Zludge Rules for City9

Zludge

These rules are an extension to the Zludge core rules.

Skills

City9 skills are based on one of six attributes: Fortitude, Grace, Perception, Knowledge, Applied, and Social. Within each skill description, various sub-skills (usually about 4) can be discerned. Sometimes aspects of the skill are "advanced", meaning such attempts are at least of Difficult (-1) difficulty.

A player can take ranks in skills or sub-skills not listed here, but she should probably check with her GM first (to be sure they'll get used).

SkillDescription

FORTITUDE: Physical strength, durability, and endurance.
Athletics Moving your body, such as running, jumping, climbing, swimming.
Lifting and Breaking Moving or destroying objects, such as lifting/dragging, forcing doors, smashing objects, bursting restraints/bending bars.
Melee Combat Using hand-held bludgeoning, cutting, and piercing weapons. Includes larger, two-handed weapons (such as baseball bats, swords, axes, spears, chainsaws) as well as smaller, one-handed weapons (such as knives, saps, billy clubs, rapiers, table legs). Includes both swinging and stabbing (for both small and large weapons).
Advanced: disarm.
Unarmed Combat Unarmed combat, including brawling, wrestling/grappling, and bull rushes.
Advanced: martial arts, kicks, throws/trips.
Durability Pain-tolerance, resistance to injury, quick healing.
[Special skill: See Combat: Injury]
Endurance Stamina for prolonged activity, breath-holding, overcoming tiredness, resistance to poison/drugs/disease.
[Special skill: See Combat: Fatigue]

GRACE: Flexibility, speed, and dexterity.
Acrobatics Dexterous full-body movement: balancing, dodging/evasion, tumbling, recovering from falls
Contortions Flexibility: wriggling through small spaces, slipping from restraints or grapples
Driving Using vehicles, such as boards (rollerskates, skateboards, surfboards, skis), bicycles, motorcycles (including ATVs, etc), cars (including dune-buggies, golf carts, small trucks), heavy vehicles (including semis, tanks, troop carriers), construction vehicles (bulldozers, forklifts, cranes), sailboats, and powerboats.
Advanced: 3D vehicles (planes, [starcraft])
Ranged Combat Point-and-shoot weapons: pistols, rifles, machine guns, laser guns, bows, other aimed weapons. Includes thrown things, such as knives, spears, rocks, and grappling hooks.
Advanced: Targets further away than about 30ft (a decent sized room). May have further penalties for long shots.
Reflexes Reaction time, overcoming the shock of surprise
Stealth Ability to hide, move silently, and generally sneak around in shadowy and deserted places without being seen. [Opposed by: Alertness or Observation.]
Sleight of Hand Fine manual dexterity: ability to pick pockets, palm small objects, conceal items in hand or on person, and use ropes.

PERCEPTION: Keen senses and general awareness of surrounding environment.
Alertness Passive ability to notice changes, oddities, or danger in your environment--often only in peripheral vision, when you're focusing on something else. Includes sight, hearing, touch, smell/taste, mental.
Observation Actively take in details of the environment at a glace--like an "active" alertness check--such as when on guard duty. Take in details of a room in a glance around the corner, remember small details, etc. Includes sight, hearing, touch, smell/taste.
Examination Ability to actively search for particular or interesting features in an object or environment. Generally takes a little while. Includes sight, hearing, touch, smell/taste.
Willpower Avoid distractions, stick to long or confusing tasks, withstand mental attacks, and control compulsions

KNOWLEDGE: General theoretical knowledge, which often proves helpful in identifying novel items or when determining what is possible.
Area: The Dome Geography, general customs and manners, major groups, important people
Area: Red Light "
Area: Warehouse "
Biology life processes, genetics
Chemistry Reactions, chemicals, drugs/poisons/toxins.
Environment Natural details of the greater natural world, such as astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, geography.
History Knowledge of past events, as well as of the humanities, literature, art history, mythology, theology.
Mathematics Algebra, geometry, probability, accounting, economics.
Advanced: calculus, number theory, game theory, cryptography.
Physics Matter, energy, forces, psi effects.
Research The applied aspect of theoretical knowledge: find out something you don't know, by searching through existing resources or designing and running an experiment
Social Science Communication, psychology, sociology, anthropology, linguistics, archeology, etc.

