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Breccia RPG

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BRECCIA
Science Fantasy Role-playing Game
© 2020 by Michael Walton

Based on the CYOA "Customary Change


of Citizenship" posted by Imgur user
Elite_AI and written by various authors
Front Cover by MechaCon Space Cowboy
Intererior Art by David Revoy (www.davidrevoy.com)
Back Cover by Javier Bolado (javierbolado.com)
Images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1: Welcome to Breccia – World Background (p. 1)

Chapter 2: Character Creation (p. 31)

Chapter 3: Rules and Systems (p. 55)

Chapter 4: Equipment and Weapons (p. 69)

Chapter 5: Antagonists (p. 91)

Chapter 6: What Do We Do Now? – Campaigns and


Adventures (p. 122)

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CHAPTER 1: WELCOME TO BRECCIA
Breccia takes place on a world unlike our own. This alternate Earth has the same
continents as ours with the addition of a landmass about two-thirds the size of Australia –
plus some associated islands – located in the Atlantic Ocean north of the equator. Breccia
(BREH-chee-uh) is the only country on this super-island.
Our Earth and Breccia's differ in another important way; they have different physical
laws. In Breccia magic is possible, and the laws of physics allow for technologies that
would be impossible in real life. Breccia is a land of both magic and super-science. No
one has been able to make either work anywhere else in the world, so this quirk of
physical laws appears to be localized in Breccia.
Breccia takes place during modern times, though some of the city-states look like
typical fantasy worlds, others seem like settings out of science fiction, and still others
have elements of both. Players take on the roles of Breccian natives or immigrants from
the outside world who have been organized into troubleshooting teams. Breccia is a great
place to live, but it has its share of troubles. The government's solution? Recruit some
poor schmucks... that is, bold adventurers... to solve these problems.

Municipalities
In geology breccia is a type of conglomerate rock made up of different minerals fused
together. This is a perfect metaphor for the character of the Breccian nation. Breccia
consists of 26 city-states, each of which controls a swath of surrounding territory. The
island also has large wilderness areas. Each wilderness theoretically falls under the
jurisdiction of the nearest municipality, but in practice there are frequent border disputes.
It is rare for these disputes to devolve into armed conflicts, but fistfights in the
government halls have been known to occur.
In addition to the city-states there are dozens of towns, villages and independent
homesteads. As with the wildernesses each of these falls under the jurisdiction of the
nearest municipality. Border disputes over the disposition of these smaller communities
is usually settled by taking a vote within the affected community – but disagreements
over the disposition of strategically important communities is the source of most of the
armed conflict between municipalities.
The descriptions of the municipalities below are deliberately vague. The intention is
for the GM – and, to a lesser degree, the players – to flesh out many of the details. Later
chapters provide some information on notable personalities and some of the better known
hazards of each region.

Acameera (ah-kah-MEER-ah)
Acameera lies at the junction of four rivers bordering a large lake. Millennia ago the
city was flooded in a great cataclysm, and when the waters subsided the rain forest
reclaimed the city. People returned to rebuild about three centuries ago, but instead of
clearing away the overgrowth they incorporated it into the city's infrastructure. In
Acameera there is no difference between urban area and greenbelt.
The waters that flooded the city haven't completely dried up, so the Acameerans have
made the waters part of the city, as well; Acameera has canals instead of roads. Private
boats have to be specially licensed, but the public ferries run like clockwork and can

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reach most parts of the city. All electricity is generated using sustainable tech – mainly
wind and solar, but most buildings are also equipped with biomass reactors. These serve
the dual purpose of generating power and reducing the amount of garbage. Acameera is
the cleanest city in Breccia.
The plants that grow everywhere – both on the buildings and inside them – aren't just
decorative. They are also an integral part of the city's food and pharmaceutical
production. Every house has window and roof gardens in addition to house plants; in
Acameera one isn't taken seriously as a cook unless one grows one's own herbs, and most
families grow at least some of their own fruits and vegetables. Spices and food plants,
including some that grow nowhere else, are Acameera's main exports. The omnipresent
plants also contribute to Acameera having the highest air quality on the island. Add the
warm sub-tropical climate and Acameera is quite a pleasant place to live.
No place is perfect, however. The downside of life in Acameera is that the city hasn't
been entirely rebuilt. The ruins are dangerous in their own right – a collapse could occur
at any time, and some sections are still flooded. The ruins are also home to disease-
bearing vermin and a breeding ground for monsters. The city licenses adventurers to
recover lost knowledge, salvageable tech, and ancient artifacts, and there's good money to
be made eliminating monsters (preferably before they attack the settled parts of town).

Alluria (ah-LOO-ree-ah)
Thirty-two years ago Alluria was known as Tanith. The government was a corrupt
plutocracy that made life hell for those citizens not fortunate enough to be part of the 1%.
That state of affairs ended when the current government – the criminal element under the
previous administration – led a revolution that ousted the plutocrats and instituted a more
meritocratic (but still unabashedly capitalist) regime. Alluria still has its share of crime,
but life there is much kinder and gentler than it once was.
Alluria's metro area is the largest of all the municipalities, partly because it has
suburbs in place of associated wilderness. The city proper is rife with skyscrapers and
arcologies, though not without its share of parks. Parts of the outer ring are dedicated to
manufacturing, but there is no farmland. Alluria has plenty of clean water and the best
wastewater treatment in Breccia, but it is a food desert. The municipality exports all
manner of manufactured goods and imports nearly all of its food. Despite the prevalence
of industry Alluria has excellent air quality thanks to strict anti-pollution statutes, harsh
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restrictions on the number of private vehicles, and a highly efficient mass transit system.
Alluria really is what cities in the wider world aspire to be.
Life in Alluria is all about the hustle. People here embrace the saying, "Those who
will not work will not eat." Most Allurians work long hours for pay that is barely
equitable, but Alluria is a true meritocracy. Those who are good at their jobs have job
security, and those who make the effort to improve themselves can be promoted into
positions where the pay and perks are better. Competence is always rewarded, and
networking alone isn't enough to get ahead... though few reach the upper echelons
without it. Because of this work ethic and the income earned from exports Alluria has the
highest standard of living in Breccia. That the city achieved this largely without magic is
doubly impressive; magic practitioners comprise less than 0.5% of the population.
Not all of Alluria's criminal element went legit and became government; the
municipality still has plenty of smugglers, drug dealers, petty thieves, and loan sharks.
The difference is that crime is now harder to get away with. No doubt this is a direct
result of having a police force that was organized by former criminals. The law makes a
point of cracking down harder on violent offenders, and the one crime that is always
punished is tax evasion. Alluria's leaders recognize the necessity of a safety valve –
people sometimes need to feel like they're getting away with something – so the
government looks the other way as long as long as one doesn't disturb the peace or deny
the government its cut. In Alluria all citizens, even the criminals, are expected to be
productive members of society.

A.M.B.I.T.I.O.N.
The Academy for Multidisciplinary B. Intellectual Tuition – if anyone knows what the
"B" is for, they're not telling – is the world's leading institution for higher education in the
sciences. The Academy – including its labs, dorms, staff housing, and various associated
buildings – takes up almost the entirety of the municipality. A.M.B.I.T.I.O.N. has no
actual wilderness associated with it, but it does have large areas of greenbelt (mainly for
aesthetics), vast tracts of agricultural land (for agrarian studies), and several fully
enclosed artificial wilderness areas (for studying rare lifeforms or isolated tribal groups).
The emphasis at A.M.B.I.T.I.O.N. is on the hard sciences, but the academy doesn't
neglect the soft sciences.
Everyone at the Academy is either a student, a researcher, or engaged in support work
that allows the researchers and students to do what they do. Everyone in the municipality
enjoys free healthcare – just don't ask what they do with the monthly blood samples. No
one who knows where the academy gets its considerable funding will talk about it;
they're just glad that every researcher's work is fully funded and every student's tuition is
paid for.
A.M.B.I.T.I.O.N. doesn't just produce scientists, it produces mad scientists. Some of
the work done here would be illegal if it were done anywhere else, and much of it is of
questionable ethics even here. Academy scientists like to push the boundaries of the laws
of physics... but they're not willing to push them out into the realm of magic. Death rays
and Frankensteinian monstrosities are all well and good, but there is no place in
A.M.B.I.T.I.O.N. for "mystical mumbo-jumbo."
The Academy thrives on (mostly good-natured) competition. Whether it's hard
sciences versus soft sciences, physics versus chemistry, or historians versus

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archaeologists, feuds between departments are tolerated if not encouraged. As long as no
one gets hurt – and no valuable data is lost – the administration overlooks anything up to
and including minor property damage. The deans feel that these little dust-ups keep the
academicians in fighting trim for field work. A.M.B.I.T.I.O.N. might be made up of
bespectacled nerds, but they're bespectacled nerds who have death rays and for whom
paranoia is a way of life.

Cilgard (SILL-gard)
The City of Memories is one of only two municipalities that has tourism as a major
industry. Cilgard even sees significant numbers of foreign tourists. As one of the most
peaceful municipalities Cilgard is a popular meeting place, and its entertainments are
second to none... in fact, the city has an attraction that can't be found anywhere else.
Cilgard has a good mix to mid-to-high tech and low energy magic. Both are used for
public utilities like lighting, food production, and water treatment. The city enjoys a
cleaner than usual environment for urban areas thanks to copious use of green tech,
purification magic, and restrictions on private vehicles (only the rich have them).
Residential areas are built so that everything the people need – shops, schools,
workplaces, and entertainments – is within easy walking or biking distance. The city
center contains the seat of government and Cilgard's main attraction... the Hall of
Memories.
Cilgard holds the secret of a unique magic that allows for the recording and storage of
memories. Cilgarders use this for a variety of purposes – archives, legal testimony,
education, and most of all for entertainment. Reliving a pleasant memory, whether one's
own or someone else's, is the main form of amusement in Cilgard. Unique and powerful
memories are even exchanged as currency. The memories of Troubleshooters are
especially prized, and the memories of foreigners and immigrants even more so.
In addition to the legal memory trade Cilgard has a mnemonic black market. Not all
memories are taken with the donor's knowledge or consent. Memory theft has been used
to acquire skills and to facilitate industrial espionage. The most heinous memory crimes
involve committing a real world crime and selling the memory of having done so. These
Proxy Offenses take the place of illicit drugs in Cilgard. Shutting down memory
criminals is the highest priority of Cilgard's police force.

Cosmos
The placid and shallow Cosmos Bay takes a big bite out of Breccia's southern coast.
The city of Cosmos is built over this bay in a great structure like a giant bridge. Cosmos
is currently the greatest maritime power in Breccia. Goods that travel by water do so
mainly on ships from Cosmos, and Cosmite aquaculture produces copious food for the
citizenry with plenty left over for export. This prosperity doesn't prevent the city from
having its troubles.
Cosmite architecture follows an ancient Greek aesthetic with lots of columns,
amphitheaters, and open-air plazas. Every building also has easy access to the water; the
city's mass transit system uses ferries and gondolas instead of automobiles. Pollution is
surprisingly low thanks to the city's reliance on green energy – wind, solar, and tidal
power – and the banning of private vehicles (there are high-end water taxis that cater to
the rich). Cosmos also has good access to high tech and even hypertech. Bionic

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prostheses and cybernetic wetware exist, but bioware and genetic enhancements are more
common. AI is everywhere; many systems are fully automated, including the robotic
police force, and even the poorest citizens live in smart homes. Even the city's physical
composition is high tech; what looks like stone is actually a hypertech composite material
which, combined with shock absorption devices, allows the buildings to withstand
earthquakes and tsunamis.
Cosmos has the second highest standard of living in Breccia, but beneath this Utopian
exterior lies a dark underbelly. The ubiquity of automation means the city has no need of
unskilled labor, so unemployment is high... and with that unemployment comes
correspondingly high rates of crime and decadence. Very few of Cosmos' citizens can be
said to be productive members of society. Universal basic income means that there is no
homelessness or starvation, but without jobs to keep them occupied most Cosmites have
plenty of time to get into trouble. Cosmos "enjoys" the second highest rate of substance
abuse in Breccia and the highest rate of teen pregnancy. The municipality's most recent
great building project, the construction of the Great Archive, will hopefully expand
options for education and allow more citizens to gain the kind of skills that will let them
contribute to a post-Information Age economy, but it will be at least a generation before
that investment bears fruit.
Of all the municipalities Cosmos is the only one to ban magic. The stated reason for
this is that the government feels that access to magic would exacerbate the city's crime
problems – combat magic would certainly provide the gangs with more weapons, while
divination magic would be a great aid to thieves. Some of Cosmos' more politically
aware citizens point out that magical talent, while it tends to run in bloodlines, is no
respecter of socioeconomic status. These malcontents assert that the city fathers ban
magic because there's no way to insure that only the elites have it. Magically active
visitors to Cosmos must either obtain special licenses to enter the city or conceal their
abilities from the authorities... and in the latter case, there are harsh penalties for being
caught. Even for someone with Troubleshooter credentials banishment is the least that
would happen. Cosmites who develop magical talent have been known to disappear
under mysterious circumstances.

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Foros-Zhamexa (FOUR-oss zah-MEX-uh)
Foros-Zhamexa is an island with roughly the same land area as Japan that lies to the
east of the main island. There is only one port, a small town called Forum that has only
300 year-round residents while the wilderness that takes up the rest of the island is home
to over 30,000 Lomavren nomads. The inhabitants of the port are immigrants and
outsider contract workers, while bands of Lomavren come to Forum for only part of the
year to work and trade. The rest of the year they live in the mountainous wilds of
Zhamexa.
Foros-Zhamexa is no easy place to live. Little grows in the rocky soil, and the climate
tends toward chilly. The Lomavren keep herds of sheep for meat, milk, and wool or
harvest the wild goats that live in the mountains. Some bands have floating villages on
fleets of boats and gather fish, shellfish, and seaweed – their pearl divers contribute a
disproportionate amount to Foros-Zhamexa's income. There is little in the way of
technology (and no hypertech) to make life easier here, and magic isn't much more
common. For this reason the Lomavren are a hardy people who excel at animal
husbandry – the famed Lomavren hounds can't be raised anywhere else or trained by
anyone else.
Each band of Lomavren has its own leader – usually the eldest member – and all
bands answer to the king. The king of the Lomavren is also the mayor of Forum and
resides there for most of the year. All gadjikane (non-Lomavren) are expected to
acknowledge the king's authority over them while they are on the island. Those who do
not can't claim the king's protection. The Lomavren have a reputation as thieves and con
artists, and some bands live up to it, but for the most part they're just like anyone else...
only hardier and more used to getting by with less. The people of Foros-Zhamexa work
hard just to get by, and they play equally hard to make their lives more than mere
survival. In a place where there is little in the way of material wealth the Lomavren have
their ingenuity, their honor, and most of all their joy.

Ginnungagap (geh-NOON-guh-gap) Research Station


This municipality is named for its most prominent feature, a deep canyon that contains
a temporal anomaly. Looking into "the Gap" offers glimpses into the future or the past –
sometimes centuries back or ahead – and physically entering the anomaly can change the
rate of time's passage. There used to be a resort near the current site of the research
station, but a serious accident that occurred over fifty years ago caused the resort to be
shut down. The research station was established about thirty years ago to study the
anomaly and to ensure that it isn't expanding.
Ginnungagap Research Station – GRS for short – is more of a company town than a
true city. The population numbers fewer than 1,300 people, less than a hundred of whom
were born there. GRS is the northernmost inhabited site in Breccia, so year-round
temperatures rarely get above freezing. Agriculture is impossible, and there is no game to
hunt, so the Iceborn have to import all of their food. There are also limited facilities for
manufacturing. They have plenty of water, though; they just need power to melt some
ice. Primary power comes from a nuclear reactor with wind turbines and biomass
reactors as backups. GRS depends on technology for its existence, so there is a lot of
high tech all over the municipality. And since the primary purpose of the station requires
hypertech sensors there is a fair amount of hypertech evident as well. There is very little

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magic, however, and the few people born in the municipality display little to no talent for
it. GRS has very little transportation infrastructure for use within the city; the entire area
is small enough that a healthy adult could walk across its length within half an hour.
There is a trolley system, but most residents rarely use it.
GRS currently has one official export, and that's knowledge. The scientists here are
the world's leading experts on temporal physics, and studying the anomaly has led to
improved ability to detect and close other types of dimensional rift. "The Gap" has also
proved to be a tremendous boon to historical research. Unbeknownst to most of the
locals, let alone the general public, the station has a sideline in salvaging extratemporal
artifacts. Finding intact items from the past has answered a lot of archaeological
questions, while finding and reverse engineering the occasional future tech device has
given GRS surprising military capacity for such a small settlement. They eventually
want to attempt time travel, but until they can send and reliably retrieve probes they're
not willing to risk any people – going too deep into the Gap is how that tourist was
injured half a century ago.
For now the inhabitants of GRS have plans to expand their limited living space and to
develop enough food production and manufacturing capacity to no longer require
imports. They understand how their small population and dependency on imported food
keep them at a disadvantage relative to other municipalities.

Iron Abyss
At first glance Iron Abyss looks like a ruin rather than a living city. Many buildings
have been leveled, and even those still standing show signs of extensive damage. But
under the wreckage and the almost year-round blanket of snow – Iron Abyss lies in
Breccia's far north – there are signs of hidden life.
The municipality's current state is the legacy of a terrible war fought by android
soldiers. Decades of conflict left the city in ruins, but the self-repairing soldiers fought
on until the current mayor convinced them all of the futility of continuing the war on
behalf of long-dead masters. The androids now work to restore the city to its former
glory. Unfortunately there's not much left; salvaging supplies from the ruins, or
supporting those who do, is the only work available. The ultimate aim is to make the city
a viable habitat for humans again. To that end the androids, who currently comprise over
95% of the city's population, have stepped up efforts to find or create livable dwellings
and to step up food production. At present Iron Abyss is completely dependent on
imports to feed its human populace. Valuable salvage – including lost technology – is the
municipality's only export. There are no private vehicles, and mass transit is via airships
and helicopters – the roads are too damaged for vehicular travel on the ground.
In addition to wanting to restore human habitation to the city the androids have
another reason for bringing in humans – the androids are incapable of using magic. They
accept any humans who choose to emigrate there, but they are especially eager to recruit
magic users. Not only does magic expand their options for salvaging techniques, some of
the salvage is magitech and therefore requires someone who is magically trained to
evaluate and safely handle it. Magical talent is uncommon, though, so even most of the
few hundred humans in Iron Abyss work in non-magical fields.
Iron Abyss has the feel of a frontier boom town. The work is hard, but the pay is good
and there's always a party the day after the monthly supply caravan arrives. It's not a bad

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place to live if one doesn't mind cold weather, cuisine that's limited to military-style
rations, and neighbors who can be real busybodies when it comes to one's love life... the
androids are eager to get human birthrates up. Every birth in Iron Abyss – and that
number has yet to get into triple digits – is a reason to celebrate. For this reason the
mayor has forbidden androids from forming romantic relationships with humans; every
human that is sleeping with an android is one that isn't making babies with another
human. This view colors the androids' attitude toward any artificial being having
relations with humans.

Jaratha (jah-RAH-thah)
The south of Breccia holds a vast rain forest that borders on the temperate forest of
Oakheart. All of Jaratha is untamed wilderness; the single town that is the seat of the
municipality, plus a few dozen scattered clan holdings, are all the civilization that there
is. Most visitors who come here arrive by airship; ground travel through Jaratha without
a guide is a mistake that few people live to make more than once.
Jarathans live exclusively in the trees; all houses are treehouses. They hunt and gather
food plants on the ground, but they spend as little time there as possible and won't sleep
there if they can help it. They won't give a straight answer if asked the reason for this,
but they never argue with speculations about ground-based predators. Life in Jaratha is
low tech; they never use electricity or fossil fuels and will discourage visitors from doing
so (though they don't outright forbid it). Magic is reserved for things that can't be done
using muscle or animal power – Jarathans make extensive use of nature magic, spirit
magic, and divination.
Jaratha is known for a disturbing presence and an equally disturbing absence. The
presence is that of misty spirit-like beings that watch people, especially visitors, from the
shadows. Jarathans pretend to ignore these beings. The absence is something much more
basic; there are no children in Jaratha. All population increase seems to come from
immigration. Jarathans never discuss these two facts, and being too insistent in asking
questions about them is a good way to wear out one's welcome.
It is known that there are caches of lost technology in isolated parts of the jungle. The
Jarathans know where many of them are but make no attempts to recover any of the tech.
The locals cooperate with Troubleshooter teams that come for salvage and rarely object

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to anything being removed by groups that have official sanction, but tech-poachers have
been known to disappear without a trace. Jarathans are a peaceful and friendly people,
but they are implacable when it comes to guarding their secrets.

Kardashev (KAR-duh-shev)
Kardashev lies deep in the interior near the center of the island. It has no farm or
ranch land – all of the city-state's food is vat-produced or hydroponically grown – but it
borders a large wilderness in the form of a barren wasteland. The single skyscraper that
outsiders think comprises the entire city is merely the entrance; the actual city is in a
pocket dimension in the form of a Dyson sphere with a fiery elemental demiplane at its
center. Much of the surface is covered with energy collectors, and the light, heat, and
mana of the demiplane provide orders of magnitude more energy than the city needs.
Both magic and science are highly advanced in Kardashev, and they can even create
machinery that can produce magical effects. Buildings and streets are lit by appliances
that contain light cantrips, while the military is armed with rifles that fire spells. Few
Kardashevik citizens are trained mages – practitioners of planer magic are especially rare
– but all of them are familiar with magitech items. Magic contributes to every aspect of
life in Kardashev, from manufacturing consumer goods to producing food. Mana to
power spells is so plentiful that architectural spells that can create a building in mere
minutes are commonplace.
The city's architecture is an eclectic mix drawn from a variety of places and eras – a
German-style fachwerkhaus might be next door to an art deco condominium. The city's
population is also an eclectic mix; Kardashev accepts anyone who isn't a resident of one
of the other municipalities. Roughly 80% of Kardashev's population consists of artificial
humans called homunculi. These manufactured beings look human but are notably
superior in terms of their physical and magical capabilities. They can't reproduce on their
own, however, and Kardashevik law demands that they be imbued with unshakable
loyalty to the municipality and to their assigned human handlers... in that order.
Homunculi form the bulk of Kardashev's military forces and all of its menial labor force.
The existence of homunculi is not truly kept secret from the rest of Breccia, but neither is
it widely publicized. The sheer number of homunculi and how quickly and easily the
Kardashevik could make more if the need arose are closely guarded secrets.
Occasional rifts to some nightmare plane open in remote parts of the sphere, and much
of Kardashev's military and magical might is dedicated to containing these incursions.
Due to the risk of otherworldly incursions, which can be quite sudden, large swaths of
land are off-limits to casual traffic. Noncombatants, with priority given to natural
humans, are evacuated as soon as a rift is detected and response teams are quickly
mobilized. Most human citizens serve at least briefly either on response teams or as
guards along the frontier. Every Kardashevik knows the danger of the rifts firsthand.

K'Zordak (keh-ZOR-dack)
K'Zordak, the Dark Citadel of Hope's Ruin, was originally the headquarters of the
Atomic Revenants under the Trans-Uranic Lich. Once the Paradox War – the war that
caused the destruction of Iron Abyss and Nova – was over the fortress remained largely
intact. A series of would-be tyrants used the citadel as a starting point for their failed
conquests until the the current government joined Breccia as a new municipality about

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two centuries ago. Despite its history as a military stronghold K'Zordak is now a major
tourist destination; the swords have been beaten into plowshares, and the engines of
destruction are now engines of revenue.
The Dark Citadel's unique "raypunk gothic" architecture has repelled armies, but it
does little to prevent problems with expansion; no one has yet succeeded in duplicating
the building methods well enough to make additions that fit properly with the existing
structures. The population consists of only a few hundred permanent residents, and there
isn't enough room to accommodate many more thanks to the amount of space dedicated
to hotels – K'Zordak can comfortably hold several thousand tourists.
K'Zordak enjoys plentiful and advanced technology combined with powerful magic.
With limited human resources the municipality depends on artificial labor in the form of
cybernetic golems, and spirits bound into automata take the place of AI. Being situated
in the mountains limits the city's capacity for agriculture, but agrimancy and vat-grown
foods make the city self-sufficient in terms of food production. The city is laid out to be
easy for foot traffic or riding animals, but there are also taxi golems and flying servo-
carpets to help people get around. Most of the battle magics have been mothballed, but
the police force still has access to combat spells and enchanted weapons. People in
K'Zordak are peaceful and law-abiding... or else.
The main tourist attraction in K'Zordak is the Bloody Museum. This institution
contains records and relics of the Dark Citadel's sinister history... not all of which have
been released to the general public. The city elders are determined that the events of that
dark past can never be allowed to happen again, but they're also determined to keep
knowledge of some of those events hidden – those atrocities, if they came to light, might
provoke the rest of Breccia to destroy the Dark Citadel once and for all.

Melachiym Eyer (MELL-ah-keem AIR)


The only city on the salt flats of the Great Basin, Breccia's small western desert, is a
monolith carved out of halite and malachite in concentric tiers. Most of the city fits
within this single structure. The rest consists of marble outbuildings surrounded by a
great basalt wall. The main structure, the Salted Citadel, was once the seat of a now-
defunct religious order. Melachiym Eyer still retains an air of reverence, but that
reverence is now as much for science and art as for religion.
Most of the people here spend their days in scientific research or making art. Among
the sciences the leading fields are archaeology and paleontology; there are particularly
rich fossil beds within a day's travel and copious ruins throughout the Great Basin. The
many artists run the gamut, with authors and playwrights especially well regarded. Art is
the municipality's most lucrative export – Melacheen-produced novels and plays are
known all over Breccia, while paintings and sculptures by Melacheen artists adorn the
homes of the rich and powerful. The city also generates revenue by harvesting salt from
the nearby salt lake. Academics sometimes hire out to other municipalities as
consultants, but this is more often a means of generating income for an individual rather
than for the city.
One might think that a city in the desert would have little agriculture, but in this case
one would be wrong. The salt harvesting process provides desalinated water as well as
salt, while the harsh soil is good for growing sugar beets. The people of Melachiym Eyer
are avid users of green tech, especially for water recycling and treatment, and they also

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make use of some low energy nature magic – their roster of academicians includes
scholars of magical lore. Melacheen cuisine is known for being either salty or sweet (or
both), which the people regard as a perfect metaphor for their lives here. The Great Basin
is a harsh, even deadly, place, but it has a stark beauty all its own.

Mulkin Kauna (MULL-keen COW-nah)


The city of Mulkin Kauna is built around an oasis in the center of Breccia's largest and
harshest desert. The municipality grew from a single workshop to a metropolis that is
home to over 70,000 people. The environment makes farming and ranching all but
impossible; Mulkin Kauna imports most of its food and produces the rest via magic.
Hydromancy finds or produces the city's water, and water recycling is strictly mandated.
Offering water is considered the height of hospitality, while wasting water can, depending
on the circumstances, be an actual crime.
The Mulkinese are an inexpressive people who are given to keeping their facial
expressions subtle. They rarely raise their voices or show teeth when they smile. This
stoicism combined with the drive to conserve water means they consider it a big deal to
cry in public. Being practiced in concealing (or faking) emotions makes Mulkinese
naturally gifted at courtly intrigue, which they consider a spectator sport. They hold
diplomats, spies, and information brokers – and in Mulkin Kauna, the lines between those
are hopelessly blurred – in the kind of regard that most cultures reserve for warriors.
Mulkin Kauna's raison d'etre and main export is a class of artificial humans called
Marionettes. These living puppets, which are animated by magic, outnumber living
humans in the city 3-to-1. Marionettes are universally beautiful, graceful, and loyal to
their masters. The puppeteers of Mulkin Kauna are the only people who know the secrets
of creating Marionettes. Custom-made Marionettes are Mulkin Kauna's main export – a
companion whose body and personality are made to the buyer's specifications can fetch a
handsome price. In addition to puppetry Mulkin Kauna has many practitioners of magic
who specialize in food production or in the finding, purification, or creation of water.
They also have a good deal of tech, though hypertech is extremely rare.
As part of the effort to protect the secret of making Marionettes the exact location of
Mulkin Kauna is a closely guarded secret. It would be easy to find from the air, which is
why the Mulkin desert is a no-fly zone. All travel to Mulkin Kauna is required to be via
ground vehicles. Aircraft that violate this rule are brought down by some unknown (but
presumably magical) means. The unseen guardians, whoever or whatever they may be,
do not issue warnings.

New Nova
The abandoned city of Nova is a remnant from the same war that ruined Iron Abyss.
The Kruger-Chen corporation (formerly based in Shadesvale) purchased the land at a
bargain price and is now engaged in restoration. The settlers here, who currently number
about 500, are mostly immigrants plus the first generation of adults who were born here.
New Nova is all about business, and currently their business is making the city
productive again.
There are no menial laborers in New Nova; those jobs are done by robots and AIs.
The only work here is for skilled laborers, administrators, and scientists. In addition to
salvage and repair work Kruger-Chen sponsors mapping expeditions and biological

11
research. Building collapses and sinkholes have created a labyrinth at the surface as well
as underground, while radiation and mutagenic chemicals have created new lifeforms
both verminous and monstrous. The company is concerned about dangerous animals and
plants, but it's even more interested in lifeforms that could have commercial uses.
Explorer team duty is the most lucrative gig in New Nova... probably because it's the
riskiest. Management is proud of recent policy changes and equipment upgrades that
have increased the one-year survival rate to 48%.
New Nova has little in the way of magic, but there is plenty of high tech and even
some hypertech available. What they don't have much of is manpower. For this reason
Kruger-Chen offers strong financial incentives for immigrants to settle here. The
company also sponsors a chain of orphanages with the stated aim of raising the next
generation of employees. Education at these orphanages includes loyalty to the company
and mandatory aptitude testing to channel students into the fields where their talents
would be of the most use. Nor is there any elitism in selections for this training; those
whose aptitude tests indicate leadership ability are tracked into management regardless of
ethnicity, sex, or socioeconomic origin.
Its location on the eastern coast of Breccia will make New Nova an ideal seaport for
foreign trade once the harbor is cleared of wrecks and they get coastal businesses running
again. Kruger-Chen – or "the KC," as the workers call it – plans to make the
municipality the maritime equivalent of Shadesvale. Until that happens they plan to
extract as much profit, in the form of salvaged tech and marketable information, out of
their investment as they possibly can.

Nine Stupas
Nine Stupas is known by many names – the City of Gods and Mortals, the City of a
Thousand Delights, the City of a Thousand Hells, and others – and it lives up to all of
them. This municipality's culture and economy are built around the worship of its gods...
and in Nine Stupas, the gods are a tangible presence every day.
Each of the gods has a multitude of names, but on official documents they are known
simply as the Founders and numbered I-IX. Founder I is the Goddess of Nature, Founder

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II the God of Commerce, Founder III the Moon Goddess, Founder IV the Sun God,
Founder V the Goddess of Wisdom, Founder VI the Maker God, Founder VII the
Goddess of Love, Founder VIII the God of War, and Founder IX the God(dess) of
Mysteries. Each Founder has a temple containing a meditation chamber built around a
reliquary (stupa) in a different part of town. Each of the nine districts contains residential
areas but is otherwise zoned for activities appropriate to its patron deity. The gods grant
power and other boons to those who serve them, and they expect payment in the form of
worship. It's even possible for a mortal to be elevated to minor divinity – all one has to
do is attract the worship of others. Fame as an artist or in the gladiatorial arena is the
easiest path, but probably not the only one, and the price of failure is being relegated to
one of the aforementioned Thousand Hells.
Nine Stupas has as much mid tech and high tech as a 21st Century real world city in
addition to powerful magic, though the exact mix varies between districts. It is in District
VI that tech is the most advanced and the most ubiquitous, for example, while high tech
is rare and hypertech doesn't work in District I. The municipality has the problems of
pollution, garbage disposal, and water shortages common to modern cities. There is mass
transit, but it's not efficient and is mainly used by the poor. Most other citizens have
private vehicles or use taxis, so traffic congestion is an issue. Crime is rife all over the
city, in particular money-related crimes in District II and violent crimes in District VIII.
Prostitution happens throughout the city but is only legal in District VII. Nine Stupas is
far from being a utopia, but the Founders regard the city's many ills as trials for their
devotees to overcome.

