-aligned Worlds. The one and only purpose of the League is to maintain the sovereignty of its members states. Unlike the Imperium, the Union, and even the Directorate, the League Of Non-aligned Worlds has no police or fleet of its own. Any military action is carried out by the fleets of its member governments -- if they can be convinced to contribute their forces to the effort.

Corporations

One of the most powerful organizations to have arisen out of the Old Imperium is the Advisory Council On Interstellar Commerce. The Advisory Council On Interstellar Commerce is an organization of hundreds of interstellar corporations, governed by representatives of the most powerful corporations: the Directorate. The main purpose of the Advisory Council On Interstellar Commerce is to present a unified front against the influence of planetary and interplanetary governments. In addition to lobbying regional governments and negotiating treaties between member corporations and governments, the Advisory Council On Interstellar Commerce also acts as an arbitrator in disputes between corporations. The Advisory Council On Interstellar Commerce has generally been successful in its efforts: corporate power is largely unchecked by regional governments, and open warfare between corporations is relatively rare.

Dante Laboratories

Dante Laboratories is a major medical and pharmaceutical research conglomerate. Its pharmaceutical and consumer goods manufacturing companies and its subsidiaries are engaged in the research, development, manufacture, and sales of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and consumer health products. The company's portfolio includes innovative biological therapies and pharmaceuticals in several disease areas, including oncology, neurology, immunology, biopharmaceuticals, and nanotech treatments.

Black Sun Industries

Black Sun Industries is a legitimate corporation that focuses primarily on civilian retail markets. Black Sun Industries employs very few people directly, and its direct assets are mainly in the form of brands, product specifications, and scientific expertise. However, Black Sun Industries owns thousands of other interstellar corporations (often through several intermediaries) in the transportation, recycling, gambling, entertainment, and construction sectors.

d'Anconia Technologies

d'Anconia Technologies is a major power in interstellar commerce, ruthlessly exploiting organic and android labor to extract maximum resources with minimum cost. The company's primary focus is on geological and biological mass-extraction, but they also have a very successful line of "skilled labor" and "subject matter expert" androids.

Farnsworth-Yutani

Farnsworth-Yutani manufactures most of the Lorentzian manifold generators ("warp engines") used in commercial and private transportation. They have numerous competitors, but Farnsworth-Yutani is larger than their two nearest competitors combined.

Koninklijke Hoogovens

Koninklijke Hoogovens (often referred to as simply "Hoogovens") operates numerous mining colonies, which provide the bulk of its revenue. In the course of finding sources of power for its colonies, Koninklijke Hoogovens developed advanced power plants suitable for the many varied environments in which its mines are located. Koninklijke Hoogovens now produces a wide array of power generation equipment, from the ubiquitous civilian electrogravitic generators, which power everything from air speeders to lighting in homes, to the hybrid fusion-singularity power plants used in military starships.

Kosaten Group

Kosaten Group is primarily known as a manufacturer of air speeders, heavy equipment, aerospace and defense equipment, and commercial starships. It is also active in the production of industrial androids, engines, and other industrial products.

Lastimar

Lastimar is the largest provider of genetically engineered seeds in civilized space, and the leading producer of herbicides and pesticides. In recent decades, Lastimar has pioneered the fields of species-specific neurotoxins and genetically engineered livestock.

Malrechnen Syndicate

The Malrechnen Syndicate (formally known as "The Malrechnen Brotherhood Of Contract Workers") has had a seat on the Directorate since the Directorate was founded. Like most corporations represented on the Directorate, the Malrechnen has hundreds of worlds under its exclusive control, and its influence extends into the New Imperium, the Union, and even the Dominion. Through lobbying and exclusive contracts, the Malrechnen provides every form of labor imaginable, and on many worlds its relations with its "contractors" are considered outside the jurisdiction of regional, Union, or Imperial law. More progressive voices in the Union have attempted to shut down the Malrechnen Syndicate under Union anti-slavery statutes, but lobbyists for the Malrechnen have successfully opposed these efforts.

Nexus-McLellan

Nexus-McLellan manufactures and distributes picotechnology cybernetics and provides health information technology and health care management services. Nexus-McLellan is a leader in the field of cybernetic research and design, primarily for military and law-enforcement uses.

Qianfu Corp

Qianfu Corp is a diverse corporation, with holdings in mining, agriculture, communication, and transportation. Qianfu Corp operates a significant number of Hypernet relay stations throughout Union and Imperial space. Note: "Qianfu" is pronounced similar to "chain foo".

Recovery And Apprehension Network

The Recovery And Apprehension Network (often referred to as simply "the Ran") was originally a division of the Malrechnen Syndicate, subordinate to the Malrechnen Security Guild. However, the recovery division (as it was then known) eventually accrued enough favours -- and enough credits -- to free itself from the Malrechnen. The Malrechnen Syndicate has never forgiven this loss. In fact, were it not for the steadfast opposition of the Malrechnen, the Ran probably would have been granted a seat on the Directorate years ago.

Ran agents are licensed and regulated professionals who pursue specific types of warrants throughout civilized space and beyond. They have broad authority within the narrow window of warrant enforcement, including the use of force, but no authority with regard to regional laws. Ran agents are highly competitive, but they are required to abide by a simple code: "the warrant above all". This means that no matter how vicious the competition between agents gets, it must never interfere with the execution of a legitimate warrant issued by the Ran. The penalties for violating this code are severe.

To keep the Ran as politically neutral as possible, its charter forbids it from undertaking interventions or activities of a political or military nature, or involving itself in disputes over such matters. The professional reputation of the Ran is such that both the Imperium and the Union allow Ran agents to operate within their jurisdictions. Treaties between the Ran and various regional governments prohibit local law enforcement from interfering with warrant enforcement, but local law enforcement is not obligated to provide any assistance, either.

Seicosys

Seicosys is the leading manufacturer of customized genetic material, and is the source of genetic designs for a large number of other corporations. There are rumours that Seicosys' genetic engineering technology has surpassed the limits legislated in Imperium and most of the Union. Seicosys does nothing to discourage these rumours.

Shenzhen

Shenzhen is a holding conglomerate whose subsidiaries mainly deal with insurance, banking, and financial services. Through its subsidiaries, Shenzhen is the largest banking institution in civilized space. Note: "Shenzhen" is pronounced similar to "shen jen".

Stromberg Group

Stromberg Group operates as a holding company which engages in the provision of insurance, asset management, and logistical services. Stromberg Group controls the largest fleet of cargo starships in civilized space.

Corporate Worlds

For every world which belongs to the Imperium, the Union, the League, or to the myriad of smaller federations, there is a world which is owned by a corporation. Assets who reside on these worlds may live in luxury or in squalor, depending on their value to the corporation and the competence of the planetary administration. Worlds which are near the centers of intergalactic civilization tend to be similar in most respects to their conventionally governed counterparts, while worlds which are on the fringes of civilized space are often indistinguishable from penal colonies. One aspect of life is consistent across all of the corporate worlds, regardless of the living conditions: the assets who live on these worlds have no voice in how they are governed, and their livelihood depends completely on their value to the company that currently controls the planet.

Lost Worlds

Each world that has rejoined the intergalactic community has thousands of counterparts which have yet to be rediscovered. These are known as "lost worlds", although of course that name is Imperium-centric. From the point of view of these isolated worlds, it is the rest of the Old Imperium that is lost.

The Instrumentality

Although the New Imperium, the Union, and the myriad other inheritors of the legacy of the Old Imperium disagree on many points, there is one thing on which they all agree: no one must ever attempt to recreate the lost secret of the transepric gates, or attempt to implement any similar technology. The penalties for violating this injunction vary. In regions controlled by the Malrechnen, the assets of the guilty party are confiscated, and they are forever prohibited from owning property or engaging in any commerce above simple manual labor. In the Union, the penalty ranges from indentured servitude to life imprisonment to execution, depending on the world. In the New Imperium, the guilty party is euthanized and their body is recycled for replacement organs and other medical materials.

The Instrumentality itself still exists. The systems on which the Instrumentality has a presence are marked as such on navigation charts, as soon as they are discovered... if the ship that made the discovery survives to report it.

Technology


Technology in ZeroSpace is static: intergalactic civilization is thousands of years old, and everything that can be invented has been invented. Competent engineers are required to build, modify, and maintain such devices, but engineers in ZeroSpace are artisans, not inventors. True invention is extraordinarily rare. However, whether that technology is widely available depends on the wealth of the society and how that wealth is distributed among the populace.

Androids

On wealthy worlds with progressive societies, androids do most of the jobs that require intensive research and analysis, while nonsentient automata perform those tasks which biological individuals find dangerous, unpleasant, or simply tedious. Wealthy militaristic societies often use androids or automata to fight their wars, as well. On less wealthy worlds, or worlds where the wealth is extremely concentrated, these tasks are the given to biological individuals, and androids are restricted to serving the desires of the wealthy.

Communication

Short range communication -- that which takes place within a single solar system -- is a universal technology. Handheld commlinks, dot-sized dermal transmitters, and the like are widely available and easily obtained. Encryption is commonplace, although regional authorities may have "back doors" to bypass it. As such, most communication can be considered private, at least until someone with the power to invade that privacy takes an interest. Dermal transmitters are usually voice-only, but handheld commlinks have cameras and holoprojectors. The image displayed by a commlink is usually altered to make its artificial nature obvious, but this is a socially-imposed limitation rather than a technical one.

Long range communication -- that which takes place between planets in separate solar systems, or between a ship in interstellar space and a distant star system -- is less reliable. Such communication is only possible when the approximate location of the receiver is known to the sender, give or take an astronomical unit (1.496 × 108 km). The signal degrades depending on the distance and any intervening obstacles, such as dust clouds and neutron stars, so real-time interstellar communication may not always be possible.

Computers

Computers are ubiquitous in the setting of ZeroSpace, such that most people don't comment on them or even really notice them unless they stop working.

The most commonplace interaction is intuitive and automatic, such that the user doesn't even think about it. Much as you and I don't think about the electricity which flows through the dashboards of our automobiles, most people in civilized space do not think about the computers that keep their air clean, cook their food, and keep track of their schedules.

When people interact with a computer intentionally, it's usually a mobile -- a small, hand-held device not too different from a 21st century cell phone. Unlike our modern cell phones, mobiles are virtually indestructible, resembling a translucent rectangle of plastic when not in use. Mobiles are also more secure than 21st century cell phones, using a combination of biometric sensors to determine the user's identity. This security is not impenetrable, but it is good enough that most people never even think about the possibility of someone else accessing their accounts or personal information. These accounts are not tied to the mobile itself, of course: it's simply an interface to data stored in the Hypernet. Many people regard mobiles with the indifference that a 20th century person would regard a disposable pen, to be shared, borrowed, or lost without much thought given.

When the location is remote or mobile, such as a starship, or the research being conducted is sensitive, the computer system may be self-contained and not dependent on the Hypernet for its operation. These computers have interfaces and displays that are similar in purpose to a 21st century workstation or scientific mainframe. Most such discrete computer systems have a voice interface factotum personality, which can be customized for varying levels of accuracy, humour, terseness, and so on.

Ectypes And Echoes

Ectypes and echoes are copies of an organic being's consciousness. An ectype is a copy which has been reproduced in organic matter, typically (though not always) placed into a clone of the original person. An echo is a digital copy, typically (though not always) preserved in a virtual reality environment. Although the end product is different, the basic process involved in creating ectypes and echoes is similar: the original being's brain is scanned, and the resulting neurochemical template (or engram) is stored as data. The creation of this engram is a painless process, but it is time consuming and prohibitively expensive. Despite the great cost, some particularly narcissistic individuals have used ectypes to achieve a type of serial immortality, creating copies of themselves to survive their own passing, and leaving their estates to an ectype of themselves in their wills.

In most of civilized space, the legal status of ectypes is the same as that of any other organic being: they may be treated as property on a given world, or not, in much the same way that any other organic being might. The status of echoes is somewhat more variable. On most worlds, echoes are treated similar to androids. The laws pertaining to the creation of ectypes and echoes typically follows the model of laws pertaining to the creation of sentient androids. On worlds where ectypes or echoes are granted the same rights as other sentient creatures, their creation is legally restricted or even prohibited altogether. On worlds where artificial life forms are treated as property, their creation is lightly regulated, if at all.

Energy

There are two main energy sources in use in civilized space: electrogravitic cells (often simply called "power packs"), and hybrid fusion-singularity reactors (often simply called "generators").

Electrogravitic cells are small and durable, making them suitable for a wide range of consumer products. Everything from androids to blasters to handheld communicators contain small electrogravitic cells. Electrogravitic cells are quite safe. When an electrogravitic cell fails or is damaged, it simply stops producing power.

Fusion-singularity reactors are too large and generate too much heat for use in portable devices. However, they produce far more power per cubic centimeter than electrogravitic cells, making them suitable for high-drain applications like starship weapons and warp engines. Fusion-singularity reactors are potentially dangerous when damaged, but they have multiple safeguards in place to prevent catastrophic failure. The "emergency self-destruct" system installed on some starships operates by bypassing these safeguards.

Fabricators

A fabricator is a device which manufactures complex objects from component substances. The component substances are typically in liquid or powder form, and must be replenished periodically. General purpose fabricators typically have reservoirs of metal, ceramic, and synthetic polymer dust, while specialized fabricators use substances specific to their application. Medical fabricators, for example, use reservoirs of protein, calcium, phosphorous, nucleotides, and synthetic biomatter, while food-grade fabricators use reservoirs of carbohydrates, triglycerides, protein, salt, and spices. Fabricators are commonplace throughout most of civilized space.

The Hypernet

In theory, the Hypernet is an information system linking all worlds throughout the Union, the New Imperium, and beyond. In practice, Hypernet data packets are distributed from one star system to another by large hyperwave transmitters, in a "peer to peer" fashion, and every major power intercepts and filters Hypernet data packets. This means that the Hypernet available to a citizen of the Union may be quite different to that available to an asset of the Malrechnen. In fact, there are no two worlds in the known universe with the exact same Hypernet.

In general, starships are able to connect to the local Hypernet as long as they are within an astronomical unit (1.496 × 108 km) of a civilized world.

Despite the nigh-universal availability of the Hypernet, it can sometimes be useful to transport data in a discrete physical medium. Data cards are used for this purpose. A data card is roughly the size of a modern postage stamp (the exact physical size is 26 mm x 37 mm, for historical reasons that no one now remembers). A typical data card can hold approximately a petabyte -- enough room to store a full android personality matrix, or an engram of a living being (see Ectypes And Echoes).

Medicine

The quality of medical care in ZeroSpace is largely dependent on the patient's wealth. On wealthy worlds with progressive societies, genetic manipulation has eliminated most illnesses, while cloning and protein assemblers have made it possible to recover from virtually any injury. On less wealthy worlds, or worlds where that wealth is concentrated in the hands of a small portion of the population, illness and disease may simply be facts of life, and even a minor injury can result in permanent disability. Cybernetics exist, but are uncommon in wealthy societies: why have a mechanical arm or a synthetic eye, when an organic replacement can be grown in a matter of hours?

Warfare

Because automated electrogravitic defenses render most projectile weapons ineffective, combat in ZeroSpace is personal. All combat, even in the depths of space, takes place within visual range.

Initial salvos between military starships typically take place at a range of less then a dozen kilometers (which may seem like a long way, but that's peanuts in outer space). A smaller craft, like a star fighter, typically closes to within a few kilometers of its intended target if the target is a capital ship, or to within a kilometer if the other ship is also small and maneuverable.

Society

Currency

At one time, the Imperial prole, or "luck", was the standard unit of currency through the Old Imperium, and the currency in circulation was controlled directly by the Imperial Treasury. In the centuries since then, other systems of currency have arisen, each controlled by a regional authority, or in rare cases, by an agreed-upon algorithm for generating new currency.

Characters in ZeroSpace don't really need to worry about this. Throughout civilized space, all commonly recognized currency is cryptographically generated, fungible, and universally accepted. Whether it's called a prole, a credit, a dinar, or a bit, it all spends the same.

In practice, currency is just a particular form of data, often transferred from one individual's accounts to another, without any physical objects changing hands. As with all data, it can sometimes be useful to transport currency in a discrete physical medium. Data cards are used for this purpose. Due to its inherent cryptographic nature, currency can be stolen, but forging it isn't feasible.

Language

Universe (an artificial language created thousands of years ago) is the official language of the New Imperium, and is widely used throughout civilized space. Every civilized being understands Universe, although not every species is physically capable of speaking it.

Each alien species has one or more languages which they speak among themselves. Some alien civilizations have hundreds of indigenous languages. No one but an android will even attempt to learn more than a few of the most common languages.

Barring unusual circumstances, characters are assumed to be fluent in Universe, as well as any other languages they could reasonably be expected to know.

Zero Space : Character Creation

Making up a ZeroSpace character should only take about 15 minutes, once you are somewhat familiar with the process. The hardest part is thinking up a character background and choosing what kind of character to play. In this chapter, we offer a few suggestions to help you out, along with a checklist of the steps that you should probably follow. However, just because we list them in this order doesn't mean you must. Jump around if it makes you happy: feel free to fill in what you know, and come back to what you don't.

It is up to you to make up a character who can get along with the other player characters and add to the fun of the game. Realism in ZeroSpace, as in most games, takes a back seat to playability. Your character can be the most fascinating, detailed character ever written, but if they undermine the fun of the game you have failed to make up a good character.

Fortunately, making up a character is a fairly simple process, and if at first you don't succeed you can try again. It is possible to make up a fun and interesting character who gets along with the other PCs, and in the long run it is much more fun than making up a character that, despite being a brilliant creation, disrupts the game.

Before You Start

The goal of ZeroSpace to help you have fun with your friends. If at all possible, try to assemble the players and make up their characters together. That way, you can avoid having two or three players with the same focus. It's usually more fun if each character has their own specialties, and their own role to fill.

It can sometimes be difficult to find a plausible reason for characters to stick together. Why would a brooding loner who likes to brood lonesomely ever join a team of space-faring vagabonds? You might consider establishing a reason before the game even starts, by having some previous connection between characters. The previous connection could be something as simple as, "Hey, you helped me fight those bounty hunters that one time". If every character has a connection to at least one other character, getting them past that awkward "getting to know you" stage will be a lot easier.

Character Checklist

We have found that it's easiest if you create a character by following these steps. However, it's just a suggestion. Jump around if it makes you happy: feel free to fill in what you know, and come back to what you don't.

Once you have the important parts of the character worked out, then you can start buying attributes, skills, alien traits, gifts, and esoteric powers which are appropriate to the character concept you have in mind.

Archetypes

When writing up a character, it can be useful to have an archetype in mind for inspiration. Many popular characters actually combine two or more archetypes ("Scoundrel Pilot", "Mystic Knight", "Alien Warrior Engineer" etc.). Coming up with a good archetype can make the rest of the character creation process much easier, because it gives you a clear goal to work toward.

Goon

Most of the allies and opponents the player characters encounter will not be captains of their own destinies. For better or for worse, they will live their lives carrying out the will of others. If a character is simply following orders, their archetype is probably the Goon, particularly if the character is part of a group of such individuals.


Would you like to randomly generate an archetype? You can!

Table: Random archetype, Table 1
Roll 1d6 Complexity
1 Roll once on Table 2
2-5 Roll twice on Table 2
6 Roll three times on Table 2

 

Table: Random archetype, Table 2
Roll 1d6 Roll 1d6 Archetype
1 1 Alien
2 Android
3 Aristocrat
4 Assassin
5 Barbarian
6 Bounty Hunter
 
2 1 Brawler
2 Cyborg
3 Diplomat
4 Engineer
5 Entertainer
6 Explorer
Roll 1d6 Roll 1d6 Archetype
3 1 Gambler
2 Gunslinger
3 Hacker
4 Investigator
5 Knight
6 Medic
 
4 1 Mercenary
2 Monk
3 Mystic
4 Peacekeeper
5 Philosopher
6 Pilot
Roll 1d6 Roll 1d6 Archetype
5 1 Sage
2 Savage
3 Scholar
4 Scientist
5 Scoundrel
6 Scout
 
6 1 Smuggler
2 Soldier
3 Spy
4 Trader
5 Veteran
6 Warrior

You aren't limited to these archetypes, of course. These common archetypes are just here to offer you a jumping-off point for your character.

Background

In a tabletop roleplaying game, there is a temptation to pay attention to what the character does rather than who they are and why they do it. There is a good reason for this: what the characters can do is what makes ZeroSpace a space fantasy roleplaying game rather than some other kind of roleplaying game. However, what makes a game fun to play over the long term is the growth and exploration of each character's personality, the difficult choices the characters must make, and the interplay between characters.

Personality

How does your character act around other people? Are they serious but kind, grim and menacing, or wacky and easy-going? It's up to you to bring your character to life. If you have a clear idea of how your character interacts with others, you will have a strong foundation to build on when choosing the character's powers and motivations.

For example, what are the character's interests and hobbies? Are they intellectual, scrutinizing the world around them, or are they passionate and impulsive, doing what feels right without analyzing their motivations? How about the character's family? Do they come from a large, close-knit clan, or is the character an orphan? What is their education and their moral philosophy? Each clue to your character's personality will help you portray them realistically, which will add to your enjoyment and the enjoyment of the other players.

Description

What a character looks like is not as important as their personality, but it does have an impact on how they interact with others and how the players see the character. Describe the character carefully, starting with easily-noticed things like their height and general build. Hair color and general style of dress help emphasize the character's personality. Does your character wear a special costume or uniform? If your character has a special uniform, do they wear it all the time? Does the character have a wide variety of outfits, or would they stick with one they like?

Appearance takes into account such things as species, gender, age, and any mannerisms or odd quirks. Is your character wealthy, dressing in the most expensive fashions? Do they carry themselves loosely, or with a rigid military posture? What do people notice about the character when they first meet? Is your character attractive, or hideously scarred? The more detail you can add to your description, the easier it will be for you and the other players to imagine them.

You don't need to know all of this at the beginning of the first game, of course. If you aren't sure about the details, start with the broad strokes, and fill in the details as the character develops in play.

History

Unless your character is an amnesiac or was grown in a vat, they will have had years of life experience before the first game starts. Where did they come from? How were they raised? Have they been in the military? Were their childhood years relatively carefree, adventurous, or marred by tragedy? When did they first realize they had ambitions beyond staying on the same planet doing the same job for the rest of their life? Did this realization come suddenly, perhaps as a result of a trauma, or was it something they had always known on some level?

Motivations

Leaving home is no easy task. Most people never leave the continent they were born on, much less the planet. Space travel is dangerous!

So why do they do it? What makes an individual leave behind the security of a gravity well and become a space-faring vagabond?

Here are a few motivations to get your creative juices flowing. Mix and match a couple, and think of some new ones, if you like. Take notice of the fact that a few of these are morally questionable, and some of them are incompatible with a star-faring lifestyle.

Would you like to randomly generate the motivations of your character? You can!

 

Table: Random character motivations, Table 1
Roll 2d6 Complexity
2 Roll twice on Table 2
3-7 Roll three times on Table 2
8-11 Roll four times on Table 2
12 Conflicted: roll on table 1 again, and see the note below

Conflicted: The character is torn between two mutually incompatible motivations. Roll on Table 1 again to determine the complexity of the character's motivations. When rolling on Table 2, make a note of the first roll and its opposite. The character's primary motivation is the first motivation rolled (and any successive rolls), but they are also driven by the opposing motivation. For example, the opposing motivation of "adventure" is "security".

 

Table: Random character motivations, Table 2
Roll 1d6 Roll 1d6 Motivation
1 1 Adventure
2 Asceticism
3 Audacity
4 Community
5 Compassion
6 Courage
 
2 1 Curiosity
2 Detachment
3 Enlightenment
4 Exploration
5 Freedom
6 Idealism
 
3 1 Justice
2 Mercy
3 Nobility
4 Passion
5 Pride
6 Rebellion
Roll 1d6 Roll 1d6 Motivation
4 1 Security
2 Materialism
3 Subtlety
4 Individualism
5 Wrath
6 Fear
 
5 1 Faith
2 Responsibility
3 Secrecy
4 Isolation
5 Control
6 Pragmatism
 
6 1 Vengeance
2 Ruthlessness
3 Fellowship
4 Serenity
5 Humility
6 Traditionalism

 

Adventure

Your character has an adventurous spirit and rarely turns down the opportunity for a bold quest or a daunting challenge, as long as the task is noteworthy, risky, and exciting. They tend to carry out any endeavour with a swashbuckling flair. This can be a good or a bad instinct depending on the circumstances.

In opposition to: Security

Asceticism

Your character practices severe self-discipline and avoids all forms of indulgence, typically for spiritual reasons. They may regard those who partake in earthly pleasures with good humour and patience, or they might look down on such hedonism as a moral weakness.

In opposition to: Materialism

Audacity

Your character is an adrenaline junkie driven by a desire to experience thrills and glory. They crave action, speed, and attention, and often leap before looking. On the positive side, this sort of person often deals well with chaotic situations that require quick reflexes and spur-of-the-moment decisions.

In opposition to: Subtlety

Community

Your character believes that the greatest measure of an individual is in their value to the society in which they exist. They seek to be dependable and helpful to those around them, and they encourage these traits in others. A character motivated by community might choose to work in isolation, but they would do so with the greater good in mind.

