THE SCIFI20 PLAYER S GUIDEBOOK Based on the original TRAVELLER S HANDBOOK BY MARTIN DOUGHERTY AND HUNTER GORDON Concept and Rules Design Hunter Gordon Additional Input Bruce Runnels John Hemmert Mike Jeff Andy Lilly Marc Miller Various Citizens of the Imperium FOREWARD The SciFi20 System of which this book is the first, is the direct descendant of the original T20 Traveller s Handbook originally published in 2001. You will find some tweaks to the rules here and there but SF20 remain completely compatible with its ancestry. Mostly what we ve done is clean things up a little bit, clarified a few things a bit better, stripped out any implied setting material and/or restrictions, and paved the road for a more complete and fully generic science fiction roleplaying game based on the d20 System. CREDITS LAYOUT DESIGN Hunter Gordon COVER ARTWORK Bryan Gibson Interior Artwork Bryan Gibson, Steve Bryant, Chad Fidler, Paul Daly, Jason Millet, and Allen Nunis DEDICATION To those who came before and to those still to come. Special Thanks Bruce Runnels. You will always be the man. Marc W. Miller. I can never thank you enough. Matthew Gordon. Thanks son, for everything. Edition 1.31 Website http://www.rpgrealms.com Copyright 2011 Hunter Gordon. All rights reserved. SciFi20 and SF20 are trademarks of Hunter Gordon and used with permission. Reproduction of this work in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by the Open Game License or where permission to photocopy is clearly stated, is expressly forbidden. Portions of this work are released under the Open Game License (OGL), a copy of which is available at the rear of this book, along with the designation of all Open Game Content and Product Identity specified for this body of work.
TABLE OF CONTENTS CREDITS INTRODUCTION...4 Roleplaying Games...4 SciFi20...4 The Referee...4 Player Characters...4 Adventures...4 Campaigns...4 What You Need To Play...4 Dice...4 Rounding Fractions...4 Multiplying...5 The Core Mechanic...5 Difficulty Classes...5 Degree Of Success...5 Opposed Checks...5 Retrying...5 Favorable And Unfavorable Conditions...5 Time And Checks...5 Combining Checks...6 Specific Checks...6 Attack Rolls...6 Saving Throws...6 Skill Checks...6 Ability Checks...6 Character Creation Steps...7 1. Ability Scores...7 2. Choose Race...7 3. Determine Homeworld...7 4. Character Development...7 5. Final Details...8 CHAPTER 1: BASIC ATTRIBUTES...9 Abilities...9 Generating Ability Scores...11 Ability Modifiers...11 Lifeblood And Stamina...11 Encumbrance...12 Height And Weight...12 CHAPTER 2: HUMAN AND ALIENS...14 Humans...14 Dremen...14 Developing Aliens...14 Bonuses...14 Penalties...15 Sample Alien Species...16 Anduin...16 Grays (Tchelat)...16 Hadar...16 Khuur...17 Lyryn...17 Runai...17 Vorfen...18 CHAPTER 3: HOMEWORLDS...19 Determining The Homeworld...19 World Trade Classification...19 World Skills...20 World Feats...20 CHAPTER 4: PRIOR HISTORY...22 Beginning A Term...22 The Educational Path...22 The Employment Path...23 Ending A Term...24 Keeping Notes...24 The Next Step...24 Educational Options...26 University...26 Employment Options...28 Academic...28 Army...29 Barbarian...30 Belter...31 Marines...32 Mercenary...33 Merchants...34 Navy...35 Noble...36 Professional...37 Rogue...38 Scouts...39 Traveller...40 CHAPTER 5: CLASSES AND LEVELS...41 Prior History And Classes...41 Mustering Out...41 Multiple Classes...41 Taking A Class Level...42 Class Descriptions...42 Understanding The Entries...42 Academic...44 Army...45 Barbarian...47 Belter...48 Marine...49 Mercenary...50 Merchants...51 Navy...52 Noble...53 Professional...54 Rogue...55 Scouts...56 Traveller...57 Ace Pilot...58 Big Game Hunter...59 Field Reporter...60 chapter 6: Skills...62 Skill Basics...62 Using Skills...63 Skill Descriptions...69 chapter 7: Feats...94 Feat Descriptions...95 chapter 8: Technology and Equipment...110 Starting Money...110 Starting Equipment...110 Prior History And Mustering Out...110 Starting Funds...110 Retirement Pay...110 Additional Benefits...110 What Next?... 111 Technology... 111 Weapons...114 Weapons By TL...114 Non-Standard Ammunition...117 Accessories...117 Grenades and Explosives...118 2
Armor...119 Shields...122 Equipment...122 Equipment By TL...122 Communications...124 Food and Overhead...125 Medicine and Biotechnology...125 OPEN GAME LICENSE INFORMATION...127 CREDITS 3