Oakheart
Oakheart is one of the smallest municipalities and is definitely the newest. Calling it a
municipality is more than a bit of a stretch; it qualifies not for its population, which is less
than 300 people, but for the amount of land it controls. Most of Oakheart's territory is
not-entirely-untamed forest on the eastern half of the island. The village itself is
exceedingly difficult to find, from the air because of the dense forest canopy and from the
ground because all of the buildings are handmade from local materials. Tree houses are
common, as are log cabins and hobbit-holes. Oakhearters live in harmony with nature.
Though small and lacking in high tech Oakheart is self-sufficient. Much of their food
production consists of orchards of fruit- or nut-bearing trees, vegetable and tuber gardens,
and free-range animal husbandry. They keep chickens for eggs and goats for milk. They
also cultivate textile plants (mostly linen and flax) and several types of mushrooms,
including the more interesting varieties. Indeed, spices and plant-based pharmaceuticals
are Oakheart's only exports. They don't need to import much, but they have an abiding
interest in low-maintenance green tech – technologies for water treatment and soil
detoxification are especially popular. Most buildings in Oakheart have no electricity, but
some have running water and/or indoor plumbing.
As little technology as there is in Oakheart there is also surprisingly little magic; they
prefer sweat equity to "cheating the universe with parlor tricks." They decide whether or
not to use a magical technique by the same standard that they apply to technology – if it
does the job without disrupting nature too much they'll use it. Oakhearters scrupulously
avoid both hypertech and high energy magic. If a problem can be solved in the time
available and in a cost effective manner using only human ingenuity and muscle (or

13
animal) power that's their preferred solution. Oakhearters pair this work ethic with a
preference for low maintenance solutions; a well-designed setup doesn't generate a lot of
busy work. This puts them in the paradoxical position of being hard workers who have a
lot of leisure time.
As a close-knit community where everyone knows everyone else Oakheart has little
interpersonal conflict and no real crime. It doesn't even have a drug problem; the kind of
drugs they produce aren't illegal there, and anyone who gets addicted can count on an
intervention that involves the entire town. The internal economy runs on barter and a
kind of favor bank, but Oakhearters have to do business with the rest of Breccia and
therefore will accept currency from outsiders – it's the best way to get currency with
which to buy the few things that they need from outsiders. To most people words to the
effect of, "do me a favor" are a prelude to a polite request. In Oakheart such words are
the start of a business proposition. Oakhearters aren't as hung up on honor as are some of
the other peoples of Breccia, but their single greatest point of pride, after being self-
sufficient, is keeping their word... and they expect everyone else to keep theirs.

Occaecare (oh-cheh-CAH-ray)
Occaecare is the smallest municipality in Breccia; the entire city measures 2.2 meters
long by 0.8 meters wide. This, however, is merely the size of the weathered stone slab
that covers the portal through which one enters the pocket dimension that holds the city
proper. The city takes its name from the only legible word on the slab. No one alive
today knows what the word means or even what language it's from.
An oddity of travel through the portal dictates Occaecare's entire economy – nothing
but living sapients can pass, anything else simply disappears. The pocket dimension has
its own ecosystem, a few square kilometers of forest, but no game animals and few food
plants. The Occaecareans have developed magic that dramatically improves the yield of
fruit trees and a form of magic called golemancy that allows the creation of new
lifeforms. By this means they have created plants that bear fruit not only as food but as
goods that they can neither import nor manufacture. In Occaecare clothes, tools, and
even some electronic devices literally grow on trees. This magic doesn't come cheap,
though. With no ley lines running through the pocket dimension, and no way to bring
mana stores through the portal, the only way to fuel spells, other than using one's
personal mana, is to harvest mana from other people. The city has a strict donation
schedule for all non-mages.
Because nothing but living humans can enter or leave the city Occaecare has a way
station on either side of the portal. Each of them has stores of clothing to outfit travelers,
and the outer station has lockers for storing visitors' possessions. A significant number of
Occaecare's few professional soldiers – all of whom are magic users as well as fighters –
is dedicated to protecting the station. Occaecare also hires mercenaries from other
municipalities to supplement this force.
Because the space inside the pocket dimension is limited Occaecare has strict
regulations on expansion. No new buildings have been constructed for decades, and
there are laws mandating zero population growth. Couples must apply for a license to
have a child and then wait for someone to die or emigrate from the city before the license
is granted. The waiting list is years long. The shallow gene pool imposed by this system
makes getting a birth license easier for a woman who has a tryst with an outsider.

14
Occaecareans are accustomed to dealing with these and other harsh realities. They are a
patient and pragmatic people, and with those qualities comes a measure of opportunism.
As the rest of Breccia says, "never turn your back on an Occaecarean" – and the wise
never do.

Reykr (RAY-keer) Island


On the surface Reykr Island looks like any neon-lit metropolis. A closer look reveals
attractions that would be illegal elsewhere – brothels and fighting arenas in particular.
Beneath the surface lies an underground labyrinth rife with traps and monsters. Reykr
Island is an insane cross between a cinematic Hong Kong and a fantasy rpg dungeon.
In addition to having high (but not hyper-) tech Reykr Island is rich in magic.
Somewhere deep in the labyrinth is a vast source of magical energy; the mana seeps to
the surface and flows along the city's ley lines. The more high energy forms of magic are
rare here, but magic of some kind is everywhere. True magitech is hard to come by, but
questing supplies like enchanted firearms and bandages infused with healing magic are
available on the open market.
The Reykri are something of an anomaly – a technologically sophisticated people with
a warrior ethos and a high regard for spirituality. Reykri don't actually worship gods, but
they respect the spirits of nature and revere their ancestors. Their culture encourages
strong morals and willingness to defend oneself and others. The most common legal
proceeding is trial by combat, and someone who truly can't fight can be provided with a
proxy combatant. Islander attitudes about what constitutes a crime vary from those of
most other municipalities. Prostitution is legal, and there is no such charge as drunk and
disorderly. Attacking someone who is capable of fighting back doesn't count as assault as
long as a proper challenge is issued and accepted beforehand. The rowdiness typical of
off-duty soldiers is considered normal behavior here. Reykri still regard murder as a
crime, however, and they have a particularly low opinion of fraud and theft. Reykri love
tall tales, but they draw the line at lying outright.
Reykri are natural adventurers. Parties of young people make quests into the upper
levels of the labyrinth at the age of 16 or 17. Every islander learns some measure of
warrior or magical skills, sometimes both, in preparation for this rite of passage. The
goal is to bring back a trophy to commemorate the event and to add to the family shrine.
Most adults don't become professional adventurers, but many of them periodically go on
"crawls" to refresh their skills or to celebrate special events. Going on such a quest and
bringing back a trophy – or, even better, a good story – is the best way for immigrants to
earn the respect of their new neighbors.

Savain (sah-VEN)
At about 8,000 people the City of Witches has the sixth smallest population of all the
municipalities. True to the name, all of the adult citizens have at least minimal skill at
magic, and many have much more than that. The most powerful magic users in Breccia
mostly come from Kardashev, but it is in Savain where magic is the most ubiquitous.
The Savainois use magic, especially nature magic, for things that other Breccians rely on
technology for, and magical training is part of early childhood education here.

15
Calling Savain a city-state is a stretch; in practice it's more like a large town.
Architecture tends toward the Colonial and Gothic styles, as does fashion. The valley in
which the town lies is mostly wilderness, and the animals there are truly wild – leaving
town alone is a bad idea for anyone who isn't prepared to deal with large carnivores.
Savain has orchards but little cultivated land otherwise. Every house has window
gardens and garden plots, though. The shadows cast by the bordering highlands keep the
vale in shadow for much of most days, and the climate is autumn-like year-round with
frequent fogs and rains. Plants still manage to grow here despite the scarcity of sunlight
– nature magic is a hell of a drug. The Savainois never comment on any of this, but other
Breccians think it a symptom of the theatricality that marks how the witch-folk meet the
world; they accuse the Savainois of giving themselves a permanent Halloween.
Most adult residents of Savain are current or former members of the Savain Coven, an
organization that is part government, part labor union, and part church. Senior members
in good standing have legal enforcement powers and licensing authority in their areas of
greatest magical expertise, and any current member can get discounts at the shops in
town. They pay for the privilege by being subject to being called upon to perform those
services expected of government.
Contrary to popular belief Savainois aren't anti-technology, they're just pro-magic.
Technology within the municipality is generally well-concealed, and they avoid using
tech for jobs that magic can do as well. They do like their hot-and-cold running water,
though, and those who aren't skilled in combat magic see nothing wrong with having a
firearm handy to keep wolves at bay. It's only the super advanced tech that one doesn't
see in Savain.

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Scelus (SHELL-us)
The "City of Crime," unfortunately, lives up to its name. Scelus has the highest crime
rate in Breccia as well as the highest level of corruption in government and law
enforcement. The municipality is gloomy both figuratively and literally; due to a curse
that effects the entire city the Sun only shines there one day of the year. These are dark
times in Scelus, but the city is not without hope.
Scelus isn't as densely populated as the other conurbations in Breccia despite being
smaller in land area thanks to having fewer people. The population is under 2,000,000,
but that population lives in a place where normal agriculture is impossible. Scelus is
entirely dependent on vat-grown foods and on imports. The scarcity of exports keeps the
economy depressed; Scelus doesn't have much to sell beyond its cottage industry in
magical trinkets and its more lucrative trade in recreational pharmaceuticals. That crime
is such a major contributor to the city's economy is a large part of the reason why so little
has been done to shut down the drug trade.
One would expect that a city that has such ineffective government would have little in
the way of social services, and one would be right. For this reason many neighborhoods
provide their own services, either through private businesses (licensed or not) or co-ops.
Community schools and volunteer fire departments are the rule, and security in all but the
richest communities is provided by neighborhood watch groups rather than the police.
Less fortunate communities have gangs that run protection rackets, but that's still better
than being at the mercy of roving malcontents. The ready availability of black market
weapons keeps the gangs well-armed, but at least those same sources keep the citizenry
equally well-armed.
Scelus has no access to hypertech, mainly for reasons of cost, but it does have high
tech. Unlike most tech-dependent municipalities Scelus also has fair access to magic.
Using magic to aid food production is common, but the most frequent use is for combat.
Organized crime and the police both pay magic users well, while some neighborhoods
have underground magic schools for teaching talented youths how to defend their
communities. These schools are illegal – probably because the mobs find them
inconvenient – so the city shuts them down whenever it finds them. Unfortunately it is
this kind of illegal activity, combined with black market weapons, that contributes the
most to what little safety and security the common people of the city have. Scelus is on
the verge of a revolution, and it's anybody's guess who will come out on top.

Shadesvale
Shadesvale, like Alluria, is a large urban area – in fact, it's the largest city that exists
on the island proper rather than in a pocket dimension. "The Shades" isn't nearly as
pleasant as Alluria, however. The industrial zone is larger, the population is denser
(despite having more living space), and there are fewer environmental regulations.
Shadesvale is the very model of a cyberpunk dystopia, and it has the crime rate and
corrupt corporations to prove it.
Residents of this municipality are divided into factions organized around teams of
mech pilots – mech tournaments are the main sport in the Shades, and much labor is done
with the help of industrial mechs. The two largest factions – the Deep Blues (who hold
their tournaments in secret) and the White-Golds (who want to bring mech tourneys out
into the open) practically run the city from behind the scenes. The companies that

17
manufacture mechs are the most politically powerful entities in the city, and the mech
teams act as their enforcers. There are also street gangs that can field mechs, but their
machines are usually salvaged and armed with secondhand or black market weaponry.
It's the Big Two factions that get the latest model stuff.
Mecha aren't the only impressive tech in Shadesvale. The manufacturers here produce
all manner of hypertech – cybernetic implants, bionic limbs, wearable computers, and
magnetic accelerator weapons are all readily available. Flying cars are uncommon but
not out of reach for richer citizens. Some Shadesvalers own mechs that they have
outfitted for tourneys – if one is lucky one can find parts in the junkyard or grab some
choice components from the losing side in a street battle. A single-person mech stands
2.5-3 meters tall and masses about the same as a compact car. As rich as Shadesvale is in
technology it is poor in magic; much of the city consists of no-magic zones.
Shadesvale is better off than Alluria in terms of food production. Every citizen is
entitled to a daily allotment of vat-grown rations, and vat-based provisions shaped to look
like real food are cheap. Real meat, fruit, and vegetables are rare treats for anyone but
the rich, who eat such fare every day. The prospect of meals that aren't made from
genetically engineered yeast or soy is one of the main inducements for citizens of
Shadesvale to join troubleshooting teams... well, that and the generous pay.
The main airport in Shadesvale is the only international airport in Breccia. Therefore
Shadesvale is the main port of entry into Breccia from the rest of the world and one of the
few parts that most foreigners ever see. The nicer parts of town have a few businesses
that cater to tourists, but for anything beyond that they have airships for transport to more
interesting locales.

Tanager (TAN-ah-jur)
Much of Breccia's manufacturing capacity is in Tanager, and the lion's share is devoted
to military hardware. Tanager is the only municipality that has significant exports to the
wider world; many nations buy Tanagerian munitions, for even the systems that aren't
hypertech are frighteningly effective. Tanager's industry isn't the only aspect of the city
to have a military focus. Government and law enforcement are functions of the military,
and nearly half of Tanager's adult citizens are active duty soldiers, retired veterans, or
cadets in training. Any adult who isn't military is engaged in work that supports military
missions. Tanager is the main reason why Breccia has never been conquered.
Tanager is larger than Alluria or Shadesvale in terms of land area, but less of that land
is devoted to metro area. The manufacturing belt is the largest on the island, and there is
a surprisingly large area devoted to farmland and ranches – an army marches on its
stomach, after all. Tanager also has one of only two commercial fisheries in Breccia
(though most of the boats that supply it fly the flags of Foros-Zhamexa or Tortuga). The
population density is greater than Alluria's but less than Shadesvale's and is alleviated
somewhat by efficient use of space – while rank has it privileges, there are no wastefully
large swaths of land dedicated to luxury for the rich at the expense of overcrowding the
poor. Tanager wants everyone to be physically and mentally able to fight, and serfs
who've been beaten down and underfed can't do that.
As a warrior culture the people of Tanager are big on honor and discipline. They are
understandably conscious of rank and have a strong tradition of respect for those of
higher rank. They also have an equally strong tradition of acknowledging the

18
contributions of those of lower rank. Such a stratified society would normally suffer a
great deal of discontent, but Tanager avoids unrest by being a true meritocracy. Any
Tanagerian can rise as high as their ambition and ability can take them.
In addition to its weapons industry Tanager has the most advanced computer
technology outside of A.M.B.I.T.I.O.N. They have perfected fully sentient AI, and their
neural interfaces are capable of uploading living minds into digital form or downloading
AI into physical bodies (either robots or vat-grown clones). Cybernetic implants and
prostheses are as good as those in Shadesvale, but they're not nearly as ubiquitous. In
Tanager anyone who has a bionic limb almost certainly lost the original in battle, and
neural interfaces are more often wearable than implanted. Tanagerians use cyberware to
replace what is lost rather than to improve on nature.
The downside of Tanager's fascination with technology is an almost complete inability
with magic. Magic users make up less than 1% of Tanager's population, and none of
Breccia's most powerful casters come from here. Tanagerian magic users tend to
specialize in combat or healing magic.

Tortuga (tore-TOO-gah)
Near the southwest corner of Breccia lies a smaller island with dozens of associated
smaller islets. The sole town on the largest island in this chain is the seat of the
municipality of Tortuga. There are fewer than 5,000 people living in the town, but just as
many live in houseboats moored in the bay and in homesteads on the smaller islands in
the chain. There are also residential fleets that sail under Tortuga's flag plying the coastal
waters. Everyone in Tortuga lives near the water or on it. The island's rocky coastline is
guarded by myriad sunken reefs. It takes years to learn to safely navigate into the town's
bay, which is the only safe mooring on the big island... at least, the only one that outsiders
know about.
Tortuga has a few small farms and ranches, but most of its food comes from the sea –
indeed, the sheep are used mainly for wool and milk while chickens are raised primarily
for eggs. Meat is a rare treat for Tortugans, but they eat fish every day. Between their
fishing and their vegetable farms Tortuga barely manages to provide enough food for its
small population. Fresh water is a much bigger problem; for that they are almost entirely
dependent on hydromancy. Desalinization tech is rare and highly prized. In fact tech
beyond the Steam Age level is hard to find here; Tortuga relies on magic instead.
Tortuga's main export is piracy. The merchant fleets of Cosmos and Reykr Island have
long been plagued by marine marauders whom the Tortugan government officially
disavows, but the rest of Breccia suspects them of taking a cut of the spoils. If true, this
means that the pirates caught in the militia's periodic crackdowns are probably being
made examples of for not paying their "taxes." The fact that the pirates never target the
few foreign ships that come to Breccia lends credence to theories of Tortuga's complicity
with the pirates; true outlaws wouldn't care about avoiding international incidents.
Tortuga has a merchant fleet which officially does business only with other Breccian
municipalities. Unofficially the other municipalities are sure that Tortuga is the source of
most of the goods smuggled in from foreign lands. At present no one has been able to
prove the existence of the Floating Market, let alone find it, but if they ever do it will be a
crushing blow to the pirate fleets... and possibly to Tortuga's economy.

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Vitaem (veh-TEM)
Vitaem is one of the smallest municipalities in terms of both land area and population;
it is little more than a village next to a large lake in the mountains. The inhabitants say
that life here is one endless party... but they smile nervously when they say it.
Vitaem is blessed with plentiful food, both meat and vegetables, and yet there are no
meat animals nor does anyone there describe their occupation as farmer. Vitaem has
bread without bakeries and wine without vineyards. It's clear that the food and drink are
produced by magic, but how and by whom is unclear... and asking questions is a good
way to get run out of town.
The cornerstone of the Vitaemi economy is not coin; the only currency used within the
municipality is blood. This can range from a single drop for a simple meal to an entire
pint for a major magical treatment. Some minor matters can be settled through barter, but
for anything substantial – especially anything related to provisions or magical treatments
– one must pay in blood or go without.
Vitaem's major export is magical enhancement. Cosmetic magic is common and
cheap; everyone in Vitaem is at least moderately good-looking, and many are drop-dead
gorgeous. Most of the many shops that offer enhancements also offer enchantments that
enhance strength, agility, or stamina – for a higher fee, of course. Vitaem even offers
cosmetic treatments that can apply traits outside the human norm. Some citizens have
exotic hair and/or eye colors, pointed ears, or other traits common to races from fantasy
settings. Festival King Malus, the unofficial mayor of Vitaem, has horns. The exact
limits of such changes have never been specified, but it is known that no shop offers
enhancements like hooves, prehensile tails, or elongated snouts. Vitaem flesh-weavers
can add bits to a human form but can't really depart from that form.
Vitaem is surrounded by grassland for several kilometers in every direction, except
toward the lake, with a belt of forest twenty kilometers deep beyond that. None of this
area contains game animals or edible plants, but fresh water is plentiful. Every attempt to
introduce fish into the lake has failed, and the instigators of those attempts have mostly
died or disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

20
Vodraine's (VOH-drainz) End
No one but the Vodranni knows exactly how many of the Vodranni nomads there are.
The municipality is the only one that both moves and can be in multiple places at once;
the community consists of three mobile villages built on the backs of giant atlas beetles
(three per village). Each clan also has dozens of outriders on smaller beetles or on dirt
bikes. Adventure and exploration are cornerstones of Vodranni culture. The people of
Vodraine's End love discovering new things and meeting new people; out of all Breccians
they are the most welcoming to immigrants and the most avid traders.
Vodraine's End has an eclectic mix of mid tech and nature magic. They don't have
much in the way of agriculture or manufacturing capacity – those are hard to manage
when you spend most of the year on the move – but they trade for foodstuffs and useful
tech wherever they go. They use magic to supplement hunting and gathering, in
particular "expansion magic" that multiplies the amount of food or increases the size of
an animal or plant – their riding beetles are a product of this magic. Most Vodranni have
at least basic technical and travel skills, and many dabble in magic as well.
The caravans don't lack electricity, but they have to ration it. For this reason more
personal forms of entertainment are important. Music and dance are common, but
storytellers are held in especially high regard (gossip counts as a form of storytelling).
Vodranni traders deal in coin for major transactions, but for most things they prefer
barter. Haggling is considered good manners.
The Vodranni caravans can be found anywhere on the Breccian mainland where their
presence isn't actively prevented, but they avoid places that are difficult for their beetles
to reach. They don't go through the Mulkin Desert because of how hostile the
environment is, and they rarely dare the Great Basin more than once a year. None of the
caravans ever goes to Ginnungagap or any of the city centers, only one has been to New
Nova, and another makes irregular runs to Iron Abyss. The three clans come together
only once a year at the site where their ancestral city used to stand – the annual
pilgrimage to Aa'Dranmos is their most important holiday.

Zlatbisa (shlaht-BEE-sah)
Zlatbisa, like Tanager, has munitions as its primary industry. Unlike Tanager
Zlatbisa's weapons production is geared more toward law enforcement applications
(military contracting is still a major export, though). Zlatbisa is a city under siege, and
the enemy at the gates is organized crime.
As the third largest conurbation on Breccia Zlatbisa is a maze of high-rise buildings
with the poorest citizens at ground level and the most prosperous living in penthouses.
Restrictions on the number of private vehicles are among the few environmental
regulations, and those restrictions make efficient mass transit a necessity. Zlatbisa has
subways, elevated trains, and aerial taxis. Each city district is designed to be self-
sufficient with its own residential areas, retail outlets, food production, and
manufacturing. Every district also has several fire and police stations. Zlatbisa relies
heavily on food imports and vat-grown foodstuffs; it is one of the only municipalities that
has no associated wilderness or rural area. There are few parks in the city – and those
that exist are often claimed as part of some gang's turf – but many citizens have window
gardens (which are sometimes used to grow "medicinal" plants).
The upside of living in a city that has arms dealing as its main industry is that

21
weapons, especially nonlethal ones, are readily available... and Zlatbisa has generous
laws regarding defense of home and self. Zlatbisa also does a better job of integrating
magic into its weapon systems than Tanager does. It's the only place in Breccia where
one can buy paralysis curse grenades or pistols that fire sleep spells on the open market.
People with magical talent are still rare, but they are highly regarded.
Most Zlatbisans just want to live their lives in peace, but they're caught in the middle
between a heavily militarized police force and criminal gangs that have military grade
weapons. Faced with these options it's no surprise that almost everyone in town either
publicly supports the police or covertly declares loyalty to a gang. Doing both increases
the risk rather than decreasing it.

Government
Breccia's government is more bottom-up than top-down. Each municipality has its
own local government with a mayor (or equivalent) at its head. For the smallest city-
states, like Oakheart and Occaecare, that's as much as they need. Larger municipalities
also have councils of advisers or ministers to whom the leader delegates authority to
execute plans. City leaders are always elected – except in New Nova, where the foreman
is appointed by the company – with some serving limited terms and others retaining the
office until death or retirement.
At the national level Breccia has a parliament. This body is bicameral – consisting of
two "houses," similar to the British Parliament or the U.S. Congress – with an Inner Ring
and an Outer Ring that each have their own cabinet. The Inner Ring governs internal
matters such as agriculture, intercity relations, and disaster response while the Outer Ring
governs international relations. Of special note are the Ministries of Trade and
Commerce, which on the surface would seem to be the same thing. The Ministry of
Trade is in charge of imports from and exports to other nations (and is therefore part of
the Outer Ring) whereas the Ministry of Commerce handles trade between municipalities
(and so is part of the Inner Ring).
The chairperson for the Outer Ring holds the title of President and is the country's
chief diplomat; as the face of Breccia to the wider world it is the President who most
foreigners think is the head of state. However, it is the chairperson of the Inner Ring,
who holds the title of Prime Minister, who holds veto power over the laws passed by
parliament and is the commander-in-chief of Breccia's military.
Overall Breccia takes a rather laissez faire approach to government; parliament only
gets involved in local matters when the issue concerns Breccia as a whole. The rest of
the time municipalities are allowed to run things pretty much as they wish. Breccians
like this just fine; they prefer for the government to stay out of their business... at least
until they need something that only government can provide.

Languages
There are hundreds of languages spoken in Breccia thanks to the influx of immigrants,
but most of those are rare – most outside languages are spoken only by the immigrants
who brought them and their families. There are a handful of notable languages spoken on
the island.
All PCs speak one language for free, and character origin may provide fluency in a
second. A player may exchange one level of starting professions to gain fluency in a

22
language, but restricted languages may only be learned this way by characters who meet
the prerequisites. The description of each language states whether or not it is restricted.

Breccian
The primary language of Breccia is similar to the Romance languages, especially
Italian, except for having no gendered nouns. Most native Breccians speak it as their
primary language, and immigrants learn it during the naturalization process. Each
municipality has its own dialect, so Breccians can easily tell where other Breccians are
from upon hearing them speak. All PCs gain fluency in Breccian for free.

Call-speech
Jarathans are known for their ability to mimic all manner of animal sounds, especially
bird calls. What is not so well known is that they have created a kind of code based on
such calls. Anyone who isn't familiar with Call-speech or the actual animal calls wouldn't
even recognize a Call-speech message as language. Jarathans never teach Call-speech to
outsiders, but they don't consider naturalized immigrants to be outsiders. Call-speech is a
restricted language.

Lomavren (low-MAV-ren)
The semi-nomadic people of Foros-
Zhamexa have a highly tonal, almost
musical language which they never teach
to gadjikane. Some people of mixed
ancestry have learned the language from
their Lomavren parents, while an
immigrant who has naturalized to Foros-
Zhamexa is taught Lomavren upon being
accepted into a band.
Lomavren is a restricted language, but
a PC who is stated to be of partial
Lomavren ancestry may learn it.
However, being a half-breed will
complicate social interactions with
purebred Lomavren. Immigrants who
naturalize to Foros-Zhamexa may also
learn Lomavren, but this means having been accepted into a band and therefore having
familial obligations to that band.

Nochian (NO-kee-en)
The Nochian language is the oldest known language in Breccia. It was once spoken
all over the island, but there are no more living native speakers. The language is now
known mainly to scholars in Melachiym Eyer, scientist-mages in K'Zordak, and relic
hunters in Acameera. It is also used in some obscure ancient texts – the uninitiated
assume that these are all magical texts, but those in the know understand that they're
equally likely to be scientific treatises, historical fantasies, erotic novels, or cookbooks.

23
Old Breccian
An archaic form of Breccian – equivalent to English with "thees" and "thous" plus the
addition of gendered nouns – is still spoken in some municipalities. Old Breccian is also
the primary language of magic in Breccia, both for magical texts and spoken incantations.

Shadespeak
As the gateway to the wider world Shadesvale has the largest immigrant population on
the island. These factors led to the development of a unique pidgin language based on
Breccian but with loan words and borrowed grammar from Arabic, English, Spanish, and
Japanese. Not everyone in Shadesvale knows Shadespeak, but it's common for criminals,
lowlifes, and law enforcement to have at least a working knowledge of it.

Tielku (tee-YELL-koo, but slur the first two syllables together)


Tielku has only two groups of living native speakers, each with its own dialect. The
largest group, on Reykr Island, speaks the oldest and purest dialect. The other group, the
Vodranni, speak an adulterated version that borrows words and grammar from Mongolian
(to which the base language is similar), Breccian, Russian, and Greek. Both groups
mainly speak Tielku among themselves and reserve Breccian for when they have to
communicate with outsiders. Tielku is a restricted language, but immigrants who
naturalize to Vodraine's End may learn it.

Ethnicity
Breccia is fortunate in having no race-based discrimination, but they didn't achieve
this by the usual method of having only one ethnic group. Breccia has four, not counting
the various ethnicities of the immigrant population, each of which has its subgroups.
The following paragraphs give brief descriptions of the most common appearance of
members of each group. Subgroups can have variations, usually in hair and/or eye color.

Islander
The smaller islands surrounding Breccia are home to several related tribes. Islanders,
the smallest ethnic group, have light to medium brown skin and stocky builds. They tend
to be short with strong hands and thick ankles. Their eyes have slight epicanthic folds
and are usually gray – blue and brown occur but are uncommon. Islanders generally have
brown or black hair, and the men can grow facial hair.

Mainlander
Mainlanders are the majority in Breccia. They are usually tall and broad-shouldered
(or, for women, curvaceous) with pale to ruddy skin. They run the gamut of hair colors –
black and brown are most common, but blond and red aren't unheard of. Most men are
able to grow facial hair. Mainlanders usually have blue, green, gray, or hazel eyes.

Sylvan
The people of Breccia's forests and rain forests are tied with westerners for being the
second largest group. They have medium to dark brown skin and slim athletic builds.
Sylvans are, on average, the tallest people in Breccia. They have black, dark brown, or
deep red hair, but some men and a rare few women are naturally bald. The men cannot

24
grow facial hair. Almost all sylvans have brown or hazel eyes.

Westerner
Breccia's desert regions are home to the island's most attractive people. Westerner
skin tones range from pale with a golden cast to light brown. They are short and slim
with long, graceful fingers. Westerners tend to have white, blond, or light brown hair and
usually have brown or green eyes. The men can grow mustaches but not full beards;
some can manage goatees.

Religion and Spirituality


In Breccia the gods are real – some of them, anyway – so religion is alive and well.
Nor do all belief systems on the island revolve around the worship of deities.

Animism
Belief in spirits of nature is the second largest religion in Breccia. The Savain Coven
is the largest organized animist group in terms of population, but the shamans of Jaratha
cover a larger geographical area. The Savainois collectively revere a multitude of spirits,
though most individuals deal with only a few. The Jarathans don't talk to outsiders about
their beliefs, but they seem to have a propitiatory relationship with the spirits of the trees.

Atheism/Agnosticism
The most common belief systems in Breccia don't revolve around gods or spirituality
at all. Atheism is actually pretty rare; it's hard to not believe in the existence of gods
when you know of a place where they appear regularly. Most of the people in Breccia
who describe themselves as atheists are actually misotheists; they believe in the existence
of gods but don't like them much. Agnosticism – in this case, believing in beings who
call themselves gods but doubting that they are actually divine – is far more common.
Neither atheism nor agnosticism are organized belief systems, but there are
organizations at A.M.B.I.T.I.O.N. that espouse an aggressively atheistic brand of
intellectual snobbery.

Immigrant Religions
Immigrants from outside of Breccia often bring their religions with them. All of the
major religions from the rest of the world have found their way to Breccia, but none of
them has had much success at winning converts; none of the immigrant religions has
more than a few hundred adherents in Breccia, and most of those are in Shadesvale.

Mystery Religions
To qualify as a mystery religion a belief system has to be more than just secretive. A
mystery religion also has restrictions on who can be a member and on what individual
members know. Breccia only has one major mystery religion, and that's the one in
Vitaem. No one but the Vitaemi (and not all of them) knows whether the devotees of this
faith are infernalists or worshipers of chthonic elder gods.

Personal Religions
Not all religions are major religions. Some worship household gods whose devotees

25
all come from a single bloodline, some practice ancestor worship, and still others revere
principles like Justice or War as divine ideals. None of these personal belief systems has
more than a few thousand believers, and some have less then twenty, but there are so
many of them that personal religions are collectively the third largest religion in Breccia.

Worship of the Nine


The Founders of Nine Stupas are actual gods... or at least they claim to be. They
certainly possess godlike power, and every adult in the city has received a direct answer
to prayer at least once in their lives. Out of all the indigenous religions of Breccia
Worship of the Nine is the most like traditional religions in the wider world. There are
public shrines all over the municipality; each Founder's shrines are most common in their
own districts, but a shrine to any Founder can be found anywhere in the city. Most
people also have shrines to their favored god in their homes. The fact that Worship of the
Nine is almost universal in Nine Stupas, and not unknown in other municipalities, makes
it the largest religion on the island.

Science and Magic


Breccia is the only place in the world where super-science coexists with high magic.
The population includes wizards, cyborgs, beast tamers, drone wranglers, swashbuckling
heroes, and pistol-packing mamas. With its eclectic mix of technology and magic
Breccia is living proof of Clarke's Third Law.
The various levels of technological advancement are defined in these terms.
 Low Tech: any level of tech from none at all up to medieval;
 Mid Tech: this level includes steam engines, primitive firearms, lighter-than-air craft,
modern medicine (including antisepsis, anesthesia, and antibiotics) and early versions
of telegraph and radio;
 High Tech: modern firearms, electronics, internal combustion engines, heavier-than-air
craft, digital computers, gene mapping, organ transplants, and nuclear fission all
appear at this level;
 Hypertech: the highest level of technology includes quantum computers, antigravity,
energy weapons, cybernetic implants, nuclear fusion, and genetic engineering;
 Magitech: the fusion of magic with technology at mid tech or above; this has the effect
of allowing mid tech to achieve results that aren't normally possible until the high
tech level, lets high tech perform tasks usually reserved for hypertech, or combines
hypertech with magic to achieve results that neither could alone.

Magic and tech are literally part of Breccia's landscape; the island's geography has
places aligned to one or the other. Some of these zones are stable in both place and time,
while others appear at intervals and/or shift position within a limited geographical area.

Empirical Zones
An empirical zone is an area in which active magic doesn't work and the ambient
mana is low to nonexistent. Supernatural creatures can't survive for long in such an area,
but this doesn't mean that empirical zones are monster-free; cyborgs and technological
constructs can operate there just fine. Empirical zones are thankfully rare on Breccia, but
many of them appear in and around municipalities in which hypertech is common.