In opposition to: Individualism

Compassion

Your character wants to protect others and alleviate their suffering, particularly the innocent and the helpless. Seeing people in danger or in pain brings out the character's strongest instincts to act. By the same token, the character will tend to be quite careful when using violence in public places.

In opposition to: Wrath

Control

Your character detests the chaos of society, and seeks to impose order and discipline. They conduct their own affairs with precision, and they impose that same order on others when possible. If they are truly ambitious, the character might seek to control events on a grand scale as a kind of benevolent dictator or as a mastermind pulling strings behind the scenes for the benefit of the masses, who aren't competent to lead themselves.

In opposition to: Freedom

Courage

Your character chooses and is willing to confront agony, danger, and uncertainty. They seek to face physical pain, hardship, and death with equanimity, and they embrace the opportunity to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, scandal, and personal loss. They will be remembered either as a great hero or as a fool.

In opposition to: Fear

Curiosity

Your character lives and breathes to solve the mysteries of the universe. Their focus might be on cracking the puzzles of the natural world or on unraveling the enigmas of the heart and mind, but whatever their obsession, ignoring a riddle requires great effort. The expression "curiosity killed the cat" comes to mind.

In opposition to: Faith

Detachment

Your character seeks to avoid any emotional entanglements on a personal or professional level. They may feel that such connections would limit their freedom of action, and they may fear the obligation such a commitment entails. If offered the choice between maintaining their detachment or assisting with a cause that supports their other motivations, the character may have a crisis of conscience.

In opposition to: Responsibility

Enlightenment

Your character's true calling is education and enlightenment, both their own and others'. Nurturing talent and preserving or establishing a legacy are key goals in their life. They may seek to provide a moral compass to those in their company, or they may be prone to probe and test others' abilities.

In opposition to: Secrecy

Exploration

Your character lives to seek out new places and new ideas, to "boldly go where no one has gone before." The same old routine is not stimulating enough, and though proper planning is important, cautionary tales are often ignored in favor of seeking the new.

In opposition to: Isolation

Faith

The character believes in something which is not supported by empirical evidence, and this belief gives meaning to their life. They may feel compelled to adhere to a code of conduct inspired by their faith, or they may strive to spread their beliefs to others. Depending on how militant the character is about their faith, their beliefs may cause friction with those who require objective evidence for extraordinary claims, or those whose beliefs conflict with the beliefs of the character.

In opposition to: Curiosity

Fear

Your character makes every effort to avoid injury, danger, and uncertainty. Threats of physical pain, hardship, or death will compel the character to take preventative or palliative action, and they are likely to shift their position when faced with popular opposition, scandal, or personal loss. He who runs away may live to see another day.

In opposition to: Courage

Fellowship

Your character seeks to eliminate artificial barriers between individuals, such as socioeconomic status or political influence. They attempt to treat all sentients as equal in fundamental worth and social status. This may cause friction with those who do not share the character's egalitarian views.

In opposition to: Nobility

Freedom

Your character detests the rigid structure of society, and seeks to escape any imposed order and discipline. They conduct their own affairs with wild abandon, and they disrupt the carefully-laid plans of others when possible. If they are truly ambitious, the character might seek to disrupt events on a grand scale as a kind of "agent of chaos", for the benefit of the masses who are too complacent to free themselves.

In opposition to: Control

Humility

Your character strives to maintain a healthy perspective regarding their own importance in the universe, for in a vast and uncaring universe, what does a single sentient life matter? They are likely to decline honors and rewards, no matter how well-earned, and they are usually polite and respectful even in the face of abuse and deliberate malice. At the same time, since their sense of self-worth is internal, they pay little heed to rude or disrespectful behaviour. In the cosmic scale, such things simply do not matter.

In opposition to: Pride

Idealism

Your character believes in some cause or ideology so strongly that they would willingly die to protect it or uphold it. For example, your character might believe that their worth as a person is tied to their adherence to a code of honor, including such tenets as keeping one's word, appropriate use of force, and respect for rank. Any challenge to these ideals is sure to provoke a strong response.

In opposition to: Pragmatism

Individualism

Your character believes that the rights of the individual hold the highest moral value, above any society or philosophy. The character seeks to be self-reliant and independent, and encourages these traits in others. A character motivated by individualism might work with a team, but their reasons for doing so would be personal, rather than out of any sense of obligation.

In opposition to: Community

Isolation

Your character seeks to avoid exposure to new places and new ideas, preferring the comfort and safety of the known. It may be that they are frightened of what lies beyond the horizon, or it may simply be that they like the world as they know it and feel no desire to discover anything else. In extreme cases, the character may wish to avoid being contaminated, either physically or culturally, by strangers and their uncouth customs.

In opposition to: Exploration

Justice

Your character seeks to ensure that misdeeds are met with appropriate punishment. If the structure of society is such that the judicial system usually works as intended, then the character would seek to deliver criminals to the appropriate authorities (along with evidence of their crimes, if possible). However, if the system is corrupt (or if the character believes it to be so), then the character may decide that the cause of justice would be best served by taking the law into their own hands.

In opposition to: Vengeance

Materialism

Your character wants to amass great wealth. Whether they spend it freely or even pursue philanthropy on a large scale is likely based on other personality traits, but the accumulation of riches is an end in itself for this character. Some might even call them greedy.

In opposition to: Asceticism

Mercy

Your character practices benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness. They make a point of doing so particularly when the recipient is, by any objective measure, undeserving of such consideration. They might do this for any number of reasons, from the purely selfish (e.g., it makes them happy) to the pragmatic (e.g., they believe that by showing mercy, the person unworthy of forgiveness may change their ways) to the altruistic (e.g., they believe that each small act of kindness makes the universe a better place).

In opposition to: Ruthlessness

Nobility

Your character was born to rule and command the respect of their lessers. They may look out for the little people based on a sense of noblesse oblige, but they take action because they feel it is necessary and proper to do so, not because someone else demands that they act. At best, a slight condescension is apparent in most interactions with others not of exalted lineage.

In opposition to: Fellowship

Passion

Your character has a visceral, perhaps even savage, nature that they may have to struggle to control. At the same time, they may have a strong sense of loyalty or compassion. In general, your character is ruled by emotions and has to work to fit into a rational world, but they may also have insights that logical people overlook.

In opposition to: Serenity

Pragmatism

Your character believes that practical accomplishments are more important than ideas and philosophies. Honor and ideologies are of little value if they do not produce the desired real-world result. This approach is likely to become controversial when the pragmatic approach violates the ethical tenets of the culture at large.

In opposition to: Idealism

Pride

Your character seeks to personify the ideal of something, whether a culture, species, social class, or profession. They hold to an exacting standard of behavior and expect to be in the public eye, commanding respect for what they represent. They are not likely to appreciate scandals or public slights.

In opposition to: Humility

Rebellion

Your character doesn't fit into the larger society, living as a loner due to prejudice or personal choice. The rebel scoffs at popular trends and pays little heed to public mores. They may seek out other iconoclasts who follow their own drummer or they may just want to be left alone.

In opposition to: Traditionalism

Responsibility

Your character feels that they have abilities or burdens that limit their freedom of action. They have a duty to someone or something outside of themselves, and they feel that casting this duty aside would be selfish or irresponsible. If offered the chance to cast aside this burden, the character may have a crisis of conscience.

In opposition to: Detachment

Ruthlessness

Your character will allow no personal feelings or squeamishness to cloud their judgment. The feelings and well-being of others are irrelevant to the achievement of your character's ambitions. If this means that some must suffer while you claw your way to your objective, so be it: it matters not whether those in your character's way deserve such treatment. Perhaps your character's goals are so lofty that the ends justify the means; perhaps your character is just a heartless bastard.

In opposition to: Mercy

Secrecy

Your character strives to hide information from those who are unworthy of it, or from those who are unready to hear it. Knowledge is power, and power must be kept in the hands of those most fit to wield it. They may attempt to conceal or destroy information in order to prevent its dissemination, or they may seek to discredit those who attempt reveal that which should remain hidden.

In opposition to: Enlightenment

Security

Your character strives to minimize risk, despite the potential reward or excitement. Even the most extraordinary task is carried out with an eye toward avoiding or eliminating anything which might be potentially interesting (and thus, dangerous). Ideally, this will lead to a long life, albeit a dull one.

In opposition to: Adventure

Serenity

Your character seeks to maintain a spiritual, mental, and emotional balance. This may be for spiritual reasons, or it may be a mechanism for coping with the character's inner demons. It's probable that they try to avoid situations that might trigger bad memories or unhealthy behaviors, but learning to face these challenges with equanimity is an important step toward recovery.

In opposition to: Passion

Subtlety

Your character seeks to achieve their goals without attracting attention. Careful planning is usually high on their list of priorities, but success alone is not enough. From your character's point of view, the greatest achievement is one that no one else ever knows about. The most powerful hand is the one that no one sees.

In opposition to: Audacity

Traditionalism

Your character believes in structure, tradition, and the chain of command. They appreciate the value of respecting authority, and of following and giving orders. They thrive on stability, structure, and clear objectives. This can potentially create a crisis of conscience if those orders conflict with their personal morals.

In opposition to: Rebellion

Vengeance

Your character seeks revenge for some past wrong done to them or their loved ones. Any personal sacrifice is worthwhile. Depending upon the character's other motivations, sacrificing others might be worth the cost as well.

In opposition to: Justice

Wrath

Your character exults in causing death and destruction, particularly when the target is guilty or despicable. Seeing people abuse their power or behave in an offensive manner brings out the character's strongest instincts to act. The character will tend to be careless when using violence in public places.

In opposition to: Compassion

Complications

All of the most interesting characters have complicated lives. They may have physical or mental impairments, old enemies that never seem to give up on their quest for vengeance, or plain old social awkwardness. Think of one or two complications for your character. This will add depth to your character's background, and provide an easy way for the GM to come up with stories that are uniquely suited to your character. Additionally, when one of their character's complications causes a serious problem for them during the game, the player may gain a plot point. Plot points are spent to alter the game world, gain a bonus die, or gain an advantage in combat. See the Actions chapter for more information.

Dependence

The character depends upon an environment unlike that of most sentients. They may be distressed by an otherwise harmless environment or substance, such as water or bright light. Alternately, they may need an unusual atmosphere or temperature in order to operate comfortably. If the character is in an incompatible environment without the appropriate breathing gear or protective equipment, they will incur a defense penalty when attacked. While painful and debilitating, a dependence of this sort will not directly kill the character.

See the Actions chapter for more information.

Enemy

The character is an outlaw, hated and/or hunted by people more powerful than they are. Perhaps the character is on the run from a government agency, or perhaps one of the character's childhood friends blames them for some tragedy. Maybe the enemy is obsessed with the character, and won't stop pursuing the character until the character falls in love with the enemy or converts to the enemy's world view.

Gruesome

Sometimes being an adventurer isn't pretty. Perhaps an accident or genetic manipulation has twisted or changed them in some startlingly horrific way. Perhaps the character is from another world or plane of existence and is considered handsome among their own people, but hideous among humans. Whatever the reason, the sight of the character horrifies adults and makes children cry. They may have difficulty in social situations, particularly when meeting someone for the first time.

Obligation

The character has a duty to a person or organization beyond themselves, which may conflict with their own immediate desires or best interests. For example, the character might be a member of an esoteric order, and called upon from time to time to perform specific tasks. Such an obligation is typically one that the character desires to maintain, despite its occasional inconvenience.

Character Points

Once you have the the important parts of the character sketched out, you can start writing up the character's abilities. Characters in ZeroSpace are created using "character points". The player begins with 30 of these character points, and then spends them to buy attributes, skills, gifts, and so on. (Characters in ZeroSpace are extraordinary: relatively normal people would be created with 20 character points.)

Improving Your Character

Unlike most roleplaying games, ZeroSpace assumes that the player characters are relatively complete when they are created. In the books and films which ZeroSpace seeks to emulate, characters don't grow ever more powerful as time goes on, as is common in some roleplaying games. However, part of the fun of a roleplaying game is developing new skills and abilities, so ZeroSpace uses the concept of "experience points", but the increase in power over time is relatively slow compared to most other games.

At the end of each story arc (every half-dozen game sessions or so), the GM determines how many experience points to grant each player, and each player adds that amount to the "Unspent Experience" on the character sheet of the character they played during that story. If they played more than one character (due to plot requirements, death or incapacitation of the first character, or any other reason), the player can pick which character receives the experience points. If the player receives more than one experience point and played more than one character over the course of the story arc, they can distribute those experience points among the eligible characters as the player sees fit.

Experience points may be spent at any time to improve or modify a character's attributes, skills, alien traits, gifts, or esoteric powers. Each experience point is used just like the character points used to create a character: improving an attribute, buying a skill or expertise in that skill, buying a new gift, and so on. The GM should keep a close eye on any new abilities the character gains, as well as on any increases in the character's attributes that might make the character unsuitable for the game being run. It's never a bad idea for the players and the GM to discuss how the players plan to spend their experience points.

The GM should award experience points to players who role-played exceptionally well and made the game more fun for everyone. Here are a few suggestions.

 

Table: Awarding experience points
Activity Award
Showed up for the game +0 pts
Played the game enthusiastically +1 pts
Concluded a lengthy series of games +1 pts
Has the lowest quantity of experience points in the group +1 pts


Remember that the purpose of the game is to have fun playing, not to rack up the highest score. If it rubs your players the wrong way to receive different amounts of experience points, it may be easier to just give each player two experience points at the end of each story arc and be done with it.

Zero Space : Attributes

A character's attributes in ZeroSpace are ranked on a scale from 1 to 10. Most people have attributes within the 1 to 6 range -- from "Typical" to "Great". Few people reach 7 in any attribute, and 8 is the peak of human potential. Curiously enough, most nonhuman sentients fall within this range, as well.

Attributes cost one character point each up to 3, two character points each from 4 to 6, three character points each from 7 to 9, and four character points to increase an attribute from 9 to 10. We suggest spending about 25 character points on attributes. Note that Power should be zero unless you have alien traits and/or esoteric powers.

 

Table: Attribute cost
Description Value Incremental Cost
Typical 1-3 1
Great 4-6 2
Fantastic 7-9 3
Inconceivable 10 4

 

Random Character Generation

Would you like to roll dice for your attributes? You can! Roll three six-sided dice, and consult the following table to see what you get:

 

Table: Random attributes
Roll 3d6 Value Cost
3 1 1
4-6 2 2
7-10 3 3
11-14 4 5
15-17 5 7
18 6 9


Roll five times, and add up the total cost. Subtract that total from your pool of character points.

Now assign what you rolled to your character's attributes (Brawn, Agility, Reason, Presence, Power), placing each number wherever you like.

Your character's Endurance is equal to the character's Brawn or their Presence, whichever is greater.

Brawn

Brawn (BRN) represents a character's physical might, close combat fighting ability, and general hardiness; the character's Brawn adds to their action value (AV) and defense value (DV) when attempting these types of tasks.

Brawn determines how much a character can lift and how far they can throw things. Brawn is the default attribute used for the character's attack value (AV) and defense value (DV) in close combat (or "hand-to-hand"). See the Actions chapter for more information.

If a character's Brawn is reduced to zero, they are unable to stand, and they have great difficulty moving. They must succeed at a moderately difficult (DV 3) Athletics (Presence) roll every round just to crawl a meter, and they automatically fail any Brawn rolls. Brawn may not be reduced below zero.

 

Table: Brawn
Brawn Lift Throw
(25 kg)		 Standing
Long Jump
0 25 kg 0 m 0 m
1 45 kg 1 m 1 m
2 60 kg 2 m 1 m
3 90 kg 3 m 2 m
4 125 kg 4 m 2 m
5 180 kg 6 m 3 m
6 250 kg 8 m 3 m
7 350 kg 11 m 4 m
8 500 kg 16 m 4 m
9 700 kg 23 m 5 m
10 1,000 kg 32 m 5 m
  1. Lift indicates the greatest weight that the character can "deadlift" (pick up off the ground to the level of the hips). A character carrying or supporting such a weight can take at most one or two steps per round. A character can move normally while carrying a weight corresponding to one less than their Brawn. For example, a character with Brawn 8 could carry up to 350 kg and suffer no penalties to their movement while doing so.
  2. Throw (25 kg) indicates the farthest distance that a character could throw a compact object weighing 25 kg. To see how far a character can throw heavier objects, subtract the Brawn required to lift the object from the character's total Brawn. Look up the difference in the "Brawn" column: this indicates how far the character can throw the object. For example, a character with Brawn 8 could throw an object weighing 60 kg (such as a cooperative slender human) up to 8 meters.
  3. Jumps indicates the character's standing long jump. With a running long jump, the character's ground movement is added to their long jump distance.

Agility

Agility (AGL) represents a character's coordination, ranged combat fighting ability, and general flexibility; the character's Agility adds to their action value (AV) and defense value (DV) when attempting these types of tasks.

Agility determines a character's base movement speed (running, swimming, etc.). Agility is the default attribute used for the character's attack value (AV) and defense value (DV) in ranged combat. See the Actions chapter for more information.

If a character's Agility is reduced to zero, they have great difficulty moving. They must succeed at a moderately difficult (DV 3) Athletics (Presence) roll every round just to take a step or two, and they automatically fail any Agility rolls. Agility may not be reduced below zero.

 

Table: Agility
Agility Walk
(Base Move)		 Run
(Double Move)		 Sprint
(All-out Move)		 Sprint
(kph)
10 0 m 0 m 0 m 0 kph
1 2 m 4 m 8 m 5 kph
2 4 m 8 m 16 m 10 kph
3 6 m 12 m 24 m 14 kph
4 8 m 16 m 32 m 19 kph
5 10 m 20 m 40 m 24 kph
6 12 m 24 m 48 m 29 kph
7 14 m 28 m 56 m 34 kph
8 16 m 32 m 64 m 38 kph
9 18 m 36 m 72 m 43 kph
10 20 m 40 m 80 m 48 kph
Agility Swim
(Base Move)		 Fast Swim
(Double Move)		 Swim Sprint
(All-out Move)		 Swim Sprint
(kph)
0 0 m 0 m 0 m 0 kph
1 1 m 1 m 2 m 1 kph
2 1 m 2 m 4 m 2 kph
3 2 m 3 m 6 m 4 kph
4 2 m 4 m 8 m 5 kph
5 3 m 5 m 10 m 6 kph
6 3 m 6 m 12 m 7 kph
7 4 m 7 m 14 m 8 kph
8 4 m 8 m 16 m 10 kph
9 5 m 9 m 18 m 11 kph
10 5 m 10 m 20 m 12 kph

 

Reason

Reason (REA) represents a character's ability to analyze data, draw conclusions from the facts at hand, and solve problems, and the character's Reason adds to their action value (AV) when attempting tasks that depend on these traits.

If a character's Reason is reduced to zero, they have great difficulty concentrating. They must succeed at a moderately difficult (DV 3) Diplomacy (Presence) roll every round just to form a sentence or understand a simple question, and they automatically fail any Reason rolls. Reason may not be reduced below zero.

Presence

Presence (PRE) represents a character's determination, strength of personality, and understanding of the motivations of others; the character's Presence adds to their action value (AV) when attempting tasks that depend on these traits.

If a character's Presence is reduced to zero, they have great difficulty making choices or taking action, and they automatically fail any Presence rolls. Presence may not be reduced below zero.

Power

Power (POW) represents a character's supernatural might, android power level, or psychic potential. If the character has esoteric powers or alien traits, the character's Power determines the potency of these powers. Most humans have a Power of zero.

If a character's Power is reduced to zero, they can no longer use any esoteric powers or alien traits which depend on it. Power may not be reduced below zero.

 

Table: Power
Power Maximum
Mass		 Maximum
Distance
0 25 kg 0 m
1 45 kg 1 m
2 60 kg 2 m
3 90 kg 3 m
4 125 kg 4 m
5 180 kg 6 m
6 250 kg 8 m
7 350 kg 11 m
8 500 kg 16 m
9 700 kg 23 m
10 1,000 kg 32 m

 

Endurance

Endurance (END) represents a character's determination and ability to shrug off physical and mental abuse. Unlike other attributes, Endurance is not purchased with character points. Endurance is equal to the character's Brawn or their Presence, whichever is greater. If a character's Brawn or Presence permanently changes, their Endurance also changes.

When a character is successfully attacked, one (or more, if using the optional margin of success rules) is temporarily subtracted from their Endurance. A character who has lost more than half of their Endurance can speak and take roleplaying actions, but any other action, including combat, incurs a penalty die. A character whose Endurance is reduced to zero is defeated: they are out of the fight, and probably unconscious. Endurance may not be reduced below zero.

Zero Space : Skills

Skills allow a character to apply their attributes to solve a specific problem or accomplish a specific task. Skills cost one character point each. Expertise in a skill costs one additional character point, and it grants the character a bonus die to rolls pertaining to that skill. We suggest spending about 10 character points on skills, unless you have alien traits, gifts, or esoteric powers, in which case we suggest spending at least 5 points on skills.

Note that skills are quite broad. For example, Science covers everything from Acarology to Zymology. However, just because a character could do everything encompassed by a skill does not mean that they should. For example, a character with the Engineering skill could, in theory, do everything from repairing holocams to designing repulsorlift bridges. That doesn't mean it makes sense for them to do so. A character who is an electronics whiz does not necessarily know how to rebuild a speeder engine, even though both tasks use the same skill, Engineering. It's up to you as the player to know what makes sense for your character and what doesn't, and to communicate that information to the GM.

Action Value

A character's action value (AV) is usually equal to the attribute they are using to accomplish the task at hand, plus the rating of any equipment being used. For example, if a character is attempting to climb a sheer cliff (attempted with an Athletics roll), the character's action value is usually equal to their Brawn plus the rating of their climbing equipment.

Most skills are associated with a specific attribute (Brawn, Agility, etc.). However, the relevant attribute might change depending on the circumstances.

Better equipment makes success more likely. For example, a character attempting to hack into a ship's computer would make a Computing (Reason) roll. If they had a decryption tool with a rating of 2, their action value would be equal to their Reason + 2. Simple or multipurpose equipment, such a general-purpose handheld computer or a pocket multitool, generally has a rating of 1. Ordinary equipment, such as a reasonably complete box of tools or a handheld computer with programs for specified tasks, would have a rating of 2. Special-purpose or very high quality equipment, such as a device designed specifically to bypass a particular model of security lock, would have a rating of 3.

Being Unskilled

A character may attempt a task in which they have no skill, if the GM says it is possible. For example, anyone can tell a lie (attempted with a Deception roll), but not everyone can recite an epic poem and keep the audience's attention (attempted with a Performance roll). If a character attempts a task in which they have no skill, the character's attribute is not added to their action value: their action value is equal to the rating of the equipment they are using, if any.

Typical Skills

ZeroSpace divides skills into broad disciplines. This list of skills is not exhaustive, nor is it objective: skills are divided by their usefulness in a game, not by any objective taxonomy. This is why "Science" is a very broad skill, while "Computing" is relatively specific. A character may have a skill not listed here, subject to GM approval. However, any new skills should be approximately as useful as these skills in order to maintain a sense of fairness with other characters. For example, having a new skill called "Commando" which does everything that "Athletics", "Stealth", and "Survival" do would not be fair.

The attribute typically associated with a skill is listed here, but keep in mind that the relevant attribute might change depending on the circumstances. Also note that the same task might be accomplished in more than one way. Climbing a tree might be an exercise in Athletics (Brawn), but it might also be accomplished with the proper application of Survival (Brawn).

 

Table: Typical skills
Skill Attribute Examples
Athletics Agility or Brawn Climbing, gymnastics, riding, running, scuba, swimming, throwing objects
Close Combat Brawn Axes, clubs, psiblades, spears, swords, unarmed strikes, vibroknives; close combat powers
Computing Reason Artificial intelligence, forensics, forgery, hacking, programming, security systems, sensor operation
Culture Reason Art, fashion, history, music, philosophy, politics, popular media
Deception Presence Bluffing, disguise, lying, sales
Diplomacy Presence Carousing, conversation, etiquette, negotiation, streetwise
Engineering Reason Architecture, demolitions, electronics, mechanical engineering, starship engineering
Finesse Agility Explosive ordnance disposal, lockpicking, pickpocketing, sleight of hand
Investigation Reason Analyzing evidence, collecting evidence, identifying clues
Manipulation Presence Bribery, interrogation, leadership, seduction
Medicine Reason Cybernetics, diagnosis, nanotherapy, pharmacology, surgery
Perception Reason Eavesdropping, identifying an odor or taste, noticing a tail
Performance Presence Comedy, dancing, music, singing, theatre
Piloting Agility or Reason Aircraft, ground vehicles, heavy machinery, drones, spacecraft, submersibles, watercraft
Ranged Combat Agility Blaster pistols, blaster rifles, crossbows, thrown weapons, wrist rockets; ranged powers
Science Reason Astronomy, chemistry, genetics, geology, mathematics, nanotechnology, physics, psychology
Starship Combat Reason Disruptor, hellbore, proton torpedo, warp missile
Stealth Agility Hiding, shadowing, sneaking
Survival Reason Foraging, hunting, orienteering, tactics, tracking

 

Athletics

The Athletics skill covers the entire spectrum of non-combat sports, as well general feats of athleticism such as running, jumping, climbing, swimming, and throwing.