APPLIED: Applied knowledge and cumulative practical experience, good for creating things and generally getting stuff done.
Art Produce creative physical objects and crafts, such as carving, cooking, drawing, painting, photography, sculpture
Agriculture Includes gardening, farming, animal husbandry, animal training, riding
Construction Building structures and simple objects (large or small) without extensive moving parts: carpentry, welding, steel work, concrete, lathing, simple (melee) weaponry.
Advanced: architecture, demolition/explosives
Mechanics Building complicated systems of moving parts: engines, vehicles, locking mechanisms, guns, etc.
Electronics Various electrical appliances, stand-alone devices, and subsystems: household appliances, radios, infrared communications, security systems
Advanced: advanced sensors/communication systems, robotic subsystems, laser weaponry
Hardware Electronics uses in computers and data network systems: system construction and maintenance, cabling, interface ports.
Advanced: robotics, cybernetic components, low-level driver development
Larceny General burglary and thieving: breaking and entering, lockpicking, fencing stolen goods.
Advanced: forging papers, counterfeiting.
[For more personal thefts, see Slight of Hand]
Leisure The rules and customs of having fun: games, sports, hobbies, gambling, mixing drinks
Medical The workings of the human body: human physiology, diagnosis, first aid.
Advanced: surgery
Performance Produce intangible, abstract, or language-based artistic works: singing, dancing, musical instruments, acting, creative writing, etc.
Software Using computers: computer operation, OSs, network navigation, information retrieval
Advanced: programming, AI
Survival Get along in a natural wilderness: navigation, tracking, hunting/trapping, foraging, rustic shelter

SOCIAL: Dealing with people, particularly when trying to get them to do what you want.
Persona More inherent and less learned than most skills, this is what sort of first impression you give, when you're not trying to be someone else or before you get a chance to really interact with someone. Includes appearance, voice, mannerisms, fashion.
Blend-In Anonymously and unobtrusively blend into a crowd [Opp: Observation], shadow someone in a populated place without them noticing you [Opp: Alertness, or Read Person from others], disguise yourself as a general member of another community, a specific role/occupation, or even a specific person (though if actually interacting with someone who knows the person, must succeed at Deceiving them). [Opp: Read Person (to become suspicion) or Examination (to detect a costume)]
Deceive Fast-talk someone into doing something without really thinking it through, bluff someone with a white lie or give a false impression, lie elaborately to someone, seduce or use sex appeal to win someone over, engage in (corrupt) politics.
Diplomacy Make a convincing (but civil) argument/debate, rhetoric/public speaking, etiquette, (noble) politics, leadership
Gossip Make polite small-talk, gather word-of-mouth information, spread news.
Advanced: spread a false rumor (without it being traced back to you)
Intimidate Appear threatening, scare someone into doing what you want.
Advanced: interrogate, torture
Read Person Notice if someone is uncomfortable, lying, engaged in strange behavior, or not otherwise as they seem
Streetwise Get along in an urban environment: wayfind in an unfamiliar cityscape, scrounge items in an urban environment, find certain kinds of people or services, haggle, get along with the seedier and rougher element

City9 Psi

What follows is the psi system for the City9 game world.

Powers

Three powers determine the underlying ways you can extend and exert your mental energy. A level of a single power is bought in exchange for an aspect. (You cannot invoke/"check-off" a level of power as you can an aspect--it simply lets you use your psi powers.) You must have at least one level of one power in order use a psi ability (provided you have the correct power required for that skill). Some psi skills, such as Telekinesis, require more than one power to be effective, making those abilities more expensive and "rarer" in the game world. You may not spend more than 2/3 of your character's aspects or skills on psi abilities.

Sometimes you can use your Power as a skill roll. In this case, each level of power is like a rank, where the "skill" defaults to -1 (Poor). You cannot use a plot point on such a power-skill roll.

You can always choose to use a lesser power level (less force, shorter range, etc.).

Projection

This power determine the range at which you can affect specific targets.