26
Occultic Zones
An occultic zone is the opposite of an empirical zone; magic works, but technology
doesn't. Occultic zones vary in strength. In most it is only hypertech that is suppressed,
but the strongest occultic zones suppress high tech as well. Occultic zones are every bit
as rare as empirical zones and tend to cluster around areas with a high incidence of magic
users and supernatural creatures. The endpoint of a ley line is often an occultic zone.

Noetic Zones
In a noetic zone magic doesn't merely function, it is enhanced. Magical effects are
stronger, supernatural creatures are more common (and sometimes more powerful), and
ambient mana is more abundant. Some noetic zones are also occultic zones. Noetic
zones frequently occur at places where three or more ley lines cross.

Paralogic Zones
In a paralogic zone Clarke's Third Law is in full effect. What changes is the definition
of "sufficiently advanced." Technological devices, both hypertech and high tech, become
more durable, more energy efficient, and more potent. Paralogic zones are sometimes
empirical zones as well.

Organizations
Breccia has hundreds of different organizations... which will not be detailed here. The
purpose of this section is to describe the kinds of organizations that are most likely to
have an impact on the game. Player characters can conceivably join any of these
organizations, and every PC is a member of the Troubleshooters by default. GMs and
players are free to write up these organizations in more detail or create new ones.

Corporations
There are forty-one major corporations in Breccia. Twelve, including the six largest,
are in Shadesvale. Alluria has ten, Cosmos eight, and there are five each in Tanager and
Zlatbisa. There are also dozens of smaller corporations scattered throughout the island.
The corporation of most note is Kruger-Chen. The once Shadesvale-based company

27
now owns New Nova outright and is entirely based there. Every adult citizen of New
Nova is an employee of "the KC," and anyone who rises to a management position is also
a shareholder.
Oakheart is also organized as a corporation, with every citizen issued shares at birth or
upon naturalization. Oakheart, Inc. guarantees every citizen a minimum basic income...
which, with the village's limited revenue, isn't much, but it's better than nothing.

Criminal Organizations
There are criminal gangs aplenty in the big cities – Alluria has about a dozen, Zlatbisa
has more than twice that many, and Cosmos and Scelus each have over fifty... and that's
just the big gangs; the smaller ones are too numerous to count.
It's an open secret that Tortuga has pirates. What no one but the Tortugans knows is
whether they are organized as individual crews or as a handful of pirate fleets. They
could even all be one fleet. The Floating Market is the most notorious black market in
Breccia, but only the pirate captains know if it is a joint venture between the pirates or a
covert arm of the Tortugan government. It could easily be both.
Breccia has a thieves' guild and an assassins' guild, called the Magpies and the Circle
of Vipers, respectively. Both operate all over the island, but their headquarters are
rumored to be in Scelus. Both guilds are believed to have infiltrated the Troubleshooters.
K'Zordak had a torturers' guild called the Excruciators during the reign of the
Imponderable Heresiarch – at that time they weren't criminals, but rather an arm of the
government. After the overthrow of the Heresiarch the guild was outlawed, and the
official word is that they have been disbanded. The unofficial word is that not all of them
accepted this. If the Excruciators still exist they have gone underground.

Military Organizations
Most of the Breccian municipalities have populations too small to support standing
armies. Every municipality has a citizen militia except for Oakheart (which is officially
pacifist), Jaratha (in which nearly all of the adults have some combat skills), Mulkin
Kauna (which hires Zlatbisan mercenaries), and Cosmos (which has robotic defenders
instead). Kardashev's militia is used exclusively for defense against extradimensional
incursions, while Acameera's City Defense Force is mainly geared toward fighting
monsters. Of the militias on the island Alluria's is by far the largest. The Vodranni
militia is the smallest, but it is comprised of the only cavalry units on the entire island.
The only actual armies in Breccia are those of Zlatbisa and Tanager. Zlatbisa's army is
larger in terms of personnel, but Tanager's is better equipped. Tanager also has one of
only two navies on the island, the other being that of Tortuga.
Shadesvale doesn't have armies per se – it has mech factions. Each group of mech-
jocks is associated with one or more businesses that make, sell, or salvage mechs, and the
factions act as the companies' enforcement arm on the streets. The Big Two factions, the
Deep Blues and the White-Golds, are effectively the police in their respective districts in
addition to filling the role of militia. Smaller factions often try to curry favor with the
central government by having junior members volunteer for Troubleshooter duty.
The androids of Iron Abyss have forsworn violence, but every one of them is a combat
veteran with decades of experience who was literally built for war. The conventional
wisdom is that one of them, even unarmed, is worth a whole squadron of human troops.

28
The government of K'Zordak claims that the armies of mecha-zombies and cyber-
ghouls fielded by the Trans-Uranic Lich have been dismantled and destroyed, but no one
is willing to risk provoking the Dark Citadel to military action... just in case.

Secret Societies
Most of the so-called secret societies aren't really secret, they just conduct closed
meetings. The majority are academic societies as befits their origins in A.M.B.I.T.I.O.N.
Some are fraternities or sororities instead.
The more esoteric societies are dedicated to philosophies or arcane lore. Most of these
are rather harmless (i.e. societies dedicated to magical research, political reform, or
anarcho-capitalism) while others espouse radical agendas like militant atheism. One of
the few truly secret societies is the School of Gates, a group dedicated to the study of the
elder gods. The society is outlawed throughout the island, and in Kardashev membership
is punishable by death.

Trade Guilds
The various types of artisans and technicians each have separate guilds in the larger
municipalities, but all of them at least pay lip service to the two largest trade guilds on the
island. The Artisans' Guild is largely a historical preservation society with the goal of
keeping traditional handicrafts alive in a nation where magic and advanced technology
threaten to replace them. By contrast the Engineers' Guild is more like a labor union for
blue collar technical workers. The Artisans' Guild is headquartered on Reykr Island.
The Engineers' Guild has its headquarters in Zlatbisa and is discouraged in New Nova.
Cosmos is home to Breccia's largest merchant fleet, while Tortuga's is less than half as
large. Foros-Zhamexa has an unofficial merchant fleet that consists of only a score of
ships (give or take a few). They aren't formally organized, but since they're all related by
blood or marriage they have a loyalty to each other that is absent in the other fleets.
The Agrarian Society is dedicated to preserving traditional methods of farming and
developing new ones; they sponsor green tech, agricultural research, and the development
of nature magic. They operate all over the island from their headquarters in Acameera.
The Diggers are a society of historians, archaeologists, and paleontologists... and,
some say, treasure hunters. Their headquarters is in Melachiym Eyer, but most of their
members operate in Ginnungagap, Iron Abyss, Acameera, or New Nova. There are also
quite a few Diggers in the Troubleshooters.
The most secretive of the trade guilds is the Puppeteers of Mulkin Kauna. Every
practitioner of the magic of puppetry is... strongly encouraged... to maintain membership
in good standing. Rumors abound as to whether or not the Circle of Vipers is on retainer
to "negotiate" with recalcitrant former members.

Troubleshooters
Breccia's parliament employs skilled and highly valued operatives (read: whoever they
can get) to deal with situations that concern Breccia as a whole or for which a municipal
government needs plausible deniability. Most agents have at least basic combat skills,
and each member has their particular specialty – every team includes an investigator, a
negotiator, at least one magic user, and a tech specialist. Central prefers that each team
also have an infiltrator/thief and at least one frontline combatant, but teams that don't

29
have anyone with those specialists simply won't be assigned missions that require them.
Troubleshooters are required to be team players; they don't have to like each other – in
fact, intimate relationships between agents are discouraged – but they do have to work
together. Part of agents' training is for the express purpose of overcoming tensions
between municipalities or rival groups within the same municipality. Troubleshooters
can be called upon to travel anywhere on the island and must therefore be able to deal
with all manner of people. Troubleshooters are representatives of the government first
and foremost, and the government doesn't want its agents causing the kind of intercity
incidents they get sent to resolve.
Troubleshooter work isn't a bad gig. The pay is good, reasonable on-the-job expenses
are paid for by the government (either up front or by reimbursement), and the job comes
with access to what would be forbidden lore for anyone else. Troubleshooters have legal
enforcement powers equal to those of local police and are treated as active duty military
for the purpose of the kinds of weapons they can have in their kits. The healthcare is
second to none. If there's a downside it's the retirement plan. Every Troubleshooter signs
up for a 5-year tour, and anyone who serves two or more tours is entitled to a pension
(50% for two tours, 75% for three, 100% for four or more). Don't ask how many agents
survive four tours, but it's probably a good thing that funeral expenses are fully covered.
Troubleshooting is sufficiently dangerous work that no one would do it if they weren't so
well compensated... or if they weren't a little bit crazy.
Just to reiterate it to those for whom it hasn't sunk in yet... every player character in
the Breccia rpg is a Troubleshooter. That is the the plot hook that the GM uses to get
characters involved in the game. The GM and players can decide together whether the
first session is the characters' first meeting or if they have been working together for
some time. It can even be a combination of the two with one or more older characters
who are nearing the end of their tour of duty training their younger counterparts.

30
CHAPTER 2: CHARACTER CREATION
Before you can play an rpg you must first create your protagonist (creating the
antagonists, supporting cast and bit players is the GM's job). This process called
character generation, or chargen. The first time that you do this will probably take a
while, so the first game session should probably be devoted entirely to it. It's a good idea
for the GM to have everyone create their characters together and share ideas as they go.
This allows the GM to guide each player through the chargen process while letting the
players influence each other's concepts to ensure that the cast members have reasons to
work together. Chargen has six steps:

1. Choose a Calling 4. Choose professions


2. Choose an origin 5. Choose resources/drawbacks
3.Determine attributes 6. Finishing touches/backstory

Step 1: Choose a Calling


Making a character is much easier if you know what sort of character you want to
play. This step determines the protagonist's motivation and place in the shared story.
This is a character's Calling. A protagonist's Calling sums up what works best when he
wants to achieve a personal goal or just move the story along. Put another way, being
true to one's Calling is how one gets to one's happy ending.
A Calling must be a single word or a simple phrase. Calling also has a rating of 1-6.
The higher the Calling, the greater the reward for acting in accordance with it (see the
chapter on game mechanics for more on this). Every protagonist begins with Calling 1.
While protagonists may have skills that relate to their Callings, a Calling is not a skill
set. This will be restated for those who didn't get it the first time – A CALLING IS NOT
A JOB DESCRIPTION! Calling is about where the character fits in the story, not what
he does for a living. Calling is a role-playing aid; it's mainly there to provide a character
with motivation when the player can't think of one. To help those who find this
confusing (which is probably most of those who are reading this) a list of sample Callings
and their associated story functions appears below. This is far from an exhaustive list of
possible Callings. GMs and players are encouraged to come up with others.

Calling Story Function


Someone harmed you, a loved one or a cause that you champion. You
Avenger will someday get a chance to repay the offender, but for now there are
other wrongs to right.
You rush in where others fear to tread. Whether you fight with
Challenger physical force, with magic, or with words, you prefer the direct
approach. He who hits first laughs last.
You make people laugh, intentionally or not. You use wit or
Comic Relief clumsiness to defuse tension or to solve problems that firepower alone
can't handle.
You inspire heroic deeds rather than perform them. If you get into
Damsel/Dude
trouble you excel at surviving until help arrives – and at getting that
in Distress
help to do its best.

31
Family You do what it takes to help your family. Parents, siblings, spouse and
(Wo)Man children are your first priority, but you don't neglect extended family.
You lead others into battle, in business, or in some other venture.
Fearless
Whether you lead from the front or from the rear you inspire others to
Leader
greatness.
You love, deeply and passionately, whether or not you are loved in
Love's
return. You will to endure great hardship to win, keep or protect the
Laborer
object of your affections.
You are happiest when you have someone to watch over. Whether
Loyal
your charge is a person, a group or a community you will give your
Protector
life to defend it.
There is something in your past for which you desperately want to
Penitent atone. You give your all when doing anything that brings you closer to
redemption.
Reluctant Adventuring is not your idea. Regularly getting dragged into the path
Hero of destiny gives you tremendous ability to roll with the punches.
You have an inquiring mind, and you want to know. Whether you seek
Seeker of
book learning, mystical secrets or the truth about a crime, you are
Truth
relentless in your search.
You work not for your own glory but for that of your master or your
Sidekick
allies. You are at your best when assisting someone else.

Step 2: Choose an origin


Everyone in Breccia comes from somewhere, and each municipality places different
demands on those who live there. An origin grants an attribute bonus and a bonus
profession. An origin that grants an additional benefit beyond those also imposes a
disadvantage in the form of a skill incompetence.
• Attribute Bonus: For any roll that uses the affected attribute(s) you may add one
additional success to the number of successes generated by any roll that generates at
least one natural success.
• Bonus Profession: You gain one or more bonus levels in professions specified by
the origin.
• Restriction: You may not begin play with any levels of one or more professions or
are limited in how many levels you can take in any of several related professions.
• Skill Incompetence: Choose a skill or class of activities. When using the affinity
skill the character has a penalty of +1 to the difficulty. The penalty can increase to
+2 if the affinity is narrow enough.
There are no rules for races in the sense that most games use the term; all PCs in
Breccia are human. Races within this setting are what races are in real life – local
variations within a species. Regional trends in skin, hair, and eye color, height, and build
make it easy for the locals to tell where a new person is from. Immigrants can have
combinations of features that buck those trends, so they tend to stand out. Locals of
mixed ancestry are often mistaken for immigrants, and vice versa. Breccia doesn't have
the kind of race-based discrimination that plagues the outside world, but outsiders within
any municipality are likely to be met with a measure of distrust.
There are races – in the more traditional gaming sense – other than humans on

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Breccia, but they aren't available as player characters in the default setting. The GM can
create origin blocks for other humanoid species; Breccia is known to have dwarves,
elves, and orcs, none of whom can interbreed with humans.

Abyssal
People who choose to live in Iron Abyss – let alone the rare few who are born there –
have to be tough. Each one is skilled either in dealing with machinery or in using magic.
Attribute Bonus: Endurance or Will
Bonus Profession: one level chosen from Prospector, Seer, Technician, or a magic
profession
Ethnicity: Any

Acameeran
Acameerans all grow up near the water; many can swim before they can walk. Their
lifestyle demands some skill with plants, as well. They don't eschew the highest levels of
tech, but neither are such devices common among them.
Attribute Bonus: Charisma or Intelligence
Bonus Profession: one level of Farmer, Pilot (Small Boat), or Scholar (Archaeologist
or Botanist); every Acameeran is also a Competent swimmer.
Restriction: may not begin play with more than one level of hypertech professions
Ethnicity: Westerner; the eyes often have epicanthic folds.

Allurian
Residents of the Shining City are expected to be productive, and they are encouraged
to match their career goals to their abilities. Training for various careers is readily
available, and many businesses offer internships (paid or unpaid). Anyone who wants
training in a job skill can find it in Alluria.
Attribute Bonus: choose one of Charisma, Endurance, or Intelligence
Bonus Profession: one level of any non-magic profession
Ethnicity: Mainlander

Cilgarder
The people of Cilgard have a strong sense of community and empathy – walking a
mile in someone else's shoes is a common occurrence for them. The use of memory
magic in education and training also gives them access to a dizzying variety of skills.
Attribute Bonus: Charisma
Bonus Profession: one level of any profession; only Cilgarders may take the Mage
(Mnemonicist) profession, which allows the use of memory magic.
Ethnicity: Westerner

Cosmite
Most of the people of Cosmos have never known want. Even with their high crime
rate violent crimes are rare and there's no real military, so few have the opportunity to
learn combat skills. The ban on magic makes magical training extremely difficult to
obtain. Cosmites are the only Breccians among whom biotech and genetic enhancements
are common; all of them have received at least minimal optimization, and the richest

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citizens have multiple augmentations.
Attribute Bonus: any three; may trade one level of bonus for 3 levels of Enhancement.
Bonus Profession: one level of criminal professions; examples include but are not
limited to Artisan (Locksmith), Assassin, Chemist (Apothecary), Entertainer (Courtesan
or Gladiator), Spy, and Thief.
Restriction: may not begin play with any levels of Guard, more than one level of
Soldier, or more than one level total in magic professions. A Cosmite who has levels in
magic professions is considered a criminal if discovered.
Special: may have a level 1 Enhancement for free
Ethnicity: Mainlander or Islander; may be a mix of the two

Devotee (of the Nine)


The inhabitants of Nine Stupas live in an urban dystopia. How each individual copes
with that depends on which of the Nine they claim as their patron.
Attribute Bonus: Alertness (Founder I), Charisma (Founder II or VII), Endurance
(Founder IV), Intelligence (Founder VI or IX), Quickness (Founder III), Strength
(Founder VIII), or Will (Founder V)
Bonus Profession: one level of any profession for which the chosen god can be a
patron; every Devotee is also Competent in knowledge of Breccian religions.
Restriction: may not begin play with any levels of hypertech professions
Special: the character may have a minor boon from their patron deity. This can grant a
bonus success on any roll for a particular activity – i.e. seduction checks for a devotee of
Founder VII or appraisal rolls for a devotee of Founder II – a piece of special equipment
that always returns to the owner if lost or stolen, a special companion who assists the
devotee on adventures, or a line of communication to get advice from the patron. The
player must work out the exact nature of the boon with the GM. The patron will
periodically demand payment in the form of side quests for the continued privilege of
enjoying this boon. A Devotee is not required to have a boon.
Ethnicity: Any

Iceborn
Iceborn are both tough and smart. They have to be tough in an environment like
Ginnungagap, and the need for smart in people who work at a research lab should be self-
evident. They know their science and tech, but magic not so much.
Attribute Bonus: Endurance
Bonus Profession: two levels chosen from Scholar or Technician
Skill Incompetence: all magic professions
Ethnicity: Mainlander with increased chance of blue or gray eyes

Immigrant
An immigrant comes from one of the countries outside Breccia. Every immigrant
undergoes a three-year naturalization process in the municipality of their choice, after
which they are put to work. Those who have the right skills are strongly encouraged to
take a tour of duty with a troubleshooter team.
Attribute Bonus: any one (player's choice)
Bonus Language: fluent in one language from the nation of origin

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Bonus Profession: two levels of the profession(s) of the player's choice
Restriction: may not begin play with more than one level (total) in magic or hypertech
professions
Ethnicity: as nation of origin

Jarathan
Jarathans are all excellent climbers –
they have to be due to living in the trees.
Jaratha has two castes. Thespians are
entertainers, administrators, physicians,
and diplomats (and possibly spies) while
Hunters are artisans, soldiers, police,
animal handlers, and of course hunters
(and sometimes assassins).
Attribute Bonus: Alertness, Quickness
Bonus Language: fluent in Call-
speech
Bonus Profession: one level of
Entertainer (Thespian) or Hunter
(Hunter), and all Jarathans are treated as
having Expert skill at climbing trees.
Restriction: may not begin play with
any levels of hypertech professions
Skill Incompetence: all high tech and
hypertech professions
Ethnicity: Sylvan

Kardashevik
Everyone in Kardashev has been trained to handle a rift incursion – either as a first
responder or an armed defender. A few have been trained as conjurer-engineers who
make or maintain the magitech that the city depends on for survival.
Attribute Bonus: Intelligence or Quickness
Bonus Profession: one level of any profession that can be justified for a first responder
(i.e. Doctor, Guard, or Soldier) or a conjurer-engineer (Scholar, Technician, or a magic
profession)
Ethnicity: Mainlander

K'zordakite
Not everyone in K'Zordak becomes a magic user or an inventor, but those who do are
always both. Everyone in the city has worked the tourist attractions as part of their
education. K'Zordakites have a deep appreciation for theatrics, and they love their sci-fi
goth aesthetics.
Attribute Bonus: choose one of Charisma, Intelligence, or Will
Bonus Language: fluent in Nochian
Bonus Profession: two levels chosen from Artisan, Domestic, Entertainer, Scholar, or
Technician

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Restriction: may not take any levels of hypertech professions without taking at least
one level of magic professions, and vice versa.
Skill Incompetence: all hypertech and magic skills if not channeled through magitech
Ethnicity: Mainlander

Lomavren
The Lomavren are a hardy people with a strong sense of honor. They are also a
handsome folk who pride themselves on being smooth talkers (or at least friendly). The
harsh environment of Foros-Zhamexa encourages teamwork. All Lomavren learn some
skill that contributes to the band's survival as part of their childhood education.
Attribute Bonus: Charisma and Endurance
Bonus Language: fluent in Lomavren
Bonus Profession: one level chosen from Hunter, Pilot (Sailcraft or Small Boat),
Rancher, or Tamer; only Lomavren may use the Tamer (Land Mammals) profession to
create bonds with Lomavren hounds.
Restriction: may not begin play with any hypertech professions
Skill Incompetence: all hypertech professions
Ethnicity: Islander

Melacheen
The Melacheen people are lovers and scholars rather than fighters. They diligently
study their areas of expertise with an eye toward making themselves useful – they study
fields that either add to the city's knowledge or enable them to perform some useful task.
There are two Melacheen castes, though neither is considered above the other because
both are regarded as necessary. Academics study the arts and sciences while Technics are
skilled in tasks related to salt harvesting and maintaining the city's infrastructure.
Attribute Bonus: (Academics) Intelligence; (Technics) Quickness
Bonus Language: may trade a level of professions for fluency in any language that
isn't restricted, including immigrant languages
Bonus Profession: (Academics) two levels chosen from Artist, Prospector, or Scholar;
(Technics) two levels chosen from Artisan, Pilot (Sailcraft), Prospector, or Technician
Restriction: may not begin play with more than one level of warrior or hypertech
professions
Ethnicity: Westerner

Mulkinese
The people of Mulkin Kauna are shrewd and difficult to read. Playing their cards
close to the vest is a way of life. The only thing they like better than keeping their own
secrets is uncovering someone else's – Mulkinese members of troubleshooting teams are
often investigators or infiltrators.
Attribute Bonus: Alertness or Charisma
Bonus Language: any (must be of Lomavren ancestry to take Lomavren)
Bonus Profession: one level chosen from Elite, Spy, or Thaumaturge; only Mulkinese
may take the Thaumaturge (Puppeteer) profession, which is needed to create Marionettes.
Restriction: may not begin play with any levels of hypertech professions
Ethnicity: Westerner

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Novan
There are two kinds of people in New Nova; skilled workers and supervisors. This
includes the children, who are in training to be one or the other. Any Novan who isn't
trained in fixing or building things is educated in finding the most efficient and cost-
effective ways of fixing and building things.
Attribute Bonus: Quickness or Intelligence
Bonus Profession: two levels chosen from Chemist, Official, Scholar, or Technician
Skill Incompetence: all magic professions
Ethnicity: Any

Oakhearter
Inhabitants of Oakheart are used to doing more with less. They excel at finding
solutions that don't depend on magic or high-tech. To Oakhearters anything worth doing
is worth doing sustainably; if there's a way to solve a problem using green tech, or even
just elbow grease, an Oakenhearter will find it.
Attribute Bonus: Endurance and Intelligence
Bonus Profession: two levels chosen from Artisan, Chemist (Apothecary), Drover,
Farmer, or Rancher
Restriction: may not begin play with any levels of hypertech professions or more than
two levels of magic professions; may not begin play with magic professions other than
Seer or Thaumaturge.
Skill Incompetence: all hypertech professions
Ethnicity: Sylvan; tend toward the lighter skin tones

Occaecarean
Not everyone in Occaecare is a mage, but all of them live with magic every day.
Living in a city with no violent crime, and which can't be invaded militarily, leaves them
ill-equipped for combat situations – with the exception of those who expect to travel
outside the city, and not all of them, Occaecareans don't see the need to learn fighting
skills, and they don't have opportunities to learn how to handle animals.
Attribute Bonus: Intelligence or Will
Bonus Language: fluent in Old Breccian
Bonus Profession: two levels chosen from Scholar or any magic professions; only
Occaecareans may take the Mage (Golemancer) profession, without which one cannot
make or control golems.
Restriction: may not begin play with more than one level of warrior professions or any
levels of Drover, Hunter, or Rancher
Skill Incompetence: all hypertech professions
Ethnicity: Mainlander

Reykri (ray-KEER-ee)
Reykri are tough and savvy. Every one of them has been on at least one adventure
before adulthood, and many families have traditions of adventuring – Reykri see a trip
into the topmost level of the labyrinth the same way that modern Americans would see a
camping trip to a state park.
Attribute Bonus: Quickness or Strength

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Bonus Language: fluent in Tielku
Bonus Profession: one level chosen from warrior (Cavalryman, Guard, Hunter,
Soldier, etc.) or magic professions
Restriction: may not begin play with any levels of Assassin or hypertech professions
Ethnicity: Islander with more pronounced epicanthic folds

Savainois (sah-ven-WAH)
Residents of Savain are used to being surrounded by magic. All of them can cast at
least basic spells and know how to use magical devices. Magical training also helps
develop one's innate social, mental, or spiritual qualities depending on the style of magic
learned at the price of having a bit of a mental block when it comes to technology.
Attribute Bonus: choose one of Charisma, Intelligence, or Will
Bonus Language: fluent in Old Breccian
Bonus Profession: one level of any magic profession
Skill Incompetence: all hypertech professions
Ethnicity: Mainlander or Sylvan

Scelite
Scelites know the value of situational awareness; in the City of Crime one is either
attentive to one's surroundings or one is soon dead. They also know the value of
teamwork – every community (and every gang) has need of a variety of skills. Where
formal education fails an informal apprenticeship system can provide training in almost
any skill someone wants to learn.
Attribute Bonus: Alertness
Bonus Profession: two levels chosen from any professions
Restriction: may not begin play with any hypertech professions
Ethnicity: Mainlander with increased chance of lighter hair colors

Scoliere
Everyone at A.M.B.I.T.I.O.N. is a scientist, studying to become a scientist, or one of
the support personnel whose work the scientists couldn't do their work without. They
grow up surrounded by technology and with access to vast amounts of information. That
Scolieri are smart people who know their way around machines should surprise no one.
Attribute Bonus: Intelligence
Bonus Profession: two levels chosen from Official, Scholar, or Technician
Restriction: may not begin play with any magic professions
Ethnicity: Any

Shadevaler (or "Shady")


Shadesvalers are the only Breccians among whom cyberware is common. Many of
them have prosthetic limbs or sensory organs that are more capable than the originals,
implants that increase strength, stamina, or reflexes, or neural implants to improve
memory or cognition. These implants can look completely natural, but quite a few
Shadies – especially those on the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum – have
cyberware that looks artificial as a fashion statement.
Attribute Bonus: two chosen from Alertness, Endurance, Intelligence, Quickness, or

38
Strength; may trade one level of bonus for 3 levels of Enhancement.
Bonus Language: fluent in Shadespeak
Bonus Profession: one level of any non-magic profession
Restriction: may not begin play with any magic professions
Skill Incompetence: all magic professions
Ethnicity: Mainlander

Tanagerian
Not everyone in Tanager is a soldier, but no one is truly a civilian. All Tanagerians are
trained to fight, and their culture encourages physical fitness to the point of including
mandatory physical conditioning as part of basic education.
Attribute Bonus: choose two from among Endurance, Quickness, or Strength
Bonus Profession: one level of Guard or Soldier
Restriction: may not begin play with any magic professions
Ethnicity: Any

Tortugan
Tortugans are not all pirates. In fact, they'll
tell you that none of them are. Some are
privateers at most. But they can all swim, most
can sail, and many are skilled in appraisal. If
fate should bring a windfall one's way it's good
to know what's worth steal... er, salvaging.
Attribute Bonus: Quickness
Bonus Profession: two levels chosen from
Merchant, Pilot (Sailcraft), or Thief; every
Tortugan is also a Competent swimmer.
Restriction: may not begin play with any
hypertech professions
Ethnicity: Islander; usually dark haired

Vitaemi
Vitaem is a rustic community with no high technology, no farms, and no ranches.
Animal husbandry is limited to mounts and draft animals. Vitaemi have well-formed and
healthy bodies, but they have few opportunities to learn how to handle machines or grow
their own food.
Attribute Bonus: Charisma plus any one of Endurance, Quickness, or Strength
Bonus Language: fluent in Old Breccian
Bonus Profession: one level of Domestic, Entertainer, or Merchant
Restriction: may not begin play with any levels of Farmer, Hunter, Rancher, or
hypertech professions
Skill Incompetence: all Technician professions
Special: may have up to two level 1 Enhancements for free
Ethnicity: Mainlander or Sylvan

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Vodranni
The Vodranni are the friendliest people in Breccia. They'll tell you so themselves,
probably over drinks (first round's on you). Their nomadic lifestyle guarantees that they
all know something about riding or driving a vehicle. Many of them are good at fixing
things, but their technical expertise is limited to the kind of tech that would work in the
real world.
Attribute Bonus: Charisma
Bonus Language: fluent in Tielku
Bonus Profession: two levels chosen from Artisan, Cavalryman, Drover, Merchant, or
Technician; only Vodranni may use the Tamer (Arthropods) professions on the giant atlas
beetles that they use as mounts and draft animals.
Skill Incompetence: all hypertech professions
Ethnicity: Islander but slightly taller and with brown eyes

Zlatbisan
In Zlatbisa there are two kinds of people; the paranoid and the dead. Everyone in the
city learns some kind of skill to break the law, uphold the law, or patch up those who do
either of the above.
Attribute Bonus: Alertness
Bonus Profession: one level of a law enforcement (Doctor, Guard, or Official) or
criminal (Assassin, Spy, or Thief) profession
Ethnicity: Mainlander

Step 3: Determine attributes


All characters share a suite of common abilities, but not everyone is equally gifted in
all of them. These abilities are called attributes. There are seven primary attributes that
have independent values and three secondary attributes that are computed from two or
more of the primaries.

Primary Attributes
Each player receives 21 points with which to buy primary attributes. Every primary
attribute must have a value of at least 1, and none may have a value of more than 6.

Alertness: sharp senses, intuition and sensitivity to social cues. Characters use Alertness
to find hidden things, notice details, sense motives or deception and detect ambushes.

Charisma: force of personality, threatening manner, charm, good looks and stage
presence. Characters use Charisma to persuade, intimidate, seduce and beguile others.

Endurance: stamina, pain threshold and physical health. Endurance determines how long
characters can exert themselves, how long they can withstand suffering or torture and
their resistance to disease, poison and environmental stress.

Intelligence: memory, learning ability, spatial reasoning and logic. Characters use
Intelligence for deductive reasoning, remembering, navigation and problem solving.

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Quickness: hand-eye coordination, agility and quick reflexes. Characters use Quickness
for tasks involving manual dexterity, balance, acrobatics and contests of speed.

Strength: muscle power. Strength determines a character's melee damage and ability to
exert brute physical force. A character can carry (Strength x 20) pounds without being
encumbered and lift a maximum of (Strength x 100) pounds. An attribute bonus to
Strength adds +1 to Strength for the purpose of these calculations. Statistics freaks are
advised to not be too anal retentive about these numbers; these figures were chosen for
plausibility and ease of use, not for scientific accuracy.

Will: persistence, strength of character and force of spirit. Characters use Will to resist
fear, fatigue, mental stress and social pressure. Will also resists psychic assaults.

Secondary Attributes
Every secondary attribute is the result of combining two or more primary attributes.
For the purpose of these computations add any bonus to an attribute to its value. For
example, when computing a secondary attribute Strength 3 with the bonus Strength 2 is
equal to Strength 5. Do not add conditional bonuses (bonuses that only apply in certain
situations) when computing secondary attributes.

Health: People can only take so much of a beating. Health reflects the amount of damage
that a person can withstand before falling unconscious. A character dies after being
reduced to negative Health equal to Endurance + any Endurance bonus (for example, a
protagonist with 9 Health, 4 Endurance, and attribute bonus in Endurance dies after
sustaining more than 14 points of damage – 9 + 4 + 1 = 14). Health = Endurance +
Strength + Will. A bonus to any of the primary attributes that contributes to Health adds
an additional +1.

Mana: Everyone has a store of magical energy. Spellcasters use it to cast spells, while
anyone who can't cast spells can channel that energy into extraordinary luck or seemingly
superhuman physical feats. Mana = Charisma + Endurance + Intelligence + 12. A bonus
to any of the primary attributes that contributes to Mana adds an additional +1. Example:
a protagonist with 3 Charisma, 2 Endurance, and 5 Intelligence with Endurance as their
bonus attribute has 23 Mana (3 + 2 + 1 = 6; 6 + 5 = 11; 11 + 12 = 23).

Speed: Speed represents how quickly a character can move. Running speed equals
meters per move action or sustained running speed in miles per hour (short sprints may
be up to 30% faster). Swimming speed, or climbing speed for characters who aren't
arboreal, is Speed/4, round down (minimum = 1). Speed = Quickness + Strength + 6. A
bonus to either of the primary attributes that contributes to Speed adds an additional +1,
and an appropriate profession – i.e. athlete – adds +1 Speed per level. Example: a
protagonist with Quickness 3, Strength 5 and attribute bonus to Strength has a Speed of
15 (3 + 5 = 8; 8 + 1 = 9; 9 + 6 = 15).

Step 4: Choose professions


The Breccia RPG differs from most games of this type in that there is no skill list.

