Quick Start Rules 3

Edges

After the Challenge winner is determined, that player may narrate the outcome. The first success will be the primary outcome declared or the standard default (e.g. strike or shoot a target). Extra successes, called Edges, may be selected from those in the following table or those listed on the figure’s Crew Card.

Edges are advantages created by extra successes beyond a figure’s primary success. For every three points in a figure’s Margin of Success (MoS) score they may add an Edge (¢E) to their results (i.e. at +3, 6, 9, etc.). 

Common Edges are available to all figures that meet the prerequisites for their use. Individual Crew Cards may also contain other Edges available to that figure. The number of Edges needed for each effect will be listed as either one (¢E) or two (¢EE).

The primary success for an attack is a hit on the main opponent unless the attacker has declared a different effect. A single Edge effect may be swapped for a primary success. A two Edge (¢EE) effect requires the cost of the primary success combined with the first Edge.

·       Abuse: This effect shifts ► one Severity column. This may be applied only once per hit.

·       Extra Abuse: This effect shifts ►► two Severity columns if the figure’s Crew Card lists this Edge as available. This may be applied only once per hit.

 

·       Extra Hit: Your primary opponent is hit again by a follow-up attack. This Edge may be selected multiple times if available to the specified attack type.

Alternating attackers using this Edge through Teamwork expend one Edge only. The primary attack hits first thereafter other hits may be alternated among team members.

·       Extra Target: A second opponent is hit if within 3” of a primary shooting target or within a fighter’s weapon reach. This Edge may be selected multiple times if available to the specified attack type.

·       Move ≤ 2": A figure may move once up to 2” left, right, back or forward into any unoccupied space relative to their main opponent

·       Slam~p: A physical or kinetic attack may Slam an opponent forcing the Target to take a Resistance Check on the Slam Effects Table. This may also be a push-back or trip effort that allows either figure to swap their Acts for their Body attribute.

·       Break Hold↔Grab or Grapple: a Grab is a one hand restraint (h) and a Grapple is a two-handed restraint (hh). A restrained figure can’t Disengage (page 32) or Move until they Break-Hold. Breaking a Grapple takes a Draw card loss [‒].

A Break-Hold from an opposing restraint is an AoN Maneuver Challenge or Physical Challenge  of your choice. The outcome determines if the Grab or Grapple continues or the Break-Hold succeeds in freeing the figure.

Counterattack: The attacker may be subjected to a return attack if their Defense value is equaled or exceeded by a defender

The defender may inflict a Partial Hit Effect on an attacker if their Challenge score equals the attacker’s Defense.

The defender may inflict a full hit on an attacker if their Challenge score exceeds the attacker’s Defense by a 1- or 2-point Margin of Success (MoS). A full hit allows the defender to score combat Edges, as if they had been the original attacker, by counting their Margin of Success from the attacker’s Defense (i.e. attacker’s Def +3, 6, 9, etc.) 

Edge Results

After the winner has selected and declared their Edges then the defeated figure must take Attribute, Protection or Resistance Challenges or Checks, as needed, for each Effect declared. If the winner has unusable or excess Edges they may not be applied.

 

Protection and Resistance

A figure that receives one or more attack effects must make a Protection or Resistance Check to determine the effect level for each one. The Check procedure is used for resolution. 

For an “All or Nothing” (AoN) effect the Effects Levels table is not needed. AoN Checks treat partial success as a “nothing” result so only full success results will apply.

A Recovery Check is a Resistance Check that allows the target to pick their resistant attribute from among those listed on the attack effect’s description. Recovery Checks are taken when a figure is first activated, even if they are placed on Wait status. Take one Recovery Check per ongoing Condition.

Damage Capacity that is lost must be healed; it cannot be recovered by checks. Whenever taking a Recovery Check, use the Moderate effect column to determine results.

An entry for Protection and Resistance values lists the affected trait followed by the numerical value for a specific class (such as physical or energy for Protection or Acts-Body or Mind-Soul for Resistance). Any protection sub-types are preceded by the “greater than” symbol (>) then the subtype symbols and numeric value. Sub-types are usually improved classes of the main protection; such as physical armor with extra ballistic (b) protection or energy armor with extra laser (ls) protection.