Generally, an athletic competition is simply a matter of who has the highest relevant attribute. In the case where two competitors in a sport have the same attributes, the winner would be decided with a roll, or perhaps a series of rolls. In some sports, the difference between the winner and second place may be as little as one one-hundredth of a second.

Athletics typically requires an Agility or Brawn roll.

Examples: Climbing, gymnastics, riding, running, scuba, swimming, throwing objects

Close Combat

The Close Combat skill covers the myriad ways that humans have found to hurt, maim, and kill one another in hand-to-hand combat. Any form of hand-to-hand combat is covered by the Close Combat skill.

Close Combat typically requires a Brawn roll.

Examples: Axes, clubs, psiblades, spears, swords, unarmed strikes, vibroknives; close combat powers

Computing

Computing allows the character to write new programs, take apart old ones, and follow data trails across networks. It also allows a character to create or circumvent computer security programs and protocols. If a character is extremely familiar with the program in question, the GM might decide that the attempt is automatically successful. If the character is attempting to break into a computer system, the GM may assign a difficulty of 6, or perhaps even 9, since these programs are designed to prevent interference.

Failing a Computing roll might mean that an attempt to circumvent a computer security system is simply unsuccessful, or it may mean that the character has set off an alarm or left a "trail" which may be followed back to their location.

Computing typically requires a Reason roll.

Examples: Artificial intelligence, forensics, forgery, hacking, programming, security systems, sensor operation

Culture

The Culture skill covers the wide range of information that provides the backdrop of our lives. It includes literary, artistic, and political tidbits of information, such as the middle name of the fifth Imperator or the origin of that green stripe on starship disposal vents (they all have one).

Culture typically requires a Reason roll.

Examples: Art, fashion, history, music, philosophy, politics, popular media

Deception

The Deception skill is used to convince someone of the truth of a given statement or situation, usually with the aim of getting them to act on it. Deception could be used to convert someone to a religion, sell someone a car, or simply win an argument. It is not necessary for the deceiver to actually believe their own statements, but if they do they gain a bonus die -- nothing is as convincing as genuine sincerity. If the person being deceived is predisposed to believe the deceiver, the GM may allow the task to succeed without rolling. If the character is trying to persuade someone to believe a patent absurdity (from the target's point of view), the GM might impose a penalty die, or even declare the attempt an automatic failure for truly outrageous lies.

A failed Deception roll usually means that the subject simply does not believe the lie, but it could mean that the attempt has backfired, firmly convincing the subject of the opposite of what the character was trying to convince them of.

Deception typically requires a Presence roll.

Examples: Bluffing, disguise, lying, sales

Diplomacy

The Diplomacy skill is used to adapt to one's social environment. It enables a character navigate through red tape, know the proper manners for a given environment, or survive an excursion to the dark side of civilization. A Diplomacy roll might be required to circumvent a bureaucratic obstacle, to socialize with a group without offending them, or to get the word to the Black Sun that the shipment of blasters at midnight is a set-up.

A failed Diplomacy roll could result in the character being snubbed by polite society, or possibly in being maimed by a coarser crowd.

Diplomacy typically requires a Presence roll, and is sometimes opposed.

Examples: Carousing, conversation, etiquette, negotiation, streetwise

Engineering

Engineering is the relevant skill whenever a character attempts to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, or materials. An Engineering roll might be required to repair a damaged suspension bridge, modify a hadron collider to be a singularity cannon, or construct a containment suit for a being made of electromagnetic radiation.

Failing the Engineering roll might indicate that the device simply does not work, or that it will fail catastrophically during use.

Engineering typically requires a Reason roll.

Examples: Architecture, demolitions, electronics, mechanical engineering, starship engineering

Finesse

Finesse covers the skills which require a delicate touch and fine control of the hands and fingers. A Finesse roll might be required to slip a note to an ally, to pick someone's pocket, or to pick the lock on a pair of handcuffs.

Failing a Finesse roll indicates that the deception is easily spotted by the casual observer, or that the lock resists the attempt to pick it.

Finesse typically requires an Agility roll.

Examples: Explosive ordnance disposal, lockpicking, pickpocketing, sleight of hand

Investigation

The Investigation skill covers most of the tasks involved in solving mysteries and researching obscure topics. This includes searching for clues, collecting and analyzing evidence, sifting through Hypernet records and police databases, and so on.

A failed Investigation roll might mean that the character hits a dead end in the investigation, or it might mean that they seize on a red herring and draw the wrong conclusion from the evidence.

Investigation typically requires a Reason roll, or perhaps a series of rolls.

Examples: Analyzing evidence, collecting evidence, identifying clues

Manipulation

The Manipulation skill pertains to eliciting cooperation or information from others by using flirtation, threats of violence, or just verbal trcikery. Interrogation usually hinges on convincing the subject that hope is futile and that resistance will only make things worse, while seduction can sometimes be successful even if the target is aware that they are being seduced.

Failure of a Manipulation roll could result in the subject of interrogation convincingly giving false information, or in the target of a seduction finding the would-be seducer pathetic.

Manipulation typically requires a Presence roll, or perhaps a series of rolls.

Examples: Bribery, interrogation, leadership, seduction

Medicine

A knowledge of Medicine can be very useful in the violent world of ZeroSpace. Any medical procedure, from taking a person's temperature and splinting broken limbs, to performing open-heart telesurgery and administering nanotherapy, is covered by the Medicine skill. Knowledge of Medicine also gives the character familiarity with common drugs and toxins, and a competent knowledge of their effects on human physiology. Simple procedures, such as diagnosing and treating mild infections, are usually within the ability of a character with the Medicine skill. Extensive and difficult medical procedures, such as re-attaching a severed limb or performing brain surgery, are generally better left to characters with experience in those areas.

Medicine typically requires a Reason roll.

Examples: Cybernetics, diagnosis, nanotherapy, pharmacology, surgery

Perception

The Perception skill pertains to noticing subtle things, identifying sensory input, and generally being aware of one's surroundings. Perception can reflect the keenness of one's senses, one's powers of observation, or both.

Perception typically requires a Reason roll.

Examples: Eavesdropping, identifying an odor or taste, noticing a tail

Performance

The Performance skill is used to entertain an audience, making them forget their worries for a brief while.

Performance typically requires a Presence roll.

Examples: Comedy, dancing, music, singing, theatre

Piloting

The Piloting skill covers the navigation and control of a mechanical contrivance, be it a sports car, a star fighter, a walking forklift, or a skyscraper-sized kaiju-fighting robot. Piloting also covers controlling tiny mechanisms, like radio-controlled helicopters and missile-launching drones. The Piloting skill as it pertains to starships is covered in more detail in the Starships chapter.

A failed Piloting roll could result in being unable to attack because the vehicle is in the wrong position, a temporary loss of control, or even a collision.

Piloting typically requires a Reason roll to chart a course for a craft, and an Agility roll to control it.

Examples: Aircraft, ground vehicles, heavy machinery, drones, spacecraft, submersibles, watercraft

Ranged Combat

The Ranged Combat skill covers the myriad ways that humans have found to hurt, maim, and kill one another from a distance. Any form of ranged combat is covered by the Ranged Combat skill.

Ranged Combat typically requires an Agility roll.

Examples: Blaster pistols, blaster rifles, crossbows, thrown weapons, wrist rockets; ranged powers

Science

The Science skill can cover a variety of fields, depending on the character's interests. A character with the Science skill may be conversant with any discipline that's reasonable for their background.

Science typically requires a Reason roll.

Examples: Astronomy, chemistry, genetics, geology, mathematics, nanotechnology, physics, psychology

Starship Combat

The Starship Combat skill is used to target heavy weaponry on distant targets. As the name implies, this will usually be during a battle in outer space, but any combat where the weapon is controlled from a stationary console is covered by the Starship Combat skill.

Starship Combat typically requires a Reason roll.

Examples: Disruptor, hellbore, proton torpedo, warp missile

Stealth

Stealth is the art of sneaking around. A Stealth roll might be required to hide from a monster in an alien spaceship, to sneak up on a sentry, or to shadow a suspect back to the criminal's hideout. Terrain, available cover, camouflage, and background noise will all affect the difficulty of the Stealth roll.

Failing the Stealth roll indicates that the furtive prowler is easily spotted by a casual observer.

Stealth typically requires an Agility roll, and is usually opposed by a Perception (Reason) roll by the person the character is hiding from.

Examples: Hiding, shadowing, sneaking

Survival

The Survival skill pertains to living off the land, coping with adverse environments, and finding one's way based on landmarks, the stars, and dead reckoning. The difficulty is dependent upon the terrain, temperature, and availability of food and shelter, and how well equipped the character is for the particular area. Survival in a temperate environment with available sources of food and water would require a moderately difficult (DV 3) Survival (Reason) roll. Harsh, hostile environments, such as the Gobi Desert or the Antarctic, would have a higher difficulty, depending on how prepared the character is. Surviving in very mild environments, such as Central Park or the woods just outside of town, would not require a roll at all.

Failing a Survival roll once might mean that the character has caught a cold, lost the trail of their prey, or eaten a plant that has made them sick. Failing numerous Survival rolls could be lethal.

Survival typically requires a Reason roll, or perhaps a series of rolls.

Examples: Foraging, hunting, orienteering, tactics, tracking

Zero Space : Aliens

At its height, the Imperium encompassed millions of populated worlds, and that is just a fraction of the populated worlds in the galaxy. Across these worlds is scattered a variety of sentient life forms, the diversity of which beggars the imagination. Rather than provide a comprehensive list of alien species, ZeroSpace provides you with a toolbox of alien traits, with which you can build any alien species you can think of (or nearly so).

That being said, the aliens in ZeroSpace can generally be categorized as one of three types: humanoid, android, or exotic.

Would you like to create a random alien? You can!

Table: Random alien type
Roll 3d6 Type
3-13 Humanoid alien
14-15 Android
16-18 Exotic alien

Humanoid Aliens

Humanoid aliens are the most common, and resemble humans in size and physique. They may differ cosmetically (skin color, eye color, hair color, etc.), but they typically have the same number of arms and legs, the same facial features, and so on. A humanoid alien species might have pointed ears, exaggerated brow ridges, or they might have tentacles or horns instead of cranial hair (or in addition to hair).

Would you like to create a random humanoid alien? You can!

Table: Random humanoid alien, skin
Roll 1d6 Saturation
1 Pale
2 Light
3 Medium
4 Deep
5 Dark
6 Patterned (roll twice!)
Roll 1d6 Color
1 Blue
2 Brown
3 Green
4 Grey
5 Red
6 Yellow

Optionally, a "pale grey" result can mean "snow white", and a "dark grey" result can mean "pitch black".

 

Table: Random humanoid alien, eyes
Roll 1d6 Type
1 Circular pupil
2 Horizontally slit pupil
3 Vertically slit pupil
4 Pupilless
5 Solid color
6 Compound
Roll 1d6 Saturation
1 Pale
2 Light
3 Medium
4 Deep
5 Dark
6 Glowing
Roll 1d6 Color
1 Blue
2 Brown
3 Green
4 Grey
5 Red
6 Yellow

Optionally, a "pale grey" result can mean "snow white", and a "dark grey" result can mean "pitch black".

 

Table: Random humanoid alien, head
Roll 1d6 Type
1 Hairless
2 Hair (normal)
3 Structure, hairless
4 Structure, hairless (roll twice!)
5 Structure, with hair
6 Structure, with hair (roll twice!)
Roll 1d6 Structure
1 Antennae
2 Brow ridges
3 Cranial ridges
4 Horns
5 Pointed ears
6 Tentacles
Roll 1d6 Hair Saturation
1 Pale
2 Light
3 Medium
4 Deep
5 Dark
6 Bright
Roll 1d6 Hair Color
1 Blue
2 Brown
3 Green
4 Grey
5 Red
6 Yellow


Optionally, a "pale grey" result can mean "snow white", and a "dark grey" result can mean "pitch black".

Skin color and eye color here are those of an individual, of course. An alien species may have lighter or darker tones among the population, or even a range of colors.

Androids

Androids are artificial beings designed to interact with biological sentients using ordinary conversation and social cues. Androids are usually constructed to serve a particular purpose. Whether androids are sentient is a subject of some controversy. On some worlds, androids are considered to be no more than ambulatory tools, while on other worlds they have the same rights and privileges as any other sentient. On worlds where androids are considered property, there are usually restrictions on how advanced their behavioural heuristics are permitted to be, while on worlds where androids have the rights of sentients, there are usually limitations on their manufacture. Androids might be humanoid in shape, or they might be shaped completely unlike humans, depending on their original purpose and the whims of the maker. Androids might be obviously artificial, or they may be lifelike and virtually indistinguishable from the species they have been constructed to resemble. Lifelike androids are illegal on some worlds. A prohibition against harming biological life is the most common directive hard-wired into androids during manufacture, and removing that prohibition is among the most common modifications made to them afterward.

While androids are inorganic, and thus do not "eat", "sleep", or "heal" in the biological sense, they have functional requirements that serve the same purposes -- recharging, "powering down", "auto repair", and so on. As with exotic aliens, these requirements can be removed with the purchase of a suitable alien trait.

However, all androids must purchase the following alien traits:

Some alien traits which are common for androids, but not required, are:

Exotic Aliens

Exotic aliens might superficially resemble humans, or they might be utterly alien. What makes them a distinct group is that they possess traits beyond those possessed by humans and humanoid aliens. The line between humanoid alien and exotic alien is an arbitrary one.

Would you like to create a random exotic alien? You can!

Table: Random exotic alien type
Roll 1d6 Type
1 Animal-headed humanoid
2 Anthropomorphic animal
3 Anthropomorphic plant
4 Insectoid
5 Symmetrical organism
6 Weird biology

 

Table: Random exotic alien details
Roll 1d6 Animal Type
1 Avian
2 Canine
3 Cephalopod
4 Feline
5 Mustelid
6 Reptilian
Roll 1d6 Symmetry Type
1 Dendriform with bilateral symmetry
2 Dendriform with radial symmetry
3 Globular with bilateral symmetry
4 Globular with radial symmetry
5 Serpentine with bilateral symmetry
6 Serpentine with radial symmetry
Roll 1d6 Weird Biology
1 Colonial organism (roll for Symmetry Type)
2 Crystalline (roll for Symmetry Type)
3 Cybernetic non-humanoid (roll for Symmetry Type)
4 Gaseous
5 Myconoid (roll for Symmetry Type)
6 Viscous fluid

Alien Traits

This is a list of typical alien traits found in a ZeroSpace game. This list is not exhaustive. A character may well have a trait not listed here, subject to GM approval. However, any new traits should be approximately as useful as these traits, in order to maintain a sense of fairness with other characters. Each alien trait costs one character point. We suggest spending no more than 5 character points total on alien traits, gifts, and esoteric powers.

Would you like to randomly generate a character's alien traits? You can! If the character is a humanoid alien, randomly roll one alien trait. Otherwise, consult the "Number of alien traits" table.

 

Table: Random alien traits
Roll 1d6 Traits
1 Roll once on Typical alien traits
2-5 Roll twice on Typical alien traits
6 Roll three times on Typical alien traits


Count the number of alien traits, and subtract that number from your pool of character points. If the character is an android, they must also purchase the two required traits, Immunity To Suffocation and Immunity To Poison.

 

Table: Typical alien traits
Roll 1d6 Roll 1d6 Trait Benefit
1 1 360° Vision Can see equally well in every direction simultaneously
2 Aerial Winged or floating, the character can fly at twice their ground speed
3 Aquatic Can breathe water and survive in environments of extremely high pressure, such as in the ocean depths
4 Armor Chitin, scales, fur, or exceptionally tough skin protects the character from attacks
5 Camouflage Blend into surroundings and become difficult to perceive
6 Clinging Can move at normal ground speed along walls, ceilings, and other surfaces
 
2 1 Data Jack Can connect to and communicate with computers
2 Energy Shield A force field or deflector shield protects the character from attacks
3 Exceptional Beauty Get attention, and perhaps favors, from admirers
4 Frigian Can breathe methane or ammonia, and comfortable in environments of extreme cold
5 Gelatinous An undifferentiated mass, able to squeeze through a hole the size of a tennis ball
6 Healing Revitalize a character who has lost Endurance in combat
 
3 1 Heavyworlder Stronger and more massive than typical humanoids
2 Hyperacuity Can sense details far too small or faint for ordinary human senses to detect
3 Huge Larger and stronger than typical humanoids
4 Immortality Never grow old nor die from "natural causes"
5 Immunity To Poison Unaffected by pathogens and poisons
6 Immunity To Suffocation Does not need to breathe, and can survive in a vacuum
 
4 1 Infernal Immune to the effects of environmental ionizing radiation, and comfortable in environments of extreme heat
2 Life Drain A Close Combat attack which ignores all normal forms of protection
3 Linguist Learn new languages with minimal effort
4 Mental Calculator Solve complex mathematical operations by thinking about them
5 Mind Link Characters who both have Mind Link can communicate telepathically over any distance
6 Mind Shield Resistant to mental attacks and unnatural coercion
 
5 1 Multitasking Take additional actions during a round
2 Natural Weaponry Claws, fangs, spines, or some other natural Close Combat weaponry
3 Night Vision Can see in the dark with infrared, ultraviolet, or low-light vision
4 Perfect Recall Remember something perfectly with a Reason roll
5 Regeneration Heals much faster than the typical humanoid
6 Self-sustaining Can survive without eating through photosynthesis or some other metabolic process
 
6 1 Shapeshifter Can change shape and appearance
2 Subterranean Move through earth and rock as easily as air
3 Telepathy Communicate directly with the mind of another person
4 Time Theft Put a target into a fugue state, unable to move, think, or take any actions
5 Tiny Smaller and harder to hit than typical humanoids
6 Unsettling Make people nervous for no real reason

360° Vision

The character with 360° Vision can see equally well in every direction simultaneously. They probably have very large eyes, or many very small eyes.

Aerial

Aerial allows a character to fly at their ground speed. They might have wings, or they might be naturally lighter than air.

Aquatic

An Aquatic character may breathe underwater, and is comfortable in environments of extremely high pressure, such as in the ocean depths. The character can also swim at their ground speed.

Armor

A character with the Armor trait has chitin, scales, thick fur, or just exceptionally tough skin which provides protection against most forms of direct damage: anything which inflicts Endurance damage. The defense value (DV) of a character with Armor is equal to their relevant defense attribute (Brawn for close combat, Agility for ranged combat) plus their Power. As always, this does not stack with conventional armor, energy shields, or other forms of defense -- only the highest defense value applies.

Camouflage

Camouflage allows the character to become difficult to perceive, by both living beings and machines. For example, the character might become transparent, they might bend light around them, or they may blend into their surroundings by modulating chromatophores in their skin. However the camouflage is achieved, the character is hidden from normal sight unless someone is actively looking for them or there is some environmental circumstance that might reveal the character's location. The action value (AV) of the Camouflage is equal to the character's Agility + Power.

If someone is actively looking for the character, perhaps by isolating their heat signature or tracking them by scent, the person trying to locate the camouflaged character must make a successful Perception (Reason) roll against the action value of the camouflaged character. A character with Clairvoyance or Hyperacuity may add their Power to their Reason when attempting to notice a camouflaged character. If an environmental circumstance might reveal the character's location, anyone in the area may attempt a Perception (Reason) roll against 2d6 + the Agility of the camouflaged character in order to notice the character. For example, fog might reveal the camouflaged character's outline, or fresh snow might reveal their footprints.

Clinging

A character with the Clinging trait can move at their normal ground speed along walls, ceilings, and other surfaces as if they were level. The strength holding the character to the surface is equal to their Brawn. If the surface is slippery or unstable, the GM might require the character to attempt a moderately difficult (DV 3) Athletics (Agility) roll to keep from sliding or falling.

Data Jack

A Data Jack permits a character to connect to and communicate with computers, typically at speeds much faster than would otherwise be possible.

It is rare for creatures other than androids and cyborgs to have a Data Jack.

Energy Shield

A character with the Energy Shield trait has a force field or deflector shield which provides protection against most forms of direct damage: anything which inflicts Endurance damage. The defense value (DV) of a character with Energy Shield is equal to their relevant defense attribute (Brawn for close combat, Agility for ranged combat) plus their Power. As always, this does not stack with conventional armor, energy shields, or other forms of defense -- only the highest defense value applies.

It is rare for creatures other than androids and cyborgs to have an Energy Shield.

Exceptional Beauty

A character with the Exceptional Beauty trait is naturally, effortlessly attractive. It is difficult for the character to pass unnoticed, because they will be the focus of attention in nearly any circumstances. People who are swayed by appearance may be more likely to cooperate with the character, and the character can sometimes gain favors from admirers. If this is the case, the character gains a bonus die on relevant Presence rolls.

Frigian

A character with the Frigian trait can breathe a super-cooled atmosphere such as methane or ammonia, and they are comfortable in environments of extreme cold.

The character might require some form of life support, such as a "breather" or an "environment suit", to operate comfortably in an atmosphere that most humanoids consider normal.

Gelatinous

A character with the Gelatinous trait is an undifferentiated mass, able to squeeze through a hole the size of a tennis ball.

Healing

Healing is a Close Combat (Power) "attack" which restores lost Endurance. The character with Healing may use a task action to attempt a moderately difficult (DV 3) Close Combat (Power) roll to heal the victim's injuries. If the character succeeds at this roll, then one Endurance is restored to the victim (or more, if using the optional margin of success rules).

Healing can remove diseases, pathogens, and poisons from the target. The character with Healing may attempt a moderately difficult (DV 3) Close Combat (Power) roll to cure a single disease or purge a single toxin from the victim's system.

Heavyworlder

A character with the Heavyworlder trait is stronger and more massive (but no larger) than a typical humanoid: +1 Brawn and a mass up to 200 kilograms. The character is also comfortable in environments of extremely high pressure, such as might be found on the surface of a heavy-gravity world.

Hyperacuity

Hyperacuity allows a character to make a moderately difficult (DV 3) Perception (Reason + Power) roll to sense details far too small or faint for ordinary human senses to detect. The action value (AV) of the Hyperacuity is equal to the character's Reason + Power. On a successful roll, they can taste the number of salt grains on a pretzel, read text on a computer display by touching it, see fingerprints on surfaces, identify a person by the sound of their heartbeat, track someone through a city by their scent, and so on.

Huge

A character with the Huge trait is larger and stronger than a typical humanoid: +1 Brawn and from 2.5 meters to 4 meters tall.

Immortality

The Immortality renders a character immune to the ravages of time. The character will never grow old or die from "natural causes".

Optionally, the character is never truly "dead" -- they can be re-assembled, repaired, and revived if all of their component parts can be collected or replaced.

It is rare for creatures other than androids to purchase this trait.

Immunity To Poison

A character with the Immunity To Poison trait is unaffected by chemical and biological poisons, toxins, and venoms. The character is also unaffected by infectious viruses, bacteria, fungi, etc.

Immunity To Suffocation

A character with the Immunity To Suffocation trait does not need to breathe at all, and the character is comfortable in environments of extremely low pressure, such as in outer space.

Infernal

A character with the Infernal trait is comfortable in superheated environments. They are also immune to the effects of environmental ionizing radiation.

The character might require some form of life support, such as a "breather" or an "environment suit", to operate comfortably in an atmosphere that most humanoids consider normal.

Life Drain

Life Drain is an unarmed Close Combat (Power) attack which inflicts Endurance damage. The action value (AV) of Life Drain is equal to the attacker's Power, and the target's defense value (DV) is equal to their Presence. Life Drain ignores all normal forms of protection such as armor and energy shields. However, Life Drain is completely ineffective against non-living objects, even if they are sentient.

Linguist

Universe, an artifical language created thousands of years ago, is the official language of the Imperium. Every civilized being understands Universe, although not every species is physically capable of speaking it. Additionally, every alien species has one or more languages which they speak among themselves: some civilizations have hundreds of indigenous languages.

Barring unusual circumstances, characters are assumed to be fluent in Universe, as well as any other languages they could reasonably be expected to know. A character with the Linguist gift is fluent in over six million forms of communication, and is capable of quickly deciphering new forms of communication when they encounter them.

Mental Calculator

The character with the Mental Calculator trait can perform complex mathematical calculations in their head in the same amount of time that a skilled mathematician could perform the same calculations on a powerful computer. Also, the character has an intuitive understanding of higher mathematics, and is able to comprehend and remember intricate formulae and equations after examining them briefly.

Two characters who both have the Mind Link trait can communicate telepathically over any distance.

Mind Shield

A character with Mind Shield is resistant to mental attacks and unnatural coercion. When targeted by an attack which bases the target's defense value (DV) on the target's Presence, the character's effective Presence is doubled.

Mind Shield does not need to be activated: it is always active, as long as the character is alert.

Multitasking

A character with the Multitasking trait may take additional actions at the end of a round. The character may use these additional actions to make additional task actions, including combat rolls. All of the character's additional actions are resolved after all other rolls are resolved that round.

During each game session, the number of additional actions the character may use is equal to their Agility. The character may only use half of their total additional actions in any one round, and once an additional action has been used, it may not be used again in that game session. The player may wait until the end of the round before deciding whether their character will use any of their additional actions.