41
Instead protagonists have one or more professions. Each profession is a collection of
related job skills and therefore applies to any activity that someone of that profession
would routinely perform on the job. Each profession is rated in levels from Novice to
Competent to Expert, or 1-3 levels.
In addition to having no skill list Breccia has no skill points to allocate. Instead the
game acknowledges the simple truth that people tend to learn more as they age, while
young people haven't had time to learn much. The player first decides how old the
character is upon entering play. Divide the starting age by 10 and round to the nearest
whole number (round fractions less than half down, round fractions one-half or more up);
the character gets that many levels of professions. This doesn't include any bonus levels
of professions gained from the origin. The player may exchange one level of professions
for fluency in an additional language.
Example: a 17-year-old protagonist gets 2 levels of starting professions – 17 ÷10 =
1.7, round up to 2 (because 0.7 is greater than 1/2).
A list of sample professions appears below. Players may select from these or create
their own with the GM's approval. The GM may provide a list of additional professions
for players to choose from.
Each magic profession has a focus attribute. Any active use of the magic always uses
the focus attribute, but other applications may use different attributes.
• Artisan: this is a category of professions. Artisans make the things that people use
every day – tools, housewares, furniture and so on. This profession applies to
making, modifying, repairing or evaluating handcrafted items. The player must
specify what kind of artisan the character is – i.e. Blacksmith, Bowyer (maker of
bows and arrows), Carpenter, Cartwright (wagon maker), Potter, Tailor/Seamstress
or Tanner (leather worker). Artisan bonuses only apply to items that fall under that
specific profession… but many artisans have more than one artisan profession.
Making magic items requires combining Artisan with a magic profession.
• Artist: Artists create works of art, and each medium is a separate profession;
examples include Author, Choreographer (dance), Composer (music), Painter, and
Sculptor. In addition to creating art an Artist also has secondary knowledge related
to their medium. Authors are familiar with grammar and with facts related to their
writing, Choreographers have knowledge of first aid (particularly for treating foot
and leg injuries), Painters can use basic chemistry to formulate pigments, and so on.
All Artists are familiar with great works of art and with other artists within their
respective fields.
• Assassin: when you want someone killed on the sly, send an assassin. They are
trained in moving silently, the use of weapons and unarmed techniques that kill in
small spaces with minimal noise, and in the identification and delivery of poisons.
• Athlete: anyone can run, jump, climb, or swim. A trained Athlete is just better at it.
In addition to using the profession bonus on appropriate task rolls a character adds
+2 Speed per level of Athlete.
• Cavalryman: cavalry is the branch of the military that specializes in mounted combat.
A cavalryman can ride and care for a single type of mount (equines are most
common), navigate cross-country, and use weapons that are practical for mounted
combat (whether or not he's on horseback). At higher levels of skill a cavalryman
gains proficiency with other types of mount.

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• Chemist: this category of professions has three divisions; Apothecary, Alchemist, and
Synthesist. Apothecaries focus on medicines, tonics and poisons. Alchemists brew
magical potions, salves, and oils (alchemy is a magic profession; focus attribute =
Quickness). Synthesists create chemicals for industrial use (i.e. acids, incendiaries
and explosives). A chemist knows how to safely mix, store and handle chemicals
and how to find and process the ingredients for making them (be those ingredients
animal, vegetable or mineral).
• Doctor: doctors are skilled in diagnosing and treating ailments, be they illnesses or
injuries. In addition to knowing about anatomy doctors are familiar with medicinal
plants. Knowing where the really important bits are is quite useful when a doctor
needs to hit someone where it hurts.
• Domestic: cooking, cleaning and serving others aren't regarded as prestigious jobs,
but somebody has to do them. In addition to their regular duties domestics are
skilled at social deception – faking enthusiasm, seeming harmless, remaining
impassive or unnoticed, etc. They also learn how to "read" others, the better to
anticipate a client's needs or head off an employer's wrath.
• Drover: driving a wagon is easy – under normal conditions. A skilled drover can do it
at high speed over bad road in the dark while it's raining. A drover also knows how
to maintain the motive power for the type of vehicle in which he specializes. Each
drover profession grants knowledge of one type of ground vehicle (animal-driven
wagon, motorcycle, rickshaw, automobile, hovercraft, etc.).
• Elite: elites work mainly at staying wealthy and privileged. Their other major job is
diplomacy. Elites are experts on cultures other than their own. This requires
knowledge of history and geography, and the best know a bit about lands outside of
Breccia. The main skills of elites involve persuasion, intrigue, and oratory.
• Entertainer: this is another category of related professions. Entertainers use
performance to amuse their fellow beings. They are also good at using charm to
influence people. The player must specify the character's main act, which can be
something like Acting, Comedy, Dance, Oratory, or Singing. Entertainer
(Musician) grants skill in playing a class of musical instruments such as Brass (i.e.
trumpets, coronets, and trombones), Keyed (piano, organ, harpsichord, etc.),
Percussion (various types of drums), Stringed (such as guitars, lutes, and
mandolins), or Wind (flutes, oboes, saxophones, and so on). Entertainer
(Courtesan) covers more... intimate... shows. Every Entertainer profession also
grants a secondary act – most storytellers can also act, for example, and many
singers can also play an instrument – at the next skill level down.
• Farmer: farming is more than just growing crops. A good farmer also knows about
soil, useful plants (even those that aren't cultivated as crops), weeds, pests and
weather. Farmers are also the people with the most knowledge of dangerous plants.
• Guard: this profession includes both town guards and police. In addition to skill with
simple weapons guards are trained in investigation, pursuit (on foot, mounted, or in
vehicles), and small unit tactics. Many guards also know interrogation techniques,
and most develop stealth skills for stake-outs.
• Gunner: the skill for operating artillery and cannons (including naval guns) isn't in
high demand outside of war, but it's a critical skill during war. Trained gunners are
also skilled at mathematics; plotting solutions for firing at targets that are miles

43
away, perhaps even over the horizon, requires number crunching. Anyone who is
trained as a gunner can also act as a spotter.
• Hunter: tracking, stalking, killing, and butchering meat animals are all in a day's work
for a hunter. They are skilled in the use of both ranged weapons and knives.
Navigation is useful for following prey and getting home, and wilderness survival
skills are needed for living rough. Knowledge of animals is a must.
• Mage: Magery is the magic of manipulating time, space, mass, quantity, perception,
composition, and acceleration. A skilled mage can change an object's size, weight or
substance, teleport or create gates between locations, speed up or slow down moving
objects, project illusions, increase the quantity of substances or objects, or change the
flow of time in a localized area. Each category of magery – Chronoturge (time),
Illusionist, Kineticist (motion), Locationist (teleportation and portals), Metricist (size,
weight, and mass), Replicationist (copying), or Transmuter (changing one substance
to another) – is a separate profession. Intelligence is the focus attribute for magery.
• Merchant: success as a merchant requires skill at appraising goods and navigating
paperwork, working knowledge of one's wares, and the logistical ability to track
supplies and predict the demand for a given product. A merchant's most often used
skill is her ability to negotiate – and many of them realize that this is useful for
more than just haggling over prices.
• Necromancer: death magic is frowned upon in most of Breccia, but that doesn't stop
some people from practicing it. A necromancer can detect, communicate with, and
(eventually) touch ghosts, animate corpses to create lesser undead, and imitate or
suppress the powers of greater undead. They can also inflict disease on living
bodies and increase the rate of organic decay. The most skilled necromancers know
the secrets of becoming greater undead themselves... though it's not easy and is
never without cost. Intelligence is the focus attribute for necromancy.
• Official: somebody has to do the paperwork. Officials handle administration,
logistics and resource management. They are also the leading experts on rules,
regulations, and laws… and on finding ways around them.
• Pilot: anybody can drive a wagon, but only a skilled pilot can safely operate an
aircraft or sailing ship. A pilot profession grants the ability to operate and perform
basic maintenance on one class of piloted vehicle – Airship, Helicopter, Sailcraft,
Small Boat (canoes, gondolas, etc.), Steamship, and so on. Pilot (Mecha) is a
hypertech profession, while Pilot (Ornithopter) is a magitech profession.
• Prospector: prospectors search the wilderness for mineral wealth, useful plants,
salvage, or new sites for growing crops and building homes. Prospectors learn
stealth (because sneaking past monsters is easier than fighting them) and athletics
(for running away from monsters that can't be sneaked past), but a prospector's most
important skill is the knowledge of minerals, plants and sites that lets him identify
the prize when he finds it. Knowledge of the hazards that he must avoid can be a
literal lifesaver.
• Rancher: raising and tending animals is the rancher's stock (heh!) in trade. A rancher
is skilled in tracking (to better find wandering livestock), animal knowledge (of his
own stock, and of their predators and pests) and veterinary medicine. Nearly all
ranchers are skilled in butchery and most also learn how to ride.
• Sapper: sappers are the most specialized type of technician, the combat engineer.

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Their main skill is in creating or destroying fortifications, roads and bridges. They
also know how to safely handle, set or defuse explosives. The most impressive part
is that they often perform these tasks while under fire. Sappers are either the
coolest customers that one will ever meet or the most nervous.
• Scholar: scholars are masters of science and exotic lore. History, geography,
economics and philosophy are open books for the scholar to read. Many scholars
are also teachers. Each area of expertise is a separate profession, but these areas are
quite broad by nature.
• Seer: the art of using magic to extend the senses is called divination. Sensing the
future is difficult and far from an exact science. Perceiving the past is easier and
more reliable, as is spying on distant locations. The further away the target is in
space and/or time the more difficult a divination is. Alertness is the focus attribute
for divination.
• Soldier: fighting wars and slaying monsters require skill in tactics, athletics,
wilderness survival and a variety of weapons. Any soldier is trained in the use of
whatever weapons are commonly used in their home municipality.
• Sorcerer: sorcery bends magical power to attack or defense. A sorcerer can hurl bolts
of elemental power, raise barriers of matter or energy, and erect wards. There is a
separate profession for each of the classical elements (Air, Earth, Fire, and Water)
and for more exotic elements (Blood, Darkness, Ice, Light, Lightning, Thought,
Wood, etc.). Will is the focus attribute for sorcery.
• Spy: a spy is a trained observer and eavesdropper with a keen eye for patterns in
information and in behavior. She also has a photographic memory, knowledge of
techniques for investigation and interrogation, and skill in following people
unobtrusively. She probably knows how to operate recording devices, as well.
• Tamer: anyone who learns how to drive a wagon or ride a horse knows how to handle
one type of animal, but tamers can deal with several types. A tamer knows how to
track, care for, train, and breed animals. He also has knowledge of veterinary
medicine and probably knows how to ride. Taming each category of animals –
Arthropods (insects, arachnids, and crustaceans), Avians, Coldbloods (reptiles and
amphibians), Fish, Land Mammals, Water Mammals, etc. – is a separate profession.
• Technician: yet another category of professions. Technician covers the ability to
make high tech gear and weapons. Sub-categories include Arcanics (magitech
devices), Bionics (cybernetic implants and prostheses), Computers, Electronics,
Energy Weapons, Mechanics, Photonics (circuitry based on photons instead of
electrons), and Nanotech. Bionics, Photonics, and Nanotech are hypertech
professions, while Arcanics is a magic profession (focus attribute = Quickness).
• Thaumaturge: Thaumaturgy is nature magic. It can control natural forces, influence
or alter living things, and heal injury or illness. There is a separate profession for
each area of thaumaturgy – Faunamancer (animals), Floramancer (plants), Healer,
Metamorph (shape changing), Shaman (spirit magic), Weather-worker, etc.
Thaumaturgy can also be themed by the same elements used for sorcery; in this
case the caster can't produce directly damaging effects but can use more abstract
aspects of the element (for example, Fire includes rage and desire while Earth also
includes gravity). Charisma is the focus attribute for thaumaturgy.
• Thief: liberating valuables from those who don't appreciate them enough to protect

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them is rewarding work. Thieves know the ins and outs of breaking and entering,
escape and evasion, moving silently and finding good hiding places. They also
know how to appraise goods and evaluate security to identify the best targets.

Step 5a: Choose resources


Resources are the perks that make a protagonist's life easier – or perhaps keep it from
being prematurely cut short. Every resource has a rating of 1-6 (see a pattern?), and each
protagonist gets nine points with which to purchase resources. A resource can be bought
and/or improved after character creation unless its description says otherwise.
A resource that a protagonist has spent points on (as opposed to a random object that a
character just picks up) is a part of the character on a narrative level. A resource may be
negated for a time, briefly rendered useless and even lost or stolen, but it never goes away
permanently. A resource that a character is deprived of will always be recovered or
replaced by the end of the following game session. The exception is a resource that the
GM feels that the player is misusing – but in this case, the GM should refund the points
spent to purchase that resource or replace it with something less offensive of equal value.

Arms: the character owns or has ready access to weapons and armor. A player may
purchase this resource more than once to get multiple items.
1. light armor or a light blunt weapon;
2. medium armor, reinforced light armor, a light edged weapon, or a medium blunt
weapon;
3. heavy armor, reinforced medium armor, a heavy blunt weapon, a medium edged
weapon, or light ranged weapon;
4. reinforced heavy armor, a heavy edged weapon, or a medium ranged weapon;
5. a heavy ranged weapon.
A hypertech, magitech, or magic item has +1 to its resource value and has some kind
of bonus when compared to normal items of its type. Energy weapons are always either
hypertech, magitech, or magical. A character must be from a municipality where such
items are available.
A weapon with the armor-piercing quality has +1 to its resource value. An armor-
piercing weapon imposes a -2 Endurance penalty for the purpose of resisting damage.
Reinforced armor negates this effect. Blunt weapons can't be armor-piercing.
A weapon with the nonlethal quality has -1 to its resource value. Edged weapons can't
be nonlethal.

Authority: rank has its privileges. A character with Authority has official powers that
allow them to issue orders to lower ranking members of their organization, and possibly
to non-members. Authority doesn't work on people outside of one's chain of command –
for example, a military officer can't issue orders to police outside of a military situation –
and someone who is issued orders might demand proof of identity before they obey. The
player must define the nature of the Authority when purchasing this resource. The
examples below are exactly that; players and GMs are free to define Authority from
sources other than those mentioned here.
1. Senior Member (rank-and-file member with time-in-grade);
2. Overseer (non-commissioned officer, police sergeant, fire lieutenant, corporate

46
team lead);
3. Underboss (junior officer, police detective, fire captain, corporate supervisor);
4. Leader (senior officer, police captain, fire chief, corporate manager).
Authority is assumed to be limited to a local area – a single district or neighborhood
within one municipality. The resource value is +1 if the character's Authority applies
across an entire municipality, +2 if it extends throughout all of Breccia.

Connections: sometimes having access to special gear isn’t as powerful as knowing the
right people. This resource represents a person who will help the protagonist in times of
need; the higher the resource level the more help is available. A character can take this
resource more than once to get multiple Connections. You can call on a Connection once
per game session.
1. Contact (will answer questions and offer advice);
2. Hireling (will do minor favors for pay);
3. Ally (will do moderate favors in exchange for equal favors);
4. Mercenary (will do major favors for pay);
5. Mentor (a contact that includes obscure or restricted knowledge and esoteric lore);
6. Disciple (will risk life and limb in exchange for personal attention – usually
teaching, a romantic relationship or riding the coattails of the master's success).

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Creature: some things are easier with an animal companion. The larger and more
powerful the Creature the higher its resource value. A Creature is assumed to be loyal
and well-trained. This resource can be purchased more than once to obtain more animals.
Some sample Creatures appear in Chapter 5.
1. a small creature (up to house cat size);
2. a medium creature (up to the size of a human or a large dog);
3. a large creature (up to rhinoceros size);
4. a huge creature (up to elephant size).
Each of the following adds +1 to the resource value – animal is paranormal; animal is
combat trained; animal has been enhanced to have near human-level intelligence.

Enhancement: characters in Breccia can benefit from a variety of treatments to increase


their physical or mental abilities. This resource can be purchased more than once to
obtain multiple Enhancements. The examples below are exactly that; players should feel
free to suggest other options. The character must be from a municipality where
Enhancements of the chosen type are available.
When this resource is purchased its source must be defined as magical, biotech,
genetic, or hypertech.
 Magical Enhancements are the easiest to detect – they are visible in the recipient's
aura – but the hardest to interfere with. They only stop working in hypertech-
aligned areas or no-mana zones;
 Biotech Enhancements are the hardest to detect – they can only be found by
means of a biopsy. Certain toxins and drugs can suppress them;
 Genetic Enhancements are the only augmentations that can be passed on to
offspring. They can be detected with blood tests and suppressed by some viruses;
 Hypertech Enhancements are often visible mechanical additions to the body.
They don't function in areas where hypertech doesn't work, and putting a person
with these implants through an MRI will have messy results.
1. a purely cosmetic alteration like exotic skin, hair or eye color;
2. a lesser utility – this grants a single bonus success or a one-step difficulty
reduction under specific circumstances or allows a minor ability outside normal
human capability (night vision reduces darkness penalties, increased lung capacity
grants an additional success on breath control tasks, infrared vision allows seeing
heat signatures, etc.);
3. an improved attribute – you can select an additional bonus attribute, or increase an
existing bonus attribute to grant two bonus successes;
4. a major utility/minor combat augmentation – this takes the form of an ability
boost (x2 to Speed or lifting/carrying capacity), environmental adaptation (no roll
required; examples include gills and cold weather insulation), a built-in melee
weapon (i.e. reinforced fists or retractable blades), or subdermal light armor;
5. a major combat augmentation – a built-in ranged weapon (dart thrower, pistol,
taser, etc.) or subdermal medium armor;
An Enhancement's resource value is +1 if the augmentation makes no visible changes
to the body – level 1 Enhancements can't have this modifier.

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Exceptional: an Exceptional character has an unusual level of physical, mental, or
spiritual ability. This resource can't be purchased or improved after character creation.
1. Each odd-numbered level of this resource adds +3 Attribute Points;
2. Each even-numbered level raises the maximum in one attribute to 7. At
Exceptional 6 an attribute with a current maximum of 7 can have its maximum
increased to 8.

Gear: hypertech and magitech make possible some true miracles – and nightmares – of
science. The game mechanic for describing such things is the Gear resource. Any
character may own Gear. The danger is that the government tries to keep tight control
over hypertech and magitech devices that can easily be weaponized. A player may
purchase this resource multiple times to represent multiple devices or vehicles. Players
should feel free to add to the lists below subject to GM approval.
1. an unarmed personal vehicle, a non-combat specific utility item, or a non-portable
exotic power source;
2. an unarmed light vehicle, a non-combat limited utility item, or a semi-portable
(i.e. vehicle mounted) exotic power source;
3. an unarmed medium vehicle, an armed personal vehicle, a portable exotic source,
or a non-combat general utility item;
4. an unarmed heavy vehicle, an industrial mech, a carried item that stores mana, or
an armed light vehicle;
5. an armed medium vehicle, a worn item that stores mana, or a personal-sized
exotic power source;
6. an armed heavy vehicle; a combat mech, a personal teleportation device.
An item's Gear value increases by +1 if it is is automated (for example, a self-driving
vehicle or a device that can perform basic maintenance on itself), +2 if it is self-aware.

Spells: a magic user can cast any number of effects on the fly, but it's easier to cast effects
that have been learned as Spells. A PC knows a number of spells equal to (level of Spells
resource) + (level in their magic profession). This does mean that a magic user with no
levels in Spells knows 1-3 spells for free. A character must purchase this resource
separately for each magic profession.

Wealth: a character who has Wealth owns land, controls an important resource, or
otherwise has a reliable source of earnings. A character with no points invested into this
resource has no regular income. When a PC is trying to obtain in-game resources using
cash the GM may require a certain level of Wealth before the character can make the
attempt or declare that any attempt with high enough Wealth automatically succeeds.
1. working class;
2. middle class;
3. upper middle class;
4. upper class;
5. filthy rich.
The resource value is +1 if it is residual income; the character doesn't need to work for
their money.

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Step 5b (optional): Choose drawbacks
If the GM allows it player characters may have a kind of "negative resource" called
drawbacks. Drawbacks are rated 1-3 with each level of drawback granting +1 level of
resources or professions. A PC may have up to 6 levels of drawbacks.
Drawbacks can't be bought off or bought down during character advancement. A
character must take some kind of in-game action – or, more likely, a series of actions – to
resolve the situation. The description of each drawback includes suggestions on how to
resolve it. Even after taking action to resolve a drawback the player must spend 1
Destiny Point per level of drawback removed in order for the drawback to be resolved.

Cursed: when bad things happen they're likely to happen to this character. A character
might be Cursed because of simple bad luck, they might have been born under
inauspicious stars, or they could be suffering under an actual curse cast by a magic user.
Breaking the curse will require a magical solution... and the spellcaster who breaks the
curse might require a quest or favor, instead of or in addition to monetary payment,
before performing that service.
1. Jinx – the character is a weirdness/bad luck magnet. If a man stumbles out of the
shadows with a knife in his back he will die in this character's arms. If a member
of the party gets pooped on by a random bird, it's this character. Case of mistaken
identity? Guess who gets confused with the wanted fugitive or the long-lost heir.
A curse at this level is inconvenient but not immediately harmful... but it's a great
way for the GM to know who to mess with first;
2. Bane – the character suffers a minor mishap (ripped clothes, a damaged piece of
equipment, a mount or NPC flees, etc.) whenever an action rolled by the player
results in a critical failure. This is in addition to the normal effects of a critical
failure. This level of Cursed can result in minor wounds (1-2 Health);
3. Doom – critical failures, both those associated with this character and those
resulting from other PC's actions, result in major mishaps and injuries. So do
critical successes generated by adversaries. If another member of the party
critically fails an attack roll with the Cursed character in the line of fire, the
Cursed character gets hit. If an enemy gets a critical success on an attack roll the
Cursed character gets the brunt of it. A character who is Cursed at this level will
probably only critically fail a bomb disposal roll once.

Enemy: the character has somebody who's out to get them. The player defines the general
nature of the relationship (blood feud, professional competition, romantic rivalry, etc.),
but the GM will create the details and game statistics.
Resolving an enemy requires either making peace with them or eliminating them.
Elimination doesn't necessarily require killing... which is good, as killing an enemy might
well be considered murder depending on the circumstances.
1. The enemy is a single individual who is roughly equal to the character in power;
2. The enemy is a small group of persons who are individually less powerful than
the character but somewhat more powerful when working together, or a single
person who is significantly more powerful;
3. The enemy is a large and influential group that is more powerful than the entire
party of PCs.

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Incompetent: there is a particular range of activities that the character is especially bad at.
This can be a group of related actions like athletics or close combat or a skill category
like technical skills or magic. Modifiers from Incompetent stack with similar modifiers
from a character's background. Each level of Incompetent includes the penalties of all
lower levels.
This is one of the most difficult drawbacks to resolve; skill aptitudes can't usually be
modified by experience or training. Magic or hypertech might provide a solution; neural
reconfiguration and Cilgarder memory magic are both possible options.
1. Any task within the affected range of activities has +1 to the base difficulty and a
minimum difficulty of 3;
2. Any critical success rolled is treated as a normal success;
3. Any failure rolled is treated as a critical failure.

Infamy: an infamous character has a bad reputation with a certain group of people; the
higher the level of infamy, the more people know about it. When making social tests
other than intimidation against people who know of the character's reputation all
difficulties are +1 and critical successes count as normal successes.
The only way to resolve infamy is to build a new reputation that contradicts the old
one. This process is difficult and time-consuming, and even when it's completed not
everyone will be convinced.
1. Local – applies to a limited group (one neighborhood, those of a particular
profession, members of a specific organization, etc.) in one municipality;
2. Widespread – applies to a limited group throughout Breccia or the entirety of one
municipality;
3. National – applies to all of Breccia with the possible exception of immigrants.

Lame: one or both of the character's feet or legs suffers a loss of function; the level of the
drawback determines the game effect.
Resolving this drawback requires reconstructive surgery or restorative magic, neither
of which is cheap.
1. the character walks/runs at reduced speed – Speed = Quickness + Strength instead
of the normal formula;
2. the character can only walk using some kind of mobility aid and can't run at all;
Speed is halved (round down);
3. the character can't walk or run at all – crawling Speed = 1, maybe 2 if the
character is highly motivated.

Limited: one of the character's attributes can't be fully developed. The normal attribute
maximum is 6. With this drawback subtract the level from the attribute maximum.
Limited is the hardest drawback to resolve; correcting it requires full-on genetic or
cerebral modification or a permanent magical blessing to increase the attribute.

Maimed: the character has facial disfigurement or a damaged/missing hand. For the
former the penalties below apply to non-intimidation social interactions with anyone who
can see the disfigured features. For the latter the penalties apply to any action taken
using the damaged hand (including two-handed actions). At the GM's option simple

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actions taken with a damaged hand (for example, punching) don't suffer the penalty; the
drawback is intended to represent limitations on fine manipulation.
Resolving this drawback requires the same sort of treatment as Lame.
1. the action suffers a penalty of +1 to the difficulty, and critical successes count as
normal successes;
2. the action suffers a penalty of +2 to the difficulty, and all failures are treated as
critical failures;
3. the action automatically fails.

Off-kilter: an Off-kilter character has some kind of psychological problem – usually a


phobia, a mania, or a compulsion. The player defines the trigger condition, while the
severity of the drawback determines the game effects. When exposed to the trigger the
character must succeed on a static Will test or suffer the effects listed below. The
duration doubles on a critical failure of the Will test.
Resolving this drawback requires months, sometimes years, of therapy. A single event
that results in a major breakthrough might accelerate the process but can't fully resolve
the drawback without months of consistent progress beforehand.
1. Hindering – the character suffers a distraction penalty of +1 to the difficulty of all
actions other than those taken for the express purpose of satisfying the trigger
condition (getting away from an object of fear, achieving a condition dictated by a
mania, performing a compulsive action, etc.) for 1d5 minutes;
2. Impairing – the character suffers a distraction penalty of +1 to all difficulties and -
1 Will for 1d5 minutes;
3. Crippling – the character is unable to act for 1d5 turns, after which they are
reduced to acting at the impairing level for 1d5 minutes and then at the hindering
level for 1d5 minutes after that.

Senseless: one of the character's physical senses is defective. This can be an inner ear
problem, a perceptual processing error in the brain, or even a missing or non-functional
sensory organ.
Resolving the Senseless condition requires medical treatment to repair a damaged
sense organ or neural reconfiguration to correct a processing error.
1. A minor defect prevents the character from properly perceiving one kind of data
from that sense (color blindness, tone deafness, an inability to perceive a certain
range of tastes or smells, etc.);
2. One sense is dulled (all Alertness tests with that sense have +2 difficulty);
3. One sense doesn't function at all; Alertness tests with that sense automatically fail.

Shallow Reserves: the character's store of mana is smaller than usual. Subtract (drawback
level x 6) from the character's Mana secondary attribute.
Correcting this problem is difficult at best; rare and expensive magical treatment
might do it.

Slow Recovery: the character's personal reserves recharge at a reduced rate. Resolving a
Slow Recovery issue requires months spent in a strict regimen of meditation (for level 1),
hypertech medical reinforcement (for level 2), or both (for level 3). Slow Recovery has

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no effect on how much Health a character regains from healing magic.
1. Mana – the character recovers Mana at half the normal rate;
2. Health – the character's wounds heal at half the normal rate;
3. Soul – this level combines the effects of levels 1 and 2.

Vulnerable: there is a particular type of attack or influence that is super effective against
the character; it can be a form of damage that is especially damaging or a physical,
mental, or social influence that the character has a hard time resisting. For damage add
the level of the drawback to damage inflicted by that source (fire, poison, the attacks of
spirits, etc.). For influences subtract the level of the drawback from the character's
resistance attribute for the purpose of resisting that influence (disease, poison,
intimidation, seduction, bribery, mind control, curse magic, and so forth).
How one might go about resolving this drawback depends on whether it applies to the
physical realm or the mental or social realms. Resolving physical issues requires
expensive (and highly unpleasant) magical or hypertech treatments. Resolving mental or
social issues requires increased understanding of the self and why one gives in to the
influence so readily – this might be gained through therapy, but more often comes from a
hard life lesson.

Step 6: Finishing touches


This part shouldn't have to be mentioned, but many players wouldn't bother with it if
they were never asked for the information. Finishing touches simply means recording the
protagonist's vital statistics; name, hair and eye color, height, and weight. This is also the
part where the player records the character's Destiny Points (more on those later). A
character gets one Destiny Point just for being a player character, one for having a name,
and one for filling in the rest of the vital statistics. A PC does not get any Destiny Points
for adding this information after entering play! Entering play, for this purpose, means
speaking the character's first line of dialog or stating the character's first in-game action
(soft role-play during character creation doesn't count).
Every player character begins with certain basic equipment in addition to what they
purchase as gear. Each PC has a wardrobe of clothing appropriate to their level of Wealth
plus one or two formal outfits in the style of their municipality. Every Troubleshooter is
issued a backpack, rank insignia, and a full dress uniform. Parliament also provides each
Troubleshooter with a badge and an ID card. Any character who comes from a region
advanced enough to have cellular phones is assumed to have one.

Optional Rule: Backstory


A GM who wants to give PCs a chance to begin play with more Destiny Points can
offer players the option of writing backstories for their characters. A backstory is a short
description of the character's history before entering play.
A good backstory should cover three points; origin (details about the character's family
and the circumstances they grew up in), motivation (why they became a Troubleshooter),
and major goal (one long-term goal that the character wants to accomplish). The mere
fact of writing a backstory is worth 1 Destiny Point. Addressing all three points brings
the value to 2 Destiny Points. The GM can award one more Destiny Point for a backstory
that provides the GM with plot hooks or is especially entertaining... but the GM should

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feel free to deduct a point for a backstory that is too long. A good length is one typed
page, assuming a 12-point font and one-inch margins. Anything much over that had
better be fun to read. An example of a 3-Destiny Point backstory appears below.

Dedman Scheste is the son of a pirate officer and a merchant in the


Floating Market. Dedman's mother was often away from home
because of her shipboard duties, but she doted on him when she was
home and always returned with gifts. Her ship was lost with all
hands when what they thought was a Cosmite freighter turned out to
be a disguised Tanagerian picket ship. Dedman's father was a broken
man after his wife's death, and he neglected his son because of it. At
the age of 14 Dedman had had enough of this near-abandonment and
followed his mother's path to the sea. He hasn't seen or spoken to his
father since.
Dedman was in his mid-twenties when he learned that a pirate's
life wasn't for him after all. What was expected to be an easy score –
a lone Lomavren cargo vessel – turned into a massacre when the rest
of their band's ships arrived to assist... and one of those vessels had a
weather witch aboard. Dedman barely survived the wreck of his ship.
After two days adrift at sea he swore to "whatever god is listening"
that he would never again steal from honest folk. Within hours of
praying this prayer he was rescued by a Tortugan trawler. Once he
recovered from his ordeal Dedman went straight to the nearest
Troubleshooter office and signed up. His new job sometimes requires
that he take from people by force... but in his new occupation the
people he takes from are not honest folk, so his oath is safe. He still
doesn't know which god he swore to, though; that worthy has yet to
claim credit for the deed.
Though he is technically no longer a pirate Dedman is still very
much motivated by wealth; he's just determined to not take it from
law-abiding ethical people. He has no compunctions about stealing
from criminals, however. He hopes to someday make a grand score
that will allow him to retire in style. Until then he contents himself
with bringing criminals to justice and raking a little of their ill-gotten
gains off the top for himself. He's discreet about it, so his superiors
pretend not to notice.

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CHAPTER 3: RULES AND SYSTEMS
The bad news about the Breccia role-playing game is that it has rules. The good news
is that there aren't many of them, and they can often be bent. The basic categories of
rules are task resolution, Destiny Points, perils and character advancement.

Task Resolution
Characters do a lot of things. The outcomes of many (probably most) of those actions
are left to the GM's malicious whims, but actions that have both dramatic impact and a
real chance of failure involve a roll of the dice. Die rolls for the Breccia role-playing
game follow a simple procedure that has three steps:

1. State the desired outcome: the player who controls the acting character – a player
for a cast member or the GM for a supporting character or an antagonist – clearly
states what the character is trying to do. This is a necessary step that egregious
power gamers will want to omit or do out of order, but the GM should never let
them (no letting someone roll, see a lot of successes and then declare an action!).
The statement of action gives the GM and the player the information needed to
perform the next two steps.
2. Determine difficulty: the Breccia RPG uses only 10-sided dice (d10s). The base
difficulty varies according to whether the roll is static or dynamic. A static test is
for a test against which there is no active opposition. The base difficulty for a
static test is always 7. A dynamic test is actively opposed – usually by a target or
competitor, but always by another being. The difficulty of a dynamic test is 4 +
one of the opposing party's attributes. Which attribute depends on what the acting
character is doing and how the target is resisting it.

Attribute Used to Resist...