  1. Touch
  2. Indoor distance -- ~30 feet: close enough for good eye contact, a city bus length, across the living room, close enough to start a conversation with a friend approaching you
  3. Building/Neighbor distance -- ~200 feet: the far corner of a good-sized house, from the front yard into the back, just into the house two doors down, into a restaurant from a car parked across the street, across a gym or auditorium
  4. City block distance -- ~1000 feet: one or two city blocks (depending on their size), the other side of a football stadium, the distance you can just start to recognize someone you know well
  5. Horizon -- ~3 miles: as far as you can see at sea-level
Diffusion

This power determines the radius at which you can affect the area around you (or all objects within that area)

  1. Touch
  2. Personal -- ~5 feet: close enough for a conversation with a friend or deep philosophy over a couple beers, elevator distance
  3. Social -- ~10 feet: close enough for a conversation with an colleague or acquaintance in the hallway
  4. Indoor distance -- ~30 feet: close enough to feel the need to either ignore or acknowledge someone
  5. Hallway distance -- ~100 feet: the end of the hall in an apartment building, a large lecture hall, a movie theatre
Force

This power determines how much strength or force you can exert with your psi powers. Its use depends on the particular skill, but the following are the sorts of objects you can affect with the Telekinesis or Energy Control powers. Both weight and size of an object are important.

  1. Finger-sized -- coin, key, die, wooden pencil, playing card, plastic spoon, pebble
  2. Fist-sized -- deck of cards (in box), wallet, mug, thin paperback, empty can, rock
  3. Forearm-sized -- hardcover book, phone handset, dinner plate, fresh bottle of beer, brick
  4. Arm-sized -- laptop, dictionary, light lawn chair, garbage can, watering can
  5. 1/2-body-sized -- child, bed-side table, wooden desk chair

Skills

There is no base Psi attribute. Psi skills have no pyramid requirements or limits on the number of ranks you can buy in a phase. You may specialize in psi skills as per the normal skill specialization rules. However, psi ranks and specialization costs twice the amount of normal skills.

Psi skills contain a number of subskills, which are listed in tiers of difficulty. To even attempt a certain subskill, you must have at least that skill modifier, whether through ranks or specialization. You also take the equivalent penalty to rolls in that subskill. For instance, to Astrally Project, you need at least +2 (Good) ESP. This could be bought with either 3 ESP ranks or 1 ESP rank and specialization in ESP(Astral Projection). All Astral Projection rolls are at -2. However, since you already have the equivalent requisite modifier, you can usually "Take 0" for most tasks.

To activate a psi ability, you must use the concentrate action, and then roll (or Take 0) for success. If you take damage while concentrating, roll Willpower - the damage taken to keep concentration. (Remember, an opponent can ready an attack for when you start concentrating.)

Most psi powers are maintained--you must concentrate every round to keep them going. Others are instantaneous, meaning they simply occur at the end of your concentrate action. Some powers are background powers, meaning you must concentrate only to turn them on or off. (Even background powers don't work when you're unconscious.) Some powers--such as ESP's Precognition--operate (at least partially) in a passive way--when the GM invokes them.

Some uses of psi require effort: they cost 1 fatigue and you cannot "Take 0" on the roll. Effort cannot be used on background or passive abilities.

You may choose to boost one or more of your power levels through exertion. This requires effort--stacking with its effects and subject to the same restrictions. For each level you add to one of your powers (Proj, Diff, or Force) for this roll, you take one point of fatigue damage at the next higher fatigue level. (So, in adding 2 levels, you would take one point of 1-level AND one point of 2-level fatigue damage.) Your skill roll is at -1. If the ability is maintained, you take one extra point of 0-level fatigue each round.

For example: Bob the Telepath has Projection 1. He is well-rested, but currently gagged and bound to a chair in a large warehouse, where his enemies lie in wait for Bob's friend, Greg, to come find him. Bob sees Greg through a small window, obliviously heading into danger; he wants to silently warn Greg with a short message. Bob can boost his Projection power to the required 3 through exertion. The initial effort means he will take 1 point of fatigue (meaning he'll be Winded afterwards) and can't Take 0. The additional exertion means the roll will be at -1. The extra two levels of fatigue means he checks off a Tired and a Very Tired box after the roll. Luckily, the message--"It's a trap! Come in the back."--is short enough that he doesn't have to maintain it next round, and so suffers no further fatigue. (If he had wanted to wait a round to read Greg's mental response, he would have to continue to concentrate and would take another Winded point of fatigue.)