Natural Weaponry

A character with the Natural Weaponry trait is equipped with claws, fangs, spines, or some other natural close combat weapon. These natural weapons are difficult to take away, and will usually re-grow if removed. Natural Weaponry has an attack value (AV) equal to the character's Brawn + Power.

Night Vision

Night Vision allows a character to see in the dark. This capacity could be the result of infrared vision, ultraviolet vision, or simply exceptional low-light vision. Alternately, the character has sonar, a sense of touch so acute that they can detect and locate vibrations, or some other unusual sense.

Perfect Recall

A character with the Perfect Recall trait may perfectly remember any event, document, recording, or picture which the character has taken the effort to study and memorize. The character does not need to understand the items to be memorized, because the information memorized is not stored as text; it is in the character's memory as a picture. As such, the information is not subject to instantaneous retrieval, but the character may mentally "scroll down" or "fast forward" looking for a specific bit of data.

Regeneration

Regeneration accelerates the healing process and allows the character to recover from injury more quickly. Normally, an injured character may recover half of their lost Endurance (rounded down) by resting for about half an hour. After that, a character may only recover additional Endurance by getting a good night's sleep (or its equivalent, for characters who don't sleep). Barring some gruesome disfigurement, a character's Endurance will be completely replenished after a solid night's rest.

Regeneration drastically reduces this recovery time: the character recovers half of the Endurance they have lost (rounded down) after they have had a chance to rest and recuperate for one full minute. After that, the character will regain the rest of their lost Endurance by resting for about half an hour. Most characters with Regeneration can even regrow lost limbs or damaged organs.

Self-sustaining

A character with the Self-sustaining trait can survive without consuming physical matter. This might be through photosynthesis, chemosynthesis, or some other metabolic process. Alternately, the character can eat anything that will fit into their mouth.

Shapeshifter

A character with the Shapeshifter trait can change their shape and appearance, but may not increase their mass or size. The character may re-assign their physical traits (Brawn and Agility) to suit their new shape, as long as the total of Brawn + Agility remains the same or lower. The action value (AV) of the Shapeshifter is equal to the character's Presence + Power.

Assuming the shape of a specific person, creature, or object is more difficult than changing into a generic example of a particular shape. If someone is actively looking at the character, or has any reason to suspect that the character is not the genuine article, the person observing the shapeshifted character may attempt a Perception (Reason) roll against the shapeshifted character's action value. If the Perception (Reason) roll is successful, the observer can tell that the shapeshifted character is not who or what they appear to be.

Subterranean

A character with the Subterranean trait can move through the earth almost as easily as other people do above it. The character can tunnel through earth and rock at their ground speed, leaving a tunnel behind them.

Telepathy

The Telepathy trait permits a character to communicate directly with the mind of another person. The attack value (AV) of the Telepathy is equal to the attacker's Presence + Power. The defense value (DV) of the target is equal to their Presence. Telepathy is normally a short range (10 m) power. However, if the target of Telepathy also has Telepathy, the maximum distance between the telepath and the target is effectively unlimited.

With a willing target or a successful attack roll, the telepath may mentally communicate with the target and may read their thoughts and memories.

To break free of the Telepathy, the target must make a successful defense value roll against the attack value of the attacker. For example, if a character is affected by Telepathy from a character with attack value 7, they would need to make a defense value roll against 2d6 + 7.

Time Theft

Time Theft is a short range (10 m) power which prevents the target from moving, thinking, or taking any actions other than trying to break out of it. The attack value (AV) of Time Theft is equal to the attacker's Power. The defense value (DV) of the target is equal to their Agility, or their Agility + Power if the target also has Time Theft.

To break free of the Time Theft, the target must use a task action to roll their defense value against the attack value of the attacker. For example, if a character is affected by Time Theft from an attacker with attack value 9, they would need to make a roll against 2d6 + 9.

Tiny

A character with the Tiny trait is smaller and more difficult to hit than a typical humanoid: from 50 centimeters to 100 centimeters tall. Tiny characters are more nimble than larger humanoids (+1 Agility).

Unsettling

A character with the Unsettling trait puts off a disturbing vibe that makes people nervous for no discernible reason. Strangers will find themselves disliking the character without knowing why, and normal animals will avoid the character unless forced to approach by a trainer or some other circumstance. On the other hand, the character may find it easier to intimidate others, providing a bonus die on relevant Presence rolls.

Alien Motivations

The motivations of individuals are often at odds with the motivations of the culture to which they belong. Individually, a colonist may be kind and compassionate, even as her civilization systematically commits genocide and destroys entire ecosystems in their quest for expansion. This is a paradox; nonetheless it is true.

Would you like to randomly generate the motivations of an alien culture? You can!

Table: Random alien motivations, Table 1
Roll 2d6 Complexity
2 Roll twice on Table 2
3-7 Roll three times on Table 2
8-11 Roll four times on Table 2
12 Schism: roll on table 1 again, and see the note below

Schism: The species' society is divided into two or more opposing and mutually antagonistic cultures. Roll on Table 1 again to determine the complexity of the species' motivations. When rolling on Table 2, make a note of the first roll and its opposite. The majority of the society has the first motivation rolled (and all successive rolls), but a significant minority has the opposing motivation (the rest of their motivations are all the same). For example, the opposing motivation of "adventure" is "security".

 

Table: Random alien motivations, Table 2
Roll 1d6 Roll 1d6 Motivation
1 1 Adventure
2 Asceticism
3 Audacity
4 Community
5 Compassion
6 Courage
 
2 1 Curiosity
2 Detachment
3 Enlightenment
4 Exploration
5 Freedom
6 Idealism
 
3 1 Justice
2 Mercy
3 Nobility
4 Passion
5 Pride
6 Rebellion
Roll 1d6 Roll 1d6 Motivation
4 1 Security
2 Materialism
3 Subtlety
4 Individualism
5 Wrath
6 Fear
 
5 1 Faith
2 Responsibility
3 Secrecy
4 Isolation
5 Control
6 Pragmatism
 
6 1 Vengeance
2 Ruthlessness
3 Fellowship
4 Serenity
5 Humility
6 Traditionalism

Zero Space : Gifts

Gifts are exceptional abilities that a normal sentient can have, but that most sentients do not have. The details of each gift are highly dependent on a character's background, so the player should work with the GM to flesh out these details. Each gift costs one character point. We suggest spending no more than 5 character points total on esoteric powers, gifts, and alien traits.

Typical Gifts

This is a list of typical gifts found in a ZeroSpace game. This list is not exhaustive. A character may well have a gift not listed here, subject to GM approval. However, any new gifts should be approximately as useful as these gifts, in order to maintain a sense of fairness with other characters.

Would you like to randomly generate a character's gifts? You can!

Table: Random gifts
Roll 1d6 Number of gifts
1 Roll once on Typical gifts
2-5 Roll twice on Typical gifts
6 Roll three times on Typical gifts

Count the number of gifts, and subtract that number from your pool of character points.

 

Table: Typical gifts
Roll 1d6 Roll 1d6 Gift Benefit
1 1 Blindfighting The character incurs fewer penalties when unable to see or hear
2 Cybernetics The character has one or more artificial limbs or organs
3 Connected Get a favor from people with influence or authority
4 Elusive May base defense value (DV) on Agility rather than Brawn in close combat
5 Exceptional Beauty Get attention, and perhaps favors, from admirers
6 Famous Get attention, and perhaps favors, from strangers
 
2 1 Hard Target May base defense value (DV) on Brawn rather than Agility in ranged combat
2 Headquarters The character has one or more bases of operation
3 Indefatigable The character does not incur a penalty die when exhausted
4 Leadership Spend plot points for others on the same team
5 Lightning Strike May use Agility for Close Combat rolls
6 Linguist Learn new languages with minimal effort
 
3 1 Master Plan Gain a tactical benefit if there is time to prepare for an encounter
2 Mental Calculator Solve complex mathematical operations by thinking about them
3 Mind Shield Resistant to mental attacks and unnatural coercion
4 Minions Minor, mostly nameless lackeys of marginal usefulness
5 Perfect Recall Remember something perfectly with a Reason roll
6 Pro From Dover The absolute best in their field, whatever that is
 
4 1 Secret Identity The character has a second, completely legitimate identity
2 Sharpshooter Use weapons at longer than usual range
3 Team Player Gain a bonus die when working with others
4 Tenacious May base defense value (DV) on Presence rather than on Agility or Brawn
5 Underwater Combat Fight underwater with ease
6 Unsettling Make people nervous for no real reason
 
5 1 Wealthy Solve problems with money
2 Zero-G Combat Fight in weightlessness with ease

 

Blindfighting

Normally, if an attacker can't see the defender, the attacker incurs a penalty die, and if a defender can't see the attacker, the defender incurs a penalty die. If an attacker has the Blindfighting gift, they do not incur a penalty die when they are unable to perceive the defender. If a defender has the Blindfighting gift, they do not incur a penalty die when they are unable to perceive their attacker.

Cybernetics

The character has one or more artificial limbs or organs. Under ordinary circumstances, these serve as ordinary replacements for the character's original biological parts. However, the character begins each game with one extra plot point. Cybernetics are a particularly good justification for a bonus die, a power boost, a power stunt, or even a retcon. (Who would have suspected that you had thought to store a tracking device in your cybernetic hand?)

Cybernetics can be obvious, but they do not have to be. The primary purpose of cybernetics is to be a prosthesis, and most people do not want to look like androids -- except, of course, actual androids, who may also buy this gift.

Connected

The character is on a first-name basis with people who have influence or authority. For example, perhaps the character is a college buddy of a regional Commissary's and is a childhood friend of a major player in an organized crime syndicate. From time to time, the character can ask these people for favors and have a reasonable chance of having the favor granted. The likelihood of having the favor granted will be much greater if the character does favors in return from time to time. On the other hand, having friends in high places may mean that the character attracts the attention of the friends' enemies.

Elusive

A character with the Elusive gift is fast on their feet and good at rolling with the punches. When attacked by a Close Combat attack, the character may base their defense value (DV) on their Agility rather than on their Brawn. Equipment, traits, and esoteric powers which would add to the character's Brawn to determine their defense value may add to the character's Agility, instead. The player may choose which attribute to use on a case by case basis.

Exceptional Beauty

The character is naturally, effortlessly attractive. It is difficult for the character to pass unnoticed, because they will be the focus of attention in nearly any circumstances. People who are swayed by appearance may be more likely to cooperate with the character, and the character can sometimes gain favors from admirers. If this is the case, the character gains a bonus die on relevant Presence rolls.

Famous

The character's name and likeness are widely known, perhaps due to their exploits or achievements, or possibly because they are from a noble or notorious family. It is difficult for the character to pass unnoticed, because paparazzi are often nearby. People who are impressed by celebrity may be more likely to cooperate with the character, and the character can sometimes gain favors from strangers. If this is the case, the character gains a bonus die on relevant Presence rolls.

Hard Target

When attacked by a Ranged Combat attack, a character with the Hard Target gift may base their defense value (DV) on their Brawn rather than on their Agility. This can reflect the character's genetically superior physiology, their superhuman healing ability, the harnessing of the character's chi, or some other effect. Equipment, traits, and esoteric powers which would add to the character's Agility to determine their defense value may add to the character's Brawn, instead. The player may choose which attribute to use on a case by case basis.

Headquarters

The character has one or more bases of operation, equipped with supplies and equipment reasonable for the character's background and skills. If the character is a member of a team, the base(s) might be shared with the other team members, at the player's discretion. A headquarters is primarily a convenience for the GM and a fun asset for the character. It is not generally useful in combat, and is mainly used for flavor and a setting for roleplaying. For example, a high-tech base might have an air-tight security system, complete with laser turrets and knockout gas, but this won't keep the base from being broken into by pirates or taken over by a sentient computer virus.

Indefatigable

Normally, a character who has lost more than half of their Endurance can speak and take roleplaying actions, but any other action, including combat, incurs a penalty die. A character with Indefatigable is just as close to defeat, but they do not incur a penalty die for this condition.

Leadership

A character with the Leadership gift excels at bringing out the best in others, and other people are more effective with the character than they are alone. A character with Leadership can spend their own plot points on behalf of their teammates and allies. For example, this could be to help an ally do something the character with Leadership is not in a position to do, or to provide support for a teammate who is in trouble.

Lightning Strike

A character with Lightning Strike can deal devastating blows using speed and finesse rather than brute force. When making a Close Combat attack, the character may substitute their Agility for their Brawn when determining their attack value (AV). The player may choose which attribute to use on a case by case basis. This can reflect the character's advanced advanced martial arts training, their superhuman speed, the harnessing of the character's chi, or some other effect.

Linguist

Universe, an artifical language created thousands of years ago, is the official language of the Imperium. Every civilized being understands Universe, although not every species is physically capable of speaking it. Additionally, every alien species has one or more languages which they speak among themselves: some civilizations have hundreds of indigenous languages. No one but a robot will even attempt to learn more than a dozen of the most common languages.

Barring unusual circumstances, characters are assumed to be fluent in Universe, as well as any other languages they could reasonably be expected to know. A character with the Linguist gift is fluent in over six million forms of communication, and is capable of quickly deciphering new forms of communication when they encounter them.

If the character already has this as an alien trait, there is no benefit to purchasing this gift: the benefits do not stack.

Master Plan

With sufficient time and preparation beforehand, a character with the Master Plan gift is able to gain a tactical benefit during an encounter at a time chosen by the player. The form this takes can vary, and should be negotiated between the player and the GM, but a relatively typical use of a Master Plan would be similar to the use of a plot point. The amount of time needed to formulate a Master Plan should be long enough to be believable, but not so long that it renders the gift useless. Generally speaking, a character should only be permitted to concoct one Master Plan per game session, unless the GM makes an exception.

Mental Calculator

The character can perform complex mathematical calculations in their head in the same amount of time that a skilled mathematician could perform the same calculations on a powerful computer. Also, the character has an intuitive understanding of higher mathematics, and is able to comprehend and remember intricate formulae and equations after examining them briefly.

If the character already has this as an alien trait, there is no benefit to purchasing this gift: the benefits do not stack.

Mind Shield

A character with Mind Shield is resistant to mental attacks and unnatural coercion. When targeted by an attack which bases the target's defense value (DV) on the target's Presence, the character's effective Presence is doubled.

Mind Shield does not need to be activated: it is always active, as long as the character is alert.

Minions

The character has one or more minor, mostly nameless lackeys of marginal usefulness. Such minions might be mooks, agents, armed guards, administrative staff, or technicians to keep the character's equipment in proper working order. There is no set limit to the number of minions a character might have, subject to the GM's approval, but the more minions there are, the less competent they are. For example, if a character has just three minions -- an administrative assistant, a chauffeur/auto mechanic, and a computer expert, for example -- they might be reasonably competent at their respective assignments (3 in their most relevant attributes, with relevant skills). If the character has dozens of minions, however, the best among them would have 2 in their relevant attributes, and none of them would have any skills requiring advanced education or technical expertise.

Minions are primarily a fun asset for the character. They are not generally useful in combat, and are mainly used for flavor and as a foil for roleplaying. Minions should never steal the limelight from a player character.

Perfect Recall

The character may perfectly remember any event, document, recording, or picture which the character has taken the effort to study and memorize. The character does not need to understand the items to be memorized, because the information memorized is not stored as text; it is in the character's memory as a picture. As such, the information is not subject to instantaneous retrieval, but the character may mentally "scroll down" or "fast forward" looking for a specific bit of data.

If the character already has this as an alien trait, there is no benefit to purchasing this gift: the benefits do not stack.

Pro From Dover

The character is the best in their field, whatever that field is. They may or may not be famous for it -- if not, then they have either taken some effort to conceal their extraordinary knowledge, or perhaps there is a conspiracy to deny them the acclaim that they deserve. A character with the Pro From Dover gift may choose a specific, narrowly-defined professional, scholarly, or technical field in which they are the undisputed expert. When answering a question or performing research related to their specialty, they gain a bonus die.

A character may only be the Pro From Dover in a single narrowly defined specialty, and each player character with the Pro From Dover gift must choose a different specialty.

Secret Identity

The character has a second, completely legitimate identity. The character's second identity is completely documented and will withstand even the most focused scrutiny. Alternately, at the player's choice, the character has no documented identity at all: any and all records of their existence have been erased from every database, everywhere.

Sharpshooter

Weapons, traits, and powers that are useful at a distance have an effective range given in their description. Attacking more distant targets is normally more difficult or impossible (at the GM's discretion). If the GM declares that the attack is possible, the attacker normally incurs a penalty die. With the Sharpshooter gift, the effective range of weapons, traits, and powers is doubled. Short range (10 m) weapons, traits, and powers have an effective range of 20 meters, medium range (50 m) weapons, traits, and powers have an effective range of 100 meters, and long range (500 m) weapons, traits, powers have an effective range of 1000 meters.

Team Player

A character with the Team Player gift excels at working with others, and is more effective with others than they are alone. A Team Player gains a bonus die when combining their effort with others as part of a task or in combat.

Tenacious

The character refuses to admit defeat when others would fall by the wayside. When attacked, the character may base their defense value (DV) on their Presence rather than on their Agility or Brawn. Equipment, traits, and esoteric powers which would add to the character's Agility or Brawn to determine their defense value may add to the character's Presence, instead. The player may choose which attribute to use on a case by case basis.

Underwater Combat

Unless the character has the Underwater Combat gift, engaging in combat underwater imposes an attack penalty. With this gift, the character does not incur a penalty for that circumstance.

Unsettling

The character is able to put off a disturbing vibe that makes people nervous for no discernible reason. Strangers will find themselves disliking the character without knowing why, and normal animals will avoid the character unless forced to approach by a trainer or some other circumstance. On the other hand, the character may find it easier to intimidate others, providing a bonus die to relevant Presence rolls.

Wealthy

If a problem can be solved by throwing money at it, a character with the Wealth gift can probably solve that problem. Food, clothing, and shelter cease to be concerns for a character with Wealth, but they are still plagued by the same interpersonal issues that are behind the serious problems most people face. In addition, sometimes wealth itself can be a source of problems. The character may have responsibilities related to their source of income, or they might need to fend off attempts to deprive them of their inheritance.

Zero-G Combat

Unless the character has the Zero-G Combat gift, engaging in combat while weightless imposes an attack penalty. With this gift, the character does not incur a penalty for that circumstance.

Zero Space : Esoteric Orders

Living creatures may tap into and utilize an esoteric form of energy which permeates the physical universe, including hyperspace. This energy is known by different names (Psi, the Empyrean, the Lifeweb, the Source, etc.), and is used in different ways, depending on the philosophy and metaphor used by those seeking to harness it. Most sentient creatures are aware of this energy, if only unconsciously, but very few are capable of manipulating it.

Organization

Although esoteric orders are cohesive in theory, in practice the amount of control the order has over its members and the amount of influence members have on the order itself vary a great deal.

Would you like to randomly generate the organization of an esoteric order? You can!

 

Table: Random esoteric order organization type
Roll 1d6 Type
1 Confederacy
2 Democracy
3 Kratocracy
4 Meritocracy
5 Monarchy
6 Oligarchy

 

Doctrines

While the individual members of an esoteric order will vary in their behaviour, the order itself generally has an accepted canon and official doctrine. Individuals who violate the order's rules may suffer anything from mild criticism by their peers, to censure, to expulsion. In rare cases, an order may issue a warrant of execution for heretics and apostates.

Would you like to randomly generate the doctrines of an esoteric order? You can!

 

Table: Random esoteric order doctrines, Table 1
Roll 2d6 Complexity
2 Roll twice on Table 2
3-7 Roll three times on Table 2
8-11 Roll four times on Table 2
12 Schism: roll on table 1 again, and see the note below

Schism: The esoteric order is divided into two or more opposing and mutually antagonistic branches. Roll on Table 1 again to determine the complexity of the order's doctrines. When rolling on Table 2, make a note of the first roll and its opposite. The majority of the order has the first doctrine rolled (and all successive rolls), but a splinter group has the opposing doctrine (the rest of their doctrines are all the same). For example, the opposing doctrine of "adventure" is "security".

 

Table: Random esoteric order doctrines, Table 2
Roll 1d6 Roll 1d6 Motivation
1 1 Adventure
2 Asceticism
3 Audacity
4 Community
5 Compassion
6 Courage
 
2 1 Curiosity
2 Detachment
3 Enlightenment
4 Exploration
5 Freedom
6 Idealism
 
3 1 Justice
2 Mercy
3 Nobility
4 Passion
5 Pride
6 Rebellion
Roll 1d6 Roll 1d6 Motivation
4 1 Security
2 Materialism
3 Subtlety
4 Individualism
5 Wrath
6 Fear
 
5 1 Faith
2 Responsibility
3 Secrecy
4 Isolation
5 Control
6 Pragmatism
 
6 1 Vengeance
2 Ruthlessness
3 Fellowship
4 Serenity
5 Humility
6 Traditionalism

 

Esoteric Powers

This is a list of typical esoteric powers found in a ZeroSpace game. This list is not exhaustive. A character may well have a power not listed here, using the guidelines under New Powers and subject to GM approval. However, any new powers should be approximately as useful as these powers, in order to maintain a sense of fairness with other characters. Each power costs one character point. We suggest spending no more than 5 character points total on alien traits, gifts, and esoteric powers.

Would you like to randomly generate a character's esoteric powers? You can! Consult the "Number of esoteric powers" table.

 

Table: Random esoteric powers
Roll 1d6 Powers
1 Roll once on Typical esoteric powers
2-3 Roll twice on Typical esoteric powers
4-6 Roll three times on Typical esoteric powers


Count the number of esoteric powers, and subtract that number from your pool of character points.

 

Table: Typical esoteric powers
Roll 1d6 Roll 1d6 Power Benefit
1 1 Acceleration Power adds to Agility for the purpose of walking and swimming speed
2 Ambient Awareness Can see equally well in every direction simultaneously
3 Animal Control Can communicate with and mentally control non-sentient animals
4 Assimilation Move through solid matter as though through water
5 Barrier Can use esoteric energy to create walls and simple geometric shapes
6 Blast A ranged attack using esoteric energy
 
2 1 Clairvoyance Can attempt to perceive things at a distance
2 Cloak Become difficult to perceive by living beings and machines
3 Conflict Meditation Enhance allies' morale, coordination, and precision
4 Deflection Use a a psiblade or psistaff to divert or avoid ranged attacks
5 Dissonance A Close Combat attack which ignores all normal forms of protection
6 Harmony Survive in environments and conditions that would impair or even kill normal people
 
3 1 Healing Revitalize a character who has lost Endurance in combat
2 Illusion Create realistic three-dimensional phantasms
3 Instill Emotion Influence a target's behaviour by controlling their emotional state
4 Leaping Leap impossibly far -- more than a mere jump, but not quite flying
5 Life Extension Never grow old nor die from "natural causes"
6 Meditation Focus esoteric energy to heal much faster than the typical humanoid
 
4 1 Mind Shield Resistant to mental attacks and unnatural coercion
2 Object Animation Animate and mentally control an inanimate object
3 Override Communicate with and mentally control an android or other sentient machine
4 Plant Control Animate and mentally control a non-sentient plant
5 Possession Seize control of a target, effectively making them a passenger in their own body
6 Premonition Avoid being surprised even if there is no way to see the attack coming
 
5 1 Probability Influence the odds, playing fast and loose with the laws of chance
2 Rapport Communicate with inanimate objects in ways that people normally can't
3 Reflection Use a psiblade or psistaff to reflect a ranged attack back at the attacker
4 Selective Gravity Move at normal ground speed along walls, ceilings, and other surfaces
5 Sensory Deprivation Render a target unable to see or hear
6 Shadow Walk Travel from one point to another without traversing the intervening space
 
6 1 Stasis Put a target into a fugue state, unable to move, think, or take any actions
2 Suggestion Influence a living creature's behaviour, forcing the target to obey the character's command
3 Telekinesis Mentally grapple a character or object without touching them
4 Telepathy Communicate directly with the mind of another person
5 Torment A mental Ranged Combat attack which ignores all normal forms of protection
6 Ward Use a psiblade or psistaff as protection against most forms of direct damage

 

Acceleration

Acceleration allows the character to run and swim impossibly fast. The character's Power is added to their Agility for the purpose of determining their walking and swimming speed. If the character's Agility + Power is greater than 10, the character's walk, run, and sprint movement speed can be found in the GM Resources chapter.

Ambient Awareness

Through their connection with the esoteric energy suffusing the universe, a character with Ambient Awareness can perceive equally well in every direction simultaneously. The character can sense shapes and textures as clearly as with ordinary vision, but without the ability to perceive color. Ambient Awareness can be activated with a free action.

Animal Control

Animal Control allows a character to communicate with and mentally control a non-sentient animal within medium range (50 m). The attack value (AV) of the Animal Control is equal to the attacker's Presence + Power. To successfully communicate with and mentally control a non-sentient animal, the character must succeed at a Manipulation (Presence + Power) roll. The defense value (DV) of the target is equal to their Presence: as a rule of thumb, the Presence of a domesticated animal is usually 2, and the Presence of a wild animal is usually 6.

Controlled animals have the same actions as a normal character (free actions, movement action, task action, reaction), and operate independently of the character controlling them. Giving a new mental command to the controlled animals requires a free action.