Alertness stealth; deception; mental attack (dodging)
Endurance physical attack (toughness); pain
Intelligence mental attack (toughness); persuasion
Quickness physical attack (dodging)
Will intimidation; seduction

After determining the base difficulty the GM applies any situational modifiers that
apply to the task; poor visibility might increase the difficulty, for example, while
premium tools might make it easier. No situational modifier can be greater than +3. If
the character has a profession that applies to the task each level of profession reduces the
difficulty by one (-1 for Novice, -2 for Competent, -3 for Expert). After applying all
modifiers the final difficulty cannot be lower than 2 or higher than 10.

3. Roll the bones: the player has a dice pool equal to the attribute that best applies to
the situation; Alertness for noticing things, Charisma for influencing people,
Endurance for resisting physical stress, etc. The player rolls the appropriate
number of dice, and every die that comes up equal to or greater than the difficulty
counts as a success. The number of successes determines the amount of damage

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for combat tests or the speed or quality of other tests. Most tests only require a
single success to produce a positive result for the character.

A roll of all 10s is a critical success, while a roll of all 1s is a critical failure. The GM
should come up with something special for either result. A critical result is only possible
if the player rolls two or more dice for the test.

Example: Dedman Scheste has to sneak into a bandit camp to steal


an enchanted doubloon from the chief's tent. The GM rules that
Dedman's player has to make a stealth check to get past the guards.
It's a dynamic test of Dedman's Quickness of 5 versus the guards'
Alertness of 3 (difficulty 7). As a member of a pirate crew Dedman
does more fighting than sneaking around, so his Soldier profession
doesn't help. Waiting until dark to perform the caper does; skulking
around in darkness yields a bonus of –1 to the difficulty. Dedman's
player rolls five dice and gets 2, 4, 6, 6 and 8 (three successes). The
canny pirate easily slips past the dozing troops.
Next is cutting a flap into the back of the tent to get in on the sly.
This is a static test, so the base difficulty is 7. The cover of night
works against Dedman this time; darkness raises the difficulty to 8,
and Dedman still has no applicable profession. The player rolls five
dice again – making the cut is a manual dexterity task, so he's still
using Quickness – and gets 3, 5, 5, 7 and 9. It's only one success, but
that's enough to get Dedman into the tent without waking the chief.
Now comes the hard part. Dedman must reach under the pillow to
extract the doubloon without waking the chief. This is yet another
Quickness task, and the GM rules that it is a static test because the
sleeping bandit offers no active resistance. The base difficulty is 7,
but pulling something from under a pillow without waking the person
whose head is on that pillow is no mean feat. The situational
modifier of +2 raises the difficulty to 9. And yet again, Dedman has
no profession to help (perhaps it's time to learn a level of Thief?).
The player rolls five dice and gets… five 1s. The GM rules that
Dedman clumsily jerks the coin from under the pillow and bumps into
chieftain's map table. The motion wakes the chief while the noise
alerts the guards outside. The pirate curses softly and draws his
cutlass. At least his Expert skill as a Soldier will lower the
difficulties of the combat rolls that he'll have to make while fighting
his way out of the camp.

Some die rolls that aren't for task resolution require a roll of one or more d10s or d5s.
To roll 1d10 simply roll the die and read the result. To roll 1d5 roll 1d10, read results 1-5
normally, and subtract 5 from a result of 6-10. If the roll calls for multiple dice – for
example, 3d10 – roll that many dice and add the results together.

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Combat
Combat is a special type of dynamic test. The attribute that the player uses to make
the test varies according to what kind of attack, while the difficulty is based on one of the
target's attributes and whether the target is dodging or resisting.

Type of Attack Attacker Uses Defender Uses


Physical Strength (melee weapon)* Endurance (resist)
Quickness (ranged weapon) Quickness (dodge/parry)
Mental Intelligence Alertness (dodge)
Intelligence (resist)
Social Charisma Charisma (dodge)
Will (resist)
*Melee weapons that employ finesse rather than brute strength may use Quickness.

A successful physical combat test deals damage or leaves the target grappled. A
successful mental combat test leaves the target persuaded or confused, according to the
attacker's intent. A successful social combat test leaves the target intimidated, seduced or
deceived. A mental or social condition imposes a penalty of +2 to the difficulty of any
action that isn't in keeping with the condition; attacking the person who just intimidated
you is hard, as is turning down a proposition from the person who just seduced you.
Some magical effects allow mental or social attacks to inflict damage. Treat the effect as
a weapon; see the section on Magic for more details.
A physical combat takes place in increments called rounds. Each combat round takes
about six seconds of game time and as much real time as it takes to resolve the actions of
all participants. Each character may take up to three actions per round. Each of these
actions may be used to speak up to three syllables, move, dodge or attack. Resisting an
attack with Endurance or Will does not require an action. Dodging with Quickness,
Intelligence or Charisma always takes an action.
The order in which characters act is a function of initiative. Characters determine
initiative by rolling 1d10 and adding Alertness (also add any bonuses to Alertness). The

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GM may roll initiative for antagonists or supporting characters in groups rather than
individually. Characters declare their actions in order from lowest initiative to highest,
and resolve actions in order from highest to lowest.
Weapon damage is a function of the weapon's size and type. A successful attack
inflicts damage equal to the weapon's power plus the successes on the attack roll.

Size and Type Power


Light Melee 1
Medium Melee 2
Heavy Melee 3
Light Ranged 1
Medium Ranged 2
Heavy Ranged 4
Edged +1
Energy (cold, kinetic, sonic, thermal), Firearm +2
Energy (electric, laser, nuclear), Magnetic accelerator +3
Chapter 4 has examples of specific weapons that characters may wield.

Range
The distance between the attacker and the target is treated as a situational modifier.
The range blocks are Close, Short, Medium, Long, and Extreme. The table below shows
the effects of range on combat.

Range Effect
Close Attack difficulty +1 (light ranged, heavy melee) or +2 (medium or
heavy ranged)
Short Melee attacks impossible; no modifier to ranged attacks
Medium +1 difficulty to ranged attack rolls and perception tasks
Long +2 difficulty to ranged attack rolls and perception tasks
Extreme +3 difficulty to ranged attack rolls and perception tasks

Called Shots
Called shots can cause an attack to have effects other than damaging the target's
health. Making a called shot requires that the player specify where the attack is aimed as
part of declaring the attack. This will increase the difficulty of the attack according to
how small an area is targeted – +1 for a limited area (the torso or a limb), +2 for a
specific area (a hand, a foot, the head), or +3 for a precise area (a finger, an eye, etc.).
The exact effect varies with the area targeted. Possible effects include:
 Arm: splits the damage between Health and Strength;
 Foot: applies the damage to Speed;
 Hand: can destroy an object held in that hand or knock it from the target's grasp, or
splits the damage between Health and Quickness;
 Head: splits the damage between Endurance and Intelligence;
 Neck: applies the damage to Endurance;
 Leg: splits the damage between Health and Speed;
 Sensory Organ (eye, ear, nose): splits the damage between Health and Alertness,

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Alertness penalty only affects targeted sense;
 Torso: splits the damage between Health and Endurance;

Damage to an attribute reduces all dice pools that use that attribute. Reducing an
attribute to zero makes tasks using that attribute impossible – a character with zero Speed
can't move, an character with zero Strength can't lift or carry objects, zero Quickness
makes it impossible to dodge or to handle objects, and zero Intelligence prevents one
from taking any actions that require conscious thought. A being who is reduced to zero
Endurance dies immediately.
A called shot to an area that the target's armor doesn't cover bypasses all protective
effects of that armor.

Conditions
Some attacks produce effects other than damage; they impose conditions instead. The
most common conditions are blindness, paralysis, distraction, and unconsciousness.
When struck by an attack or effect that imposes a condition the target must make a
resistance roll at a difficulty equal to the weapon/attack's power plus the attack successes.
Failure imposes the condition for a number of minutes equal to 12 - (attribute used to
resist the effect).
The attribute used to resist a condition depends on the nature of the effect.
 Alertness: attacks on the senses (success means covering one's eyes or ears);
 Charisma: attacks on the emotions or ego;
 Endurance: drugs, toxins, disease;
 Intelligence: attacks on the mind;
 Strength: brute force;
 Will: attacks on the spirit, soul, or willpower.

Target Size
Bigger targets are easier to hit, while smaller targets are harder to hit... and size is
relative. The target's size in relation to the attacker's increases or decreases the difficulty
of the attack test. Consult the tables below.

Size Examples
Tiny cellular phone, hummingbird, mouse
Small domestic cat, laptop computer, young child
Medium adult human, bicycle, large dog
Large compact car, horse, refrigerator
Huge elephant, limousine, orca
Titanic blue whale, kaiju, ocean liner

Target is... Difficulty is...


Two or more sizes smaller +2
One size smaller +1
Same size/one size larger +0
Two sizes larger -1
Three or more sizes larger -2

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Armor
Armor stops damage according to its grade. The grades are light (1 point), medium
(2) and heavy (4). Armor that is reinforced – for example, by adding metal studs to
leather, supporting ribs to plate, or an enchantment – has +1 to its protective value and
negates the armor-piercing quality. Treat reinforced armor as enhanced for the purpose of
the Arms resource. Medium armor imposes a -3 penalty to the wearer's Speed and +1 to
the difficulty of Quickness tests while heavy armor imposes -6 Speed and +2 to
Quickness difficulties.
Enhanced armor that isn't reinforced may have a minor effect such as adding its
protection value to Endurance for the purpose of computing attack difficulties against the
wearer, negating the Speed and Quickness penalties, or halving damage from certain
kinds of attacks. Armor that is both reinforced and enhanced counts as two levels higher
for its value as Arms. Chapter 4 has examples of the specific armor types available.

Example: when last we left Dedman Scheste he was knee-deep in


bandits. The player rolls 1d10 for initiative and gets a 6. Added to
Dedman's Alertness 4 this yields initiative 10. The GM rolls for the
bandits and gets a 3, and the chief's Alertness 5 raises it to 8. The
GM declares that the chief will yell for his guards, get out of bed and
grab his saber. The guards will enter the tent, flank Dedman, and
attack with their shortswords. Dedman's player announces that he
will grab the doubloon, stab the chief, and save an action to dodge.
With his higher initiative Dedman acts first. His first action is
unopposed, so the GM rules that he can grab the coin with no roll.
The next action is to attack the chief. Dedman is using a melee
weapon, so he uses his Strength 6 versus the chief's Endurance 3 for
difficulty 7. Dedman is an Expert soldier, so his profession reduces
the difficulty to 4. The player rolls six dice and gets 1, 3, 4, 4, 7 and
10. A cutlass, a medium edged weapon, has power 3; four successes
plus 3 = 7 damage. The chief ’s not down, but he's hurting.
The chief is next. His call for help becomes a yelp of pain because
of the pirate's attack, but it has the same effect. He gets out of bed
and grabs his saber despite the wound. He can't attack yet, but he'll
be able to attack next round.
The guards rush in and take up positions on either side of Dedman
– neither action requires a roll. Each guard then attacks. Dedman
dodges the first strike; his Quickness of 5 raises the difficulty to 9, but
the guard's Competent rank as a Soldier drops that to 7. The bandit
rolls three dice for his Strength of 3 and gets 2, 5 and 6… a clean
miss. The second guard rolls against a difficulty of 8 (Dedman's
Endurance is 4). The guard's profession drops this to 6, and the GM
rolls 3, 6 and 8. Two successes plus the shortsword's power of 3 = 5
damage. The pirate is fortunate that he is wearing a studded leather
jerkin; the reinforced light armor reduces the damage by 2 points...
but Dedman will be facing three opponents next round, and the noise
of the fight will rouse the camp. On his next turn Dedman's player
declares that he will use all of his actions to flee.
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Healing
How quickly wounds heal depends on how wounded a character is and how well they
follow doctor's orders. A characters recovers 1 Health per day of bed rest or 1 Health per
two days of light activity. A character who is reduced to 0 Health or less heals 1 Health
per three days until Health is at a positive total again. Healing magic restores 1 Health
per success on the spellcasting test.

Carrying and Lifting


Rather than devising a mathematically complex (and probably inaccurate) system for
computing how much weight a character can lift, the Breccia rpg has an abstract system.
Every object has a Carry/Lift rating, with carrying referring to carrying an object over an
extended period and lifting referring to picking up a heavy weight and holding it up
briefly. A person can lift heavier weights than they could carry, but carrying requires
greater strength.
A character can carry any load whose Carry rating is equal to or less than their
Strength and lift any load whose Lift rating is equal to or less than their Strength. Neither
requires a task check. Two or more characters who work together to carry or lift a load
combine their Strength ratings for this purpose.
Determining an object's Carry/Lift rating is up to the GM; Carry is generally twice the
value of Lift or more for heavy objects, but the ratings can be the same for lighter items.
Rather than add up the ratings of multiple objects a collection of objects – for example, a
backpack full of items – can share one rating. Some examples of Carry/Lift ratings
appear below.
Some Gear and creature abilities multiply Strength for the purpose of carrying and
lifting. When applying this multiplier add any bonus successes to the Strength rating
first. Example: a creature with Strength 7 (bonus 1) with a x2 Strength modifier has an
effective Strength of 16 for lifting and carrying.

Full canteen: 1/1 Treasure chest: 6/4


Loaded backpack: 2/2 Motorcycle: 12/6
Adult human body: 3/2 Pickup truck: 60/24

Character Advancement
People who spend enough time adventuring eventually get better at it. The in-game
mechanic that represents this gain in experience and knowledge is Experience Points
(XP). Every increase in a protagonist's abilities has an associated XP cost. An attribute,
Calling or profession can only be increased one level per session. Resources can be
purchased at or improved to whatever level is justified by the in-game circumstances.
 Attributes: raising an attribute to the next level costs 12 XP;
 Calling: increasing Calling to the next level cost 18 XP;
 Professions: adding one level of a new or existing profession costs 9 XP;
 Resources: it costs 6 XP to raise a resource to the next level or buy a new resource.
An existing resource may only be raised one level per session, but multiple resources
may be increased each session. New resources can be purchased at whatever level is
appropriate.

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The GM awards XP at the end of every session. The base award for just having a
character present in the session is 1 XP. This mechanic allows the GM to award XP to
characters whose players weren't able to attend the session because of real life issues –
real life takes precedence, always! – but only if the GM has permission to use the
protagonist as a supporting character in the player's absence (note to GMs: it's Very Bad
Form to kill a character while the player isn't there). The PCs earn an additional 1 XP for
spending part of the session using role-play or skill checks to work toward their in-game
goals, and 1 XP for participating in at least one combat during the session. This yields a
range of 1-3 XP per game session.

Crafting
Crafting is the category of task that applies to making things. The larger something is
the longer it takes to make it. The more complicated it is the harder it is to make it.
Crafting is always a static test.
A crafting test is rolled normally, with a profession that applies to the task reducing the
difficulty. The test requires a number of successes determined by the complexity of
whatever the character is making, and each roll takes an amount of time determined by
the item's size. The player continues to roll until he accumulates enough successes to
make the item. A failure indicates that no progress is made. A critical failure ruins the
materials and forces the crafter to start over. The base time assumes that adequate
manpower is available; the GM should add additional time to the task if the crafter is
working with insufficient help. Crafting time does not include the time needed to gather
materials or prepare the workspace. For work periods measured in units longer than
hours assume a standard 8-hour works shift each day.

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COMPLEXITY
Class (Description) Successes
Simple (no moving parts) 3
Basic (moving parts are few and fairly large) 6
Complex (many moving parts, including small ones)* 12
Item requires magic or hypertech to build, repair or modify +1
Requires magic or hypertech to build or modify; a crafter without magic +2
or at the high tech level can make repairs on the item
Requires magic or hypertech to design; a crafter without magic or at the +3
high tech level can build the item from plans, modify it, or repair it
*Any construct intended to mimic life, i.e. a Marionette, falls under this category.

SIZE
Class Examples Time Per Roll
Tiny penknife, pocket watch, tweezers 1 hour
Small dagger, lantern, wrench 6 hours
Medium backpack, saddle, sword 12 hours
Large catapult, shack, wagon 1 day*
Huge house (single family), siege engine, yacht 1 week*
Gigantic castle, dreadnought, road 1 month*

Destiny Points
Destiny Points are what separates protagonists from supporting characters. Every
protagonist begins play with 1-3 Destiny Points, but anything beyond that must be
earned… and players should want to earn them, for Destiny Points have a variety of uses.
It should go without saying that none of these are possible for a protagonist who has no
Destiny Points. The GM may imposes changes on some uses of Destiny Points to
prevent them from becoming game breakers.
1. Dice Correction, part I: whenever a player doesn't like the result of one of her
own die rolls she may spend 1 Destiny Point to re-roll any number of dice up to
her Calling;
2. Dice Correction, part II: whenever a player doesn't like the result of an
antagonist's die roll for an action that targets his character he may spend 1 Destiny
Point to force a re-roll of any number of dice up to the protagonist's Calling;
3. Coincidence: once per scene a player may spend 2 Destiny Points to cause
something to appear. The protagonist may have just the item that she needs, the
person she's looking for may be just around the corner, a group with wounded
members finds a cache of healing potions, etc.;
4. Mad Skill: the player may spend 2 Destiny Points to usurp the GM's rightful
power; the player may narrate the outcome of a single action without yielding to
the tyranny of the dice. This ability can only be used to enhance the character's
own actions, and then only once per scene;
5. Desperate Measures: when a protagonist is about to die or suffer a permanent
disability the player may spend 3 Destiny Points to become immune to such
tampering for the rest of the scene. The GM is obligated to come up with some
kind of lucky break or supernatural intervention to save the character's bacon.

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Whatever form this deus ex machina takes it protects the protagonist for the rest
of the scene… but he's fair game next scene.

Destiny Points – with the exception of the first ones – must be earned. There are three
ways to do it, and each of them only applies once per game session. A protagonist may
earn up to three Destiny Points per game session and no more than one per scene. Each
PC may have up to 12 Destiny Points saved up.
1. Playing to the Audience: when a character says or does something that causes
grievous amusement (including, but not limited to, briefly stopping the game
while everyone laughs) the protagonist earns a Destiny Point. This award only
applies to in-character actions and dialogue. The GM does not award Destiny
Points under this rule; the rest of the players award them by consensus;
2. Being Yourself: a player who role-plays her protagonist's Calling in a situation
where doing so is to the character's disadvantage earns 1 Destiny Point;
3. The End: every PC receives 1 Destiny Point upon the successful completion of a
story arc or at the end of six game sessions, whichever comes last.

Major antagonists also have Destiny Points. A mastermind or "boss" villain has 6+ DP
to spend during any confrontation with the player characters. Antagonists may spend DP
in any of the odd-numbered ways on the list. Any major antagonist who survives an
encounter with PCs recharges to full Destiny Points at the next encounter. A major
antagonist has a Calling such as Conqueror, Femme Fatale, or Mastermind at 3-6.

Magic
Magic in the Breccia RPG works differently than in most games. There are no spell
lists; the player simply states what they want to do, the GM makes a ruling on whether or
not that falls within the purview of the character's magic profession, and if so the task is
resolved normally. This system is designed to allow for player creativity in the use of
magic. There are, however, some guidelines for what can be done.

Task Roll
Making a task roll for magic always uses the focus attribute for the profession used. If
the effect is opposed then selecting the target's defense attribute follows the normal rules
for dynamic tests.

Skill Level
A spellcaster's level in a magic profession determines how powerful her spells can be.
Power for this purpose is a function of damage, duration and area of effect/number of
targets. Higher level effects innately have greater duration and/or area of effect, but some
applications require the player to allocate at least one success to duration or area to get
the full effect.

Novice
 Damage: as a light weapon of an appropriate type;
 Duration: damage effects instantaneous, other effects one minute per success applied to
duration (otherwise [focus attribute] rounds);

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 Target: one object/living thing or an area (focus attribute) meters in diameter.

Competent
 Damage: as a medium weapon of an appropriate type;
 Duration: damage effects up to (focus attribute) rounds, other effects up to one hour
per success applied to duration (otherwise [focus attribute] minutes);
 Target: up to (focus attribute) objects/living things or an area (focus attribute x 10)
meters in diameter.

Expert
 Damage: as a heavy weapon of an appropriate type;
 Duration: damage effects ongoing until negated (up to one hour), other effects up to
one day per success applied to duration (otherwise [focus attribute] hours);
 Target: up to (focus attribute x 10) objects/living things or an area up to a kilometer in
diameter per success applied to area (otherwise [focus attribute x 100] meters).

Cost
Casting a magical effect costs mana. The base cost is 1 Mana for Novice-level effects,
2 for Competent-level effects, or 3 for Expert-level effects. The cost is -1 if the character
knows that effect as one of their spells, which allows Novice effects to be cast for free. A
character need not spend their personal mana to cast; a magic user who has a mana
storage device can spend mana from that instead of using their own.
Mana normally recharges at the rate of 1 point per hour of rest or light activity, 2
points per hour of sleep. This rate doubles in high mana zones or is halved in low mana
zones. Recharging mana is impossible in no-mana zones. A magic user can also regain
mana by meditating. For each hour of meditation the player makes a static Will test using
the character's highest magic profession. On a failure the character regains no mana, not
even the normal hourly amount. Otherwise the character regains 1 Mana per success. A

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character can meditate for up to (Endurance) hours.

Enchanting
Imbuing an object with a magical effect is called enchanting. Enchanting is a static
test with a difficulty that increases according to how technologically advanced the target
object is. Enchanting has a duration based on the level of the effect unless the caster
makes the enchantment permanent (see below).

Tech Level Difficulty Modifier


Low Tech +0
Mid Tech +1
High Tech +2
Hypertech +3
Caster made the item -1

Permanent Effects
A special case of crafting and effect duration is stabilizing a magical effect – for
example, making a curse or blessing permanent. This has a cost in Destiny Points equal
to twice the level of magic profession needed to cast that effect – 2 for Novice, 4 for
Competent, 6 for Expert. The player may wait until the effect has been successfully cast
to make this expenditure. NPCs who lack Destiny Points can't stabilize effects this way.

Perils
Breccia is full of wonder and mystery. It is also full of danger. Characters risk being
killed by fierce creatures, hostile neighbors and merciless environments every time they
leave their homes.

Basic Needs
It's possible to represent the effects of starvation, thirst, drowning and suffocation
using lots of math. It's possible… but who wants to work that hard? So the rule for basic
needs in the Breccia RPG is the Rule of Four. This simple rule states three things that
will kill a person;
• Four minutes without air;
• Four days without water;
• Four weeks without food.

Each increment imposes a penalty of +1 to all difficulties until the situation is


resolved. A human who has gone one week without food will have +1 to all difficulties
until she eats, someone who has been without water for two days has +2 to all difficulties
until he drinks, and so on. These penalties don't stack; only the highest applies. If this
rule becomes an issue in combat – most likely as a result of someone being deprived of
air by a choke hold or being shoved under water – remember that ten combat rounds add
up to one minute.
GMs who want a little more plausibility may replace the Rule of Four with the Rule of
Endurance; simply use the protagonist's Endurance attribute in place of four (a simple
substitution indeed if the character has Endurance 4). This allows tougher characters to

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last a bit longer, especially if bonuses to Endurance are factored in.

Exposure
The designer didn't want to work any harder on rules for environmental hazards than
he wanted to work on rules for basic needs. For this reason the rules for the effects of
exposure are condensed to the chart below. The values on the chart assume that the
character has neither shelter nor appropriate clothing. Clothes that are designed to protect
against the current environmental hazard add +1 to the character's Endurance for this
purpose. Poor shelter (like a tent or lean-to) doubles the time increment for assessing
penalties. Good shelter (like a house) stops penalties from accumulating and allows a
character to recover – penalties decrease by one step per hour, while damage heals
normally. Difficulty penalties are cumulative but cannot raise difficulties beyond 10.
Damage can be fatal. An ability that grants some kind of environmental resistance
reduces the effective severity by two steps, but only for the specific environment to
which the character is adapted.

Severity Resisted For… …and Then Character Suffers…


Mild Indefinitely No penalty
Moderate Endurance days +1 to all difficulties per day
Severe Endurance hours +1 to all difficulties per hour
Hostile Endurance hours +1 to all difficulties and 1 point of damage per
hour
Extreme Endurance minutes All difficulties +1 and 1 point of damage per minute
Deadly Endurance rounds All difficulties +1 and 1 point of damage per round

Random Encounters
As any veteran of fantasy role-playing games knows, half the fun of wandering is
encountering wandering monsters. The designer realizes the futility of trying to create a
random table that can produce a suitable encounter for parties of any level of experience.
That job is left to the GM. Instead, these rules provide a system for determining when an
encounter occurs and what sort of encounter it is. A party may have an encounter any
time that the GM wants to throw one at them, or the GM may roll for one.
The first half of the random encounter system is for determining how often encounters
happen. The GM rolls 1d10 for every three hours, or fraction thereof, of exploration or
travel since the last encounter or campsite. An encounter occurs if the result is less than
twice the number of hours spent traveling/exploring. For example, three hours of travel
would require a roll of 1d10 and will generate an encounter on a roll of 5 or less while six
hours of exploring would invoke a 2d10 roll with an encounter on 11 or less. If this roll
indicates no encounter the rest of the process is unnecessary.
The second half the system is a chart that the indecisive GM can use to determine
what the characters encounter. The chart is in very general terms; it gives broad
categories of encounters rather than specific adversaries or opportunities. The main use
of the chart is to narrow down the GM's range of choices when picking an encounter of a
power level appropriate to what the protagonists can handle. In the definitions below the
term sapient refers to a being with roughly human-level intelligence.

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• Animal: a natural non-sapient creature;
• Beast: a non-sapient creature with technological or magical enhancements. Beasts are
fully aware of the danger posed by humans and are therefore wary of all humanoids,
but they may still consider humanoids to be prey;
• Construct: an artificial being of some kind such as a robot, Marionette, or golem;
• Person: any sapient being, humanoid or not, that has no or minor special abilities or
whose species doesn't routinely possess combative powers... but any person may
have access to equipment and weapons;
• Plant: any green growing thing – but for encounter purposes only applies to beneficial
or dangerous (often magical) plants;
• Monster: a predator that is sapient or nearly so; its powers will be geared toward
catching and subduing prey.

Encounter Type (2d10)


2-7 Animal
8-11 Beast
12-13 Construct
14-17 Person
18 Plant
19-20 Monster

The third half of the system (yes, the designer knows that makes three halves) is a
simple 1d10 roll to determine the entity's attitude toward the protagonists. A result of 1-2
indicates a friendly encounter or beneficial plant. On a result of 3-7 the encounter is
neutral – as in wary, but won't attack unless provoked. A result of 8-10 indicates a hostile
encounter; the entity will probably attack if the opportunity presents itself, though a
hostile person might simply be argumentative instead.

Using Mana
Characters who aren't spellcasters can use Mana in ways that aren't available to magic
users; the ability to cast active magic closes off these pathways.
1. Dice Correction: when a die comes up as less than a success a player can make it
a success by spending Mana equal to the difference. This counts as a natural
success for the purpose of Attribute Bonuses but can't negate a critical failure;
2. Damage, part I: when a character sustains damage the player can spend Mana to
decrease the damage sustained. It costs 3 Mana to negate 1 damage;
3. Damage, part II: after a character makes a successful attack the player can
increase the damage by spending 3 Mana per +1 damage;
4. Donation: a non-spellcaster can donate any amount of their Mana to a magic user.
This requires close contact – meditating while within one meter of each other,
hugging, intense eye contact, etc. – for one minute per point of Mana exchanged.
The donation can be channeled into the recipient's personal Mana or to a mana
storage device.

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CHAPTER 4: EQUIPMENT AND WEAPONS
The following pages contain examples of items that player characters may have as
Arms and Gear. Each item is listed in the following format:

Item Name
Description
Arms/Gear Value
Game Effect (any specific game mechanics involved in using the item)
Required Wealth Level (the level of the Wealth resource required to purchase the item; an
item that has no Required Wealth Level isn't available for purchase on the open market.)

Rather than having to track individual coins the Breccia rpg uses a simple wealth
system to limit purchases. A player character cannot buy any item that has a required
wealth level greater than their level of the Wealth resource except under special
circumstances (i.e. a windfall gained in play). Even making too many purchases within
their Wealth level will strain a character's finances. During each month of game time a
character can make three purchase at their Wealth level. Three purchases at the next
lowest level count as one purchase at the character's wealth level, as do six purchases at
two levels down and nine purchases at three levels down. A filthy rich character can
make unlimited purchases at middle class level or lower, and an upper class character can
make unlimited working class purchases.

Arms
Breccia has a variety of weapons and armor ranging from the primitive to beyond
space age tech. It's not safe to make assumptions about how dangerous a weapon is
based its technological advancement, however. Archaic weapons can be enchanted for
additional effect, hypertech weapons don't work everywhere, and a person can still die
from being hit over the head with a rock.
Armor gets more effective as it gets more advanced but doesn't grow in effectiveness
as quickly as weapons do.

Armorcloth
Armorcloth is a special fabric woven partly from carbon nanotubes. The cloth resists
penetration by blades and bullets and diffuses the kinetic energy of blunt impacts. The
special coating on each fiber is also a flame retardant and water repellent. Armorcloth is
no heavier than regular clothing and doesn't look like armor.
Arms Value: 3
Game Effect: hypertech enhanced light armor (protection 1, +1 Endurance for attack
difficulties); doesn't get waterlogged if immersed in water, is not considered flammable.
Required Wealth Level: upper middle class

Banded Mail/Scale Mail


This kind of armor is made of overlapping bands (such as the lorica segmentata) or
scales (lorica squamata). It's more flexible than plate armor and offers better protection
than chain mail with weight intermediate between the two. Both types are available as

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breastplates, jackets, or full suits.
Arms Value: 3
Game Effect: reinforced medium armor (protection 3, negates armor-piercing); Speed -3,
Quickness tasks +1 difficulty
Required Wealth Level: upper class

Bulletproof Vest
This vest is made of or contains material that dissipates the impact energy of
projectiles, thereby preventing penetration. The impact still hurts, though.
Arms Value: 4
Game Effect: enhanced reinforced medium armor (protection 3, negates armor-piercing);
Speed -3, Quickness tasks +1 difficulty; damage from projectiles is halved.
Required Wealth Level: upper middle class

Chain mail
Chain mail is made of interlocking rings of steel chained together. It's fairly heavy but
quite flexible. Chain mail is available as a coat or full suit, either of which can have a
matching coif (headpiece).
Arms Value: 2
Game Effect: medium armor (protection 2); Speed -3, Quickness tasks +1 difficulty
Required Wealth Level: upper middle class

Club/Staff
This is a broad category of low tech blunt weapons that includes blackjacks, bo staffs,
cudgels, escrima sticks, flails, jo staffs, maces, nunchaku, quarterstaffs, and sectional
staffs. Light types are easily concealable while medium types are as useful for tripping or
disarming an opponent as for striking.
Arms Value: 1 (light), 2 (medium, light articulated), or 3 (medium articulated)
Game Effect: light or medium melee weapon (power = 1 for light, 2 for medium); an
articulated club has -1 to the attack difficulty versus a target who parries or dodges; a
light club can be nonlethal and concealable in a pocket.
Required Wealth Level: working class

Crossbow
The crossbow is the most advanced mid tech weapon, an intermediate step between
bows and firearms. Most versions are single-shot, but there are repeating versions that
have up to 15-shot magazines. There are also compound crossbows that use a system of
pulleys to increase the power.
Arms Value: 4 (5 for compound or repeating, 6 for compound repeating)
Game Effect: medium ranged weapon, edged (power 3, 4 for compound); long range
Required Wealth Level: middle class

Dinosaur Rifle
This high tech large-bore rifle is exactly what it claims to be, though it works just as
well for dragons and giants. The magazine holds four rounds.
Arms Value: 6

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Game Effect: heavy ranged weapon, firearm (power 5, armor-piercing); long range.
Required Wealth Level: upper middle class

Flamethrower
A flamethrower shoots a stream of fire at the target. There is a chance that the attack
will ignite flammable material, so a flamethrower can be the gift that keeps on giving. A
heavy version consists of a backpack-mounted liquid fuel tank and a rifle-like emitter –
this kind of flamethrower is mid tech. A medium flamethrower, which is hypertech, uses
a compressed fuel-air mixture and is much lighter and more compact. Either version
carries enough fuel for about 12 shots.
Flamethrowers are dangerous weapons to use; a called shot to the fuel tank can set the
weapon – and its wielder – alight. Smart attackers don't do this using a melee weapon.
Arms Value: 5
Game Effect: medium or heavy weapon, thermal (power = 4 for medium, 6 for heavy);
short range; heavy flamethrower requires Strength 4+.
Required Wealth Level: upper middle class

Gauss Weapon
A gauss weapon uses a magnetic field rather than a chemical explosive to propel a
projectile. This results in muzzle velocities more than 5x higher than can be achieved
with firearms with a corresponding increase in range and striking power.
Arms Value: 6
Game Effect: hypertech heavy ranged weapon, magnetic accelerator (power 7); extreme
range; requires Strength 4+, Speed -2
Required Wealth Level: upper class

Grenade
A grenade is a one-use item, but it does a lot of damage that one time. That it spreads
that damage over an area is a bonus. The earliest forms of grenade are mid tech, but they
also come in hypertech versions. Energy grenades are always hypertech.
Grenades are highly illegal for civilians to possess... so it's a good thing that
Troubleshooters aren't civilians.
Arms Value: n/a; as consumables grenades aren't purchased with the Arms resource
Game Effect: as grenade type; damages all targets in an area three (mid to high tech) or
five (hypertech) meters in diameter.
Required Wealth Level: upper class (energy grenades), upper middle class (all others);
sold in lots of six except where specified otherwise.
 Antimatter (energy): an antimatter grenade creates a burst of ionized anti-hydrogen that
annihilates matter in the blast area – an object destroyed by the blast, or a creature
killed by it, is disintegrated. Anything that survives is irradiated by gamma rays
(initial blast = power 7, armor-piercing; secondary gamma burst power 5, armor-
piercing); antimatter grenades are sold individually.
 Chaff: a chaff grenade emits a cloud of reflective particles within the blast area. Radar
can't see out of, into, or through the cloud, and any laser fired into, out of, or through
the cloud has -3 power. The cloud remains in place for one minute in still air or up to
three rounds if it's windy.