SKILL Description
(Req Mod/Diff Pen | Subskill | Subskill Description)
ESP Extra sensory perception is the ability to extend your senses from your current locus. You can actively sense things from around corners and through material obstructions.

When used with Projection, this is a manifested ability, allowing for focused Observation and Examination, but not for Alertness and peripheral sensing. The area of focus is approximately 1/6 your projection range. With only touch range, you can read the contents of envelopes, etc.,

When used with Diffusion, this is a background ability, providing sensual awareness of everything in range. Most of the time, this is unconscious awareness (allowing for Alertness checks for anything interesting or unusual in range); however, you can focus your attention if you like (such as mentally inspecting the woman sitting behind you on the bus.)
[Pre: Projection or Diffusion.]
0Clairvoyance, Clairaudience, etc.Extend a single sense.
[Maintained if Projection; Background if Diffusion.]
DowsingSeek a particular object, person, or material within your Projection range. You feel a pull from your locus in the direction of your target, which tells you whether you're getting closer or further away but not how far away you are. (Certain materials or emanations may provide partial interference.)
[Maintained.]
1ClairsentienceExtend multiple senses.
[Maintained or Background.]
2Astral ProjectionExtend your soul/mind completely from your body, taking your locus with you. You cannot perceive or affect the world except through psi powers, and vice versa. You are connected to your body by a silver cord, and can return instantly. Your body is unconscious, but you can detect physical damage to it. Damage to your body does not affect your astral performance. Your astral form can take fatigue damage; and it can be rendered unconscious, drifting in the astral plane. Your sensation of the world extends to your Diffusion range (min: 1 foot), and you can move twice your Diffusion range per round.
[Pre: Projection; Background.]
Temporal Sense When diffusing your mental presence out through space, you also begin to sense the dimension of time. However, exploring time--especially actively--is quite difficult. Future probabilities are largely based on your current intentions.
[Pre: Diffusion.]
0Danger SenseYou can passively sense dangerous persons or objects that are likely to harm you (or those you care about) within your Diffusion range. You can also sense personally dangerous events up to one round (+1 round/Force level) before they happen. This is only a sense of coming danger (though a critical success would give you more information). If an attacker is within Diffusion range, you also get a +1 to your Defense roll.
[Background, Passive.]
1 PsychometryYou gain a feeling for the past ("retrocognition") of an object, place, or person. The target must be within diffusion range. With no Force, you get a sense of the most emotionally charged event. Each level of Force allows another event (from anytime), or lets you explore (with effort) a specific period in the past day/week/month/year/longer.
[Maintained.]
PrecognitionYou passively gain occasional glimpses of the future, most often in dreams. You may actively seek (with effort) for glimpses of the future, though average results provide just a flash of image or even a scent or sound. Without Force, you can only see a few rounds, up to a minute. With Force levels you can see 10 minutes/1 hour/12 hours/1 day/1 week (though possibly later, at GM's dictate).
[Passive Background or Maintained.]
Telepathy The ability to send and receive thoughts from another person. You can affect a single mind (of a target you can see or sense) within your Projection range, though you can also broadcast or empathically read everyone in Diffusion range. Greater rolls give you more information or probe deeper into the subject's mind.
[Pre: Projection or Diffusion.]
0EmpathyYou read a person's most prominent emotion or physiological need (though good rolls can reveal additional or conflicting desires). This allows you to detect lying and mental domination. You can also send emotions--such as safety and contentment, caution, or hunted fear. This does not produce the emotion in the target; the target experiences it as a message.
[Maintained.]
Mental ShieldYou can defend your mind from certain attacks with a protective mental layer. You can instantly tune out specific sending telepaths. When a telepath attempts to read your mind while your Shield is up, you may substitute your Telepathy(Mind Shield) skill for Alertness (to notice the intrusion) or use your Force power-skill (instead of Willpower) in contests to eject an intruder.