The attributes of the controlled animals are equal to the normal attributes those kinds of animals would have. However, controlled animals are resistant to further mental manipulation, having Presence equal to the character controlling them. Controlled animals have the normal movement and attack types that those kinds of animals would have.

Assimilation

Assimilation allows a character to move through solid matter as though through water, leaving no trace of their passage. The movement speed of a character using Assimilation is equal to their swim speed. The character may make a double-move or swim sprint using Assimilation.

A character using Assimilation cannot pass through a force field or other energy shield; other than this, objects in the physical world generally have no effect on a character using Assimilation, or vice versa. However, Assimilation itself provides no protection against attacks.

Barrier

Barrier permits the character to use esoteric energy to create walls and simple geometric shapes within medium range (50 m). The attack value (AV) of the Barrier is equal to the attacker's Agility + Power.

Creating a simple shape with Barrier (a wall, dome, cube, and so on) requires a moderately difficult (DV 3) Ranged Combat (Agility + Power) roll. Creating more complex shapes is more difficult, with the difficulty set by the GM based on the complexity of the desired shape. For example, an intricate labyrinth would require a remarkably difficult (DV 6) Ranged Combat (Agility + Power) roll.

The Brawn and Endurance of the Barrier is equal to the Power of the character creating it. The Brawn of the Barrier is used both for its defense value and to support weight as a bridge, support column, or other such structure. If the load on the Barrier exceeds the maximum mass it can support, or if the Barrier's Endurance is reduced to zero, it fades away.

If a Barrier is not attacked or damaged, it will normally remain in place until the end of the scene, after which it fades away.

Blast

Blast is a short range (10 m) attack of pure esoteric energy which inflicts Endurance damage. The attack value (AV) of the Blast is equal to the attacker's Agility + Power. The defense value (DV) of the target is equal to their Agility, plus the rating of their armor or energy shield, or a power which provides protection against Endurance damage (such as Ward).

Clairvoyance

With Clairvoyance, the character can attempt to perceive things at a distance. The action value (AV) of the Clairvoyance is equal to the attacker's Reason + Power. This is typically a moderately difficult (DV 3) Perception (Reason + Power) roll, but the difficulty may be higher depending on the ambient "noise" and how subtle the thing being perceived is. If the thing being perceived is relatively obvious (to someone with the appropriate senses), no roll should be necessary. The range of Clairvoyance is essentially unlimited (remote range), but it is never completely reliable: it is primarily a roleplaying power under the control of the GM.

Cloak

Cloak allows the character to become difficult to perceive, by both living beings and machines. The character is hidden from normal senses unless someone is actively looking for them or there is some environmental circumstance that might reveal the character's location. The action value (AV) of the Cloak is equal to the character's Presence + Power.

If someone is actively looking for the character, the person trying to locate the cloaked character must make a successful Perception (Reason) roll against the action value of the cloaked character. A character with Clairvoyance or Hyperacuity may add their Power to their Reason when attempting to notice a character using Cloak. If an environmental circumstance might reveal the character's location, anyone in the area may attempt a Perception (Reason) roll against the action value of the cloaked character in order to notice the character. For example, fog might reveal a cloaked character's outline, or fresh snow might reveal their footprints.

The character may cloak another person or person-sized object, but only as long as the character with the Cloak power is touching the second character or object.

Cloak can be activated with a free action.

Conflict Meditation

Conflict Meditation allows a character to enhance their allies' morale, coordination, and precision. Each of the character's allies in the current battle, no matter how large or small the conflict, gains a bonus die on all rolls for so long as the character maintains their Conflict Meditation. However, multiple uses of Conflict Meditation are not cumulative: if more than one character is using Conflict Meditation, their allies only receive a single bonus die.

A character may take no other actions while using Conflict Meditation, even free actions and roleplaying actions.

Deflection

During their turn, or as a forced action, a character with Deflection armed with a psiblade or psistaff may divert or avoid a successful ranged single-target attack. The action value (AV) of Deflection is equal to the character's Agility + Power. To successfully deflect an attack, the character must roll against the attack value of the original attack.

If the roll fails, the character is struck by the attack, as usual. A character who is using their action to deflect attacks may continue to attempt to deflect attacks until they take their next turn.

Dissonance

Dissonance is an unarmed Close Combat (Power) attack which inflicts Endurance damage. The action value (AV) of Dissonance is equal to the attacker's Power, and the target's defense value (DV) is equal to their Brawn. Dissonance ignores all normal forms of protection such as armor and energy shields.

Harmony

Harmony permits the character to survive in environments and conditions that would impair or even kill normal people. This includes unusual or even poisonous atmospheres, such as underwater or in methane. It also includes environments of extreme cold, extreme heat, and intense ionizing radiation. The character may sleep or eat if they want to, but they suffer no ill effect from lack of food or sleep. Furthermore, the character is unaffected by infectious viruses, bacteria, chemical and biological poisons, toxins, and so on.

The benefit provided by Harmony is ambient and highly plot dependent: it does not normally protect the character from attacks or from direct forms of damage. Being able to withstand extreme heat and exposure to the blazing desert sun does not mean that a character is immune to a fire blast. A good rule of thumb is that if someone else is using it as an attack, the character is not immune to it.

Harmony does not need to be activated: it is always on, as long as the character is alert. For more details on the effects of the environment on a character, see Hostile Environments in the GM Resources chapter.

Healing

Healing is a close range "attack" which restores lost Endurance. The character with Healing may use a task action to attempt a moderately difficult (DV 3) Medicine (Power) roll to heal the victim's injuries. If the character succeeds at this roll, then one Endurance is restored to the victim (or more, if using the optional margin of success rules).

Healing can remove diseases, pathogens, and poisons from the target. The character with Healing may attempt a moderately difficult (DV 3) Medicine (Power) roll to cure a single disease or purge a single toxin from the victim's system.

Illusion

The Illusion power permits the character to create realistic three-dimensional phantasms anywhere within medium range (50 m), complete with all associated sensory accompaniment. An illusory lion will roar, illusory snow will feel cold and wet, and so on. The action value (AV) of the Illusion is equal to the creator's Presence + Power.

Creating a simple, immobile illusion (a wall, a bridge, and so on) requires a moderately difficult (DV 3) Deception (Presence + Power) roll. Creating more complex shapes requires a more difficult roll, with the difficulty set by the GM based on the complexity of the desired illusion. For example, a windmill, a lion, or other moving shape would require a remarkably difficult (DV 6) Deception (Presence + Power) roll, while a city square with moving cars, bicycles, and dozens of people would require an extremely difficult (DV 9) Deception (Presence + Power) roll.

While the illusions created by this power are completely convincing, they don't actually exist. The bite of an illusory dog will not break the skin, the touch of illusory liquid nitrogen will not cause frostbite, and an illusory bridge will not support the weight of anyone. The tactile aspect of an illusion will only be convincing if the contact is fleeting or feather-light: any significant physical interaction with an illusion provides an observer with a good reason to suspect that the apparition is not the genuine article.

Anyone who observes an Illusion and who has a good reason to suspect its true nature may attempt a Perception (Reason) roll against the creator's action value. If the Perception (Reason) roll succeeds, the observer sees the Illusion for what it is, and may respond appropriately.

Instill Emotion

Instill Emotion is a short range (10 m) power which allows a character to influence a target's behaviour by controlling their emotional state. The character can only instill one emotion at a time in the target, but may instill in the target any emotion the character desires. The attack value (AV) of Instill Emotion is equal to the attacker's Presence + Power. To successfully instill an emotion in the target, the character must succeed at a Manipulation (Presence + Power) roll. The defense value (DV) of the target is equal to their Presence.

To break free of the Instill Emotion, the target must make a successful defense value roll against the attack value of the attacker. For example, if a character is affected by Instill Emotion from a character with attack value 5, they would need to make a Presence roll against 2d6 + 5.

If the target has not broken free of the Instill Emotion by the end of the scene, then they break free of it shortly thereafter.

Leaping

A character with Leaping can leap impossibly far -- more than a mere jump, but not quite flying. The distance the character may move with a Leap is equal to their Agility-based walking speed per round. If the character also has the esoteric power Acceleration, the character's Power is added to their Agility to determine their walking speed, and thus the distance they may move with a Leap. It is not possible to jump or leap using a double move (run) or all-out move (sprint), but with a running long jump, the character's ground movement is added to their long jump distance (effectively doubling their Leap distance).

Life Extension

A character with Life Extension has mastered the use of esoteric energy to forestall the ravages of time. The character will never grow old or die from "natural causes", until they choose to do so. (Everyone does, eventually.)

Meditation

Meditation accelerates the healing process and allows the character to recover from injury more quickly. Normally, an injured character may recover half of their lost Endurance (rounded down) by resting for about half an hour. After that, a character may only recover additional Endurance by getting a good night's sleep (or its equivalent, for characters who don't sleep). Barring some gruesome disfigurement, a character's Endurance will be completely replenished after a solid night's rest.

Meditation drastically reduces this recovery time: the character recovers half of the Endurance they have lost (rounded down) after they have had a chance to rest and recuperate for one full minute. After that, the character will regain the rest of their lost Endurance by meditating for about half an hour. Most characters with Meditation can even regrow lost limbs or damaged organs.

Mind Shield

A character with Mind Shield is resistant to mental attacks and unnatural coercion. When targeted by an attack which bases the target's defense value (DV) on the target's Presence, the character's effective Presence is doubled.

Mind Shield does not need to be activated: it is always active, as long as the character is alert.

Object Animation

Object Animation allows a character to animate and mentally control an inanimate, nonliving object within medium range (50 m). The action value (AV) of the Object Animation is equal to the character's Presence + Power. To successfully animate and mentally control an object, the character must succeed at a moderately difficult (DV 3) Manipulation (Presence + Power) roll.

An animated object has the same actions as a normal character (free actions, movement action, task action, reaction), and operates independently of the character that animated it. However, it will continue to perform the last instruction it was given even if that instruction no longer makes sense, as it has no will of its own. Giving a new mental command to an animated object requires a task action.

The Brawn of the object is based on its physical structure and durability: as a rule of thumb, the Brawn can be based on the Brawn it would take to lift the object. The Agility and Presence of the object are equal to the Power of the character animating it. Animated objects are not actually alive or aware, so they have no Reason or Power. The specific details of the how the object moves and attacks vary depending on the object itself: an animated chair can walk, a carpet can slither, and so on.

The most massive object the character can animate is based on the character's Power.

 

Table: Object Animation
Power Maximum
Mass
1 45 kg
2 65 kg
3 90 kg
4 125 kg
5 180 kg
6 250 kg
7 350 kg
8 500 kg
9 700 kg
10 1,000 kg

Override

Override allows a character to communicate with and mentally control an android or other sentient machine within medium range (50 m). The attack value (AV) of the Override is equal to the attacker's Presence + Power. To successfully communicate with and mentally control an android, the character must succeed at a Manipulation (Presence + Power) roll. The defense value (DV) of the target is equal to their Presence.

Sentient machines under the influence of Override are not as effective as those whose wills are their own. Any roll attempted by a character under the influence of Override (other than trying to break out of it) incurs a roll penalty (-3), and a sentient machine under the influence of Override is not able to spend plot points on anything other than trying to break out of it.

To break free of the Override, the target must make a successful defense value roll against the attack value of the attacker. If the affected machine succeeds at this roll, they may use their remaining movement action. For example, if a machine is affected by Override from a character with attack value 6, they would need to roll against 2d6 + 6.

If a machine under the influence of Override is voluntarily released by the character who controlled them, the Override ends, and the machine affected by the Override will go on their way none the wiser. Similarly, if the machine has not broken free of the Override by the end of the scene, then they break free of it shortly thereafter.

Plant Control

Plant Control allows a character to animate and mentally control a non-sentient plant within medium range (50 m). The action value (AV) of the Plant Control is equal to the character's Presence + Power. To successfully animate and mentally control a plant, the character must succeed at a moderately difficult (DV 3) Manipulation (Presence + Power) roll. To successfully animate and mentally control all plants within medium range (50 m), the character must succeed at a remarkably difficult (DV 6) Manipulation (Presence + Power) roll.

An animated plant has the same actions as a normal character (free actions, movement action, task action, reaction), and operates independently of the character that animated it. However, it will continue to perform the last instruction it was given even if that instruction no longer makes sense, as it has no will of its own. Giving a new mental command to an animated plant requires a task action.

The Brawn of the plant is based on its size and physical structure: as a rule of thumb, the Brawn can be based on the Brawn it would take to lift the plant. The Agility and Presence of the plant are equal to the Power of the character animating it. Animated plants are not actually sentient, so they have no Reason or Power. The specific details of the how the plant moves and attacks vary depending on the plant itself: an animated tree can walk, a mass of vines can slither, and so on.

Possession

Possession power allows a character to seize control of a target, suppressing their volition and effectively making them a passenger in their own body. The attack value (AV) of Possession is equal to the attacker's Presence + Power. To successfully seize control of a target, the character must succeed at a Manipulation (Presence + Power) roll. The defense value (DV) of the target is equal to their Presence. Possession is a short range (10 m) power, but once the target is possessed, they will remain possessed even if they leave this range.

While the character is using Possession on another person, their own body collapses into a trance-like state. A possessed character is not able to spend plot points, but the possessing character can spend their own plot points while controlling a target.

To break free of the Possession, the target must make a successful defense value roll against the attack value of the attacker. If the possessed character succeeds at this roll, they may use their remaining movement action. For example, if a character is affected by Possession from a character with attack value 8, they would need to make a Presence roll against 2d6 + 8.

Premonition

Premonition permits the character to sense danger and avoid being surprised, even if there is no way for the character to see the attack coming. The action value (AV) of the Premonition is equal to the character's Reason + Power. To perceive a source of danger, the character must succeed at a moderately difficult (DV 3) Perception (Reason + Power) roll. If the character succeeds at a remarkably difficult (DV 6) Perception (Reason + Power) roll, then they know the exact source and nature of the attack. Premonition is a reaction: a character with Premonition may attempt to predict as many attacks as they like, as often as they like.

The character may also be able to see into the future, or "read" the destiny of items and people by touching them. Seeing into the future is never completely reliable: this aspect of Premonition is primarily a roleplaying power under the control of the GM.

Probability

A character with Probability can influence the odds, playing fast and loose with the laws of chance. Probability does not allow the character to break the laws of physics or make impossible things happen, but a character with Probability can make unlikely events likely and likely events unlikely.

Using Probability requires the player to describe a favorable or unfavorable circumstance and how that circumstance might have come about. If the GM agrees that the circumstance is possible (however unlikely it might be), then the GM will decide how this unlikely event impacts the character. The simplest way to translate this favorable or unfavorable circumstance into game terms is to grant a bonus die if the circumstance is favorable for the character attempting the task or to impose a penalty die if the circumstance is unfavorable for the character attempting the task. The use of Probability could also influence events in a less straightforward manner, and the GM should encourage players to be creative with the power. Each use of Probability should be roughly as useful as a bonus or a penalty: significant, but not game-breaking.

Probability can be used as a free action or as a reaction: a character with Probability may attempt to influence the odds whenever they like. During each game session, the number of times the character can influence probability is equal to the character's Power. Probability may be used to influence a roll either before or immediately after the roll has been made.

Rapport

Rapport is a short range (10 m) power which permits the character to communicate with inanimate objects in ways that people normally can't. For example, a character with Rapport may communicate with buildings and other artificial structures, non-sentient machines, non-sentient plants, paths and roads, and rocks and stones. The action value (AV) of the Rapport is equal to the character's Presence + Power. To communicate with an inanimate object, the character must succeed at a moderately difficult (DV 3) Diplomacy (Presence + Power) roll.

Inanimate objects, not truly being sentient, do not generally lie or withhold information. However, being able to speak to something does not grant it any additional powers, such as movement. A building might be able to tell you where the vault is, but it can't unlock the vault for you.

The character can see into the past, viewing or "reading" the history of items and objects by touching them. Seeing into the past is never completely reliable: this use of Rapport is primarily a roleplaying power under the control of the GM.

Reflection

During their turn, or as a forced action, a character with Reflection may use a psiblade or psistaff to reflect a successful ranged single-target attack back at the attacker. The action value (AV) of Reflection is equal to the character's Agility + Power. To successfully reflect an attack, the character must roll against the attack value of the original attack.

If the roll fails, the character is struck by the attack, as usual. If the roll succeeds, the character with Reflection may use a free action to make a ranged attack against the original attacker, using the reflecting character's attack value or the original attacker's attack value, whichever is greater. A character who is using their action to reflect attacks may continue to attempt to reflect attacks until they take their next turn.

Selective Gravity

Selective Gravity allows the character to move at their normal ground speed along walls, ceilings, and other surfaces as if they were level. The strength holding the character to the surface is equal to their Brawn. If the surface is slippery or unstable, the GM might require the character to attempt a moderately difficult (DV 3) Athletics (Agility) roll to keep from sliding or falling.

Selective Gravity can be activated with a free action.

Sensory Deprivation

Sensory Deprivation is a medium range (50 m) power which renders the target unable to see or hear. The attack value (AV) of Sensory Deprivation is equal to the attacker's Presence + Power. The defense value (DV) of the target is equal to their Presence, or their Presence + Power if the target has Ambient Awareness. A successful Sensory Deprivation attack renders the target unable to see and unable to hear. If an attacker can't see the defender, the attacker incurs a penalty die. Conversely, if a defender can't see the attacker, the defender incurs a penalty die.

To recover from Sensory Deprivation, the target must use a task action to make a moderately difficult (DV 3) Perception (Presence) roll.

If the character has not recovered from Sensory Deprivation by the end of the scene, then they recover their senses shortly thereafter.

Shadow Walk

Shadow Walk permits a character to use a movement action to travel from one point to another without traversing the intervening space. The distance the character may travel before re-appearing is equal to their Agility-based walking speed per round. If the character also has the esoteric power Acceleration, the character's Power is added to their Agility to determine their walking speed, and thus the distance they may move with a Shadow Walk. The character may run or sprint using Shadow Walk. A character using Shadow Walk may carry with them whatever they can carry, based on their Brawn. This may include equipment or even other characters.

A character using Shadow Walk cannot re-appear inside of a solid object, nor into any area that is completely enclosed in a force field or other energy shield; other than this, objects in the physical world generally have no effect on a character using Shadow Walk. If a character using Shadow Walk unknowingly attempts to re-appear inside of a solid object, they lose half of their Endurance (rounded down) and are shunted to the nearest unoccupied space, or the Shadow Walk attempt fails entirely, at the GM's discretion.

Stasis

Stasis is a short range (10 m) power which prevents the target from moving, thinking, or taking any actions other than trying to break out of it. The attack value (AV) of the Stasis is equal to the attacker's Agility + Power. The defense value (DV) of the target is equal to their Agility.

While affected by Stasis, only a moment seems to pass for the target, but after they break out of it, they are aware that something unusual has happened, and that they have "lost time". The Brawn and Agility of a character under the effects of Stasis are zero for the purpose of defense rolls.

To break free of the Stasis, the target must make a successful defense value roll against the attack value of the attacker. If the character succeeds at this roll, they may use their remaining movement action. For example, if a character is affected by Stasis from a character with attack value 4, they would need to make a roll against 2d6 + 4.

If the character has not broken out of the Stasis by the end of the scene, then they break out of it shortly thereafter.

Suggestion

The Suggestion power allows a character to influence a living creature's behaviour, forcing the target to obey the character's command. The attack value (AV) of the Suggestion is equal to the attacker's Presence + Power. The defense value (DV) of the target is equal to their Presence. Suggestion is a short range (10 m) power, but once the Suggestion is successful, it will remain so even if the target leaves this range.

Characters under the influence of a Suggestion are not as effective as those whose wills are their own. Any roll attempted by a character under the influence of Suggestion (other than trying to break out of it) incurs a roll penalty (-3), and a character under the influence of Suggestion is not able to spend plot points on anything other than trying to break out of it.

To break free of the Suggestion, the target must make a successful defense value roll against the attack value of the attacker. If the character succeeds at this roll, they may use their remaining movement action. For example, if a character is affected by Suggestion from a character with attack value 6, they would need to make a roll against 2d6 + 6.

If a character under the influence of Suggestion completes the task that was Suggested to them, the Suggestion ends, and the character affected by the Suggestion will go on their way none the wiser. Similarly, if the character has not broken free of the Suggestion by the end of the scene, then they break free of it shortly thereafter.

Telekinesis

Telekinesis is a medium range (50 m) Ranged Combat (Agility + Power) attack which permits a character to grapple a character or object without touching it. The defense value (DV) of the target is equal to their Agility plus the rating of any normal defenses such as armor, or defensive powers such as Force Field. Grabbing inanimate objects with Telekinesis is generally automatic, unless the GM wants to make it difficult for some reason.

If the attacker's Ranged Combat roll is equal to or greater than the defender's roll, the defender is restrained. A restrained character is not helpless, but they can't use normal movement until they break free of Telekinesis. Attacking a restrained character is easier, and a restrained character's attacks are easier to avoid: a restrained attacker incurs a penalty die on all attack rolls, defense rolls, and skill rolls while restrained by Telekinesis.

The maximum mass the character can lift with their Telekinesis is based on the character's Power.

 

Table: Telekinesis
Power Lift Throw
0 25 kg 0 m
1 45 kg 1 m
2 60 kg 2 m
3 90 kg 3 m
4 125 kg 4 m
5 180 kg 6 m
6 250 kg 8 m
7 350 kg 11 m
8 500 kg 16 m
9 700 kg 23 m
10 1,000 kg 32 m


Telekinesis is not normally able to inflict damage directly (like a punch), but the attacker may attempt to squeeze or slam a held target by making another attack with their Telekinesis on one of their future turns.

Breaking Free Of Telekinesis

To break free of the Telekinesis, the restrained character must use a task action to roll their Agility or Brawn (whichever is greater) against the attacker's Agility + Power. If the restrained character has Telekinesis, they may use their Agility + Power for this roll. If the restrained character's roll is equal to or greater than the grappling character's roll, the restrained character has broken free of the Telekinesis, and they may use their movement action for that turn. Alternately, the attacker may release the restrained character at any time, without using an action.

Hurting A Held Target

If the attacker wishes to exert telekinetic strength in an attempt to hurt the restrained character, they must use an action to make another Ranged Combat (Agility + Power) roll against the restrained character.

Moving A Held Target

A character with Telekinesis may move what they are holding with the power. If the attacker wishes to move or throw the held character, the distance an attacker may move the defender is based on the Power of the attacker and the mass of the restrained character. First, look up the mass of the defender or object to be moved in the "Lift" column (rounding to the nearest mass value), and find the corresponding Power for that mass. Subtract that from the Power of the attacker, and look up that resulting value in the "Throw" column. This is how far the attacker can move or throw the held character.

Telepathy

Telepathy permits a character to communicate directly with the mind of another person. The attack value (AV) of the Telepathy is equal to the attacker's Presence + Power. To communicate directly with the mind of another person, the character must succeed at a Diplomacy (Presence + Power) roll. The defense value (DV) of the target is equal to their Presence. Telepathy is normally a short range (10 m) power. However, if the target of Telepathy also has Telepathy, the maximum distance between the telepath and the target is effectively unlimited.

With a willing target or a successful attack roll, the telepath may mentally communicate with the target and may read their thoughts and memories.

To break free of the Telepathy, the target must make a successful defense value roll against the attack value of the attacker. For example, if a character is affected by Telepathy from a character with attack value 7, they would need to make a defense value roll against 2d6 + 7.

Torment

Torment is a short range (10 m) mental Ranged Combat (Presence + Power) attack which inflicts "stunning" Endurance damage. The action value (AV) of Torment is equal to the attacker's Presence + Power, and the target's defense value (DV) is equal to their Presence. Torment ignores all normal forms of protection such as armor and energy shields. However, Torment is completely ineffective against non-living objects, even if they are sentient.

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

Ward

Ward permits a character to use their psiblade or psistaff as protection against most normal single-target attacks: anything which inflicts Endurance damage and is aimed at the individual character. The defense value (DV) of a character with the Ward power is equal to their relevant defense attribute (Brawn for close combat, Agility for ranged combat) plus the rating of their psiblade or psistaff. As always, this does not stack with armor, energy shields, or other forms of defense -- only the highest defense value applies.

Ward does not need to be activated: it is always on, as long as the character is alert and has a psiblade in their possession.

New Powers

You might not find the power you want in this chapter. After all, the page count of this book is limited, while your imagination is not. If the power you want is very similar to one already listed, the easiest thing to do is just change the name and description slightly, and get on with the game. Talk to the GM and the other players about it, and see if they agree. If they do, your problem is solved.

On the other hand, not everything that works in a story works in a game. It's entirely possible to create an invisible power that can attack anyone, anywhere, at no risk to the character -- but where's the fun in that? If the power you have imagined is significantly more powerful than anything in this chapter, then maybe you should go back to the drawing board.

Villain Powers

Powers can sometimes work quite differently for villains than it does for heroes. For example, a character with Possession will rarely be able to maintain their control over a target for very long, but a villain might have an NPC under their control for weeks or even years. Story-based powers can accomplish things that are simply beyond the capabilities of player characters. However, do not overuse this technique, or the players will grow tired of it.