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 Crush (energy): a crush grenade increases gravity in the blast area for one round per
attack success. Every object in the area has its weight tripled; living beings have their
Speed divided by three and -4 Strength.
 Flash-bang: an intense burst of light and noise forces every creature in the blast area to
make a static Alertness check; any who fail suffer the blind and deaf conditions.
 Fragmentation: frag grenades spray the blast area with hot shards of razor sharp metal
(power 6, armor-piercing);
 Gas: every creature in the blast area is subjected to a power 3 toxic gas (lethal,
paralytic, debilitating, or soporific) and must make a static Endurance test to avoid
the effect. Lethal gas does damage directly to Endurance. Paralytic gas does damage
to Quickness. Debilitating gas (i.e. tear gas or regurgitant gas) splits the damage
between Intelligence and Will. Soporific gas imposes the unconscious condition.
Fully contained breathing apparatus will defend against the gas.
 Ice (energy): an ice grenade releases a cloud of liquefied gas that rapidly decreases the
temperature within the blast area (power 4; armor that isn't insulated against cold has
no effect).
 Incendiary: an incendiary grenade doesn't so much explode as ignite, and there's a
chance that anything flammable within the blast area will also ignite (power 4). For
any flammable material in the blast area roll 1d6 - 3 for the number of rounds it
continues to burn. For any chemical explosive in the blast area roll 1d6; on a result of
5-6 it explodes.
 Plasma (energy): a plasma grenade releases a burst of charged particles (power 7,
armor-piercing); plasma grenades are sold in lots of three.
 Smoke: a smoke grenade emits a cloud of opaque smoke within the blast area. Normal
vision can't see out of, into, or through the smoke. The cloud remains in place for one
minute in still air or up to three rounds if it's windy.

Grenade Launcher
Truth in advertising; a grenade launcher is a mid tech device for hurling a grenade
further and more accurately than a person could throw it. There are both standalone units
and shorter-range versions that can be mounted under the barrel of a firearm, gauss gun,
or energy rifle. Underslung launchers typically hold 3-4 grenades while standalone units
can hold up to twelve.
Arms Value: 4
Game Effect: treated as a medium ranged weapon (power varies with grenade type);
range = long for underslung, extreme for standalone.
Required Wealth Level: upper class

Handgun
Handguns are the primary home defense weapons in most municipalities. Revolvers
are cheaper; they can't mount accessories and only have 6-shot cylinders. Pistols can
mount accessories like silencers and laser sights and 8- to 15-shot clips. A pistol can also
hold a weapon in the chamber ready to fire in addition to a full clip. Handguns are mid
tech weapons, though there are high tech and even hypertech versions.
There are machine pistols that are capable of firing bursts. These often use extended
clips or drums that hold up to 30 rounds.

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Arms Value: 3 (4 for machine pistols)
Game Effect: light ranged weapon, firearm (power 3); medium range. Each trigger pull
uses 3 rounds in burst mode, which grants a bonus of -1 to the attack difficulty.
Required Wealth Level: working class (revolver), middle class (pistol), upper middle class
(machine pistol)

Ion Pistol/Rifle
Ion weapons fire bolts of charged particles that carry tremendous amounts of kinetic
energy. They don't have great range, but within their effective range they pack quite a
punch. The power cell has enough charge for ten shots for a pistol, twenty for a rifle.
Most dealers sell the weapon with one spare power cell.
Arms Value: 5 (pistol), 6 (rifle)
Game Effect: hypertech light (pistol) or medium (rifle) ranged weapon, nuclear (power =
4 for pistol, 5 for rifle; armor-piercing); medium range
Required Wealth Level: upper class

Javelin/Spear
Some version of a long stick with a blade on one end has been the primary combat
weapon for most of human history. Spears and their kin are easy and cheap to make,
simple to use, and low tech so they work everywhere. They are also versatile weapons
that can be used in melee or thrown at more distant targets.
Arms Value: 3
Game Effect: medium melee weapon, edged (power 3); can be thrown out to long range
Required Wealth Level: working class

Laser Pistol/Rife
Laser weapons shoot pulses of coherent light that can burn through metal or flash-boil
liquids. They are deadly accurate at impressive range. A pistol energy cell holds enough
power for 12 shots, a rifle cell holds 25.
Arms Value: 4 (pistol), 5 (rifle)
Game Effect: hypertech light (pistol) or medium (rifle) ranged weapon, laser (power = 4
for pistol, 5 for rifle); extreme range
Required Wealth Level: upper class
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Laser Sight
A laser sight aids targeting by projecting a dot onto a target within medium range.
Most firearms, laser weapons, and ion weapons have mounts for laser sights. The high
tech device has a battery life good for several hours of continuous operation.
Arms Value: 1
Game Effect: reduces called shot penalties one step if attacker takes an action to aim
Required Wealth Level: middle class

Leather Armor
Armor made from animal hide is the cheapest kind of armor. While it offers limited
protection it has the virtues of being lightweight and water resistant. Leather armor also
doesn't impede movement. It can be enhanced by adding metal studs or reinforced by
adding metal rings. It is available as a vest, tunic, full suit, or long coat.
Arms Value: 1 (2 for ring mail or studded leather)
Game Effect: light armor (protection 1); ring mail is reinforced light armor (protection 2,
negates armor-piercing); studded leather is enhanced (protection 1, +1 Endurance for
resisting damage)
Required Wealth Level: working class; middle class for ring mail or studded leather

Light Blade
This category of weapons includes any short, one-handed bladed weapon – combat
knives, daggers, kama, sickles, war picks, and so on. As low tech weapons light blades
work anywhere.
Arms Value: 2
Game Effect: light melee weapon, edged (power 2); can be thrown out to medium range
Required Wealth Level: working class

Light Shooter
This is a class of low tech weapons that use either elastic cords or rotational motion to
fire a small projectile. It includes slings, slingshots, and hand crossbows. Light shooters
aren't very powerful, but they are good for hunting small game. Slings and slingshots can
also use low cost ammunition; stones are literally dirt cheap.
Arms Value: 3
Game Effect: light ranged weapon, edged (power 2); medium range
Required Wealth Level: middle class for hand crossbow, working class for others

Lightning Pistol/Rifle
Electrical weapons combine combat effectiveness with cool special effects. The range
isn't great, but the energy efficiency is second to none among energy weapons. A pistol
power cell holds power for 50 shots while a rifle cell holds 100.
Arms Value: 4 (pistol), 5 (rifle); -1 to the total for nonlethal versions
Game Effect: hypertech or magitech light (pistol) or medium (rifle) ranged weapon,
electrical (power = 4 for pistol, 5 for rifle); medium range
Required Wealth Level: upper class; a taser is a 1-shot version of the lighting pistol with a
middle class price tag.

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Long Arm
Rifles are the firearms most commonly used for hunting, while carbines are similar
with shorter barrels. Both types are classified as long arms, and they are the most
common weapons in modern militaries. Some long arms are capable of burst fire, and
some add the capacity for fully automatic fire as well. The latter are called machineguns.
Mid tech is advanced enough to make them, but there are high tech versions.
A long arm can hold a limited amount of ammunition; without bullets it's an expensive
club (or, with a bayonet, a short spear). Standard magazine size is 30 for military models,
while civilian weapons often have less capacity. Versions with full-auto capability can
take 100-round drums or 500-round belts.
Many military models of long arms have mounts that allow a light blade (bayonet) to
be fixed in front of the barrel for when the ammunition runs out.
Arms Value: 4 (5 for machineguns)
Game Effect: medium ranged weapon, firearm (power 4); long range (carbines) or
extreme range (rifles). Each trigger pull uses 5 rounds in burst mode or 20 in full-auto
mode; firing in burst or full-auto grants a bonus of -1 to the attack difficulty. Full-auto
mode attacks all targets within an area three meters across.
Required Wealth Level: middle class; upper middle class for machineguns

Longbow
The longbow is probably the most potent low tech weapon there is. Its long range and
near silent operation make it ideal for ambushes. Compound bows add pulleys for extra
power, but these versions are mid tech
Arms Value: 5 (6 for compound)
Game Effect: heavy ranged weapon, edged (power 5, 6 for compound); long range
Required Wealth Level: working class

Minigun
It takes a big person to wield a minigun; the weapon is heavy and takes significant
muscle to use effectively. A minigun fires high caliber rounds at a high rate of fire, so the
300-round ammo drum or 1,200-round ammo belt is a necessity.
Arms Value: 6
Game Effect: heavy ranged weapon, firearm (power 6); long range; requires Strength 4+.
Each trigger pull uses 10 rounds in burst mode or 30 in full-auto mode; firing in full-auto
grants a bonus of -1 to the attack difficulty and can attack all targets within an area three
meters across.
Required Wealth Level: upper class

Minor Enchantment
Adding a bit of magic to a weapon or piece of armor can significantly increase its
effectiveness. Magic users can enchant any item that isn't hypertech, but they find it
easier to enchant items that they have made with their own hands.
Arms Value: +1
Game Effect: as per the specific enchantment; GMs and players may create enchantments
other than those listed using these as a guideline (they shouldn't be too powerful; it says
minor enchantment, after all).

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Required Wealth Level: increase the normal level for the item one step; only available in
areas where magic is common, can't be applied to hypertech items.
 Accuracy (weapon): -1 to attack difficulties;
 Hard-hitting (weapon): +1 power;
 Impervious (armor): +1 Endurance when resisting damage;
 Resistant (armor): choose one damage type (heat, cold, lightning, kinetic, etc.); damage
of that type is halved before it acts against the protection value;
 Summonable: item exists in a personal pocket dimension or as a tattoo when not in use;
can be readied as part of an attack action;
 Weightless: removes minimum Strength requirements and Quickness/Speed penalties.

Mono-edge
A mono-molecular edge is ludicrously sharp; the actual cutting surface is a single
molecule thick. It takes hypertech to manufacture mono-edge weapons, but the
modification itself works in low tech zones.
Arms Value: +1 to the value of the weapon so modified
Game Effect: adds armor-piercing
Required Wealth Level: increase the normal level for the weapon type one step; only
found in areas where hypertech is available.

Needler
Needlers, or needle guns, use compressed air to fire clusters of thin needles or razor
sharp flechettes (treat as burst fire). The effect on unarmored targets can be nasty, but
armored targets have little to fear. A standard needler fires a 5-round burst with each
trigger pull. A pistol has a 30-round clip while a rifle has a 100-round magazine.
The damage output is small compared to a firearm, but the trade-off is that a needler
can be used to deliver a drug or toxin. The buyer chooses whether to load sleep or
paralysis rounds.
Arms Value: 3 (pistol) or 4 (rifle)
Game Effect: light (pistol) or medium (rifle) ranged weapon, edged (power = 2 for pistol,
3 for rifle); short range; no damage to a target with medium or better armor. A target that
sustains damage must succeed on an Endurance test (difficulty = attack successes +
weapon's power) or gain the unconscious or paralyzed condition. It takes at least two
attacks and two failed saves to affect a large creature, four for a huge creature. The
dosage is too small to affect titanic creatures.
Required Wealth Level: middle class

Non-metallic
The item is made of bone, ceramic, plastic, wood, or some other material that isn't
metal but is or has been enhanced (through hypertech or magic) to be as durable as metal.
This modification can only be applied to types of weapons or armor that would normally
be made mostly or entirely of metal.
Arms Value: +1 to the value of the armor or weapon so modified
Game Effect: the weapon is lighter (Strength requirements and Quickness/Speed penalties
are reduced one step) and doesn't show up on metal detectors.
Required Wealth Level: as normal for the weapon type, but will likely be harder to find.

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Personal Force Field
As one of the best forms of physical protection available the personal force field
remains a popular choice for the lucky few who can afford it. The projector, usually a
belt or forearm unit, creates a shield of energy that repels melee weapons, projectiles, and
energy beams with equal ease. Any force field's power cell can recharge from house
current or the equivalent in about twenty minutes. Most models also have a secondary
recharge mode such as kinetic (body movements) or solar, which takes one hour.
A personal force field isn't airtight; it allows exchange of gases so that the wearer
won't suffocate. This means a force field offers no protection from toxic gas. It will keep
out water, so it can prevent drowning, but it only contains about five minutes worth of air.
Arms Value: 5
Game Effect: hypertech, magitech, or magical reinforced heavy armor (protection 5,
negates armor-piercing, halves all damage that exceeds the protection value); can only
operate for 15 minutes at a time before it needs to recharge.
Required Wealth Level: filthy rich

Plate Armor
Solid plates of metal offer excellent protection. The downside is that this low tech
armor is heavy and restricts movement. Plate armor is available as a breastplate, half-
plate (breastplate, vambraces, and greaves), or a full suit.
Arms Value: 3 or 4
Game Effect: heavy armor (protection 4), a full suit is considered reinforced (protection
5, negates armor-piercing); Speed -6, Quickness tasks +2 difficulty.
Required Wealth Level: upper class

Polearm
A polearm is similar to a spear in that it is a low tech blade on a stick. The difference
is that a polearm uses a much longer stick. The category includes the glaive, halberd,
naginata, and pike. The superior (compared to other melee weapons) range of a polearm
often gives the wielder first strike capability. This comes at the cost of added weight.
Arms Value: 4
Game Effect: heavy edged weapon (power 4); +1 to initiative value against melee
combatants who are not wielding polearms; requires Strength 3+
Required Wealth Level: working class

Powered Armor
Take a suit of plate armor and add servomotors that increase the wearer's strength.
Powered armor is rare and expensive but oh-so-cool. It is only available as a full suit.
Arms Value: 6
Game Effect: hypertech enhanced reinforced heavy armor (protection 5, negates armor-
piercing); wearer gains +2 Strength, and the armor is environmentally sealed (1-hour air
supply); Quickness tasks +2 difficulty.
Required Wealth Level: filthy rich

Rocket Launcher
The rocket launcher is an intermediate step between firearms and missiles. Rockets

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do a lot of damage, and they share the love across a large area. There is no municipality
in which these things aren't highly illegal for civilians to own, and local authorities are
likely to look askance at even Troubleshooters having them.
Arms Value: 5
Game Effect: heavy ranged weapon; fires a rocket with the same effect as a grenade out
to extreme range, except that rockets have a blast area 10 meters across.
Required Wealth Level: upper middle class

Scythe
The traditional weapon of grim reapers doesn't see much use on the battlefield, so
people tend to notice when it appears. A scythe is a blade on a stick, similar to a spear,
but is a slashing rather than a thrusting weapon. Though it takes a bit of strength to wield
one effectively the results are worth it.
Arms Value: 4
Game Effect: heavy melee weapon, edged (power 4); requires Strength 3+
Required Wealth Level: working class

Shield
A low tech shield is a piece of wood with a handle. Higher tech versions add better
materials. A shield only protects one part of the wielder's body at a time (two for a tower
shield) in addition to the shield arm, but it increases the wielder's ability to parry attacks.
Arms Value: 3 (4 for a tower shield)
Game Effect: reinforced medium armor (protection 3, negates armor-piercing); +2
Quickness when using the shield to parry. The wielder must declare what part of the
body, other than the shield arm, the shield is covering; that is the only part that benefits
from the protection value. A tower shield also covers one other adjacent area.
Required Wealth Level: working class

Shotgun
A shotgun fires a cone of small pellets that don't have much energy individually, but
they add up. These mid tech weapons have a lot of stopping power, but they pay for it
with limited range. Most civilian models hold no more than five shots, but there are
combat models with magazines that hold 30 rounds or more.
Arms Value: 5
Game Effect: heavy ranged weapon, firearm (power 6); short range; has the size and mass
of a medium weapon. A shotgun that has the barrel sawed off or that is fitted with a
pistol grip has no attack roll penalty if used at close range.
Required Wealth Level: middle class

Shortbow
Shortbows share the silent operation and low tech simplicity of longbows, but are less
powerful and shorter ranged. Compound versions pack a bigger punch.
Arms Value: 4 (5 for compound)
Game Effect: medium ranged weapon, edged (power 4, 5 for compound); medium range
Required Wealth Level: working class

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Sniper Scope
A sniper scope is the best tool for improving a long range weapon's accuracy. Any
weapon that can mount a laser sight can also mount a sniper scope. The accessory has
the benefit of being low tech; it's just a cylinder with plain glass lenses, after all.
Arms Value: 1
Game Effect: reduces range one step for the purpose of calculating attack difficulty but
doesn't increase the weapon's effective range
Required Wealth Level: middle class

Sonic Pistol/Rifle
A beam of focused ultrasound or infrasound has the advantage of being silent (except
to creatures that can hear sounds outside the human range) and having no visible effect.
It won't work in a vacuum, however. Lethal versions are commonly known as screamers
while nonlethal versions are called whistlers. A pistol power cell has enough energy for
30 shots, while a rifle cell holds 75.
Arms Value: 4 (pistol), 5 (rifle); -1 to the total for nonlethal versions
Game Effect: hypertech or magitech light (pistol) or medium (rifle) ranged weapon, sonic
(power = 3 for pistol, 4 for rifle); medium range
Required Wealth Level: upper middle class

Special Ammunition
Bows, firearms, and gauss weapons can achieve altered or additional effects by using
special bullets. Ammo comes in quivers of 12, clips (typically 8-15 rounds), drums
(usually 50-100 rounds), or belts (500+ rounds).
Arms Value: n/a; ammunition is a consumable and not purchased with the Arms resource.
Weapons purchased as Arms are assumed to be initially loaded with standard ammo.
Game Effect: as per the ammo type
Required Wealth Level: one step less than the weapon for two clips, same as the weapon
for a drum, one step higher than the weapon for a belt.
 AP: adds armor-piercing;
 Depleted Uranium (DU): combines the effects of AP and frangible; hypertech
 Explosive (EX): +1 power;
 Flechette: can be used to deliver a drug or toxin; no effect on target that has medium or
better armor;
 Frangible (dum-dum, hollow point): splits damage between Health and Endurance;
 Incendiary: counts as thermal damage;
 Less-lethal (LL; beanbag, rubber): damage is halved after target's Health reaches 0;
 Slug (shotgun only): removes area of effect, adds armor-piercing and +1 power;
 Stun: adds non-lethal; hypertech;
 Toxin (TX): target makes an Endurance test (difficulty = attack successes + weapon's
power; failure imposes the condition of the toxin – usually sleep, paralysis, blindness,
or poison damage = weapon's power directly to Endurance);
 Tracer (must have burst fire or full-auto capability): -1 to attack difficulty after firing at
least one burst and taking an action to aim; tracers are typically loaded as every fifth
round along with some other kind of ammo.

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Stunner
These weapons are often called stun guns, but they don't actually fire projectiles and
some versions are shaped like batons or gauntlets. A stunner uses phased current to
disrupt the target's nervous system. The effect doesn't last long, but it's more than enough
time for the wielder to flee the scene or use something more deadly. A stunner's energy
cell is good for about 12 shots.
Arms Value: 2
Game Effect: light melee weapon, electrical (power 4, nonlethal); target must succeed on
an Endurance test (difficulty = power + attack successes) or suffer the paralyzed
condition for (12 - Endurance) rounds.
Required Wealth Level: middle class

Sword
Contrary to popular belief swords were not the primary weapons on the low tech
battlefield. That would be spears. Swords were just the coolest. There are hundreds of
different types of sword, but for game purposes they come down to two categories;
medium weapons (one-handed and hand-and-a-half) and heavy weapons (two-handed).
A sword may have a minor enhancement as part of its construction. This increases the
price but not the Arms value.
Arms Value: 3 (medium) or 4 (heavy)
Game Effect: medium or heavy melee weapon, edged (power 3 for medium, 4 for heavy)
Required Wealth Level: middle class; upper middle class if it has an enhancement
 Basket Hilt (medium only): +1 difficulty to attacks to the wielder's sword hand or
attempts to disarm, stacks with called shot penalties;
 Quillons: +2 Quickness when using the sword to parry another melee attack;
 Serrated: +1 power with slashing attacks;
 Sword Strap: if disarmed the wielder can recover the sword with an action;
 Swordbreaker: -1 difficulty to attempts to disarm an opponent or break another sword;
 Weighted Pommel: allows the sword to be used as a blunt weapon with no penalty.
One particular kind of sword is the Lomavren Ghutne. It is a one-handed short
chopping blade that all children in the tribe are given on the cusp of adulthood (age nine
for girls, twelve for boys). The blade is made of Abyssal rat-iron, which naturally resists
rust, and the handle is of carved whalebone. The ghutne is a medium edged melee
weapon with the serrated enhancement and the hard-hitting minor enchantment (power 4,
5 for slashing). It has a Gear value of 4. To have one of these at character creation
requires Lomavren ancestry or a good backstory.

Vibroblade
Vibroblade is a modifier to an edged weapon. Ultrasonic vibrations increase the
cutting power, and the built-in power cell can last for up to an hour of continuous use.
Vibroblade modification upgrades the weapon to hypertech.
Arms Value: +2 to the value of the weapon so modified
Game Effect: adds +1 power and armor-piercing
Required Wealth Level: raises the required wealth level one step

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Whip
A length of braided leather strips is a surprisingly fearsome weapon. The cutting tip is
often embellished with a metal cap or an animal's fang, and some versions have teeth,
metal spikes, or shards of glass braided into their length; this variant is called a scourge.
A skilled wielder can use a whip to grab things, tangle legs, or bind someone's limbs long
enough to make them vulnerable to a more lethal attack.
Arms Value: 2 (3 for scourge)
Game Effect: light edged weapon (power 2; 3 for scourge); short range, can't be used at
close range; can be used to disarm, trip, or grapple instead of dealing damage.
Required Wealth Level: middle class

Gear
All of the following items can be purchased as Gear – at least, by characters who can
afford them. They are also good examples on which GMs and players can base Gear of
their own design.

Airship
The basic design for all airships is similar; a basket or gondola suspended from a
cigar-shaped gasbag. True airships all have engines, but the exact type varies – larger
airships use turbines, while a few smaller ones employ electric motors.
Gear Value: ranges from 3 (2-person observation flier) to 4 (light passenger carrier) to 5
(passenger liner or cargo lifter). Hot air is the default lifting gas; the Gear value is -1 for
hydrogen, +1 for helium, but can't be more than 6. The Gear value is +1 if the airship is
amphibious (can land on the ground or on water).
Game Effect: an airship provides transportation via flight. It's slow (top Speed = 12, and
that's with a tailwind), but it can't be slowed down by any terrain except mountains.
Required Wealth Level: upper class

All-terrain Vehicle
Standard automobiles need roads to travel safely, but an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) can
go where there are no roads. ATVs come in four sizes; buggy (one seat), coupe (2-4

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seats), truck/van (2-8 seats), and RV (4-20 seats). An ATV has cargo capacity
proportionate to its size; vans and RVs in particular can be dedicated mainly to cargo.
ATVs can be made with mid tech using steam or internal combustion engines. High
tech or hypertech versions might use electric motors instead.
Gear Value: 1 (buggy), 2 (coupe), 3 (truck/van), 4 (RV)
Game Effect: an ATV provides transportation across most types of ground; it can travel
only short distances across water, deep snow or mud slow it down, and it can't climb
inclines greater than 30°. A buggy can only hold one person, a coupe can hold four (two
for cargo models), a truck/van can carry 6-8 (2-3 for cargo models), and an RV can carry
up to 20 or sleep six (four for cargo models). Any ATV can operate continuously for six
hours or more before needing to refuel; larger ones have longer range.
Required Wealth Level: upper middle class (RV); middle class (all others)

Breath Mask
A breath mask – which includes goggles or a transparent face shield – is the best
available protection from bad air (or the lack of air) short of a full environmental suit. It
has either a self-contained air supply or an external air tank.
Gear Value: 2 (self-contained) or 3 (external tank)
Game Effect: the wearer is immune to airborne toxins and drugs, drowning, or lack of
oxygen for as long as the air supply holds out. The mask also includes eye protection. A
self-contained unit has 15 minutes of air while an external tank holds enough for an hour.
Required Wealth Level: middle class

Chrono-master Fob Watch


A chrono-master fob watch monitors the integrity of the local time stream. It also
keeps perfect time.
Gear Value: 3
Game Effect: wearer can make an Alertness check to detect temporal anomalies, identify
time travelers, and determine if they or anyone they can see is under an altered time rate.
Required Wealth Level: upper middle class

Clockwork Horse
It walks, it jumps, it canters, and it gallops. It will carry a rider or a load all day
without food, water, or rest; just give it a couple of liters of fuel or a fresh battery pack
every day and it'll do fine. A clockwork horse can do everything that a flesh-and-blood
horse can do... except swim. And don't try to ride it in the rain.
Gear Value: 1 (pack horse/pony), 2 (saddle horse), or 3 (racehorse/draft horse/warhorse)
Game Effect: a clockwork horse performs exactly the same as its living counterpart
except that exposure to water will shut it down until it can be dried out and repaired.
Required Wealth Level: upper middle class

Combat Mech
Combat mechs rule the battlefield... or at least they do in Shadesvale. They are rarely
seen anywhere else. Mechs combine heavy armor, strength amplification, and more
weapons than a human soldier could carry... and they can be hypertech weapons, to boot.
When you show up to the battle driving three tons of heavily armed steel anyone who

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isn't scared is stupid, is crazy, or knows something that you don't.
Gear Value: 6
Game Effect: A combat mech has an armored cab (reinforced heavy armor; protection 4,
negates armor-piercing) that is fully environmentally sealed (6-hour air supply). It also
has cargo capacity equal to that of a 6-passenger car, a radar unit, and comm suite. There
are hardpoints for up to six weapons – one on each forearm and shoulder, two in the torso
– but it only comes with one medium ranged weapon. Some models mount one or both
of the torso weapons facing backward, while others put the shoulder weapons on turrets.
The shoulder mounts can hold nothing bigger than medium weapons. A mech can give
up its cargo capacity for additional systems (such as another weapon or an electronic
warfare suite) or for an extended cab that can hold two people.
The servo-enhanced musculature grants the pilot Attribute Bonus: Strength +2 and
Strength x 2 for lifting and carrying. The hybrid drive system (energy cell plus
combustion-fueled generator) can operate for up to 48 hours at a time.
Required Wealth Level: upper class; filthy rich if it mounts any heavy or energy weapons

Communicator
Being able to talk to one's teammates while separated can make the difference
between a failed operation and a successful one.
Gear Value: 2 (3 for magitech or hypertech)
Game Effect: allows communication across a distance of 100 kilometers between units.
Magitech versions work in occultic and noetic zones while hypertech units have quantum
encryption to prevent eavesdropping. The battery lasts for up to 12 hours.
Required Wealth Level: middle class

Crimson Cider
In a world of super science and exotic magic you sometimes need a stiff drink.
Gear Value: n/a; crimson cider is a consumable and not purchased as Gear
Game Effect: a character who drinks a glass of crimson cider gains a bonus success to use
on one Charisma or Will test within the next hour.
Required Wealth Level: upper middle class (one bottle); working class in Vitaem

Da'Shay's Milestone
This chunk of malachite radiates an aura of magic. The Vodranni prize such stones as
ways to find interesting destinations in their travels.
Gear Value: 2
Game Effect: when held in both hands the milestone tugs toward a destination within
three days travel. The place is always beautiful and relatively safe, and there will be
adequate water for a caravan and food for the animals. However, during the time of the
annual pilgrimage to the ancestral city of the Vodranni the stone becomes erratic; it either
doesn't work at all or only leads to Aa'Dranmos.
Required Wealth Level: n/a; Da'Shay's milestones are not available on the open market;
everyone who has one either found it or was gifted it by the Vodranni.

Environment Suit
An environment suit (N-suit for short) is fully environmentally sealed, has a self-

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contained air supply, and even has systems for recycling water from the wearer's sweat
and urine. There is also a secure nutrition dispenser in the helmet that can hold up to
three days worth of food paste – the best description of the taste is, "it beats starving."
The suit isn't terribly comfortable, and off-the-rack models aren't at all stylish, but it will
keep the wearer alive in harsh environments.
Gear Value: 3
Game Effect: while wearing the suit fully sealed the wearer is immune to airborne toxins
and drugs, drowning, and lack of oxygen for up to 72 hours. The suit is also climate
controlled and insulated against ambient radiation (counts as appropriate clothing for
both heat and cold, +2 Endurance for resisting temperature extremes and radiation). The
built-in alarm alerts the wearer to the presence of conditions that the suit is designed to
protect against.
Required Wealth Level: upper class

Hitchhikers' Guide to Breccia


There are both magical and hypertech versions of the Guide. When opened the book
somehow goes right to the page the user needs to consult and presents the information
they need... sometimes in disturbingly specific terms.
Gear Value: 2
Game Effect: consulting a copy of the Guide grants a bonus of -1 difficulty on lore checks
about the subject the user looks up.
Required Wealth Level: working class

Hove's Mysterious Mask


Technically only one of these is Hove's actual mask, but dozens of copies have been
made and distributed throughout Breccia. The transformation magic of the mask was
initially intended for fun, but many adventurers value it as a last ditch escape.
The original mask was brightly colored and had a bird theme, but the copies are
themed after a variety of animals. There are confirmed reports of rat, fox, lizard, cat,
fish, and snake masks.
Gear Value: 3
Game Effect: donning the mask transforms the wearer into a small animal; the wearer
gains the physical attributes and abilities of that animal but retains their own intelligence
and skills. The transformation lasts for 24 hours or until the mask is removed. Once
used the mask won't work again for at least 24 hours.
Required Wealth Level: n/a; Hove's Mysterious Masks aren't available on the open market
– the magic doesn't work unless the mask is given as a gift.

"I ♥ Breccia" Mug


This cup is just the thing when you need a hot drink.
Gear Value: 1
Game Effect: holding the mug and spending 1 Mana fills the mug with the hot beverage
of the holder's choice – coffee, tea, cocoa, cider, mulled wine, etc.
Required Wealth Level: working class

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Industrial Mech
At first glance an industrial mech looks like a human-shaped metal scaffold. Most
industrial mechs use hydraulics, but some of the more advanced models use electric
motors or pneumatics instead. The advanced models are lighter and quieter but lack the
raw power of older industrial mechs. A industrial mech also has panels around the cab
that give the driver limited protection from hazards.
Industrial mechs can be made using high tech, but they are most prevalent in areas that
have hypertech.
Gear Value: 3
Game Effect: an electric/pneumatic industrial mech gives the driver Attribute Bonus:
Strength +2 and light armor (1), while a hydraulic mech grants Attribute Bonus: Strength
+3 and medium armor (2) and halves the operator’s Speed. Either grants Strength x 3 for
lifting and carrying. The device operates for up to 12 hours at a time on a full fuel load
or battery charge.
Required Wealth Level: middle class

Life's Masquerade
These magitech goggles grant a variety of visual powers.
Gear Value: 3
Game Effect: adjusting the left monocle allows the wearer to see in infrared or ultraviolet,
while closing the left eye lets the wearer see auras, spirits, and magical energies.
Required Wealth Level: middle class

Light Source
A light source provides illumination within a limited area. There are two sizes, the
flashlight and the lantern. A flashlight is a mid tech item. Lanterns that burn combustible
fuel can be made with low tech, while electric versions require at least mid tech.
There is a consumable version, a chemical glowstick, that provides light equal to a
lantern. Glowsticks come in a variety of colors.
Gear Value: 1 (flashlight), 2 (lantern); glowsticks are consumable and therefore aren't
purchased with the Gear resource.
Game Effect: a flashlight projects a beam that provides light equal to a full moon in a
narrow one-directional arc. A lantern emits that same level of light in an area 10 meters
across. A flashlight has enough battery life for 8 hours of operation. A fully fueled
lantern or a glowstick will burn for up to 6 hours. An electric lantern has enough battery
power for 12 hours of continuous operation.
Required Wealth Level: working class; glowsticks are sold in lots of six.