Your Shield has a number of durability points equal to your Force levels. If your Shield is up when subjected to Pain or Agony, you can use your Force power-skill in place of Willpower when resisting the attack. If you do this and still take damage, you can check off Shield durability rather than fatigue or damage. Durability points heal at the rate of 1/minute. If reduced to 0, your Shield fails. Subtract any durability damage if trying to eject a mental intruder with Force.
[Background.]
1Mind ReadYou can send or receive thoughts at a rate of verbal conversation. To read from a mind, you must first successfully invade it. The target contests your roll with Alertness(Mental) to notice the intrusion. If the target notices, they can then try to eject you with a contest of Willpower. In this contest, may use your Force power-skill instead of Willpower to force your way in. Invading a mind is a prerequisite for any Telecontrol attempts. If your read/invade roll is Good or better, you can access the target's memories.
[Pre: Projection to read; Projection or Diffusion to send; Maintained.]
2CommunionWhen mentally reading a willing telepath, you can expand the connection and enter into a full mental communion, allowing you both to communicate with each other at the speed of thought.
[Instantaneous, but the reading/link must be Maintained.]
Telecontrol You can mentally control others, whether by subtly affecting their thoughts, altering their memories, or completely dominating their minds. You can only affect one mind at a time in this way, so Projection is required. You must have already successfully invaded the subject's mind with Mind Read before you can try to control it.
[Pre: Projection; Decent Telepathy(Mind Read).]
0NudgeYou can make very subtle suggestions to the subject. You can generally only expand on something already in the same domain. Examples include making a $1 bill look like a $100 or making a common baseball card (but not a playing card) look like a rare collectable card. You can encourage certain existing trains of thought--if the subject is thinking about how mad they are at someone, you can make them madder (or less mad). If you have access to their memories, this may be easier (+1) if you can encourage certain relevant recollections. You may also be able to encourage certain thoughts or states that lull a subject into complacency or slight inattention.

You cannot Nudge someone if they are aware of you in their mind. The subject contests each Nudge with Alertness(Mental) to notice your presence.
[Instantaneous, but the reading/link must be Maintained.]
1SuggestionA stronger kind of Nudge, you can encourage certain thoughts or behaviors the subject is not already engaged in. If the behavior is unusual for the current situation, the subject contests your suggestion with Willpower. If the behavior is in opposition to the person's normal beliefs or habits, the subject gets a bonus to Willpower.

For example, you might Suggest that a late-night guard take a little nap. If the guard is lazy (and tends to nap on the job occasionally), there is no contest. If the guard is normally very diligent, he may contest the Suggestion. Suggesting the guard go home and check that the stove is off would grant at contest at +1, since the guard knows not to leave his post. This mild-mannered, well-adjusted guard is unlikely to follow a Suggestion to kill someone (+3) or himself (+4).

As Nudge, each Suggestion is opposed by Alertness(Mental) to notice your presence. You can set a Suggestion to fire later given certain conditions.
[Instantaneous, but the reading/link must be Maintained.]
2Alter MemoriesYou can delete, edit, or insert a memory in the subject.
[Instantaneous, but the reading/link must be Maintained.]
SleepYou can put the subject into a normal sleep. Doing so alerts the subject to your presence, but if you succeed in the Sleep attempt, they won't remember it when they wake up. Roll a contest of your Force power-skill and the subject's Willpower to succeed.
[Instantaneous, but the reading/link must be Maintained.]
DominateYou can shove someone's mind aside and operate their body. The initial shove requires effort, and automatically alerts the subject to your presence. Roll a contest of your Force power-skill and the subject's Willpower to see if you succeed wresting control. If successful, the subject looses conscious control of their body for as long as you maintain the Domination. (If you lose, you're still in their mind, though they may try to eject you.) Any round you want to control the body and experience its senses, you must totally concentrate, ignoring your own surroundings.
[Maintained.]
Static You can produce a strange anit-psi static field. With practice, this can be shaped into a force that causes pain and even physical damage to non-psis.
[Pre: Projection or Diffusion; Force.]
0Interference Subtract your Force from each of the affected psi's powers, to a minimum of 1 level remaining in each power, or to 0 if you activate with effort. Victims of your interference can increase their power normally from their new levels by exertion despite your static. (If used with Diffusion, treat your own powers as also reduced for all other uses except Interference.)
[Maintained if by Projection; Background if by Diffusion.]
1Pain You cause fatigue damage in the subject, which is experienced as a steadily growing pain. Each round, roll a contest of your Force power-skill vs. the subject's Willpower. On a success, the subject takes a point of fatigue damage.
[Maintained.]
2Agony You have perfected your ability to inflict pain to the extent that it damages brain tissue and living flesh, causing hemorrhaging and agony in the subject. As Pain, but does physical damage.
[Maintained.]
Telekinesis You can move physical objects with your mind. The size and weight limits of objects you can affect are determined by your Force. The max speed at which you can move an object depends on how much your Force exceeds that needed to simply affect the object:
0) perceptible motion, but inching along
1) walking pace
2) as a soft, underhanded pitch
3) as a fast hard speedball pitch, hard to see with the naked eye
4) faster than can be seen with the naked eye
5) faster than sound, fast as a bullet