INTRODUCTION CHARACTER CREATION STEPS Roleplaying Games A roleplaying game is a game in which the players each take on the roles of various characters in a fictional universe, much like the actors in a movie or a play. One player must be selected to take on the role of the Referee, which in many ways is similar to the role of writer and director in said play or movie. Together the referee and the other players can bring to life many exciting stories and adventures shaped by their own actions and designs. SCIFI20 SciFi20 is a specific type of roleplaying game geared toward the science-fiction genre. The rules presented in this book will enable you to design, create, develop, and equip almost any type of character you might encounter in a near or far future setting. The Referee The referee is the player who creates and runs the adventures the other players characters will participate in as well as designing the setting of the overall campaign. It is the referee s job to adjudicate the rules evenly and fairly as he or she is the final arbiter of the rules in this book. The referee also has the task of playing out the roles of the various non-player characters or NPCs that the player characters (or PCs) will encounter throughout the course of the adventure and overall campaign. Player Characters Each player, other than the referee, will usually take on the role of a single character for the course of the adventure and will typically continue to play the same character from adventure to adventure during the course of the referee s campaign. Player s taking on the role of multiple characters is possible, but only recommended for experienced players and with the approval of the referee. Your character might be: A burned-out Scout Service pilot on the edge of a breakdown. A young medical student working passage aboard a Free Trader to earn enough for the rest of her medical degree. A tough ex-marine searching for his missing brother. A smooth-talking merchant captain, charming but deadly with her twin gauss pistols. An unappreciated genius, ridiculed by the scientific community but determined to vindicate himself. An ex-navy officer with a dark secret. A professional adventurer doing it for the thrill of it all! Or any other role or concept you can think of. Adventures The referee will present the players with various adventures (either created by the referee or using a published adventure) that are designed to pose a challenge to the creativity, skill, and daring of the players characters. During the course of the adventure the players, through their characters, will have to deal with the obstacles and situations posed by the referee in order to complete their task. Adventures are usually played over the course of one or more evenings, depending on the length of the adventure and the time available to play. Campaigns A campaign is a series of adventures in which the players characters gain experience and ability based on their exploits. Generally each player continues to play the same character from adventure to adventure, barring the death or incapacitation of the player s character. WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY Please note that this rulebook is not a standalone game system. It is intended to be used with the SciFi20 Referee s Rulebook. Possession of this Guidebook for players and the Referee s Handbook is all that is required to use SF20. This book presents all the data a player needs to participate in a game of SF20. In order to Referee SF20 you will need at least the following items: The Referee s Handbook, which contains full rules for combat, vehicle and starship design, world and star system design, trade and commerce, character progression and experience, and Refereeing notes allowing a full game to be run. One or more of each of the following types of dice: four-sided (d4), six-sided (d6), eight-sided (d8), ten-sided (d10), twelvesided (d12), and twenty-sided (d20). Pencil (or pen) and paper for keeping notes about your character and the adventure. Graph paper is also recommended for making maps of places your character has visited. DICE Dice rolls are described with expressions such as 3d4+3, which means roll three four-sided dice and add 3 (resulting in a number between 6 and 15). The first number tells you how many dice to roll (adding the results together). The number immediately after the d tells you the type of die to use. Any number after that indicates a quantity that is added or subtracted from the result. The following dice are commonly used in SF20 games: d4 A four-sided die. d6 A six-sided die. d8 An eight sided die. d10 A ten-sided die. d12 A twelve-sided die. d20 A twenty-sided die. d% or d100 Percentile dice work a little differently. You generate a number between 1 and 100 by rolling two different ten-sided dice. One (designated before you roll) is the tens digit. The other is the ones digit. Two 0s represent 100. Rounding Fractions In general, if you wind up with a fraction, round down, even if the fraction is one-half or larger. Exception: Certain rolls, such as damage and hit points, have a minimum of 1. 4