Mana Stone
Despite the name mana stones aren't always stones; some take the form of jewelry.
Magic users prize these items for their ability to supplement personal mana reserves.
Gear Value: 5
Game Effect: a mana stone stores up to 12 Mana and recharges spent Mana at the rate of
1 point per hour (2 in a high mana zone).
Required Wealth Level: upper class

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Mini Hexpresso Machine
In Savain they don't just drink coffee – they drink magic coffee. This machine can
brew 1-3 servings at a time. It doesn't matter what kind of coffee one uses; the mini
hexpresso machine enchants whatever coffee it's loaded with, even cheap instant.
Gear Value: 2; the coffee itself is a consumable and isn't bought with the Gear resource,
but the machine comes with enough for six cups.
Game Effect: load the machine with coffee grounds and spend 1-3 Mana to brew that
number of cups. Drinking one cup of hexpresso allows the drinker to go without sleep
for up to 24 hours, and a second cup within an hour of the first extends that to 48 hours.
Drinking a third cup within an hour of the second grants +6 Speed and a bonus success
on Quickness tests for 12 hours. Drinking more than that before getting a full night's
sleep has unpleasant side effects (GM's call) but provides no further benefits.
Required Wealth Level: middle class; working class for 12 cups of replacement coffee

Mnemosyne Social HUD


This marvel of hypertech computing fits a database and processor into a contact lens.
Gear Value: 2
Game Effect: spending 1 Mana while the lens is in permanently bonds the HUD to the
wearer's eye. The wearer has -1 to the difficulty of social tasks like remembering names,
faces, and birthdays as well as basic etiquette. The database takes notes during
conversations and also includes a clock/stopwatch.
Required Wealth Level: upper middle class

Occaecarean Seed Packets


Occaecarean seeds are one of the most common products of golemancy. Each seed
produces a plant golem that bears fruit in the form of some common item (clothes, tools,
food, etc.). Breccian law forbids seeds that can create weapons, so Occaecare doesn't sell
them... openly, at least. Each bush bears only one kind of fruit.
Gear Value: n/a; as consumables Occaecarean seeds aren't purchased as Gear.
Game Effect: an Occaecarean seed develops into a full-blown plant and produces fruit 24
hours after it is planted and dies 48 hours after that. The fruit can be ordinary clothing or
items that could be bought as Gear 1-2. Black market seeds can produce light melee
weapons and firearms. Items grown from Occaecarean seeds are biodegradable and will
decompose within 72 hours of being buried in soil.
Required Wealth Level: middle class (standard); upper middle class (black market). Seed
packets are sold in lots of twelve, but a lot can be mixed types.

Old Wooden Mask


One of these masks helps one escape from danger; the wearer is invisible under visible
light, ultraviolet, and radar but can still be seen under infrared sight or by aura vision.
The mask also suppresses the wearer's scent and muffles any sound she makes.
Gear Value: 3
Game Effect: Any attempt to detect the wearer by means other than infrared or aura sight
has +3 to the difficulty. This benefit only applies if the wearer is immobile.
Required Wealth Level: working class; there are thousands of these masks in circulation
and likely hundreds more yet to be found.

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Ornithopter
In addition to fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft Breccia also has a form of aircraft
not known in the rest of the world – the flap-wing aircraft. Most ornithopters are one-
person scout planes, but there are two-seater versions used for short-range transport or
even for combat.
Gear Value: 1 for one-seater, 2 for two-seater; +1 if armed
Game Effect: an ornithopter can fly at roughly the speed of a running horse and can
remain airborne for up to twelve hours at a time on a full load of fuel. Combat models
are typically armed with machineguns, miniguns, or rocket launchers.
Required Wealth Level: upper middle class; upper class if armed

Pocket Pocket Dimension


Someone who has one of these always has a safe place to stay. The control unit,
which actually does fit in a pocket, opens the portal that allows the owner and anyone
traveling with them to enter the pocked dimension. Planar magic is the only other way
into or out of the pocket dimension. The PPD control unit is considered a magitech item.
The instructions for the PPD say to never take nonliving organic matter into the
pocket dimension... but they don't say why.
Gear Value: 4
Game Effect: contains up to four hectares of landscape in a biome of the owner's choice
complete with a prefab shelter the size of a single-family dwelling. Anyone leaving the
PPD must make a static Will check and suffer lightheadedness and fatigue (+1 penalty to
all difficulties) for a number of minutes equal to 5 - (successes rolled).
Required Wealth Level: upper class

Portable Recharger
Despite the name this item is too heavy to lug around; it's best carried aboard a vehicle
or a pack animal. A portable recharger has three ways to provide energy to power devices
– a solar collector, a combustion-fueled generator (runs best on alcohol, but can use wood
in a pinch), and a mana-to-electricity converter for use in high mana zones.
Gear Value: 2
Game Effect: counts as house current for the purpose of having an energy source with
which to recharge energy cells.
Required Wealth Level: upper class

Portable Shelter
Having shelter makes survival more likely under harsh conditions. A portable shelter
is usually a tent, but the smallest type is a bedroll or sleeping bag. Early versions must be
optimized for a particular climate, but high tech versions and above work in both hot and
cold weather.
Gear Value: 1 (sleeping bag), 2 (2-person), 3 (6-person), or 4 (12-person)
Game Effect: counts as poor shelter; a sleeping bag can be used inside a tent to upgrade
the effect to good shelter.
Required Wealth Level: working class (sleeping bag), upper middle class (12-person
shelter), middle class (all others)

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Rations
Rations are specially prepared meals that have been packaged for travel. Even the low
tech versions can last for up to a week without spoiling, while hypertech versions can last
for years. High tech and above versions are even tasty.
Gear Value: n/a; rations are consumable and aren't purchased with the Gear resource.
Game Effect: rations are bought in lots of three meals, with each meal providing enough
calories and nutrition for one day.
Required Wealth Level: working class

Rebreather
This device recycles air to extract the maximum amount of oxygen. Hypertech
versions are much more efficient than their high tech counterparts.
Gear Value: 1 (2 for hypertech)
Game Effect: the wearer can breathe underwater for up to two hours (six hours with the
hypertech version).
Required Wealth Level: upper middle class

Survival Kit
Living rough is easier if one has the right equipment.
Gear Value: 1
Game Effect: a survival kit includes a canteen, mess kit, entrenching tool (small shovel),
a small set of cooking utensils, needle and thread, a pocket knife, a block of flint, a spool
of fishing line, and a dozen fishhooks.
Required Wealth Level: working class

Tool Kit
A tool kit contains whatever tools are necessary for its intended profession.
Gear Value: 1 for a basic set of up to a dozen tools; 2 for a deluxe tool kit that can have
twice as many, perhaps more. Each set must be designated for a specific type of work –
botanical, chemical, electrical, mechanical, medical, tailoring, veterinary, etc.
Game Effect: a basic tool kit simply enables someone to perform those aspects of its
intended work that require tools. A deluxe tool kit grants a bonus of -1 to the difficulty of
tasks for which the tools are designed.
Required Wealth Level: middle class (basic), upper middle class (deluxe)

Wayfinder's Ring
A wayfinder's ring is jewelry enchanted to help travelers. There are thousands of them
available, but they're so useful that being common hasn't made them cheaper.
Gear Value: 4
Game Effect: spend 1 Mana to activate one of the four boons below for one hour; only
one boon can be active at a time.
Required Wealth Level: upper middle class
 Attack (must be worn on the dominant hand): conjures a spectral blade (power 3,
counts as magical for the purpose of bypassing immunity to non-magical attacks);
 Defense (must be worn on the subordinate hand): attacks on the wearer have a penalty
of +1 to the difficulty;

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 Illumination: conjures an orb of light that hovers over the wearer's head and provides
light equal to a full moon within an area six meters across;
 Navigation: the ring tugs toward the wearer's current destination when the hand bearing
the ring is held out.

Weather-appropriate Clothing
When you've got to dress for the weather this is what you dress in. Cold weather
clothes consist of multiple layers with the outer layers fur-lined or stuffed with down.
Hot weather clothing is loose-fitting light fabric that allows air circulation close to the
skin. Wet weather clothes are just a waterproof outer layer and a good pair of boots.
Gear Value: 1
Game Effect: counts as appropriate clothing for resisting the environmental condition it is
designed for; stacks with the effects of a portable shelter.
Required Wealth Level: working class

WestTech Reanimator
WestTech reanimators were originally marketed to the rich as a way to bring back lost
pets. Naturalists have begun using the devices to increase the populations of endangered
species or even to recover extinct species.
Gear Value: 2
Game Effect: the reanimator can resurrect a deceased animal up to the size of a horse if
fed a DNA sample up to 80 years old and an amount of mana proportional to the
creature's size (tiny = 1, small = 2, medium = 3, large = 4). The animal comes back to
life as an infant/larva of its species but with all memories and training intact.
Required Wealth Level: upper class

"Wish You Were Here" Postcards


This is a set of five postcards that each depict one of the municipalities of Breccia.
The images are highly stylized yet eerily lifelike.
Gear Value: 1 per set of five
Game Effect: after sitting quietly gazing at one of these cards for a few minutes the user
can spend 1 Mana to experience a "day in the life" waking lucid dream about the city
depicted. Make a static Charisma test to gain a number of bonus successes equal to the
successes rolled. The bonus success can be added to any lore or etiquette task concerning
that city within the next 24 hours – this can turn a failed roll into a success. The vision
can't reveal anything that wouldn't be common knowledge for residents of that city, and
even with that limitation can't reveal information that the residents of that city actively
conceal (for example, the exact location of Mulkin Kauna). There can only be a bonus in
place for one municipality at a time.
Consult the table below to determine which five cards the set contains; roll five times
and re-roll any result that duplicates a city that has already been selected. Treat a result
of the character's home city as a 3 or 30 result.
Required Wealth Level: middle class

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3 = choose one* 17 = New Nova
4 = Acameera 18 = Nine Stupas
5 = Alluria 19 = Oakheart
6 = A.M.B.I.T.I.O.N. 20 = Occaecare
7 = Cilgard 21 = Reykr Island
8 = Cosmos 22 = Savain
9 = Foros-Zhamexa 23 = Scelus
10 = Ginnungagap Research Station 24 = Shadesvale
11 = Iron Abyss 25 = Tanager
12 = Jaratha 26 = Tortuga
13 = Kardashev 27 = Vitaem
14 = K'Zordak 28 = Vodraine's End
15 = Melachiym Eyer 29 = Zlatbisa
16 = Mulkin Kauna 30 = choose one*
*This option allows you to change a result that has already been rolled.

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CHAPTER 5: ANTAGONISTS
Breccia is a dangerous place, and this chapter describes some of those dangers. While
these antagonists can be used as is, their best use is as examples on which GMs can base
their own creations – why should players who have read this book have the unfair
advantage of knowing exactly what they're up against?

Creatures
All of the creatures in this section occur naturally. Those that can be purchased with
the Creature resource have their Creature value listed.
Creatures have the same attributes that humanoid characters do, though Charisma isn't
always relevant. A creature's size affects its Health calculation, however; use the normal
formula, but apply a modifier of -3 for small creatures, +6 for large, or +12 for huge.
Intelligence works differently for creatures with animal-level intelligence. For these
creatures Intelligence has four possible ratings with the numerical value in parentheses.
Use the listed number value for dice pools, but the creature automatically fails any task
that requires a higher level of intelligence:
 Mindless (1): the creature has no mind and is therefore immune to mental attack. It can
only perform basic actions on the basis of instinct;
 Dull (2): the creature has limited cognition. It is incapable of planning or complex
thought and, if trained, can only follow a few simple commands;
 Cunning (3): the creature is capable of simple planning and tactics and can even
employ trickery to ensnare prey or avoid predators. If trained it can follow a wide
range of simple commands even in quick succession;
 Clever (4): the creature has near human-level intelligence. It is capable of foresight
and anticipating the consequences of its actions, and if trained can follow a variety of
complex commands. It has only limited ability to comprehend human language,
however, and it can't employ symbolic logic (i.e. mathematics).

Sapient beings, which have intelligence comparable to that of humans, may have
professions just like characters do. Creatures with beast-level intelligence have access to
special animal professions. A creature's age/life stage determines its level in the species
profession; juveniles are at Novice, adults at Competent, and older or more dominant
individuals at Expert. A creature that is both predator and prey may have a separate
profession for each role.
 Ambush Predator: some predators lie in wait for prey to wander into attack range or
blunder into a trap. This profession applies to stealth checks, constructing and
concealing traps, grappling, and attacking from ambush;
 Ballistic Predator: this strategy is for striking from a distance. This can be a ranged
attack like those used by the archerfish and the bolas spider, or it can be a melee
attack that has reach such as a snake's strike or a chameleon's tongue. Ballistic
predators are skilled with ranged/reach attacks and perception checks – their style of
hunting requires excellent depth perception and precise ability to gauge movement;
 Communal Defender: some prey animals practice safety in numbers. In some species a
group member might even sacrifice itself to keep a predator occupied or to deliver a
counterattack that incapacitates an attacker. This profession applies to defending

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another member of the herd, using overlapping movements to confuse an attacker, or
perception checks to detect approaching dangers and alert the group. As prey animals
humans rely on this strategy;
 Deception Defender: many prey animals defend themselves by not being seen or by
appearing to be something else. Deception defense applies to stealth checks,
impersonation, and intimidation attempts;
 Endurance Predator: this strategy is about outlasting prey rather than outfighting it.
Endurance predators are persistent enough to follow prey until it succumbs to
exhaustion or to wounds inflicted by an initial strike. The profession applies to
endurance checks, tracking, and attacks intended to inflict debilitating wounds. It's
worth noting that primitive humans are this kind of predator;
 Escape Defender: these creatures have the speed and maneuverability to get away from
predators. This includes strategies like being able to flee from land-bound predators
by taking to the air or water. The profession applies to fleeing and dodging;
 Pursuit Predator: pursuit predators are fast and maneuverable. The profession applies
to chasing and to attacks intended to stop fleeing prey (including grappling);
 Resistance Defender: this profession applies to actively fighting back against a
predator. Resistance defenders are often large and powerful animals and/or have an
array of natural weapons equal to what predators possess;
 Scavenger: not all carnivores are killers; some are willing to wait for things to die. Any
carnivore will scavenge given the opportunity, and larger predators often chase
smaller carnivores off their kills, but scavengers specialize in scavenging. This
profession applies to perception checks to find carrion or track dying creatures,
intimidation checks to convince another animal that it really doesn't want that kill,
and Endurance checks to resist the effects of eating meat that's less than fresh.

A creature's natural armor never imposes Speed or Quickness penalties, though armor
enhancements might.
Not all of the creatures presented here are native to Breccia's ecosystem. The GM is
the final arbiter of which species are present within the campaign.

Alraune (all-RAO-nuh)
The alraune is a carnivorous plant similar to a pitcher plant. A fully grown specimen
is large enough to prey on humans, and the largest can consume ponies. The plant emits
a scent that attracts prey with a promise of food, fresh water, or sex and uses its vines to
grab the meal and draw it into the pitcher to be slowly digested. Some subspecies
strangle their prey while others use soporific gas to subdue their food. As a sessile
creature an alraune can't dodge, but it can use its vines to parry attacks.
Alraune are typically found in or near bogs or at the edges of rain forests.
Attributes: Alertness 1, Endurance 4, Intelligence Mindless, Quickness 4, Strength 6
(bonus 1), Will 1, Health 18, Speed 0
Abilities: When prey comes within 100 meters the alraune makes a static Alertness
check to identify the general type (humanoid, equine, reptile, etc.). If successful the plant
secretes a pheromone that attracts that type of prey. All creatures of the target type must
succeed on a static Will test or be compelled to approach the plant. The spell is broken
when the plant attacks.

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Prey inside the pitcher suffers a +2 difficulty penalty on all actions due to being in
cramped quarters and immersed in liquid.
Some alraune subspecies strangle or constrict prey that struggles (treat as a choke hold).
Others give off vapors that put animals within five meters to sleep (static Endurance test,
target falls asleep for [3 - successes] minutes).
Profession: Ambush Predator

Antelope/Deer (Creature 1 for small, 2 for medium, 3 for large or peryton)


Deer and antelope are among the most common large herbivores in the world. They
are usually thought of as cute and harmless – not to mention delicious – but adults
(especially males) can be surprisingly aggressive, especially during mating season.
Antelope and deer come in three sizes; small (dik-dik, gazelle), medium (mule deer,
whitetail), and large (caribou, wildebeest). Where species differ by size the attribute
entries below list them as small/medium/large.
There is a paranormal variant of deer called a peryton which is a flying carnivore.
Attributes: Alertness 5, Endurance 3/5/6, Intelligence Dull, Quickness 6/5/3 (bonus 1),
Strength 3/5/6, Will 2, Health 5/12/20, Speed 22/23 (46)/22
Abilities: Antlers (light edged melee weapon, power 2); Bite (peryton only; light edged
melee weapon, power 2); Hooves (light blunt melee weapon, power 1); Acute Hearing = -
1 difficulty to Alertness checks based on hearing; Antlers (light edged melee weapon,
power 2), Flight (peryton only; Speed x2 when airborne, already factored in); Hooves
(light blunt melee weapon, power 1); Swiftness (+6 Speed, already factored in)
Profession: Communal Defender, Escape Defender; perytons are Pursuit Predators

Arthropod Swarm
Insects and arachnids in large numbers can be a serious threat – army ants, colonies of
bees, and swarms of scorpions have all been known to kill larger animals including
humans. A cast of crabs can pose a similar threat in or near the sea. Locust swarms are
usually a threat only to crops, but there are reliable reports of carnivorous locusts in the
Great Basin. K'Zordak and New Nova have both reported predatory cockroaches.
Some attributes below have two ratings. The first is for minor swarms (hundreds of
insects/arachnids or dozens of crustaceans) while the second is for major swarms
(thousands of insects/arachnids or hundreds of crustaceans).
Attributes: Alertness 3, Endurance 2/4 (bonus 1), Intelligence Mindless, Quickness 6,
Strength 1, Will 1/2, Health 5/14, Speed 6
Abilities: Dispersal (damage from all attacks that aren't area effect = 1, 0 for beams or
projectiles); Wall-crawling (can cling to walls and ceilings, but Speed is halved [round
down; already factored in]); choose three of the following.
 Aquatic: can breathe water, Speed not reduced by moving through water;
 Armor: light armor (protection 1);
 Claws/Mandibles: edged light melee weapon (power 2);
 Flight: Speed x3 while airborne;
 Resistant: -2 difficulty on tests to resists poisons;
 Stingers: edged light melee weapon (power 2), target must make a static Endurance test
to avoid the paralyzed or agonized (all actions +2 difficulty) condition.
Profession: Communal Defender; predatory insect and arachnid species can be Ambush

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or Pursuit Predators, while crustaceans and roaches are Scavengers.

Atlas Beetle (Creature 4 for large, 5 for huge)


The atlas beetle is the mainstay of the Vodranni lifestyle; it is mount, draft animal,
source of material for armor and weapons, and sometimes foundation for a home. The
Vodranni love their beetles the way other peoples love dogs or horses (and are equally
unwilling to eat them). Atlas beetles' fighting style is to use their horns to push
opponents back or flip them over.
Atlas beetles come in three sizes, and the attribute ratings below are listed in order of
size; shieldback (large)/strongback (huge)/townback (exactly what it says on the label;
only nine of these are known to exist, but there might be others in the wild). As giant
insects atlas beetles are paranormal creatures.
Attributes: Alertness 2, Endurance 5/7/9 (bonus 2), Intelligence Dull, Quickness 3/2/1,
Strength 6/8/10 (bonus 2), Will 2, Health 23/31/43, Speed 17/9/9
Abilities: Chitin (reinforced medium [shieldback] or heavy [strongback and townback]
armor [protection 3/5]; Strong (Strength x 2 for lifting and carrying); Superior Armor
(townback; physical damage halved before acting against armor protection; Speed is
halved [already factored in])
Profession: Resistance Defender, Scavenger

Bat (Creature 1 for small, 2 for medium, 4 for large)


Bats are the only flying mammals. Despite the vampire bat's unsavory reputation bats
don't pose any threat to humans aside from the risk of spreading rabies (which has been
greatly exaggerated). Most bats are small creatures, but the flying fox is medium and
K'Zordak is home to a giant species that has been domesticated.
Attributes: Alertness 3, Endurance 2/3/4, Intelligence Dull, Quickness 5/4/3 (bonus 1),
Strength 1/2/4, Will 2, Health 2/7/16, Speed 6 (24)/7 (28) for large
Abilities: Echolocation (Alertness bonus 2 for hearing; can act normally in any darkness
without penalty if there isn't too much background noise); Flight (Speed halved on the
ground but doubled when airborne; already factored in)
Professions: Escape Defender; insectivores are also Pursuit Predators, while vampire
bats are Scavengers.

Bird
Birds range from being pleasant scenery to valuable resources to significant hazards.
The entries below don't describe anywhere near every variety of bird, but there's enough
information here for the GM to base additional types on.
Large birds are always considered paranormal creatures and can be ridden.

Bird of Prey (Creature 2 for small, 3 for medium, 5 for large)


Birds of prey, also known as raptors, are carnivores that hunt small game. They are
fast fliers with excellent vision. Eagles, hawks, falcons, and owls are all birds of prey.
All raptors are considered combat trained.
Attributes: Alertness 5, Endurance 2/3/5, Intelligence Cunning, Quickness 5/4/3,
Strength 2/3/5 (bonus 1), Will 4, Health 6/11/19, Speed 7 (28)
Abilities: Beak/Talons (edged melee weapons, light for small or medium creatures,

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medium for large creatures; power 2/3); Flight (Speed halved on the ground but doubled
when airborne; already factored in); Poison Resistance (-2 difficulty to poison resistance
tests); Raptor's Eyes (visual perception difficulties reduced -2; applies to range for diurnal
raptors, darkness for nocturnal raptors)
Professions: Pursuit Predator

Carrion Bird (Creature 1 for small, 2 for medium, 4 for large)


Carrion birds eat dead animals... or animals that will soon be dead. The category
includes condors, vultures, and marabou storks.
Attributes: Alertness 3, Endurance 5/6/7 (bonus 1), Intelligence Cunning, Quickness
4/3/2, Strength 2/3/5, Will 3, Health 7/13/22, Speed 6 (24)
Abilities: Disease/Poison Resistance (-2 difficulty to disease and poison resistance
tests); Flight (Speed halved on the ground but doubled when airborne; already factored
in); Soaring (can remain airborne for up to [Endurance x 2] hours at a time while flying at
half speed; can sleep while soaring)
Professions: Scavenger

Corvid/Psitticaform (Creature 1 for small, 2 for medium, 4 for large)


The corvids (crows, jackdaws, jays, magpies, ravens, and rooks) and psitticaforms
(cockatiels, cockatoos, macaws, parakeets, and parrots) are omnivores that eat meat,
insects, fruit, seeds, and nuts. They are notable for being the most intelligent avians. The
smartest corvids even exhibit tool-making behavior, which was once thought to be unique
to primates, and/or limited comprehension of human languages.
Attributes: Alertness 4 (bonus 1), Endurance 2/3/5, Intelligence Clever, Quickness
6/5/3, Strength 2/3/5, Will 3, Health 4/9/19, Speed 7 (28)
Abilities: Disease/Poison Resistance (-2 difficulty to disease and poison resistance
tests); Flight (Speed halved on the ground but x2 when airborne; already factored in)
Professions: Communal or Deception Defender, Scavenger

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Flightless Bird (Creature 1 for small, 2 for medium, 4 for large)
Not all birds fly. Ratites (ostriches, emus, rheas, and cassowary birds) and their giant
relatives the terror birds are swift runners with clawed feet. Terror birds add powerful
sharp beaks to their arsenals. The omnivorous members of the family mainly use their
speed to escape from predators while the carnivores chase down their prey. Medium-
sized flightless birds are dangerous to humans, and terror birds regard humans as food.
Attributes: Alertness 4, Endurance 3/5/6, Intelligence Dull/Cunning for large, Quickness
6/5/4 (bonus 1), Strength 3/5/6 (bonus 1), Will 3, Health 7/14/22, Speed 22/24/24
Abilities: Beak/Talons (edged melee weapons, light for small or medium creatures,
medium for large creatures; power 2/3); Disease/Poison Resistance (-2 difficulty to
disease and poison resistance tests); Swiftness (+6 Speed, already factored in)
Professions: Escape Defender or Pursuit Predator

Songbird Flock
Songbirds as a rule are small and harmless, but a flock of them can be a hazard to
aviators, especially in small aircraft. The flock is collectively a medium or large creature
composed of many tiny creatures.
Attributes: Alertness 4, Endurance 2/4, Intelligence Dull, Quickness 6/5 (bonus 1),
Strength 1/2, Will 1, Health 4/13, Speed 6 (26)
Abilities: Dispersal (damage from all attacks that aren't area effect = 1, 0 for beams or
projectiles); Flight (Speed halved on the ground but doubled when airborne; already
factored in); Poison Resistance (-2 difficulty to poison resistance tests)
Professions: Communal Defender

Waterfowl (Creature 1 for small, 2 for medium, 4 for large)


Though they can fly auks, ducks, geese, puffins, and swans spend most of their time in
the water. No species are truly dangerous to humans, but geese have been known to
attack animals larger than themselves and swans will lash out if disturbed. Most species
are omnivores, but auks and puffins are carnivores while swans are herbivores.
Attributes: Alertness 3, Endurance 2/3/4, Intelligence Cunning, Quickness 4/3/2,
Strength 2/3/4, Will 3 (bonus 1), Health 5/10/18, Speed 6 (24)
Abilities: Flight (Speed halved on the ground but doubled when airborne; already
factored in); Poison Resistance (-2 difficulty to poison resistance tests); Swimming
(Speed not reduced in water; can hold breath for [Endurance x 3] minutes)
Professions: Communal Defender

Bovine (Creature 3)
This category of creature includes bison, buffalo, cattle, oxen, and yaks. They can be
aggressive in the wild, especially when their young are threatened, but domesticated
bovines are usually docile. They aren't good mounts but can be excellent draft animals.
Attributes: Alertness 3, Endurance 7 (bonus 1), Intelligence Dull, Quickness 2, Strength
8 (bonus 1), Will 1, Health 24, Speed 17
Abilities: Hooves (light blunt weapons, power 1); Horns (light edged weapons, power 2;
some species have larger horns that count as medium edged weapons, power 3); Strong
(Strength x 2 for lifting and carrying); Thick Skin (light armor; protection 1)
Professions: Communal Defender, Resistance Defender

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Canine (Creature 1 for small, 2 for medium, 4 for Lomavren Hound)
Canines are among the most intelligent carnivores on Earth, and are certainly the most
trainable. The come in two sizes; small (kit foxes, toy breed dogs) and medium (coyotes,
jackals, medium-to-large breed dogs, and wolves).
Though there are only two sizes, the attribute listings below have three entries; the
third is for wolves and the largest dog breeds (i.e. Grand Pyrenees, Great Danes, and
Rhodesian Ridgebacks).
The Lomavren hound is a paranormal species of large dog said to be descended from
the mythical Cerberus. No one but the Lomavren is able to raise and train them, but
anyone who loves dogs can bond with one.
Attributes: Alertness 6, Endurance 4/6/7, Intelligence Cunning, Quickness 7/5/4,
Strength 2/4/6 (bonus 1), Will 4, Health 7/15/24, Speed 16/16/17
Abilities: Breed Specialty (some breeds of domestic dog have been selectively bred for
certain jobs; add a bonus success to any test involving that job; breeds that are bred for
speed get +3 Speed instead); Fangs (light edged melee weapons, power 2); Hound's Nose
(add two bonus successes to any Alertness test that uses the sense of smell); Mush! (when
pulling a load Strength is +1 for small breeds, +2 for all others); Pack Tactics (canines
instinctively fight as a pack; add a bonus success to any combat maneuver if there is at
least one packmate helping)
Lomavren hounds use the wolf stat block with the added ability of Tricephalic (+2
bonus successes on Alertness tests and on damage for bite attacks; two heads can sleep
while one keeps watch, but the Alertness bonus drops by one per head that sleeps). All
Lomavren hounds purchased with the Creature resource are combat trained.
Professions: Endurance Predator, Resistance Defender

Cephalopod
Cuttlefish, nautiluses, octopi, and squid aren't merely the smartest invertebrates on
Earth, they are smarter than most vertebrates. They come in a broad range of sizes –
small, medium, large, and huge. Some species hunt by chasing their prey while others
use their natural ability for camouflage to ambush or lure prey and still others use a
sudden grab with their tentacles.
Attributes: Alertness 4, Charisma 3, Endurance 1/2/4/6, Intelligence Cunning/Clever for
small or larger, Quickness 8/6/4/2 (bonus 1), Strength 2/4/6/8, Will 3, Health 3/9/19/29,
Speed 17
Abilities: Camouflage (can change color, pattern, and in some cases texture of the skin
to blend in; add 2 bonus successes to stealth checks); Ink (can squirt a cloud of ink to
deceive or deflect an attacker; add a bonus success to dodge or escape tests); Jet
Propulsion (can move at 2x Speed for one action once per turn); Mesmerize (cuttlefish
can use strobing patterns to hypnotize prey; make a static test using the cuttlefish's
Charisma versus the target's Will, target is immobilized for one turn per net success);
Tentacles (add 1 bonus success to grappling tests; can grapple two targets at once if large,
three if huge); Venom (bitten target must make a static Endurance test or take 1d5
Endurance damage)
Professions: Ambush, Ballistic, or Pursuit Predator; Deception Defender

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Crocodilian (Creature 2 or 3)
This group includes alligators, caimans, crocodiles, and gharials. They are powerful
creatures with armored hide and the strongest bite force of any animal in the world. Any
river where crocodilians are found is a bad place to be careless. There are medium and
large species.
Attributes: Alertness 3, Endurance 7/9 (bonus 1), Intelligence Cunning, Quickness 4/3,
Strength 7/9 (bonus 1), Will 3, Health 19/29, Speed 9 (27)
Abilities: Aquatic (Speed not reduced by swimming; can hold breath for [Endurance x
3] minutes); Armored Hide (heavy reinforced armor, protection 5); Bite (heavy edged
melee weapon, power 4); Burst of Speed (Speed is halved, but can move at x3 Speed for
one action, must rest for at least 10 minutes before using again; already factored in)
Professions: Ambush Predator, Scavenger

Dire Beast (Creature +2; +1 if the base creature is already combat trained)
This is a modifier that can be applied to any animal that isn't already paranormal. A
dire beast has been made, through magic or science, more powerful than normal. Any
modifications to primary attributes affects secondary attributes normally. Any dire beast
purchased with the Creature resource is combat trained.
Attributes: Endurance +1 (bonus +1), Intelligence Cunning (unless higher), Quickness
+1, Strength +1 (bonus +1), Will +1
Abilities: Armor (light reinforced, protection 2, unless higher); Improved Natural
Weapons (gains light edged melee weapons, power 2 or existing weapons gain +1 power)

Dolphin
People often think of dolphins as cute performing animals. If they knew that those
cute animals are predators with mouths full of teeth, or that orcas are also classified as
dolphins, they might think differently. Species like the bottlenose dolphin and harbor
porpoise are large creatures, while orcas are huge.
Attributes: Alertness 5, Endurance 6/8, Intelligence Clever, Quickness 7/5, Strength
8/10 (bonus 1), Will 4, Health 25/35, Speed 28
Abilities: Blubber (no damage from cold down to freezing; enhanced medium armor,
protection 2, damage that exceeds protection value is halved); Diver (can hold breath for
[Endurance x 6] minutes); Echolocation (Alertness bonus 2 for hearing; can act normally
in any darkness without penalty if there isn't too much background noise); Killing Sound
(medium ranged sonic weapon, power 4, short range, only works underwater); Swiftness
(Speed +6; already factored in)
Professions: Ballistic Predator, Pursuit Predator

Dragon (Creature 2 for small, 3 for medium, 4 for large, 5 for huge)
Some form of dragon is common to every body of folklore in the world. They are
carnivores of primal power and innate magic. The great dragons of old no longer exist in
Breccia, but their smaller cousins can still be found. As paranormal creatures dragons
can only survive within strong magical fields; the larger varieties sicken and die after up
to two weeks in a low mana zone, while the smallest succumb in as little as three days. A
dragon's magical powers stop working well before that.
Dragons come in a variety of sizes. The attribute ratings below list them in order as

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small/medium/large/huge except for Intelligence. The first Intelligence rating is for
medium or smaller specimens while the second is for large or bigger species. Larger
dragons are solitary creatures, but the smaller varieties sometimes hunt in packs.