If attacking with a moved object, it does damage = (speed - 3). This may be modified if the object is particularly soft or sharp, or based on its size (+1 for most objects larger than 4). A Good Telekinesis roll is usually needed to keep an object oriented in a certain direction while it travels, and it takes a Ranged Combat roll to hit accurately.

When used with Diffusion, you indiscriminatingly affect all objects within your power, moving them towards or away from yourself, or in a certain direction.
[Pre: Projection or Diffusion; Force.]
0ShoveYou can push an object in a single direction, as if with the invisible palm of a hand. This can be a quick push, or it can maintained for sustained motion. (You may be able to topple tall objects of one size smaller than you can normally affect.)
[Instantaneous or Maintained.]
1MoveYou can lift an object or move an whole object in 3 dimensions, as if it were clutched in a large fist.
[Maintained.]
ShieldBy exerting a field of force at a distance up to your Diffusion range, you can (partially) deflect physical blows. You gain armor equivalent to your Force.
[Pre: Diffusion; Maintained.]
2ManipulateYou can rotate an object or move parts of an object independently, as if using fingers or even two hands. For example, you could write your name (crudely) with a pencil or make a toy soldier walk along the floor.
[Maintained.]
Energy Control You can shape and create fire or electricity in an object or space within your Projection range.
[Pre: Projection; Force.]
0PyrokinesisThe degree of control you have over fire depends on your Force level. At level 1, you can only manipulate flames. You can make shapes, or direct a small fire to burn in a direction of your choosing (provided there is fuel to sustain it). You can even cause a fire to jump small distances to ignite another object. Your skill roll determines how well you manipulate the flames.

At Force level 2, you can create a very small candle-like flame. At Force level 3, you can create a flame (about the size of a hand) that does 0-level damage. For each additional Force level, you can create a flame large enough to do the next level of damage--Force level 4 does 1-level damage, 5 does 2-level, etc.

Instantaneous flashes of flame singe and scorch, but usually don't last long enough to actually ignite anything but very flammable materials (such as tinder, gasoline, loose dry rags, etc.). You can Maintain a fire, causing it to burn without external fuel. This requires effort every round, and reduces the damage level of the flames by one. (At level 2, this reduces your flame to a smoldering ember about the size of a cigarette tip.)
[Instantaneous or Maintained.]
ElectrokinesisAs Pyrokinesis, but you manipulate electricity. When manipulating, you can also interrupt or dampen electrical current, dimming lights or turning off electrical gadgets.

At Force level 2, you can create an electrical spark or tingle, as per a good static discharge. This can damage sensitive electrical components if directed correctly. Higher levels of damage can impact larger and more fortified systems. Electrical damage causes fatigue, rather than physical damage, to living things. This may be accompanied by spasms and pain.

Electrokinesis can be maintained, as per Pyrokinesis. (This allows for that old trick of lighting a held light bulb.)
[Instantaneous or Maintained.]

You may be able to take some limitations or focuses in regards to your psi abilities. Example limitations include:

You may be able to buy only one or two subskill abilities for cheaper than the whole skill. For example, if you can only cause Pain with your Static skill, you could buy two ranks for the price of one. Similarly, if you can only send with your Telepathy skill, you might be able to buy ranks at 1/3 the price. Talk to your GM about the details.

Additional special powers may be possible for high-powered psis, such as Psi Lobotomy, Mental Healing, Mindswap, Metabolism Control, Psychic Vampirism, or Teleportation.


SD Consortium : SD Emporium : Zludge : City9
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Last Edited: 30 Dec 2007
©2007 by Z. Tomaszewski