The figure with the listed protection or resistance is free to use the “best of” rating against the effect targeting them (this is where the sub-types and combinations become useful).

Example: Ballistic armor is common in the Gothorian setting, such as dp3>b5[+ +]~e3 Translation: physical-3 protection with improved ballistic-5 protection plus two bonus Draw cards and a separate (~) energy-3 protection.

Example: A meta with stony flesh d [+]◄▲ p6~e6  Translation: overall one bonus Draw card, plus one left column shift and one up row shift with physical-6~energy-6 protection.

Protection and Resistance Modifiers

Protection Checks apply against hits that inflict direct physical or energy damage. Their Armor Value (d) physical~p or energy~e rating adds to their selected Draw card. All figures with or without armor receive the Neutral [Ø] Draw card at minimum.

Resistance Checks are taken against hits that bypass protection and directly attack the figure’s Attributes (Acts, Body, Mind or Soul). A figure’s Attribute value adds to their selected Draw card. All figures receive the Neutral [Ø] Draw card at minimum.

The attacker’s Target Number (TN) is 10 plus the attack Force (F°).

Force: the base Force value for each attack a figure has is listed on the Crew Card. If you gain extra Force from active (face up) Force icons, they can be allocated among extra hits or targets as you desire but no single effect may exceed base Force x2.

Extra Cast F° draws from Aligned Suits usually same color but some Hybrid Casters may use other combinations (a Caster’s alignment appears on the Crew Card in front of their name). Extra Fight F° draws from red Suits (♦ ♥). Extra Shoot F° draws from black Suits (♣ ♠).

Partial Success: a hit where the two Challenge results are equal shifts the outcome one column left (◄).

Abuse or Extra Abuse Edges: These will shift the outcome one or two columns right (►or ►►) and cannot be combined with one another. Extra Abuse Edges are only available through specific Special Abilities or Power Effects.

The defender’s draw hand is equal to one Neutral card [Ø] plus all bonus [+] draw cards minus all penalty [−] draw cards.

Behind Hard Cover: A figure behind hard cover but visible adds one bonus Draw card. If completely covered but detected, the cover can be attacked. Resistance Checks do not benefit from Hard Cover since the attack bypasses armor and cover.

Results

• If the defender’s score is greater than the Target Number, there is no effect.
• If the defender’s score equals the Target Number, a contact effect will apply if the effect has Touch in its’ profile. The primary attack takes a column shift ◄.
• If the defender’s score is less than the Target Number, the difference is the defender’s Margin of Failure (MoF). This is cross-referenced with the Effects Table (the lower chart).

Effects Tables

The attack’s Severity letter (VL=Very Low, L=Low, M=Moderate, H=High, VH=Very High) determines the starting column for an effect. The Protection or Resistance Check’s Margin of Failure (MoF) determines the row within that column (Scratch, Light, Minor, Serious, Grievous or Overkill); the higher the Margin of Failure the worse the result.

Column and row shifts (▲▼◄ ►) change the starting position by one shift per symbol. Opposed symbols cancel one another. Left ◄ or right ► shifts end when they reach either the Very Low ▲ or Very High ▼ columns where they become row shifts instead.

If the effect shifts off the left or right numbered column, those column shifts become row shifts instead.

An All or Nothing (AoN) attack does not use the Effect Table; it is either full effect or no effect.

The Scratch Effect row will trigger a Contact Effect (i.e. a touch causes the effect). In addition, all attacks are treated as a partial success (shift effect column ◄). 

The next four rows (Light, Minor, Serious and Grievous) are matched to the Damage or Conditions listed as the Effect Levels on the second table. 

The Overkill column is a Level 4 effect with an additional Stunned effect; Physical, Mental and Combat Traits are [– –] until the figure makes a successful Recovery Check when they activate. A figure that is already Stunned that receives a second Stunned effect is taken Out of Action.

Attacks that do physical or energy damage and require a Protection Check to determine the Effect Level take the number of damage points following the ╬ symbol. This is the same amount of damage taken by non-living targets (tools symbol).