Zero Space : Equipment

Characters use equipment to make their efforts more successful. Equipment makes it easier to pick a lock, repair a vehicle, hack a computer, hurt someone, or resist being hurt. Unless otherwise noted, equipment has a rating of 1, adding 1 to the character's action value (AV) when attempting a skill roll.

Nothing physically prevents a character in ZeroSpace from carrying weapons and driving vehicles: there is no character point cost associated with ordinary weaponry and vehicles. However, there may be legal or financial obstacles to obtaining such equipment, even if it's relatively commonplace. All equipment requires periodic maintenance, but this usually happens when it is convenient for the character. If a tool or weapon ceases to function at an inconvenient time, the character will probably be granted a plot point by the GM.

Action Value

The action value (or attack value, or defense value) of a character using equipment is equal to one of the character's attributes (Brawn, Agility, etc.) plus the rating of the equipment being used, if any. When a character attempts a task, such as shooting a blaster, the player rolls 2d6, counts the dots, and adds the result to the character's action value (AV). This roll is compared to 2d6 plus a difficulty value or defense value (DV). If the player's roll equals or exceeds the target number, the character's attempt succeeds.

Burst Fire Weapons

Weapons which fire multiple times per round, such as repeating blasters, usually grant a bonus die, and they might or might not do more damage than their single-shot equivalents (rating 4 instead of rating 3, for example). However, the attack is only resolved once. Whether the damage from an attack is inflicted by one discrete injury or twelve, it's all just one Ranged Combat roll. There's no "roll damage three times" mechanic like some game systems have.

Explosives

Unless otherwise indicated, explosive attacks inflict damage to everyone within short range (10 m) of the target. The action value of the explosion diminishes with distance from the center. The action value is at its full value within half of the total radius, and one-half of its full value in the remainder of the explosion (round fractions down). For example, a fragmentation grenade with action value 7 would have its full action value from the center of the explosion out to a radius of 5 meters, and an action value of 3 from 5 meters out to 10 meters. The attacker rolls once for the explosion. Normally, each target in the affected area rolls individually against the attack, but if the GM prefers, she may roll once for each group of similar targets.

Penetrating

If an attack is penetrating, any of the attacker's dice that show a "1" are re-rolled until the die rolls higher than 1.

Reactive

If a defense is reactive, any of the defender's dice that show a "1" are re-rolled until the die rolls higher than 1.

Armor

Armor provides protection against most forms of direct damage: anything which inflicts Endurance damage. The defense value (DV) of a character wearing armor is equal to their relevant defense attribute (Brawn for close combat, Agility for ranged combat) plus the rating of the armor. As always, this does not stack with energy shields or other forms of defense -- only the highest defense value applies.

Armor ranges from thin and light fabrics, virtually indistinguishable from ordinary clothing, to heavy self-contained suits which can't be mistaken for anything other than what they are. Assault armor often has additional features aside from its defensive properties, such as life support, communication gear, and so on.

Heavier armor restricts a wearer's movements. The effective Agility of a character wearing armor may be limited.

 

Table: Armor
Type Rating Cost Notes
Light Tactical Attire 1 400 Cr Maximum Agility 8
Medium Tactical Attire 2 800 Cr Maximum Agility 7
Heavy Tactical Attire 3 1,600 Cr Maximum Agility 6
Light Assault Armor 4 2,000 Cr Maximum Agility 5
Medium Assault Armor 5 4,000 Cr Maximum Agility 4
Heavy Assault Armor 6 8,000 Cr Maximum Agility 3

 

Energy Shields

Energy shields provide protection against most forms of direct damage: anything which inflicts Endurance damage. The defense value (DV) of a character with an energy shield is equal to their relevant defense attribute (Brawn for close combat, Agility for ranged combat) plus the rating of the energy shield. As always, this does not stack with armor or other forms of defense -- only the highest defense value applies.

Energy shields can be incorporated in a variety of devices, from a belt to a pair of bracelets to a harness.

Heavier shields restrict a wearer's movements. The effective Agility of a character using an energy shield may be limited.

 

Table: Energy shields
Type Rating Cost Notes
Ludax Safety Shield 1 1,600 Cr Maximum Agility 8
Vizilian Lucent Shield 2 3,200 Cr Maximum Agility 7
Zniss Personal Protection Screen 3 6,400 Cr Maximum Agility 6
Zniss Professional Protection Screen 4 8,000 Cr Maximum Agility 5
Koltsov Interference Generator 5 16,000 Cr Maximum Agility 4
Shadefan Exo Force Field 6 32,000 Cr Maximum Agility 3

 

Close Combat Weapons

The attack value (AV) of a character making a Close Combat (Brawn) roll is equal to their Brawn plus the rating of the weapon. A character with Brawn 2 wielding a knife (rating 1) would have an attack value of 3.

Weapons which are described as being "two-handed" are more difficult to use with one hand. Someone making a Close Combat roll while holding a two-handed weapon with one hand incurs a penalty die on their attack.

 

Table: Close combat weapons
Type Rating Cost Notes
Club 1 15 Cr  
Knife 1 25 Cr  
Spear 1 60 Cr  
Staff 1 15 Cr Two-handed, no sweep attack penalty
Whip 1 20 Cr  
Hatchet 2 35 Cr  
Large Knife 2 40 Cr  
Machete 2 40 Cr  
Sword 2 50 Cr  
Crowbar 2 25 Cr Two-handed
Stun Baton 2 150 Cr Stunning1
Axe 3 70 Cr  
Great Sword 3 75 Cr Two-handed, no sweep attack penalty
Vibroknife 3 250 Cr  
Siobhan Battlestaff 3 750 Cr Two-handed, no sweep attack penalty
Teelau Spinning Blades 3 3250 Cr Two-handed (one in each hand)
Great Axe 4 105 Cr Two-handed
Monoblade Sword 4 1750 Cr Variable length
Vibrosword 4 375 Cr  
Vibroaxe 4 500 Cr  
Zahatar Double Vibroaxe 5 1750 Cr Two-handed, no sweep attack penalty
Kroy War Sword 5 2250 Cr Two-handed, no sweep attack penalty
  1. Stunning

 

Psiblades

Psiblades (also known as laser swords, star blades, sun swords, and so on) are close combat weapons which project a beam of energy approximately 9mm in diameter and from 50 cm to 150 cm long. When deactivated, the weapon appears as a cylinder 25 to 30 cm long. Because psiblades are usually handcrafted by the wielder, no two are alike. They may be ornate works of art or simple unadorned tools.

The attack value (AV) of a character using a psiblade is equal to their Brawn plus the rating of the weapon. A character with Brawn 2 wielding a psiblade (rating 5) would have an attack value of 7.

Damage from a psiblade is penetrating: any of the attacker's dice that show a "1" are re-rolled until the die rolls higher than 1.

Psiblades usually have a "stun" setting. It is safe to assume that a given psiblade has such a setting, even if the user never enables it.

Psiblades are dangerous to those without the power of Premonition. The blade of a psiblade has no mass, which makes it difficult for the wielder to know where the blade is when she is not looking directly at it. If a character without Premonition fails an attack roll with a psiblade by more than three, they strike themselves with the blade and lose one Endurance.

Psistaves are essentially two psiblades attached at their bases. When deactivated, a psistaff appears as a cylinder 30 to 60 cm long (shorter psistaves typically extend in length to 50-60 cm when activated). A psistaff with both blades activated is even more dangerous to the wielder than a normal psiblade. If a character without Premonition fails an attack roll with a fully activated psistaff, even by one, they strike themselves with one of the blades and lose one Endurance.

A psilance is essentially a psiblade on a long spear-like handle. Psilances are less maneuverable than psiblades and psistaves, and much less concealable, but are much safer to wield. A character without Premonition who fails an attack roll with a psilance suffers no ill effects.

As with other two-handed weapons, someone making a Close Combat roll while holding a psistaff or psilance with one hand incurs a penalty die on their attack.

 

Table: Psiblades
Type Rating Cost Notes
Psiblade 5 5000 Cr2 Penetrating1
Psistaff 5 10,000 Cr2 Two-handed, no sweep attack penalty, Penetrating1
Psilance 5 5500 Cr2 Two-handed, Penetrating1
  1. Penetrating
  2. Not normally for sale


The energy blade of a psiblade is white when the weapon is first constructed, but gradually takes on a color based on the temperament of the user. Once this color is established, after a week or so of use, it does not change thereafter, even if the user does.

 

Table: Psiblade colors
Color Temperament
Red In a positive light, red indicates a healthy ego: someone powerful, sensual, passionate, and energetic. In a negative light, red indicates anger, an unforgiving nature, or anxiety.
Orange In a positive light, orange indicates productivity and creativity: someone sociable, detail oriented, and courageous. In a negative light, it can indicate stress and addictions.
Yellow Indicates optimism, and easy-going nature, inspiration, and intelligence.
Green Indicates balance, growth, and a willingness to change. It is a strong indication of a love of people, animals, and nature.
Turquoise Indicates a sensitive, compassionate nature, that of a healer or a counselor.
Blue Indicates calm and focus. It is a strong indication of clarity, truthfulness, and an intuitive nature.
Indigo Indicates a wielder of deep feeling, someone of profound intuition and sensitivity.
Violet Indicates a sensitive nature and greater than average psychic potential. May also indicate an artistic temperament.
Lavender Indicates a wielder of great vision and imagination.

 

Short Range Weapons

Short range weapons are typically useful up to a distance of 10 meters. The attack value (AV) of a character making a Ranged Combat (Agility) roll is equal to their Agility plus the rating of the weapon. A character with Agility 3 wielding a pistol (rating 2) would have an attack value of 5.

Blasters usually have a "stun" setting. It is safe to assume that a given blaster has such a setting, even if the user never enables it.

Weapons which are described as being "two-handed" are more difficult to use with one hand. Someone making a Ranged Combat roll while holding a two-handed weapon with one hand incurs a penalty die on their attack.

 

Table: Short range weapons
Type Rating Cost Notes
Pocket Blaster Pistol 2 300 Cr  
Target Blaster Pistol 2 450 Cr attack bonus1 if attacker does not move
Blaster Pistol 3 500 Cr  
Repeating Blaster Pistol 3 2000 Cr attack bonus1 (fires multiple rounds at target)
Stunner 3 350 Cr Stunning
Blaster Carbine 4 900 Cr Two-handed
Flamethrower 6 350 Cr Two-handed, attack bonus1 (wide spray), Terrifying5
Pacification Grenade 8 250 Cr Exploding2, Sensory3, Stunning4, single use
Fragmentation Grenade 12 200 Cr Exploding2, single use
Shock Grenade 12 250 Cr Exploding2, Sensory3, single use
Incendiary Grenade 12 250 Cr Exploding2, Terrifying5, single use
Stun Grenade 14 250 Cr Exploding2, Stunning4, single use
  1. Bonuses And Penalties
  2. Exploding
  3. Sensory
  4. Stunning
  5. Terrifying

 

Medium Range Weapons

Medium range weapons are typically useful up to a distance of 50 meters. The attack value (AV) of a character making a Ranged Combat (Agility) roll is equal to their Agility plus the rating of the weapon. A character with Agility 2 wielding a rifle (rating 4) would have an attack value of 6.

Blasters usually have a "stun" setting. It is safe to assume that a given blaster has such a setting, even if the user never enables it.

Weapons which are described as being "two-handed" are more difficult to use with one hand. Someone making a Ranged Combat roll while holding a two-handed weapon with one hand incurs a penalty die on their attack.

 

Table: Medium range weapons
Type Rating Cost Notes
Light Repeating Blaster Rifle 3 2000 Cr Two-handed, attack bonus1 (fires multiple rounds at target)
Pain Rifle 4 450 Cr Two-handed, Stunning4
Sporting Blaster Rifle 4 800 Cr Two-handed, attack bonus1 if attacker does not move
Repeating Blaster Rifle 4 4000 Cr Two-handed, attack bonus1 (fires multiple rounds at target)
Heavy Blaster Rifle 5 1000 Cr Two-handed
Heavy Repeating Blaster Rifle 5 6000 Cr Two-handed, attack bonus1 (fires multiple rounds at target)
Wrist Rocket 8 350 Cr Single use
Pacification Cannon 8 800 Cr Two-handed, Exploding2, Sensory3, Stunning4
  1. Bonuses And Penalties
  2. Exploding
  3. Sensory
  4. Stunning

 

Long Range Weapons

Long range weapons are typically useful up to a distance of 500 meters. The attack value (AV) of a character making a Ranged Combat (Agility) roll is equal to their Agility plus the rating of the weapon. A character with Agility 3 wielding a cannon (rating 6) would have an attack value of 9.

Blasters usually have a "stun" setting. It is safe to assume that a given blaster has such a setting, even if the user never enables it.

Weapons which are described as being "two-handed" are more difficult to use with one hand. Someone making a Ranged Combat roll while holding a two-handed weapon with one hand incurs a penalty die on their attack.

 

Table: Long range weapons
Type Rating Cost Notes
Sniper Blaster Rifle 5 9000 Cr Two-handed, attack bonus1 if attacker does not move, Penetrating3
Light Blaster Cannon 6 3000 Cr Two-handed, fires every other round
Heavy Blaster Cannon 11 4500 Cr Two-handed, Exploding2, fires every other round
  1. Bonuses And Penalties
  2. Exploding
  3. Penetrating

 

Tools

The action value of a character attempting a skill is equal to one of the character's attributes (Brawn, Agility, etc.) plus the rating of the tools being used. Simple or multipurpose equipment, such a general-purpose handheld computer or a pocket multitool, generally have a rating of 1. Ordinary equipment, such as a reasonably complete box of tools or a handheld computer with programs for specified tasks, would have a rating of 2. Special-purpose or very high quality equipment, such as a device designed specifically to bypass a particular model of security lock, would have a rating of 3.

Table: Tools
Type Rating Cost
Breather 1 250 Cr  
Commlink 1 200 Cr
Datapad 1 1000 Cr
Dronelight 1 10 Cr
Covert Tracking Device 2 1000 Cr
Fire Suppressor 1 25 Cr
Handcuffs 3 15 Cr
Holocam 1 3000 Cr
Macrobinoculars 1 600 Cr
Multi-tool 1 250 Cr
Navcomp 2 500 Cr
Nightvision Goggles 2 1000 Cr
Surveillance Microdrone 2 5000 Cr

Zero Space : Actions

Now we come to the most complicated part of ZeroSpace: actions! There are a lot of rules here because we tried to address the most common actions a character would attempt. However, just because we wrote it down doesn't mean you have to use it, nor should you feel constrained from making a call if a situation arises that we did not anticipate. You should treat these rules as examples, not as restrictions on your own sense of fun and fair play.

Don't use the rules unless you need to.

If you can play a fun game of ZeroSpace without referring to these rules, you should. Applying your best judgement is often a better solution than trying to find a rule that applies to a specific situation. Remember that player choice, not the roll of the dice, drives the game.

Order Of Play

Time is important. Without some way to keep track of time, everything would happen at once, and that would be terribly confusing.

Time in the game is usually divided into scenes. A scene typically starts when the characters arrive at a place, and ends when they leave. A scene could also be a period of time while the characters are together and moving toward a destination. In some cases, a scene might end even though the characters haven't moved at all, such as when they go to sleep, or when a fight ends and they begin talking about their plans for what to do next. Any time you feel would be a good time to "go to a commercial" or "start a new chapter", that's a good time to end the scene and start a new one.

If the characters are in combat or in some other tense situation, time seems to slow down, and every decision takes on a greater importance.

Combat time is divided into rounds. One combat round is six seconds, give or take, giving us ten rounds per minute. In a round, each character gets a turn. During their turn, a character can travel a distance up to their base movement (walking, typically) and still have time to do something useful (such as making an attack or using a skill) as well as engage in some banter with their teammates or anyone else nearby (such as telling one's lackeys to "fly, you fools!"). We call these "movement actions", "task actions", and "roleplaying actions", respectively. A character can perform these actions in any order.


Example:

Round 1 Soraya's turn
Virek-Kohl's turn
Issvisk's turn
Virek-Kohl's lackeys' turn
Round 2 Soraya's turn
Virek-Kohl's turn
Issvisk's turn
Virek-Kohl's lackeys' turn
Round 3 Soraya's turn
Virek-Kohl's turn
Issvisk's turn
Virek-Kohl's lackeys' turn


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

Initiating Conflict

If a character wishes to initiate a conflict, each player makes a Perception (Reason) roll for their character, and the GM makes a Perception (Reason) roll for each antagonist. If one or more characters gets the drop on their opponents (a surprise ambush, for example), the characters with the advantage each get a bonus die on their initiative roll. Actions proceed each round from highest roller to lowest, with each character getting a turn. When every character has had the opportunity to take a turn, the highest initiative goes again, and so on until the conflict has ended.

The environment always goes last in a round. Any falling objects (including characters) fall, and any uncontrolled vehicles move, after all of the characters have had the opportunity to take their turn. If any object or vehicle is under direct control by a character, then the object or vehicle will move when that character moves it.

Delaying A Turn

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

Delaying a turn does not alter the order of play.

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

Example:

Combat starts when Soraya runs around a corner and sees Virek-Kohl, who is giving commands to his lackeys. The GM declares that the order of play is Soraya, then Virek-Kohl, then Virek-Kohl's lackeys.

Round 1 Soraya's turn
Virek-Kohl's turn
Virek-Kohl's lackeys' turn

On the second round, Issvisk runs around the corner, startling Virek-Kohl's lackeys because, wow, that guy is huge. The GM declares that the order of play is Soraya, then Virek-Kohl, then Issvisk, then Virek-Kohl's lackeys.

Round 2 Soraya's turn
Virek-Kohl's turn
Issvisk's turn
Virek-Kohl's lackeys' turn

On the third round, Soraya delays her turn, waiting to see what Issvisk does. When it is Issvisk's turn, he attempts to grapple with Virek-Kohl. Soraya uses her delayed turn to assist Issvisk by combining her attack with his.

Round 3 Virek-Kohl's turn
Issvisk's turn
Soraya's turn (delayed)
Virek-Kohl's lackeys' turn

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

Round 4 Soraya's turn
Virek-Kohl's turn
Issvisk's turn
Virek-Kohl's lackeys' turn

Forcing An Action

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

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

Forcing an action does not alter the order of play.

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

Example:

Continuing from the previous example, on the fifth round, the order of play is Soraya, then Virek-Kohl, then Issvisk, then Virek-Kohl's lackeys.

Round 5 Soraya's turn
Virek-Kohl's turn
Issvisk's turn
Virek-Kohl's lackeys' turn

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

Round 6 Soraya's turn
Virek-Kohl's turn
Soraya's turn (forced from round 7)
Issvisk's turn
Virek-Kohl's lackeys' turn

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

Round 7 Virek-Kohl's turn
Issvisk's turn
Virek-Kohl's lackeys' turn

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

Round 8 Soraya's turn
Virek-Kohl's turn
Issvisk's turn
Virek-Kohl's lackeys' turn

Actions

There are four kinds of actions a character may perform during their turn in a round: movement actions, task actions, free actions, and roleplay actions. Under normal circumstances, a character can perform one movement action and one task action during their turn. In addition, a character can perform as many free actions and roleplay actions as the GM deems reasonable.

When it is not a character's turn, they can still react to events around them. Reactions can be attempted at any time, as often as the GM deems reasonable.

Movement Action

With a movement action, a character may move the distance permitted by their Agility and/or Brawn (depending on whether they are walking, swimming, or jumping), or they may use a movement power to move up to the distance that the power allows. With the GM's permission, the character may instead perform any equivalent action: opening an access hatch, squeezing the acceleration lever on a hoverbike, or what have you.

A character making a double move (running) gains a bonus die on their defense roll, but they receive a penalty die on any skill rolls or attack rolls.

A character making an all-out move (sprinting) gains a bonus die on their defense roll and a penalty die on any skill rolls, but they automatically fail any attack rolls.

Movement itself does not generally require a roll, although the GM may require an Athletics roll if there is some obstacle to the character's free movement (distractions, inclement weather, uneven ground, etc.), and reduce the character's movement to one-half its normal value if they fail the roll.

Task Action

With a task action, a character may attempt to perform one task. This could be attempting a skill roll, attempting to attack an opponent in combat, activating a power and attacking someone with it, or a similar activity. Under normal circumstances, a character can perform a task before, during, or after they move.

Free Action

A free action takes essentially no time. A character can't perform free actions until it is their turn to act in the round, but during their turn, they can perform as many free actions as the GM deems reasonable (perhaps as many as a half dozen). Typical free actions include activating a power (but not attacking with it), deactivating a power, dropping a weapon, crouching behind cover, standing up from a prone or seated position, and so on.

Roleplay Action

Like a free action, a roleplay action takes essentially no time. During their turn, the character can perform as many roleplay actions as the GM deems reasonable (perhaps as many as a half dozen). Typical roleplay actions include banter with the character's teammates, making fun of an enemy's name or uniform, or declaring that the opponent "shall not pass".

Unlike free actions, a character can usually perform roleplay actions at any time, whether it is their turn or not. ZeroSpace makes roleplaying an explicit action during combat to encourage players to roleplay. In the heat of combat, it can be easy to forget that roleplaying is an essential part of the game.

Reaction

Reactions are usually responses to something another character does, and are usually made at the request of the GM. A character can perform reactions at any time, as often as the GM deems reasonable.

Rolling Dice

When a character attempts a task, and the outcome is either contested or there is some random element involved, the player rolls 2d6, counts the dots, and adds the result to the character's action value (AV). This roll is compared to 2d6 plus a difficulty value (DV), also called the target number. If the player's total equals or exceeds the target number, the character's attempt succeeds.

2d6 + action value vs. 2d6 + difficulty value

Action Value

A character's action value (AV) is usually equal to the attribute they are using to accomplish the task at hand, plus the rating of any equipment being used. For example, if a character is attempting to climb a sheer cliff (attempted with an Athletics roll), the character's action value is usually equal to their Brawn plus the rating of their climbing equipment.

Most skills are associated with a specific attribute (Brawn, Agility, etc.). However, the relevant attribute might change depending on the circumstances.

Better equipment makes success more likely. For example, a character attempting to hack into a ship's computer would make a Computing (Reason) roll. If they had a decryption tool with a rating of 2, their action value would be equal to their Reason + 2. Simple or multipurpose equipment, such a general-purpose handheld computer or a pocket multitool, generally has a rating of 1. Ordinary equipment, such as a reasonably complete box of tools or a handheld computer with programs for specified tasks, would have a rating of 2. Special-purpose or very high quality equipment, such as a device designed specifically to bypass a particular model of security lock, would have a rating of 3.

Being Unskilled

A character may attempt a task in which they have no skill, if the GM says it is possible. For example, anyone can tell a lie (attempted with a Deception roll), but not everyone can recite an epic poem and keep the audience's attention (attempted with a Performance roll). If a character attempts a task in which they have no skill, the character's attribute is not added to their action value: their action value is equal to the rating of the equipment they are using, if any.

Combat

In combat, a character's action value is often called their "attack value" -- the two terms are interchangeable. When making a Close Combat roll, the action value (AV) of a character is normally equal to their Brawn plus the rating of their weapon. When making a Ranged Combat roll, the action value (AV) of a character is normally equal to their Agility plus the rating of their weapon.

Difficulty Value

The difficulty value (DV) depends on whether or not the task at hand is opposed by another character: whether someone or something is actively working against the character.

Opposed Tasks

If the character is actively competing against an opponent, the difficulty value (DV) is usually equal to the opponent's relevant attribute plus the rating of their equipment, if any. As with the action value, the attribute used for the difficulty value might change depending on the circumstances.

A defender with a higher defense value is harder to hit, more resistant to injury, or both. In combat, the defense value (DV) of the target is equal to their relevant defense attribute (normally Brawn for Close Combat attacks and Agility for Ranged Combat attacks) plus the rating of their defensive equipment.

Multiple layers of defense value do not stack -- only the highest defense value applies.

Unopposed Tasks

If no one is actively working against the character, the GM simply sets a difficulty value (DV). In most cases, if the GM requires the player to roll dice to accomplish an unopposed task, it's because the GM has deemed that task "moderately difficult". Moderately difficult tasks have a difficulty value of 3 (DV 3). More difficult tasks have a higher difficulty value.

 

Table: Difficulty value examples
Difficulty value Examples
-- Routine Perform a familiar task under ordinary conditions
3 Moderately difficult Perform a familiar task under hostile conditions, or an unfamiliar task under ordinary conditions
6 Remarkably difficult Perform an unfamiliar task under hostile conditions
9 Extremely difficult Perform an esoteric task under ordinary conditions
12 Inconceivable! Perform an esoteric task under hostile conditions


There is no need to roll for routine tasks: characters automatically succeed at routine tasks. Similarly, there is usually no need to roll if there is no penalty for failure and/or no time limit: it might take months, but the character will succeed eventually.

Bonuses And Penalties

A character's roll may have one or more bonus dice and one or more penalty dice. For example, a circumstance that makes an attack more difficult would impose a penalty die on the attack, while a circumstance that makes it easier to defend against attacks would grant a bonus die to the defender. Each bonus die adds one to the number of dice the player rolls, while each penalty die subtracts one from the number of dice the player rolls. If the combined bonus dice and penalty dice reduce the number of dice rolled to zero, the task is simply impossible.