Multiplying Sometimes a rule makes you multiply a number or a die roll. As long as you re applying a single multiplier, multiply the number normally. When two or more multipliers apply to any abstract value (such as a modifier or a die roll), however, combine them into a single multiple, with each extra multiple adding 1 less than its value to the first multiple. Thus, a double ( 2) and a double ( 2) applied to the same number results in a triple ( 3, because 2 + 1 = 3). When applying multipliers to real-world values (such as weight or distance), normal rules of math apply instead. A creature whose size doubles (thus multiplying its weight by 8) and then is turned to stone (which would multiply its weight by a factor of roughly 3) now weighs about 24 times normal, not 10 times normal. Similarly, a blinded creature attempting to negotiate difficult terrain would count each square as 4 squares (doubling the cost twice, for a total multiplier of 4), rather than as 3 squares (adding 100% twice). The Core Mechanic Whenever you attempt an action that has some chance of failure, you must make a task check or simply a check. A check is made by rolling 1d20 (one twenty-sided die). The following steps are taken to determine if your character succeeds at a task: Roll a d20. Apply any relevant modifiers. Compare the result to a target number. If the result equals or exceeds the target number, known as a Difficulty Class or DC, your character succeeds. If the result is lower than the target number, you fail. Difficulty Classes Difficulty classes are assigned by the Referee whenever a character attempts a task, and range from 0 (easiest) to 45 (hardest). Type DC Example Simple 0 Walk across the floor Very Easy 5 Climb a ladder Easy 10 Climb a knotted rope Average 15 Plot a course to a familiar star system Hard 20 Jump a horse over an obstacle while riding Difficult 25 Swim in churning, storm driven water Formidable 30 Remove a bullet from a victim. Challenging 35 Plot a course to an uncharted star, while under fire and without a computer. Incredible 40 Convince the judge that a pardon scrawled on the back of a cocktail napkin really is from the planetary governor Nearly Impossible 45 Perform brain surgery with a low-tech field surgical kit, under fire, in the rain, while wounded Degree of Success A character s degree of success is determined by how much better than the DC the roll turns out to be. With some specific checks or where the referee deems appropriate, better than average success or greater than average failure can result in increased reward or penalty. DC-20 or lower DC-10 or lower DC or higher DC+10 or higher DC+20 or higher Incredible Failure Great Failure Success Great Success Incredible Success Opposed Checks An opposed check is used when another character or NPC directly opposes a check being attempted. For example a character attempting to Bluff her way past a customs officer would be an opposed skill check against the custom officer s Sense Motive check. The character makes her Bluff skill check roll and the Referee makes a Sense Motive skill check roll for the customs officer. If the character s Bluff skill check roll is higher than the customs officer s Sense Motive check roll, the custom officer believes the character s bluff. In the case of a tie, the side with the higher appropriate ability scores for their skill wins. If there is still a tie, both sides roll the skill checks again. Retrying In general, the character can try a check again if it fails, and can keep trying indefinitely. Some checks, however, have consequences of failure that must be taken into account. Some checks are virtually useless once a character has failed on an attempt to accomplish a particular task. For most checks, when a character has succeeded once at a given task, additional successes are meaningless. If a check carries no penalties for failure, the player can choose to Take 20 and assume that the character keeps at it long enough to succeed eventually. Favorable and Unfavorable Conditions Some situations may make a check easier or harder to complete, resulting in a bonus or penalty added to the modifier for the check or a change to the DC of the check. The Referee can alter the odds of success in four ways to take into account exceptional circumstances: 1. Give the character a +2 bonus to represent circumstances that improve performance. 2. Give the character a 2 penalty to represent conditions that hamper performance. 3. Reduce the DC by 2 to represent circumstances that make the task easier. 4. Increase the DC by 2 to represent circumstances that make the task harder. A bonus to the character s modifier and a reduction in the check s DC have the same result: they create a better chance that the character will succeed. But they represent different circumstances, and sometimes that difference is important. Time and Checks Completing a check might take a round, take no time, or take several rounds or even longer. Most checks are standard actions, move-equivalent actions, or full-round actions. Types of actions define how long activities take to perform within the framework of a combat round (6 seconds) and how movement is treated with CHARACTER CREATION STEPS 5