Effects that target Attributes and require a Resistance Check to determine the Effect Level take penalty cards of impairment from [‒] to [‒]x4. Condition effects persist until the target succeeds in lowering or cancelling them by a Recovery Check

 .

Whenever taking a Recovery Check, use the Moderate effect column for results.

A Crew Card’s descriptive text for Condition effects reads C[─] Affects (specified Attributes and Combat Traits) Recovery (specified Attributes or Combat Traits). The specified Attributes and Combat Traits are reduced by impairment penalty cards until the figure can recover. 

Alternate Effect Tables

The following effects (Panic and Fear / Shock / Slam) use the same Effects Table but have the outcomes listed here instead of the usual ones for Damage and Condition.

PANIC and FEAR

Level 1 Stand: This figure will stand their ground but may not move closer to the threat they reacted to. Remove this effect at the end of the Closing Phase.

Level 2 Duck Back: This figure will seek the nearest cover ≤ ½Move away from or parallel to the threat they reacted to or they will hide if already in cover. Remove this effect at the end of the Closing Phase.

Level 3 Fall Back: This figure must Run away from the threat they reacted to toward your own field edge but may use Quick Shots or Wild Swings at [‒] while doing so.

Level 4 Retreat: This figure must Rush away from the threat they reacted to until they Recover or leave the field by the nearest edge. If cornered by terrain or in combat, they will surrender.

L4 (Fear) Petrified: This figure becomes Inactive and unable to take any moves or other actions until they Recover. An Inactive Defense drops to a “0”.

All effects occur immediately but Level 3 and 4 Move effects are reduced for figures that have already activated the current turn. The L3 effect is a ½Move fall back and the L4 is their full Move in retreat.

Rally

Leader figures may initiate a Recovery Check when activated on all allies within their Command Zone using an Interaction (Cp). Based on their leadership skill they may also be able to give the checking figure a Recovery Aid bonus listed on their Crew Card. 

This Recovery Check is in addition to the panicked figure’s own Recovery Check that they may take when they activate.

SHOCK

Level 1 Dazed: This figure suffers a penalty card [─] to all Combat Traits until the end of the Closing Phase (Ω).

Level 2 Shaken: This figure suffers two penalty cards [─ ─] to all Combat Traits until the end of the Closing Phase (Ω).

Level 3 Stunned: This figure may only take Reactive Actions at [─ ─] until Recovery↔Body or Soul

Level 4 Unconscious: This figure is Out of Action (OoA) but may be activated for Recovery Checks↔Body or Soul

An attack that inflicts Blunt Shock has its’ result shifted one column left ◄ from the primary attack effect. A Shock secondary effect that is linked to a primary attack usually has the same Effect Severity (i.e. column) as the primary effect.

A figure recovers from a Level 1 or 2 effect at the end of the Closing Phase. A Level 3 or 4 effect requires a Recovery Check versus Body or Soul when the figure first activates, even if they assume a Wait status.

SLAM

Level 1 Staggered: This figure may be shifted up to two inches back away from the attacker by the attacker. The attacker may follow up the move to maintain contact.

Level 2 Knock Down: This figure is Staggered (as the above effect) and then placed prone. The attacker may follow up the knock down to maintain contact.

Level 3 Knock Back: The Staggered effect is improved to a distance equal to the Resistance Check’s Margin of Failure +2” and then the figure is placed prone. The attacker may follow up the knock back by ≤ a 2” Move.

Level 4 Extra Knock Back: The Staggered effect is improved to a distance equal to the Resistance Check’s Margin of Failure x2” +2” and then the figure is placed prone. The attacker may follow up the knock back by ≤ a 2” Move.

If the figure collides with an object when forced back treat that as if they had fallen the full Slam distance.

A figure collision occurs if the target fails an All or Nothing Maneuver Check. Use Falling Effect damage values. A flying figure that takes a Slam effect has its’ result shifted one column right ►.

This is the final installment to the Quick Start rules. These may be downloaded at the rules link at the top of this page.