 

Table: Skill bonuses and penalties
Circumstance Modifier
GM deems attempt impossible Attempt fails
Character is distracted1 Penalty die
Character is running or sprinting Penalty die
Character has expertise Bonus die
  1. Distracting

 

Table: Attack bonuses and penalties
Circumstance Modifier
GM deems attack impossible Attack fails
Attacker is sprinting Attack fails
Attacker can't perceive defender1 Penalty die
Attacker is distracted2 Penalty die
Attacker is restrained3 Penalty die
Attacker is running Penalty die
Attacker is surprised Penalty die
Attacker is using a sweep attack4 Penalty die
Attacker is using a two-handed weapon with one hand Penalty die
Target is beyond effective range of the weapon Penalty die
Underwater combat5 Penalty die
Zero-G combat6 Penalty die
Attacker is charging the defender7 Bonus die
  1. Sensory Attacks
  2. Distracting
  3. Restrained characters
  4. Sweep Attack
  5. Underwater Combat
  6. Zero-G Combat
  7. Charging

 

Table: Defense bonuses and penalties
Circumstance Modifier
Defender is distracted1 Penalty die
Defender is prone; attack is close combat2 Penalty die
Defender is restrained3 Penalty die
Defender is surprised Penalty die
Defender can't perceive attacker4 Penalty die
Defender has cover5 Bonus die
Defender is prone; attack is ranged2 Bonus die
Defender is running or sprinting Bonus die
  1. Distracting
  2. Prone characters
  3. Restrained characters
  4. Sensory Attacks
  5. Cover

 

Cover

A character hiding behind an obstruction is more difficult to hit. The defender gains a bonus die.

Prone Characters

A prone character is easier to hit with a Close Combat attack, but is harder to hit with a Ranged Combat attack. A prone defender incurs a penalty die on their defense rolls against Close Combat attacks, but they receive a bonus die on their defense rolls against Ranged Combat attacks.

Restrained Characters

A restrained character is not helpless, but they can't use normal movement until they break free of the restraints. Attacking a restrained character is easier, and a restrained character's attacks are easier to avoid: a restrained attacker incurs a penalty die on all attack rolls, defense rolls, and skill rolls while restrained. If the character is completely immobilized, they are considered helpless rather then merely restrained.

Helpless Or Unconscious Characters

A helpless or unconscious character can't defend themselves nor make attack rolls, defense rolls, or skill rolls. They are effectively at the mercy of any attacker.

Range

There are five range bands: close, short, medium, long, and remote. Close range is the distance that a character can reach with their hands or with a hand-held weapon: anywhere from "in your face" up to about two meters. Short range is the distance that a character can easily reach with small hand-held weapons, or with thrown weapons with a bit of luck: up to ten meters. Medium range is too far for thrown weapons, but is within range of most small arms: up to fifty meters or so. Long range is too far for most handguns, but is within range of most rifles, with careful aim and a steady hand: up to 500 meters. A few weapons have even greater range, called "remote": these effectively have no maximum range.

Weapons and powers that are useful at a distance have an effective range given in their description. Attacking more distant targets is more difficult or impossible (at the GM's discretion). If the GM declares that the attack is possible, the attacker incurs a penalty die.

 

Table: Range bands
Range Typical weapons
Close Fist, sword, psiblade
Short (10 m) Blaster pistol, flamethrower, grenade
Medium (50 m) Blaster rifle, wrist rocket
Long (500 m) Sniper rifle, blaster cannon
Remote Long-range artillery, guided missile

Combining Effort

Multiple characters can work together to increase their effectiveness. All of the characters make a roll as usual. The total number of characters working together is added to the highest roll (all other rolls are discarded).

In combat, all of the characters ganging up on an opponent must strike simultaneously (meaning every attacker but one must delay their attack). The the total number of attackers is added to the highest attack roll (all other rolls are discarded).

Some tasks might benefit from a multidisciplinary approach. For example, disabling an alien doomsday weapon would obviously benefit from engineering experience, but a keen understanding of alien psychology or linguistics could also be helpful. This allows characters with different skills to combine their efforts to accomplish the task.

Extended Tasks

Some tasks are more complex or time-consuming than can reasonably be resolved with a single roll. For example, constructing a starship or racing through a city could both be extended tasks. When attempting an extended task, the GM sets a difficulty value and the required number of successes. The GM might also set a maximum number of attempts, to indicate tasks which have a time limit or a penalty for failure, such as disarming a bomb before it explodes. In extended opposed tasks, such as a competition between rival scientists to create a cure for a disease, the first person or team to achieve the required number of successful rolls succeeds at the task.

Consequences

Success

If the player's roll equals or exceeds the target number, the character succeeds in a completely satisfactory manner: the clue is found, the hyperspace engine is repaired, or the blaster bolt finds its target, inflicting one Endurance damage. However, rolling higher than the required target number may grant additional benefits.

SIDEBAR: Margin Of Success (Optional)

Margin of success is an optional rule which will make combat more deadly.

The amount by which a player's roll exceeds the target number is called the margin of success. If the target number is 12, and the player's total is 15, they have margin of success of 3.

If the player has a margin of success of 3 or more when making a skill roll, the character may have a "eureka!" moment, or perhaps they have found answers to questions they didn't even know they should ask. If the player has a margin of success of 3 or more when making a Close Combat or Ranged Combat roll, the attack inflicts an additional point of Endurance damage for each 3 that the player rolled over the target number.

For example, if an attacker made a Close Combat roll against a target number of 14, and the attacker rolled a 19, this would be a margin of success of 5. Divided by 3 and rounded down, this attack inflicts one additional point of Endurance damage to the target.

Failure

Failing a roll, particularly a skill roll, is not the end of the world. A failed attempt may not give the character the result they wanted, but it should not mean the game grinds to a halt. Rather than having a failed attempt be a dead-end, it should mean that the desired outcome has a greater cost, or perhaps the desired outcome has undesirable side effects. Remember that success and failure are both paths to the same goal: to make the game more fun. Failure is okay. Boredom is not.

Failure should never make the game less interesting.

For example, Venn Rao is trying to intimidate a G'Dree technician into revealing details about their plans to distribute a new, highly addictive psychoactive chemical disguised as a nutritional supplement. Sadly, Venn Rao's player rolls poorly, and fails to intimidate the technician. Rather than having this be the end of this line of inquiry, the GM has several options.

Endurance And Recovery

Endurance represents a character's determination and ability to shrug off physical and mental abuse. A character's base Endurance is equal to their Brawn or their Presence, whichever is greater. When a character is successfully attacked, one (or more, if using the optional margin of success rules) is temporarily subtracted from their Endurance. A character who has lost more than half of their Endurance can speak and take roleplaying actions, but any other action, including combat, incurs a penalty die. A character whose Endurance is reduced to zero is defeated: they are out of the fight, and probably unconscious. Endurance may not be reduced below zero.

Exploding, penetrating, and stunning attacks modify attacks or how characters defend against them. Sensory and terrifying attacks have additional effects on the target, which the target may usually resist by making a roll against the action value (AV) of the attack.

When the conflict has ended, the combatants may rest and recover. Normally, an injured character may recover half of their lost Endurance (rounded down) by resting for about half an hour. After that, a character may only recover additional Endurance by getting a good night's sleep (or its equivalent, for characters who don't sleep). Barring some gruesome disfigurement, a character's Endurance will be completely replenished after a solid night's rest.

If the character has taken some other form of damage, such as damage to one of their attributes other than Endurance, this damage is temporary. It all comes back after the character has had a chance to rest and recuperate.

Inanimate Objects

Inanimate objects have Integrity, reflecting the structural integrity of the object. An object which has lost more than half of its Integrity is damaged, and may not work properly. An object which has lost of all of its Integrity is effectively destroyed.

Unnamed Characters

An unnamed character is defeated on any successful attack roll. They make up for this by vastly outnumbering the player characters.

Death

In the source material which ZeroSpace seeks to emulate, main characters very rarely die -- and even when they do, they tend to be replaced by rapidly-grown clones or time-displaced alternate versions of themselves. That being said, if the GM and the player both agree that the game would be best served by the character taking the final bow, then so be it. It should never be merely the result of a dice roll, though.

Special Actions

Charging

A charging attack involves using the velocity of the attacker to increase the damage inflicted. Charging requires the attacker to use their movement action to travel directly toward the target, followed by a Close Combat roll. The attacker gains a bonus die on the roll. Charging may be called by various names depending on the technique the attacker uses, such as a "flying tackle", "ramming", or a "pounce".

Distracting

Distraction can be used by a character to mislead an enemy into dropping their guard. Distracting an opponent requires using a task action to make a Presence roll against the Presence of the opponent. If the character attempting to use distraction rolls more than the target, the distraction is successful: the distracted character suffers a penalty die on their next attack roll or their next defense roll, whichever comes first.

Dodging

During their turn, or as a forced action, a character may use a task action to focus exclusively on defense. Dodging might involve using finesse to harmlessly divert attacks away, or it might entail using brute force to withstand attacks: the choice is up to the player. Dodging grants a bonus die to the character's defense roll when they are attacked. The bonus die may be applied to physical attacks, social attacks, or mental attacks: this must be chosen each time the character uses an action to dodge. A character who is using their action to dodge continues to receive this benefit against the selected type of attack until they take their next turn.

Grappling

A grapple is a special Close Combat attack that does not inflict damage, but instead restrains the target's limbs and prevents them from moving freely. The defense value (DV) of the target is equal to the defender's Agility or Brawn (whichever is greater).

If the attacker's Close Combat roll is equal to or greater than the defender's roll, the defender is restrained. A restrained character is not helpless, but they can't use normal movement until they break free of the grapple. Attacking a restrained character is easier, and a restrained character's attacks are easier to avoid: a restrained attacker incurs a penalty die on all attack rolls, defense rolls, and skill rolls while restrained.

A grapple is not normally able to inflict damage directly (like a punch), but the attacker may attempt to use leverage to hurt the grappled character by making another attack on one of their future turns.

Breaking Free Of A Grapple

To break free of the grapple, the restrained character must use a task action to roll their Agility or Brawn (whichever is greater) against the attacker's Brawn. If the restrained character has Telekinesis, they may use their Agility + Power for this roll. If the restrained character's roll is equal to or greater than the grappling character's roll, the restrained character has broken free of the grapple, and they may use their movement action for that turn. Alternately, the grappling character may release the restrained character at any time, without using an action.

Hurting A Grappled Target

If the attacker wishes to exert strength or leverage in an attempt to hurt the restrained character, they must use an action to make another attack roll against the restrained character.

Grapple vs. Grapple

If the grappled character succeeds in a grapple attack against the original attacker, both characters are considered restrained. Neither character can use normal movement until they break free of their opponent's grapple. Both characters incur a penalty die on all attack rolls, defense rolls, and skill rolls while restrained.

Throwing A Grappled Target

If the attacker wishes to throw the grappled character, the distance an attacker may throw the defender is based on the Brawn of the attacker and the mass of the defender. First, look up the mass of the defender in the "Lift" column (rounding to the nearest mass value), and find the corresponding Brawn for that mass. Subtract that from the Brawn of the attacker, and look up that resulting value in the "Throw" column. This is how far the attacker can throw the restrained character.

Running For Cover

Attacks which are particularly large, such as explosions and crashing starships, are much more difficult to avoid. The only way to avoid such attacks is to not be under them when they land. If a character is about to be hit by a large attack, they can take a forced action to run for cover. When running for cover, the character sprints to the nearest open ground which is beyond the area of the attack or behind the nearest cover. A character may perform a forced action to run for cover from an ordinary attack, if they want, but it sacrifices their next action.

Slamming

A slam or takedown is a special form of Close Combat attack that uses a target's mass and velocity against them so that they fall to the ground (or are hurled against a nearby flat surface, in zero-G). A slam can represent an aikido throw, a leg sweep, a judo hip toss, or even tripping someone with an umbrella, depending on the attacker's fighting style. If the attacker's Close Combat roll is equal to or greater than the defender's roll, the defender falls to the ground and may be injured by the impact.

The action value of this attack is normally equal to the attacker's Brawn, and the target's defense value is normally equal to their Brawn. If the defender is stationary and not restrained at the time of the attack, the defender gains a bonus die on their defense roll; if the defender is moving at the time of the attack, the defender receives a penalty die on their defense roll.

A character who has been slammed is prone and must normally use a movement action to get back up.

Sweep Attack

A sweep attack permits a character to make Close Combat attacks against everyone within reach of the character simultaneously. The attacker incurs a penalty die on each roll. The defense value (DV) of each target in the area of the attack is equal to their Brawn plus the rating of their armor, as usual.

Special Attack Types

Exploding

Exploding attacks inflict damage to everyone within a certain distance of the target -- everyone within short range (10 m), typically. The action value of the explosion diminishes with distance from the center. The action value is at its full value within half of the total radius, and one-half of its value (rounded down) in the remainder of the explosion. For example, a fragmentation grenade with action value 7 would have its full action value from the center of the explosion out to a radius of 5 meters, and an action value of 3 from 5 meters out to 10 meters. The attacker rolls once for the explosion. Normally, each target in the affected area rolls individually against the attack, but if the GM prefers, she may roll once for each group of similar targets.

Penetrating

If an attack is penetrating, any of the attacker's dice that show a "1" are re-rolled until the die rolls higher than 1.

Sensory

A successful sensory attack renders the target unable to see and unable to hear. A defender who can't perceive an attacker incurs a penalty die on their defense roll.

To recover from a sensory attack, the target must use a task action to make a moderately difficult (DV 3) Perception (Reason) roll.

If the character has not recovered from the sensory attack by the end of the scene, then they recover their senses shortly thereafter.

Stunning

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

Terrifying

A successful terrifying attack causes the target to involuntarily cower or flee (defender's choice). A cowering character incurs a penalty die on their defense rolls, while a fleeing character is granted a bonus die to their defense rolls.

To recover from a terrifying attack, the target must make a moderately difficult (DV 3) Survival (Presence) roll.

If the character has not recovered from the terrifying attack by the end of the scene, then they recover their composure shortly thereafter.

Plot Points

Each player begins each game session with one plot point. A player gains a plot point when they do something particularly entertaining or interesting, when one of their character's complications causes a serious problem for them during the game, or when the GM overrides a roll of the dice to make things more difficult for the characters. Plot points are spent to alter the game world, gain a bonus die, or gain an advantage in combat.

Gaining Plot Points

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

Plot points shouldn't be given to a player just for roleplaying their character -- they should be doing that anyway. The GM should give out a plot point when the player does something really exceptional or inventive, or when the player volunteers for their character to suffer some dramatic setback. For example, if a character upholds their ideals rather than choosing the easy or expedient solution, and this causes serious problems for the players, this would earn the player a plot point -- and if the consequences are serious enough, it might earn all of the players a plot point. The player might even suggest ways that their character's complications can come into play, giving the GM an opportunity to ramp up the tension.

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

Spending Plot Points

The examples listed here are the most common uses for plot points, but they aren't the only ones. If a player wants to spend a plot point to make something fun happen, and it has about the same impact on the game as these examples, the GM should consider permitting it. For example, let's say an earthquake has collapsed the roof of a cavern, dropping tons of rock on the characters. If a character with Telekinesis wanted to spend a plot point to protect herself and her allies from being crushed, should the GM permit it? Sure! It's fun, and it doesn't unbalance the game.

Bonus Die

A bonus die is just that: the player spends a plot point, and their character gains a bonus die the current roll. This can be a skill roll, an attack roll, or a defense roll. The player may spend the plot point before or after the rest of her dice are rolled.

Boost

A boost increases one of the character's attributes by one. A character with Brawn 5 could gain a temporary boost to Brawn 6, or a character with Presence 7 could gain a temporary boost to Presence 8.

A boost usually only lasts for one round, but it might last as long as a scene if that seems to make sense and the GM agrees.

Inspiration

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

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

Power Stunt

A power stunt permits a character to use their current powers in new and creative ways. For example, a character with Selective Gravity might use a power stunt to disrupt a lock. The outcome of a power stunt is not automatically successful: the player still needs to roll to determine the outcome, if the outcome is contested or subject to some uncontrolled factor. A character who used a power stunt to gain Security Systems would still need to make a Security Systems roll in order to hack the lock.

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

Rally

Under normal circumstances, an injured character recovers half of the Endurance they have lost (rounded down) after they have had a chance to rest and recuperate for half an hour or so. Spending a plot point allows a character to rally and immediately recover half of the Endurance they have lost, as though they'd had a half-hour's worth of rest.

Retcon

"Retcon" is short for "retroactive continuity": changing the past in some way that supports the current needs of the plot. This can involve the realization that a needed resource is available, but had previously been overlooked ("Oh, what I wouldn't give for a holocaust cloak"), or it can take the form of a character revealing a previously unknown era in their history, thus giving them new background skills ("As a matter of fact, I spent a full year studying the somatic language of Oculan"). A retcon could also be used to apply a character's skills and abilities in a way that makes it seem they planned ahead in a particularly cunning way, such as having already established a false identity as a caterer in order to sneak into an exclusive banquet.

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

Retcons are essentially permanent.

Zero Space : Starships

If this were a starship combat game, rather than a space fantasy roleplaying game, we would make this section much more complicated. A ship's mass would make Piloting rolls more difficult, different weapons would be more or less effective against different defenses, and so on. But it's not a starship combat game, so this section is deliberately quite simple.

Overview

All starships have five basic attributes: Computer, Engines, Defenses, Mass, and Integrity. Many starships also have Weapons, and some starships have specialized equipment such as camouflage fields, fully equipped medical bays, and tractor beams.

The Crew

On very small ships, a single crew member may be responsible for some or all of the ship's systems. In a starfighter, for example, the pilot, the navigator, and the engineer are all the same person. On larger ships, these responsibilities are usually distributed among specialists: the ship may have several pilots, navigators, and engineers, as well as dedicated scientists, sensor operators, and medical professionals.

In game terms, starships operate much like characters' personal equipment: the action value (AV) of the character using a starship's systems is equal to the character's relevant attribute plus the rating of the given system. For example, the action value of a character piloting a starship would be their Piloting (Agility) plus the rating of the starship's Engines.

If no crew member with the appropriate skill is available, the action value of the character making the roll is equal to the rating of the ship's system, and the crew member's attributes are ignored. For example, if no crew member with the Piloting skill is available, any member of the crew can attempt navigation rolls. The character's action value would be equal to the ship's Computer rating.

 

Table: Typical starship tasks
Task Action Value Difficulty Value
Analyzing scientific data Science (Reason) + ship's Computer rating Moderate (DV 3), remarkable (DV 6), extreme (DV 9), inconceivable (DV 12)
Charting a course Piloting (Reason) + ship's Computer rating Moderate (DV 3), remarkable (DV 6), extreme (DV 9), inconceivable (DV 12)
Evading pursuit Piloting (Agility) + ship's Engines rating Piloting (Agility) + ship's Engines rating
Flying through an asteroid field Piloting (Agility) + ship's Engines rating Extreme (DV 9)
Targeting an enemy ship Starship Combat (Reason) + ship's Weapons rating Piloting (Agility) + ship's Defenses rating
Using the ship's sensors Science (Reason) + ship's Computer rating Moderate (DV 3), remarkable (DV 6), extreme (DV 9), inconceivable (DV 12)
Withstanding enemy attacks Piloting (Agility) + ship's Defenses rating Starship Combat (Reason) + ship's Weapons rating

 

Order Of Play

As with personal combat, everything that happens in a round of starship combat is assumed to occur more or less simultaneously, but we make people take turns to keep the game orderly.

The most important factor in determining which starship acts before which is situational awareness. If a starship is not aware of their opponent, then they don't have the opportunity to attack. If the combatants become aware of their adversaries in a set order, then that is the order in which they act in combat.

However, if the various combatants become aware of each other more or less simultaneously, or if you would prefer to roll dice to see who goes first, the players and the GM should each make a Science (Reason) + ship's Computer roll at the beginning of the conflict. Turns proceed each round from the highest roller to lowest.

Combining Effort

Starship combat, piloting, and repair are exceptions to the Combining Effort rules. Combining Effort does not provide any additional benefit: larger starships have more to repair, but they also have larger crews, so it's assumed that everyone who can help with a given task already is, and it all balances out.

Computer

A starship's Computer is its most important asset, because without it, nothing on the ship works. The ship's computer can used to analyze data or to chart a course through space.

Navigation

Navigation pertains to getting from one stellar body to another. This could be two stars, a star and a nebula, or just two arbitrary locations which are not in the same solar system. Navigation generally requires a Piloting (Reason) roll. The difficulty value (DV) of the roll is based on how well-known the destination is.

 

Table: Navigation difficulty value examples
Difficulty value Examples
-- Routine Navigate between two well-documented locations along an established route
3 Moderately difficult Navigate to an unfamiliar location along an established route, or to a familiar location along an undocumented route
6 Remarkably difficult Navigate to a location using incomplete course data
9 Extremely difficult Navigate to a location using improvised course data
12 Inconceivable! Navigate to a location using a blind guess


Note that the distance to the destination does not directly impact the difficulty value. However, the more remote the destination, the farther off-course the ship will be if the navigator fails to chart the correct course.

Orbital Mechanics

Orbital mechanics pertains to getting around within a solar system. Orbital mechanics usually requires an opposed Piloting (Reason) roll. The typical reason for making an orbital mechanics roll is to reach a destination before someone else does, because it's not really possible to get lost within a solar system. The action value (AV) of each ship is equal to the Reason of the navigator plus the Computer rating of their ship. The navigator who rolls higher has plotted a trajectory that will allow their ship to reach its destination several hours ahead of the other ship.

Sensors

A starship's sensors are used to find things and to analyze them. The item being sought or examined could be a specific asteroid, a crippled starship, a starship with a camouflage field, or a strange energy reading. Using a ship's sensors generally requires a Science (Reason) roll. The difficulty value (DV) of the roll is based on the subtlety of the thing being searched for or analyzed.

 

Table: Sensor operation difficulty value examples
Difficulty value Examples
-- Routine Locate an active starship within long range, locate a familiar energy signature within long range, analyze a familiar energy signature within medium range
3 Moderately difficult Locate an active starship beyond long range, locate a familiar energy signature beyond long range, analyze an unfamiliar energy signature within short range
6 Remarkably difficult Locate an inactive or disabled starship within long range, locate an unfamiliar energy signature within long range, analyze an unfamiliar energy signature within medium range
9 Extremely difficult Locate an inactive or disabled starship beyond long range, locate an unfamiliar energy signature beyond long range, analyze an unfamiliar energy signature within long range
12 Inconceivable! Analyze an unfamiliar energy signature beyond long range
  1. Range Bands

Engines

A starship's Engines are its most important asset, because without them, it's going nowhere. Piloting a starship generally requires a Piloting (Agility) roll. The difficulty value (DV) is based on the complexity of the maneuver being attempted.

 

Table: Piloting difficulty value examples
Difficulty value Examples
-- Routine Landing at a starport or on level ground, docking with a relatively motionless starship
3 Moderately difficult Landing in violent weather, flying through obstacles, docking with a moving but cooperative starship
6 Remarkably difficult Flying through an incomplete space station at full speed, docking with a moving uncooperative starship
9 Extremely difficult Flying through an asteroid field at full speed, docking with an uncooperative starship at full speed
12 Inconceivable! Flying blind through an asteroid field at full speed


A failed Piloting roll will usually result in damage to the ship. For every failed Piloting roll, the ship loses one point of structural Integrity. It's difficult to destroy a starship by flying it poorly, but an exceptionally bad pilot can do it.

Pursuit

Closing with another starship is only easy if both pilots agree. Closing with a ship that wants to flee usually requires an opposed Piloting (Agility) roll. The action value (AV) of each ship is equal to the Agility of the pilot plus the Engines rating of their ship. The pilot who rolls higher has increased or decreased the range between the ships by one range band, depending on whether the better pilot wants to flee or pursue.

Interstellar Travel


The time required to travel interstellar distances increases logarithmically as the distance itself increases linearly. For example, a journey between two star systems in the same region of a galaxy typically takes from a few hours to a few days, traveling from one edge of a galaxy to the other takes a week or two, and traveling from one galaxy to the next takes a month or two. Ships which have higher Mass ratings are slower than less massive ships, and ships with higher Engines ratings are faster than ships with lower Engines ratings. Travel using warp engines does not remove a vessel from our universe. However, due to the Lorentzian manifold (or "warp bubble") around it, the vessel is effectively blind, deaf, and incommunicado for the duration of its journey.

Defenses

A starship's Defenses are its most important asset, because it's a dangerous universe. Defenses, which may be armor, energy shields, or a combination of the two, protect a starship from enemy attacks and damaging environments. Withstanding enemy attacks and damaging environments generally requires a Piloting (Agility) roll.

Evasive Maneuvers

During the ship's turn, the pilot may choose to initiate evasive maneuvers. Performing evasive maneuvers grants the defending ship a bonus die on all defensive rolls. A ship which is using its action to perform evasive maneuvers continues to receive this benefit until the ship's next turn.

A ship taking evasive maneuvers is not able to attack (the ship can fire its weapons, of course, but they won't hit anything).

Shields Maximum

During the ship's turn, the crew members on the weapons and defensive consoles may agree to set shields to maximum. Setting shields to maximum grants the defending ship a bonus die on all defensive rolls, but a penalty die on all offensive rolls. A ship which has set its shields to maximum continues to receive this benefit until the ship's next turn.

Mass

A starship's Mass is its most important asset, because Mass rating reflects the physical structure and durability of the ship. A starship which is large or densely constructed will have a higher Mass rating than one which is smaller or less dense.

Integrity

Integrity represents a ship's ability to withstand damage. The higher the starship's Integrity rating, the more times it may survive attacks which impair it. A starship's Integrity is normally equal to its Mass rating. If a ship's Mass permanently changes, its Integrity also changes, but damage to a ship's Integrity does not reduce its Mass.

When a ship is successfully attacked, one (or more, if using the optional margin of success rules) is temporarily subtracted from its Integrity. A ship which has lost more than half of its Integrity incurs a penalty die on any offensive or defensive action. A ship which has been reduced to zero Integrity is disabled: it is out of the fight, and it will probably require extensive repairs. Integrity may not be reduced below zero.

Normally, the crew of a damaged starship may repair half of the ship's lost Integrity (rounded down) by working on it for about a day. Further damage may only be repaired at a starship repair facility called a stardock. Most full-service starports have stardock facilities. Barring some extraordinary event, a ship's Integrity will be completely repaired after a week in a stardock.

If the ship has taken some other form of damage, such as damage to one of its systems, this damage is temporary. It is all repaired once the crew has had a day to work on it.

Weapons

A starship's Weapons are its most important asset, because a starship without weapons is simply a moving target. Starships can attack a number of times per round equal to the ship's rating in Weapons, or equal to the number of crew members at the weapons consoles, whichever is less (each crew member can only fire one weapon, once per round). Using a ship's weapons generally requires a Starship Combat (Reason) roll. The difficulty value (DV) is based on the defending pilot's Agility and the defending ship's Defenses rating.

The ship's rating in Weapons also dictates the range of its weapons. The range of the ship's weapons are covered in Range Bands, below.

Note that the ship's rating in Weapons is not the number of its physical weapons. A ship with a Weapons rating of 5 might have only two weapons, or it might have twenty, depending on the design, size, and placement of the weapons themselves.

Starship weaponry is much more powerful than the blasters carried by individuals. If a starship weapon is brought to bear against an individual rather than against a structure or another craft, the attack value (AV) is increased by 10.

Range Bands

As with terrestrial combat, there are five range bands in starship combat: close, short, medium, long, and remote. Standard starship weapons have an effective range based on the Weapons rating of the ship. Due to the vast distances involved, attacking more distant targets is usually not possible. If the GM declares that the attack is possible, the attacker incurs a penalty die when attacking a target beyond the ship's effective weapon range.

The "typical weapons" listed below are mostly for flavour. They don't usually make any difference in the game.

 

Table: Starship range bands
Weapons
rating		 Range Typical weapons
1-2 Close Arc generator, flak guns, turbolaser, railgun
3-5 Short (10 km) Disruptor, particle cannon, plasma torpedo
6-8 Medium (50 km) Nemesis cannon, fusion cannon, photon torpedo
9-11 Long (500 km) Hellbore cannon, meson cannon, singularity torpedo
12+ Remote Planetary defense battery, warp missile


If you'd prefer to emulate a setting more like Star Trek and less like Star Wars, multiply the weapon ranges by one thousand. So instead of short, medium and long ranges being 10 km, 50 km, and 500 km, they'd be 10,000 km, 50,000 km, and 500,000 km. (This doesn't actually make any difference in the game.)

Targeting Specific Systems


Before resolving whether an attack is successful, an attacker can declare that they are targeting a specific system: bridge, cargo, computer, crew quarters, defenses, engines, engineering, gravity control, environmental systems, sensors, or weapons. If the attack is successful, the attacker then rolls 2d6 and consults the "Targeting starship systems" table. If the attacker's system targeting roll is within 0-2 of the desired system, that system is affected as described; otherwise, the system rolled is affected as described.

For example, if the attacker was targeting the bridge (requiring a roll of 2), and the attack was successful, and rolled a 4, they would have successfully damaged the bridge. If they rolled a 5, however, they would have damaged the starship's computer, reducing the ship's Computer rating to zero until the end of the attacker's next turn.

Targeting a specific system damages a system instead of causing damage to the ship's structural Integrity; the target's Integrity is unchanged.

 

Table: Targeting starship systems
2d6 System Effect
2 Bridge Named crew members on the bridge are struck by exploding consoles or are pinned by falling debris, and incur a penalty die on all rolls until the end of the attacker's next turn; unnamed crew members are dead
3 Defenses Defenses are offline (rating 0) until the end of the attacker's next turn
4 Engineering Any systems currently offline remain offline an additional round
5 Computer Computer and communications are offline (rating 0) until the end of the attacker's next turn
6 Crew quarters Named crew members in their quarters are trapped until rescued; unnamed crew members are dead
7 Cargo/other equipment Cargo or supplies are destroyed; if the ship has unusual equipment, that equipment is offline (rating 0) until the end of the attacker's next turn
8 Gravity control Characters without the Zero-G Combat gift incur a penalty die on all rolls until the end of the attacker's next turn
9 Sensors Sensors are offline (Computer rating 0 for sensor rolls) until the end of the attacker's next turn
10 Engines Engines are offline (rating 0) until the end of the attacker's next turn
11 Weapons Weapons are offline (rating 0) until the end of the attacker's next turn
12 Environmental systems Characters who need to breathe incur a penalty die on all rolls until the end of the attacker's next turn

Other Equipment

Camouflage Fields

Camouflage fields are an unusual defensive system based on the theory that an opponent can't destroy what they can't target. Camouflage fields do not provide any protection against direct damage. Instead, an attacker must make a successful Computing roll each round before they can attack a ship with an active camouflage field.

Detecting a ship with a camouflage field usually requires an opposed Science roll, in a high-tech version of "hide and seek". The action value (AV) of the seeking ship is equal to the Reason of the sensor operator plus the Computer rating of their ship. The defense value (DV) of the hiding ship is equal to the Reason of the camouflage field operator plus the rating of their camouflage field.

If the Science (Reason) roll of the sensor operator equals or exceeds the Science (Reason) roll of the camouflage field operator, the seeking ship may attack the hiding ship during its turn; if not, then not. The hiding ship has full use of its other defenses while using its camouflage field (assuming that they have not been damaged), but it may not fire weapons during the same turn in which its camouflage field was active.

Emergency Self Destruct

Self destruct systems or emergency destruction systems are present aboard most commercial and military starships. Initiating the self destruct on a spacecraft disengages its engine coolant system, quickly causing the vessel's power core to overload and explode, destroying the spacecraft after a set time period has elapsed (usually 10 minutes).

As a safety precaution, self destruct mechanisms are intentionally difficult to enable, and even more difficult to disable. Enabling the self destruct device requires a moderately difficult (DV 3) Engineering (Agility) roll. A self destruct device can be disabled during the first half of its countdown with a successful remarkably difficult (DV 6) Engineering (Agility) roll.

A ship which self destructs will explode with tremendous force, utterly destroying the spacecraft, and severely damaging any nearby spacecraft. Any vessel within short range (10 km) of the exploding starship will take an amount of Integrity damage equal to the Mass of the exploding starship.

Enhanced Sensors

Science vessels and scout ships often have enhanced sensors to assist with their missions. If a ship is equipped with enhanced sensors, the sensor operator gains a bonus die on any sensor-related Science roll.

Integrity Enhancement Fields

Integrity enhancement fields are a special type of Engineering system which uses energy shields to reinforce the ship's structure. Normally, a ship which has lost more than half of its Integrity incurs a penalty die on any offensive or defensive action. A ship which has Integrity enhancement fields does not incur a penalty die due to lost Integrity, as long as the ship's Engineering system is online.

Medical Bays

The rating of a ship's medical bay is added to a medical staff member's Medicine (Reason) when treating a patient. A standard medical bay on a starship is equipped to treat a variety of minor injuries and ailments, and normally has a rating of 1. Massive civilian cruise ships often have an enhanced medical bay, with a rating of 2, while large military vessels usually have a fully equipped hospital facility, with a rating of 3.

Megaweapon

In addition to the ship's other weapons, the ship has a single massive weapon around which the rest of the ship is built. This megaweapon can only be fired once every ten rounds (one minute) at a single target. When attacking with the megaweapon, the Mass rating of the attacking ship is added to its Weapons rating.

Overthrusters

An overthruster is a colliding beam accelerator which creates intermediate vector bosons from the annihilation of electrons and positrons. If a ship is equipped with overthrusters, the pilot gains a bonus die on any pursuit-related or evasion-related Piloting rolls.

Point Defense Systems

Point defense systems offer an additional defense against fast attack craft (bombers, fighters, and interceptors). If a ship with a point defense system is being attacked by a fast attack craft, the defending ship gains a bonus die on its defense roll.

Tractor Beams

Tractor beams are gravitic weapons intended to prevent the target from moving. Using a tractor beam generally requires a Starship Combat (Reason) roll plus the rating of the tractor beam. The difficulty value (DV) is based on the defending pilot's Agility and the defending ship's Defenses rating.

Tractor beams do not inflict Integrity damage on the target. Instead, on a successful roll, the Mass rating of the attacking ship is subtracted from the Engines rating of the defending ship for as long as the tractor beam is focused on the target. If the target's effective Engines rating is reduced to zero, the target ship is unable to move.

Escaping from a tractor beam can be accomplished one of three ways: the tractored ship can move beyond the effective range of the tractor beam (based on the rating of the tractor beam); the tractored ship (or another ship) can reduce the ship with the tractor beam to Integrity 0, causing the tractor beam to shut off; or the fleeing ship (or another ship) can break the tractor beam's hold by successfully targeting the "cargo/other equipment" system of the ship with the tractor beam.

Ship Classifications

Warship classification is a field that has changed over time, and is an area of considerable disagreement. The system described here is that currently in use by the Imperial Strategic Command. Size categories are approximate; a ship may be classified with smaller or larger ships, based on its intended role and specific configuration.

Star Fortress
Mobile space station, capable of defending against entire fleets, and housing vast numbers of fast attack craft and smaller warships; 10,000 meters and larger
Computer 10, Engines 1, Defenses 14, Mass 11, Weapons 14
Dreadnought
Largest classification of capital ship, heavily armed and armored, and carrying numerous fast attack craft; 5,000 to 10,000 meters
Computer 8, Engines 2, Defenses 12, Mass 10, Weapons 12
Battleship
Largest warship in general use, heavily armed and armored, and a platform for smaller fighter craft; 2,000 to 5,000 meters
Computer 6, Engines 3, Defenses 10, Mass 9, Weapons 10
Battlecruiser
Heavy ship with the armament of a battleship but the speed and defenses of a cruiser; 1,000 to 2,000 meters
Computer 6, Engines 4, Defenses 8, Mass 8, Weapons 10
Heavy cruiser
Heavy, multi-use warship that can operate alone or as part of a formation; 600 to 1,000 meters
Computer 6, Engines 4, Defenses 8, Mass 7, Weapons 8
Light Cruiser
Light, multi-use warship that can operate alone or as part of a formation; generally, the largest starship capable of physically landing on a planet; 400 to 700 meters
Computer 6, Engines 4, Defenses 6, Mass 6, Weapons 8
Destroyer
Fast, maneuverable, high endurance warship, usually intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet; designed to protect against small, faster attackers; 300 to 600 meters
Computer 4, Engines 6, Defenses 6, Mass 5, Weapons 6
Frigate
Commonly used as a scout and patrol ship in dangerous areas; may participate in fleet actions, but does not usually stand in the line of battle with capital ships; 200 to 400 meters
Computer 4, Engines 6, Defenses 6, Mass 4, Weapons 6
Corvette
Smallest warship capable of participating in fleet actions; generally used as a courier and patrol ship; 100 to 200 meters
Computer 2, Engines 8, Defenses 4, Mass 3, Weapons 4
Patrol Ship
Small, lightly armed vessel which commonly operates independently; mainly used to patrol areas that are not considered dangerous; 50 to 150 meters
Computer 2, Engines 6, Defenses 2, Mass 2, Weapons 2
Fast attack craft (bombers, fighters, and interceptors)
Small, short range craft which operate in groups; 15 to 50 meters
Computer 2, Engines 10, Defenses 2, Mass 1, Weapons 2

Zero Space : GM Ressources

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

Extraordinary Attributes

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

Attribute Cost

Table: Extraordinary attribute cost
Value Incremental Cost
1-3 1
4-6 2
7-9 3
10-12 4
13-15 5
16-18 6
19-20 7

 

Brawn

Brawn determines how much a character can lift and how far they can throw things. Peak human potential is marked in red.

 

Table: Extraordinary Brawn
Brawn Lift Throw
(25 kg)		 Standing
Long Jump
1 37 kg 1 m 1 m
2 54 kg 1 m 1 m
3 79 kg 2 m 1 m
4 120 kg 2 m 1 m
5 170 kg 4 m 2 m
6 250 kg 5 m 2 m
7 370 kg 8 m 4 m
8 540 kg 11 m 5 m
9 960 kg 20 m 8 m
10 1,700 kg 35 m 11 m
11 3,000 kg 62 m 20 m
12 5,400 kg 110 m 35 m
13 10 t 200 m 62 m
14 17 t 350 m 110 m
15 30 t 620 m 200 m
16 54 t 1,100 m 350 m
17 96 t 2 km 620 m
18 170 t 4 km 1,100 m
19 300 t 6 km 2 km
20 540 t 11 km 4 km
  1. Lift indicates the greatest weight that the character can "deadlift" (pick up off the ground to the level of the hips). A character carrying or supporting such a weight can take at most one or two steps per round. A character can move normally while carrying a weight corresponding to one less than their Brawn. For example, a character with Brawn 8 could carry up to 370 kg and suffer no penalties to their movement while doing so.
  2. Throw (25 kg) indicates the farthest distance that a character could throw a compact object weighing 25 kg. To see how far a character can throw heavier objects, subtract the Brawn required to lift the object from the character's total Brawn. Look up the difference in the "Brawn" column: this indicates how far the character can throw the object. For example, a character with Brawn 8 could throw an object weighing 60 kg (such as a cooperative slender human) up to 5 meters.
  3. Jumps indicates the character's standing long jump. With a running long jump, the character's ground movement is added to their long jump distance.

Agility

Agility determines a character's base movement speed (running, swimming, etc.). Peak human potential is marked in red.

 

Table: Extraordinary Agility
Agility Walk
(Base Move)		 Run
(Double Move)		 Sprint
(All-out Move)		 Sprint
(kph)
1 2 m 4 m 12 m 7 kph
2 2 m 4 m 12 m 7 kph
3 3 m 6 m 18 m 11 kph
4 4 m 8 m 24 m 14 kph
5 6 m 12 m 36 m 22 kph
6 7 m 14 m 42 m 25 kph
7 10 m 20 m 60 m 36 kph
8 13 m 26 m 78 m 47 kph
9 19 m 38 m 114 m 68 kph
10 28 m 56 m 168 m 100 kph
11 41 m 82 m 246 m 150 kph
12 60 m 120 m 360 m 220 kph
13 89 m 178 m 534 m 320 kph
14 130 m 260 m 780 m 470 kph
15 190 m 380 m 1,140 m 680 kph
16 280 m 560 m 1,680 m 1,000 kph
17 410 m 820 m 2,460 m 1,500 kph
18 600 m 1,200 m 3,600 m 2,200 kph
19 890 m 1,780 m 5,340 m 3,200 kph
20 1,300 m 2,600 m 7,800 m 4,700 kph
Agility Swim
(Base Move)		 Fast Swim
(Double Move)		 Swim Sprint
(All-out Move)		 Swim Sprint
(kph)
1 1 m 2 m 6 m 4 kph
2 1 m 2 m 6 m 4 kph
3 1 m 2 m 6 m 4 kph
4 2 m 4 m 12 m 7 kph
5 2 m 4 m 12 m 7 kph
6 3 m 6 m 18 m 11 kph
7 3 m 6 m 18 m 11 kph
8 4 m 8 m 24 m 14 kph
9 5 m 10 m 30 m 18 kph
10 7 m 14 m 42 m 25 kph
11 10 m 20 m 60 m 36 kph
12 13 m 26 m 78 m 47 kph
13 17 m 34 m 102 m 61 kph
14 22 m 44 m 132 m 79 kph
15 30 m 60 m 180 m 110 kph
16 40 m 80 m 240 m 140 kph
17 53 m 106 m 318 m 190 kph
18 71 m 142 m 426 m 260 kph
19 95 m 190 m 570 m 340 kph
20 130 m 260 m 780 m 470 kph

 

Power

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

 

Table: Extraordinary Power
Power General Effect Mass
1 1 37 kg
2 1 54 kg
3 2 79 kg
4 2 120 kg
5 4 170 kg
6 5 250 kg
7 8 370 kg
8 11 540 kg
9 20 960 kg
10 35 1,700 kg
11 62 3,000 kg
12 110 5,400 kg
13 200 10 t
14 350 17 t
15 620 30 t
16 1,100 54 t
17 2,000 96 t
18 4,000 170 t
19 6,000 300 t
20 11,000 540 t

 

Hostile Environments

Table: Hostile environments
Environment Effect
Darkness Attack and defense penalties
Dehydration Lose one Endurance per day; penalty die on all tasks
Exposure Lose one Endurance, from once per hour to once per six hours
Falling Lose one Endurance for each five meters fallen
Fire Action value depends on heat and intensity, once per round
Poisons Brawn roll, from once per round to once per hour
Pressure Lose one Endurance, from once per round to once per minute
Radiation Brawn roll, once per week; penalty die on all tasks
Sleep Deprivation Lose one Reason per day, then lose one Presence per day, then lose one Endurance per day
Starvation Lose one Endurance per week; penalty die on all tasks
Suffocation Lose one Endurance per minute
Vacuum Lose one Endurance, from once per round to once per minute

 

Darkness

Darkness, fog, rain, blizzards, and other visual impediments can make combat much more difficult. If an attacker can't see the defender, the attacker incurs a penalty die. Conversely, if a defender can't see the attacker, the defender incurs a penalty die.

A character with the appropriate powers, or equipment permitting them to perceive normally, suffers no ill effects from darkness.

Dehydration

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

Characters suffering from dehydration lose one Endurance per day until they are rehydrated. Additionally, the character incurs a penalty die on all rolls. Protection against conventional forms of damage, such as armor and energy shields, are not effective against this damage, but rapid healing, such as that provided by Meditation and Regeneration, may offset the effects.

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

Exposure

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

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

Falling

A character who falls farther than they can jump takes damage based on the distance fallen. A character who falls and strikes a surface loses one Endurance for each five meters fallen (rounded down). Conventional forms of protection, such as armor and energy shields, are effective against this damage.

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

Fire

The action value of a fire depends on its heat and intensity. Any power or equipment that provides protection from Endurance damage, such as armor and energy shields, is effective against fire damage.

 

Table: Fire
Fire Action
Value
Campfire, torch 3
Burning building 6
Molten lava 9


Very cool and very hot fires are outside of this range. A lit spice-stick can cause painful burns, for example, but it's less damaging than action value 3. On the other hand, the surface of a star is far beyond even action value 9.

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

Poisons

Poisons and pathogens are substances which disrupt biological processes when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism. Described here is a generic poison: your character may encounter poisons or pathogens which are more complicated than this example.

Immediately after exposure, a poisoned character must make a moderately difficult (DV 3) Survival (Brawn) roll against the poison. If the Brawn roll is successful, the character takes no damage from the poison and suffers only incidental side-effects such as nausea. If the Brawn roll is not successful, the character has succumbed to the poison, and they immediately lose one Endurance. Periodically thereafter, the character must attempt another Brawn roll (once a round for very potent poisons, once an hour for very weak poisons, and once a minute for normal poisons, at the GM's discretion). Each failed Brawn roll results in another loss of Endurance. This continues until the character successfully makes a Brawn roll, or they are administered the appropriate antidote (if one exists). Once the character successfully makes a Brawn roll against the poison or is administered the appropriate antidote, they stop losing Endurance and begin to heal normally.

Some poisons and pathogens have effects other than or in addition to Endurance damage, such as blindness or paralysis.

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

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

Pressure

Characters exposed to extreme atmospheric pressure lose Endurance until they return to their natural atmosphere or their internal and external pressure is equalized (generally through the use of an air supply specifically designed for use at that pressure). How quickly they lose Endurance depends on how prepared they are and the severity of the conditions. A trained diver 30 meters under water would lose one Endurance per minute: life threatening, but not immediately fatal. The same character 300 meters under water (approximately 30 atmospheres, or 3040 kPa) would lose one Endurance per round unless they had specialized breathing apparatus designed to maintain a constant pressure inside their bodies. At higher pressures, even specialized breathing apparatus is not enough to protect the body from the structural failure of tissue, not to mention the pressure on unprotected nerves causing them to stop transmitting impulses.

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

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

Radiation

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

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

Twenty-four hours after exposure, a character exposed to radiation must make a successful Brawn roll against the action value of the radiation. Failure indicates that the character has developed acute radiation syndrome and they immediately lose one Endurance. Each week thereafter, the character must attempt another Brawn roll. Each failed Brawn roll results in another one Endurance lost. Additionally, the character incurs one penalty die for every week that the character has been suffering from acute radiation syndrome. This continues until the character dies or successfully makes the Brawn roll. Once the character successfully makes the Brawn roll against the action value of the radiation, they stop losing Endurance and may begin to heal normally.

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

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

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

 

Table: Radiation
Action value Radiation
3 Fallout from a recent nuclear explosion
6 Vial of plutonium
9 Interior of a nuclear reactor

 

Sleep Deprivation

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

A character suffering from sleep deprivation loses one Reason per day until their Reason equals zero. Once the character's Reason is reduced to zero, the character loses one Presence per day until their Presence equals zero. Once the character's Presence is reduced to zero, the character loses one Endurance per day until their Endurance is reduced to zero. Under normal circumstances, the character will fall unconscious at this point and remain so for at least a day. However, if the character is physically prevented from losing consciousness, they will eventually die. Protection against conventional forms of damage, such as armor and energy shields, are not effective against the effects of sleep deprivation, nor is rapid healing, such as that provided by Meditation and Regeneration.

A character who is self-sustaining is unaffected by sleep deprivation.

Starvation

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

Characters suffering from starvation lose one Endurance per week until they eat something. Additionally, the character incurs a penalty die on all rolls. Protection against conventional forms of damage, such as armor and energy shields, are not effective against the effects of starvation, but rapid healing, such as that provided by Meditation and Regeneration, may offset the effects.

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

Suffocation

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

A character with Immunity to Suffocation or suitable environmental gear is unaffected by suffocation.

Vacuum

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

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

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

Mass

XXX working

Table: Item mass
Item Mass Brawn + Power (to lift)
medium dog, full suitcase 20 kg 1
full pony keg of beer, small sea turtle 45 kg 2
slender adult, large dog 65 kg 3
full keg of beer 75 kg 3
typical adult, small floor safe 90 kg 4
heavy adult 125 kg 4
racing motorcycle, refrigerator 150 kg 5
weapon locker, gun safe, large sea turtle 200 kg 6
large brown bear, dolphin, lion, large predator 225 kg 6
motorcycle, medium floor safe, tiger, a Twinkie 11 meters long 300 kg 7
grizzly bear, touring motorcycle, large predator 400 kg 8
polar bear, empty light wagon 500 kg 8
riding animal, cow, horse, small sailboat 600 kg 9
small civilian helicopter 700 kg 9
compact car, loaded light wagon 900 kg 9
medium missile, empty heavy wagon 1,000 kg 10
full size car, large herbivore, hippopotamus 2 t 11
small military helicopter, Humvee 3 t 11
armored Humvee 4 t 12
elephant, empty dump truck, loaded heavy wagon, huge herbivore 5 t 12
light jet fighter plane 7 t 13
large military helicopter, empty tractor-trailer 9 t 13
jet fighter plane 10 t 13
international marijuana shipment, Polaris missile 20 t 15
loaded dump truck 20 t 15
private jet plane, empty train car 30 t 15
empty C-130 cargo plane, loaded tractor-trailer 40 t 16
Easter Island stone head, loaded tanker truck, bank vault 50 t 16
suburban house, Trident missile, M1 Abrams tank 50 t 16
loaded C-130 cargo plane 80 t 17
blue whale 90 t 17
loaded train car 100 t 18
locomotive, fishing trawler 200 t 19
empty 747 passenger plane 300 t 19
typical train 400 t 20
loaded 747 passenger plane 400 t 20

Speed

Table: Item speeds
Item Speed Agility
avg human swimming 3 kph 2
max human swimming 9 kph 7
avg human running 12 kph 2
max human running 45 kph 9
fast submarine 80 kph --
fast bird, cheetah, sailfish 120 kph --
armored land speeder 320 kph --
civilian land speeder 400 kph --
speeder bike 560 kph --
air speeder 800 kph --
star fighter 1,900 kph --

Zero Space : Charactersheets

The ZeroSpace Character Sheet Helper is a LibreOffice spreadsheet intended to facilitate creation of ZeroSpace characters. It may or may not work with Excel if converted to that format from within LibreOffice, but we make no promises. The Sheet is found on the Side unter Attachments