Drake
The drake is the second most common type of dragon. It is a sturdy four-legged
creature with a long tail and a wicked set of natural weapons. They are highly trainable,
and breeds the size of large dogs are sometimes used as guard beasts. Drakes are most
commonly found in grasslands, deserts, and swamps.
Attributes: Alertness 5, Endurance 3/5/7/9 (bonus 1), Intelligence Cunning/Clever,
Quickness 8/6/4/2, Strength 2/4/6/8 (bonus 1), Will 5, Health 9/16/26/36, Speed 17
Abilities: Bite/Claws (edged melee weapon, armor-piercing; light for small/medium or
medium for large, heavy for huge; power 2/3/5); Breath Weapon (ranged energy weapon,
hard hitting, long range, choose fire, ice, thunder, or lightning; light for small/medium,
medium for large, heavy for huge; power 4/5/7, up to [Endurance] times per hour); Scales
(enhanced reinforced armor; light for small/medium, medium for large, heavy for huge;
protection 2/3/5, all damage halved before acting against protection); Tail (blunt melee
weapon; light for small/medium, medium for large, heavy for huge; power 1/2/4)
Professions: Endurance Predator

Eastern Dragon
The eastern dragons – known as lung in China or ryu in Japan – are the only flying
dragons that are also wingless. They have bodies like those of snakes plus four short legs
as well as horse-like heads. Eastern dragons can instinctively use elemental magic, but
each of them is only attuned to one element. Lung and ryu are also the only dragons that
aren't carnivores; they subsist on ambient mana instead. This, unfortunately, makes them
more vulnerable to mana deprivation than are any other dragons. Eastern dragons are
found primarily in coastal areas and on islands.
Attributes: Alertness 6, Charisma 3, Endurance 2/4/6/8, Intelligence Cunning/Clever,
Quickness 8/6/4/2 (bonus 1), Strength 3/5/7/9 (bonus 1), Will 6, Health 9/16/26/36, Speed
19 (38), Mana 20/22/25/27
Abilities: Bite/Claws (edged melee weapon, armor-piercing; light for small/medium or
medium for large, heavy for huge; power 2/3/5); Constriction (Strength +2 for the
purpose of grappling); Elemental Magic (choose air, earth, fire, or water; half damage
from effects based on the chosen element, can cast offensive spells based on that
element); Flight (Speed x2 when airborne; already factored in); Scales (enhanced
reinforced armor; light for small/medium, medium for large, heavy for huge; protection
2/3/5, all damage halved before acting against protection); Tail (blunt melee weapon;
light for small/medium, medium for large, heavy for huge; power 1/2/4)
Professions: Resistance Defender

Lindworm/Tatzelwurm
The rarest type of dragon resembles a snake with a pair of clawed front legs.
Lindworms live mainly in boreal forests and swamps and spend much of their time in the
water. Tatzelwurms live primarily in the mountains or temperate forests and spend a lot
of time underground. Both varieties can dig as well as swim, however.

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Attributes: Alertness 4, Endurance 2/4/6/8, Intelligence Dull/Cunning, Quickness
7/5/3/1 (bonus 1), Strength 3/5/7/9 (bonus 1), Will 4, Health 7/14/24/34, Speed 9 (4)
Abilities: Bite/Claws (edged melee weapon, armor-piercing, hard hitting; light for
small/medium or medium for large, heavy for huge; power 3/4/6); Constriction (Strength
+2 for the purpose of grappling); Scales (enhanced reinforced armor; light for
small/medium, medium for large, heavy for huge; protection 2/3/5, all damage halved
before acting against protection); Serpentine (Speed halved but not reduced by swimming
and only halved by burrowing; already factored in); Tail (blunt melee weapon, hard
hitting; light for small/medium, medium for large, heavy for huge; power 2/3/5)
Professions: Ambush Predator, Scavenger

Wyrm
The wyrm is the most common type of dragon; its winged and four-legged form is
familiar the world over, and the smallest species make surprisingly good pets. They live
in the broadest range of habitats of any dragons – they are found in forests, deserts,
grasslands, swamps, and tundra. Coastal species have been observed diving for fish, and
larger riverine varieties are known to eat crocodiles.
Attributes: Alertness 6, Endurance 3/5/7/9, Intelligence Cunning/Clever, Quickness
8/6/4/2, Strength 2/4/6/8 (bonus 1), Will 5, Health 8/15/25/35, Speed 17 (34)
Abilities: Bite/Claws (edged melee weapon, armor-piercing; light for small/medium or
medium for large, heavy for huge; power 2/3/5); Breath Weapon (ranged energy weapon,
hard hitting, long range, choose fire, ice, thunder, or lightning; light for small/medium,
medium for large, heavy for huge; power 4/5/7, up to [Endurance] times per hour); Flight
(Speed x2 when airborne; already factored in); Scales (enhanced reinforced armor; light
for small/medium, medium for large, heavy for huge; protection 2/3/5, all damage halved

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before acting against protection); Tail (blunt melee weapon; light for small/medium,
medium for large, heavy for huge; power 1/2/4)
Professions: Ballistic Predator

Wyvern
The wyvern is the least magical and least intelligent of the dragons... and also the most
aggressive. They live mainly in forests (both temperate and boreal) but can sometimes be
found in mountain regions. Their poison glands are a valuable ingredient in alchemy.
Attributes: Alertness 4, Endurance 3/5/7/9 (bonus 1), Intelligence Dull/Cunning,
Quickness 8/6/4/2, Strength 2/4/6/8 (bonus 1), Will 3, Health 7/14/24/34, Speed 17 (34)
Abilities: Bite/Claws (edged melee weapon, armor-piercing; light for small/medium or
medium for large, heavy for huge; power 2/3/5); Flight (Speed x2 when airborne; already
factored in); Scales (enhanced reinforced armor; light for small/medium, medium for
large, heavy for huge; protection 2/3/5, all damage halved before acting against
protection); Sting (edged melee weapon; light for small/medium, medium for large,
heavy for huge; power 2/3/5; target must succeed on a static Endurance test or suffer the
slowed condition for one minute per attack success)
Professions: Pursuit Predator

Elder Spawn
An elder spawn is construct made of equal parts four-dimensional matter and
extradimensional proto-matter. They vary so widely in appearance that they don't seem
to be the same species. The Outer Gods use elder spawn to establish beachheads in four-
dimensional space. None of those attempts has succeeded... so far. But the Outer Gods
keep trying.
Elder spawn appear most frequently in Kardashev, but there have been outbreaks in
K'Zordak, New Nova, Reykr Island, and Savain as well. Elder spawn are huge creatures.
Attributes: Alertness 2, Endurance 10 (bonus 2), Intelligence Clever, Quickness 3,
Strength 10 (bonus 1), Will 7, Health 42, Speed 10
Abilities: Gaping Maw (swallows human-sized target whole after scoring 5+ success
with a bite attack); Non-Euclidean (half damage from all attacks; living beings within
melee range must succeed on a static Will test every minute or take 1d5 Intelligence
damage); Tentacles (add 1 bonus success to grappling tests; can grapple or strike up to
three targets at once)
Professions: none

Elemental
An elemental is a spirit animating a mass of its corresponding element. They aren't
clever enough to follow more than simple orders, but they are quite loyal. Summoning
them requires Thaumaturgy (Spirit or the corresponding element). Elementals don't need
to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe, but they can only exist in proximity to a source of their
corresponding elements.
In the stat blocks below the different types are listed in order of air/earth/fire/water.
Elementals are medium creatures.
In addition to the four classical elementals there are para-elementals whose natures
combine two of the classical elements (air + earth = dust, air + fire = lightning, air +

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water = ice, earth + fire = lava, earth + water = mud, water + fire = steam). The GM can
create their stat blocks by taking the best attributes between the two constituent types.
Para-elementals are extremely rare, and summoning one requires Thaumaturgy (Spirit
plus at least one of the constituent elements).
Attributes: Alertness 4, Endurance 3/5/2/4 (bonus 2), Intelligence Dull, Quickness
8/2/6/4, Strength 3/9/5/7, Will 4, Health 12/20/17/13, Speed 17 (34)/8/17 (34)/17
Abilities: Elemental Affinity (immune to damage and conditions from corresponding
element); Elemental Blast (medium ranged energy weapon, power 7, medium range);
Elemental Movement (already factored in; air/fire = can fly at 2x Speed; earth = Speed is
halved but is not slowed by terrain or burrowing, can pass through mineral matter; water
= can pass through any barrier that isn't watertight, not slowed by moving through water
or over broken ground)
Professions: Resistance Defender

Equine (Creature 2 for medium, 3 for large)


Horses and their kin are the most common mounts and draft animals that humans
employ. They aren't that common in Breccia, though, restricted as they are to the plains.
In the stat blocks below the attributes, where they differ, are listed in order of
pony/donkey/mule/horse/draft horse. Ponies are medium creatures, all others are large.
For the purpose of game mechanics zebras are treated as horses.
Attributes: Alertness 5, Endurance 6/7/7/8/9 (bonus 1), Intelligence Cunning, Quickness
5/4/4/5/3, Strength 7/8/9/9/10 (bonus 1), Will 4/5 for mule, Health 19/27/29/29/31, Speed
25/25/26/27/26
Abilities: Horse Sense (+1 bonus success to hearing-based Alertness tests); Hooves
(light blunt weapons; power 1); Strong (Strength x2 for the purpose of pulling or carrying
loads); Swiftness (+6 Speed, already factored in)
Professions: Communal Defender, Escape Defender

Feline (Creature 1 for small, 2 for medium, 3 for large)


Cats are perhaps the most widely admired (and rightly feared) predators on Earth.
They combine speed, stealth, and strength with a fearsome array of natural weapons.
Only the largest types actively hunt humans, but even specimens of middling size can be
dangerous. The fact that most felines hunt at night, when humans are at a disadvantage,
makes them even more frightening.
Felines come in a number of different sizes; the attribute blocks below list them in
order of small (bobcat, domestic cat)/medium (cheetah, cougar, leopard, lynx)/large
(jaguar, lion, tiger).
Attributes: Alertness 5, Endurance 2/3/5, Intelligence Cunning, Quickness 10/8/6
(bonus 2), Strength 2/4/8 (bonus 1), Will 4, Health 6/13/24, Speed 27/27/23 (54)
Abilities: Claws/Fangs (light edged melee weapons, power 2; in large species claws are
medium edged melee weapons, power 3); Night Vision (-2 to darkness penalties); Pounce
(Strength x2 for determining jumping distance); Speed Burst (cheetahs only; Speed x2 for
[Endurance] turns, must rest for several minutes before using again); Swiftness (+6
Speed, already factored in)
Professions: Ambush Predator; cheetahs are Pursuit Predators instead.

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Fish
Most fish are important to humans mainly by being nutritious, but there are a few
species that are dangerous... and that's equally true for freshwater and saltwater species.
Fish live in the water; the Speed rating is for swimming and is reduced on land. Fish
breathe water and start suffocating when forced to remain in air.

Benign Fish
This category includes fish that are herbivorous or at least aren't dangerous to humans
– carp, chubs, parrotfish, and surgeonfish are all examples. For humans these fish are
most often used as food or pets. Catching the larger species can be a challenge, though.
The stat blocks below list them in order of small/medium/large.
Attributes: Alertness 3, Endurance 2/3/4, Intelligence Dull, Quickness 8/6/4 (bonus 1),
Strength 1/2/4, Will 1, Health 1/6/15, Speed 15/14/14
Abilities: Lateral Line (sense of touch extends to close range)
Professions: Deception or Escape Defender

Electric Fish
The electric catfish, electric eel (which is not actually an eel), and electric ray all have
the ability to stun or kill opponents with a powerful electric charge. They use this talent
for defense rather than hunting.
Electric fish are either small or medium creatures.
Attributes: Alertness 6, Endurance 3/5, Intelligence Dull, Quickness 4/3 (bonus 1),
Strength 2/4, Will 2, Health 4/11, Speed 13/14
Abilities: Electric Sense (can ignore darkness penalties out to short range); Lateral Line
(sense of touch extends to short range); Zap (make a dynamic Quickness test versus the
target's Endurance; target takes 1 Quickness or Endurance damage per net success,
depending on whether the eel is trying to incapacitate or kill the target)
Professions: Resistance Defender

Killer Fish
All of the species in this category are active predators; barracudas, gar, moray eels,
pike, sharks, and tuna are just a few examples. The larger species are all dangerous to
humans, but humans are preferred prey for none of them.
For game purposes killer fish come in sizes of medium/large/huge.
Attributes: Alertness 6, Endurance 7/9/11 (bonus 1), Intelligence Cunning, Quickness
8/6/4, Strength 7/9/11 (bonus 2), Will 3, Health 20/30/40, Speed 29
Abilities: Bite (edged melee weapon; light for medium species, medium for large
species, heavy for huge species; power 2/3/5); Lateral Line (sense of touch extends to
short range); Swiftness (+6 Speed, already factored in); Thick Skin (medium armor,
protection 2; in huge species heavy armor, protection 4)
Professions: Ambush or Pursuit Predator

School of Fish
Many species of fish travel in large groups. For some it's about safety in numbers.
For others its about cooperating to bring down large prey. Herring are schooling fish, but
so are piranha.

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In game terms schools of fish come in two sizes – large and huge.
Attributes: Alertness 7, Endurance 10/14, Intelligence Dull, Quickness 8/6 (bonus 1),
Strength 6/8, Will 1, Health 23/35, Speed 20
Abilities: Bite (carnivores only; light edged melee weapon, power 2); Dispersal
(damage from all attacks that aren't area effect = 1, 0 for beams or projectiles); Lateral
Line (sense of touch extends to short range)
Professions: Communal Defender; carnivores are Pursuit Predators or Scavengers.

Giant Beast (Creature +2) or Titanic Beast (Creature +3)


These are modifiers that can be applied to any animal that isn't already paranormal. A
giant beast is one size larger than normal, while a titanic beast is two sizes larger.
Attributes: Endurance +2/+4 (bonus +1), Quickness -2/-4, Strength +2/+4 (bonus +1)
Abilities: Improved Natural Weapons (existing weapons gain +1 power); Thicker Skin
(existing armor becomes reinforced if it isn't already; if base creature has no armor the
modified creature gains light [giant] or medium [titanic] armor)

Golem (Creature 3 for medium, 4 for large; +1 for battle golems)


Golems are unliving things given a semblance of life via magic. They come in a
variety of shapes but only three basic types. A golem has just enough intelligence to
follow simple orders. If its master dies or disappears it will continue to follow the last
order it received. A golemancer can take control of a masterless golem by making a static
test and getting a number of successes at least equal to the golem's Will.
Golems are either medium or large creatures. In the stat blocks below attributes are
listed as medium/large where they differ

Battle Golem
Battle golems are designed for fighting. They are always combat trained.
Attributes: Alertness 3, Endurance 8/10 (bonus 1), Intelligence Dull, Quickness 4/3,
Strength 8/10 (bonus 1), Will 4, Health 22/32, Speed 18/20
Abilities: Fists (blunt melee weapons; light for medium creature, medium for large;
power 1/2); Hard Shell (reinforced armor; medium for medium creature, heavy for large;
protection 3/5); Strong (Strength x2 for carrying/lifting); Unliving (doesn't need to eat,
drink, sleep, or breathe; immune to poison and disease)
Professions: Soldier

Travel Golem
Travel golems are made to serve as mounts and draft animals.
Attributes: Alertness 3, Endurance 10/12 (bonus 1), Intelligence Dull, Quickness 8/6,
Strength 6/8 (bonus 1), Will 3, Health 21/31, Speed 27
Abilities: Hard Shell (armor; medium for medium creature, heavy for large; protection
2/4); Strong (Strength x2 for carrying/lifting); Swiftness (Speed +6; already factored in);
Tireless (can work or travel without rest for up to [Endurance] days); Unliving (doesn't
need to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe; immune to poison and disease)
Professions: Escape Defender

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Work Golem
Work golems are suited to perform unskilled manual labor.
Attributes: Alertness 2, Endurance 10/12 (bonus 1), Intelligence Dull, Quickness 3/1,
Strength 10/12 (bonus 1), Will 2, Health 24/34, Speed 10
Abilities: Hard Shell (armor; medium for medium creature, heavy for large; protection
2/4); Strong (Strength x3 for carrying/lifting); Tireless (can work or travel without rest for
up to [Endurance] days; Speed is halved [already factored in]); Unliving (doesn't need to
eat, drink, sleep, or breathe; immune to poison and disease)
Professions: Artisan (usually Blacksmith, Carpenter, or Mason)

Great Ape (Creature 2)


Chimps, gorillas, and orangutans are highly intelligent animals in addition to being
immensely strong and surprisingly agile. They are equally adept at moving on the
ground and in the trees. Apes aren't usually aggressive, but they are territorial and will
use lethal force to protect their young.
In the stat block below the attributes are listed in order of chimp (which includes
bonobos)/gorilla/orangutan.
Attributes: Alertness 5, Endurance 4/6/5, Intelligence Clever (bonus 1), Quickness
6/4/5, Strength 7/11/9 (bonus 2), Will 5, Health 18/24/21, Speed 10 (20)/11 (22)/11 (22)
Abilities: Arboreal (Speed not reduced by climbing; climbing difficulties -1 but
swimming difficulties +2); Handy Feet (can use feet as hands for simple tasks); Knuckle
Walking (Speed is halved, but can charge at 2x base Speed for one turn, must refrain
from moving at least one turn before using again [already factored in])
Professions: Resistance Defender

Gryphon (Creature 4)
A gryphon is part lion and part eagle, a big cat with the flight and vision of a bird of
prey. Like many birds they like to collect shiny things, and they are fierce in defense of
their hoards.
Attributes: Alertness 6, Endurance 5, Intelligence Cunning, Quickness 6 (bonus 1),
Strength 8 (bonus 1), Will 5, Health 25, Speed 25 (31)
Abilities: Beak/Claws (medium edged melee weapons; power 3); Flight (Speed x2 when
airborne; already factored in); Raptor's Eyes (range difficulties reduced -2)
Professions: Pursuit Predator

Jellyfish
Jellyfish are brainless invertebrates (not unlike some people) that nevertheless manage
to be active predators. Their translucent bodies are mostly water; this makes it difficult
for predators and prey alike to detect them by sight or scent, and they are nearly invisible
to sonar. Jellyfish are neither strong nor fast, but the nematocysts (stinging cells) that line
their bodies and tentacles contain venom that can incapacitate or even kill larger and
more powerful animals.
For game purposes jellyfish come in three sizes, and the stat block below lists their
attributes in order of small/medium/large.
Attributes: Alertness 1, Endurance 1/3/5, Intelligence Mindless, Quickness 1, Strength
1/2/3, Will 1, Health 1/6/15, Speed 2/3/3

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Abilities: Drifter (can travel with a current indefinitely without rest, doesn't sleep; Speed
÷ 3 [already factored in]); Tentacles (add 1 bonus success to grappling tests); Venom
(stung target must make a static Endurance test or take 1d5 damage; damage affect
Endurance for small species, Quickness or Strength for medium or large species)
Professions: Ambush Predator, Deception Defender

Manticore (Creature 3)
A manticore has the body of a big cat, a raptor's wings, and a triple row of teeth in a
disturbingly human-like face. Manticores' favorite food is human meat, and if a simple
pounce-and-grab won't get it for them, they'll use their ability to mimic human voices to
lure it in. The beast will hurl the spikes on its tail to soften up tough prey or repel
attackers. Manticores are medium creatures.
Attributes: Alertness 5, Endurance 4, Intelligence Cunning, Quickness 7 (bonus 1),
Strength 7 (bonus 1), Will 4, Health 16, Speed 22 (33)
Abilities: Bite (medium edged melee weapon; power 3); Claws (light edged melee
weapon; power 2); Flight (Speed x1.5 when airborne; already factored in); Spines (light
ranged weapon, power 2, short range; 1d10+10 shots)
Professions: Ambush Predator, Ballistic Predator

Monkey (Creature 1 for small, 2 for medium)


The smaller kin of the great apes are usually thought of as cute rather than dangerous,
but the larger examples have been known to attack and even kill humans. They are all
the more dangerous for their ability to cooperate with each other both in and out of
combat. Monkeys come in two sizes; small (i.e. capuchins, squirrel monkeys, and
tamarins) and medium (baboons, mandrills, etc.).
Gibbons are technically apes but are treated as medium monkeys for game purposes.
Attributes: Alertness 3, Endurance 2/4, Intelligence Cunning, Quickness 8/6 (bonus 1),
Strength 3/6, Will 2, Health 4/12 (13), Speed 18/19 (20)
Abilities: Arboreal (Speed not reduced by climbing; climbing difficulties -1 but
swimming difficulties +2); Handy Feet (can use feet as hands for simple tasks); Troop
Tactics (monkeys instinctively fight as a troop; add a bonus success to any combat
maneuver if there is at least one packmate helping). Gibbons lack the Troop Tactics trait
but have Attribute Bonus 1 for Strength; use the Health and Speed ratings in parentheses.
Professions: Communal Defender, Escape Defender

Mutilating Dogwood
The mutilating dogwood isn't actually a dogwood. In fact, it isn't really a tree. It is a
phytoform (plant-shaped) golem. Occaereans designed it as a pseudo-living security
system that can repel armed humanoids and even some monsters. Every household in
Occaecare has at least one mutilating dogwood defending it, and there are six guarding
the entrance to the city. Some have also gotten loose in the wild and have become a
threat to unwary travelers. A skilled Mage (Golemancer) can take control of a feral
mutilating dogwood.
Attributes: Alertness 3, Endurance 8 (bonus 1), Intelligence Cunning, Quickness 2,
Strength 10 (bonus 2), Will 2, Health 29, Speed 0
Abilities: Bark (medium armor, protection 2); Branches (medium weapons, can be used

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as blunt or edged out to short range; power 2/3; can attack up to three times per turn);
Thorn Burst (light ranged edged weapon, medium range, power 2). A mutilating
dogwood can learn to recognize up to a dozen individuals as authorized to access the area
it guards, and it will refrain from attacking if commanded to do so by one of those
people. Instead of recognizing persons the golem can be trained to recognize symbols
and won't attack anyone who wears a designated symbol.
Professions: Resistance Defender; feral specimens are Ambush Predators

Ovine (Creature 2)
Sheep and goats are more often thought of as resources than threats, but males can be
aggressive, especially during mating season. Some Lomavren train their goats to fight
would-be thieves.
In the stat blocks below where the attributes that differ the first rating is for short-
legged domestic sheep. The second is for wild/unmodified sheep and for goats.
Attributes: Alertness 4, Endurance 2/4, Intelligence Dull, Quickness 3/5 (bonus 1),
Strength 3/5, Will 2/3, Health 7/12, Speed 13/17
Abilities: Horns (light blunt melee weapons, power 1; in some species the horns are big
enough to qualify as medium blunt melee weapons, power 2); Sure-footed (+1 bonus
success on climbing tests); Woolly (domestic sheep and mountain goats only; an ovine is
treated as always having weather-appropriate clothing and poor shelter against the cold)
Professions: Communal Defender; goats are sometimes Resistance Defenders.

Robot (Creature 2 for small, 3 for medium, 4 for large; +1 for battlebots)
Robots are the quintessential technological constructs. They are tireless, relentless,
and completely fearless. The entries below describe hypertech robots, which are smarter
than their high tech forebears and can operate in a wider range of environments.
The stat blocks below list the attributes that differ in order of small/medium/large.

Battlebot
Battlebots (also known as wardroids) are designed to fight. They are used as soldiers,
bodyguards, or police. All battlebots are combat trained.
Attributes: Alertness 6, Endurance 6/8/10 (bonus 1), Intelligence Clever, Quickness

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8/5/2, Strength 2/5/8 (bonus 1), Will 4, Health 11/19/30, Speed 17
Abilities: Hard Shell (reinforced armor; light for small creature, medium for medium
creature, heavy for large; protection 2/3/5); Strong (Strength x2 for carrying/lifting);
Tireless (can work or travel without rest for up to [Endurance] days); Unliving (doesn't
need to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe; immune to poison and disease)
Professions: Soldier

Drone
A drone is a flying robotic sensor platform. Breccian models also have legs for
moving along the ground. All drones are small.
Attributes: Alertness 6 (bonus 1), Endurance 3, Intelligence Cunning, Quickness 7,
Strength 1, Will 3, Health 4, Speed 7 (28) [14]
Abilities: Flight (Speed = half of standard value on the ground, 2x standard value when
airborne; already factored in); Sensor Suite (infrared imager, radar, parabolic microphone,
EM field detector, telescopic imager, audiovisual recorder, and radio communicator);
Tireless (can work or travel without rest for up to [Endurance] days); Unliving (doesn't
need to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe; immune to poison and disease).
There are variant drones designed to operate underwater instead of flying; replace
Flight with Submarine (Speed = half of standard value on land, standard value in water;
already factored in) and radar with sonar.
Professions: Observer (applies to tasks for sensing and detection)

Workbot
Robotic laborers can work harder and longer than any human ever could, and they can
carry much heavier loads. Workbots are programmable, so their skill set can be swapped
out for whatever the current job demands.
Attributes: Alertness 2, Endurance 4/7/10 (bonus 1), Intelligence Dull, Quickness 7/5/3,
Strength 4/7/10, Will 1, Health 7/16/28, Speed 17/18/19
Abilities: Hard Shell (armor; light for small creature, medium for medium creature,
heavy for large; protection 1/2/4); Strong (Strength x3 for carrying/lifting); Tireless (can
work or travel without rest for up to [Endurance] days); Unliving (doesn't need to eat,
drink, sleep, or breathe; immune to poison and disease); Utilitarian (has a built-in basic
tool kit for whatever kind of work it is designed for)
Professions: 1-3 levels chosen from Artisan, Drover, Sapper, or Technician
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Rodent (Creature 1 for small, 2 for medium)
Mice and rats are the first rodents most people would think of, but the category
includes several other species like gerbils and guinea pigs. Most rodents are small
creatures, but the largest (beavers and capybaras) are medium. Their usual strategy for
avoiding predators is to retreat to someplace where it would be difficult for a predator to
follow – into cramped quarters or into (or out of) water, for example.
Attributes: Alertness 4, Endurance 1/3, Intelligence Cunning, Quickness 8/5 (bonus 1),
Strength 1/3, Will 2, Health 1/8, Speed 16 (5) [8]/15 (5) [7]
Abilities: Gnaw (bite is armor-piercing if the rodent spends a full round chewing on the
target); Digger (land-based species only; Speed ÷ 3 for burrowing, already factored in);
Keen Ears (+1 bonus success for hearing-related Alertness tests); Swarm Tactics (rats and
mice instinctively fight as a group; add a bonus success to any combat maneuver if there
is at least one swarm mate helping); Swimmer (semi-aquatic species only; Speed is
halved in water; already factored in)
Professions: Escape Defender, Scavenger; beavers have a level of Artisan (Carpenter)
that they can only use to the limits of animal intelligence.

Servo Pal (Creature 2)


Magitech constructs are rare, but the servo pal is the best known variety. It is an
enchanted maintenance-free robotic pet with the ability to perform simple tasks. A servo
pal can receive training from a handler, be programmed with a skill, or have a skill
magically imprinted.
Servo pals are small creatures.
Attributes: Alertness 3, Endurance 3, Intelligence Clever, Quickness 5, Strength 2, Will
2, Health 4, Speed 13
Abilities: Hard Shell (light armor, protection 1); Regenerative (heals damage at twice
the normal rate; can't heal in low mana zones); Unliving (doesn't need to eat, drink, sleep,
or breathe; immune to poison and disease); Utilitarian (has a built-in basic tool kit for
whatever kind of work it is trained for)
Professions: Artisan or Technician

Snake (Creature 1 for small, 2 for medium, 3 for large)


There's no doubt about it, snakes get a bad rap. They are neither slimy nor innately
evil. Most of them are harmless. The dangerous ones are really dangerous, though. For
game purposes there are two categories of snake; constrictors and vipers. Some of the
abilities listed below are specific to one group or another.
The stat block below lists the stats, where they differ, in order of small/medium/large.
Attributes: Alertness 5 (bonus 1 for pit vipers), Endurance 3/5/7 (bonus 1), Intelligence
Dull, Quickness 8/6/2, Strength 2/4/8 (bonus 1), Will 3, Health 7/14/26, Speed 17
Abilities: Constriction (constrictor; Strength +2 for grappling); Fangs (viper; light edged
melee weapon, power 2; may inject venom, target must succeed on a static Endurance
test or suffer the venom's effect [see below] for 1d5 x 10 minutes); Slither (Speed not
reduced by swimming or soft ground; +1 bonus success on climbing tests); Snake's Lungs
(can hold breath for [Endurance x 3] minutes, [Endurance x 5] for sea snakes); Tremor
Sense (can sense ground vibrations, including footfalls, within [Alertness x 3] meters)

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 Cytotoxic: 1 Endurance damage and 1 Strength damage every 5 minutes
 Hemotoxic: 2 Endurance damage every 5 minutes
 Neurotoxic: 1 Endurance damage and 1 Quickness damage every 5 minutes
Professions: (constrictor) Ambush Predator; (viper) Ballistic Predator

Spirit
Humans believe that they are unique in having souls. They're wrong. Every forest
glade, every mountain, every tree, even every city street, has an associated spirit. Most of
them are weak, but a spirit associated with a particularly noteworthy feature – for
example, the region's tallest mountain, deepest lake, or oldest tree – is more powerful
than its kin. Spirits usually ignore material beings, but damage to the terrain features to
which they are linked can rouse them to anger. The known spirit types include cave, city,
desert, lake, mountain, plains, river, and tree.
The stat blocks below list two classes of spirit; lesser and greater. Each spirit has a
domain that consists of all of the territory surrounding a central locus (a specific tree,
rock, building, etc.). For lesser spirits the domain is all the space within 100 meters of
the central locus, while greater spirits claim territories that extend up to 5 kilometers from
the central locus. A spirit is incapable of leaving its domain. There can be multiple
spirits within the same territory, though each will have a separate locus.
The shamans of Jaratha know of a Thaumaturge (Spirit) ritual for binding a spirit into
service using a specially prepared piece of its locus, but they refuse to share it with
outsiders and never use it to bind tree spirits. Any thaumaturge with Spirit magic can
harm a spirit directly (even while it isn't manifested), attempt to communicate with it, or
identify its locus.
Attributes: Alertness 3, Endurance 6/10 (bonus 1), Intelligence Cunning, Quickness 6/3,
Strength 6/10 (bonus 1), Will 5, Health 19/27, Speed 19/20
Abilities: Affinity Attack (can project a blast of matter appropriate to its affinity, i.e.
sand for a desert spirit; medium ranged weapon ≈ a firearm, power 4; greater spirits have
heavy ranged weapon, power 6; can reach any point within its domain and even around
corners); Affinity Sense (automatically aware of every object and creature within its
domain); Incorporeal (immune to physical damage unless manifested); Locus Bound
(can't be permanently killed while the central locus is intact, but destroying the central
locus instantly destroys the spirit); Manifestation (can assume physical form at will;
unarmed attack = medium melee weapon, can be blunt or edged, power 2/3);
Territoriality (immune to damage/conditions from object occurring naturally [in the case
of city spirits, made] within its domain; half damage from creatures native to its domain)
Professions: Deception Defender, Resistance Defender

Undead
Sometimes the dead just aren't dead enough. Undead are often employed as tomb
guardians or expendable troops. A necromancer can take control of "wild" undead or
wrest control of them from another necromancer. Necromantic effects can also damage
or strengthen undead. The magitech engineers of K'Zordak have also used technology to
enhance corporeal undead.
Most undead were humans in life, so they are medium creatures. The stats below are
for basic undead. There can also be more (or less) powerful versions with modified

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attributes, and undead animals aren't unheard of. The prevailing negative opinion about
necromancy precludes purchasing undead with the Creature resource.

Clacker
The most basic form of undead is literally the bare bones version. In the stat block
below the first set of attributes is for the common skeleton while the second is for the
mecha-skeleton that is sometimes encountered in ancient catacombs.
Attributes: Alertness 1/2, Endurance 3/4 (bonus 1), Intelligence Mindless/Dull,
Quickness 2/3, Strength 2/3, Will 1, Health 7/9, Speed 10/12
Abilities: Fleshless (half damage from edged weapons and projectiles; immune to bleed
damage); Tireless (can work or travel without rest for up to [Endurance] days); Unliving
(doesn't need to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe; immune to poison and disease). Clackers
will wield weapons if any are available.
Professions: Endurance Predator/Soldier

Ghost
Ghosts are the most common form of incorporeal undead. Their usual means of attack
is to frighten, but they have the ability to cause direct harm to an individual or over a
wide area. "Killing" a ghost with physical damage merely renders it dormant for a time,
but magic can destroy it permanently.
Attributes: Alertness 5, Endurance 2, Intelligence Dull, Quickness 6, Strength 1, Will 4,
Health 7, Speed 13
Abilities: Cold Touch (can inflict damage = attack successes on contact; only while
manifested); Flight (can move at normal Speed while airborne); Incorporeal (immune to
physical damage unless manifested); Manifestation (can assume physical form at will);
Poltergeist (telekinetic storm = medium ranged weapon, power 2, versus every target
within short range for [Will] turns; once per hour, only while not manifested; can
telekinetically grasp objects up to short range away); Unliving (doesn't need to eat, drink,
sleep, or breathe; immune to poison and disease)
Professions: Ambush Predator, Deception Defender

Loper
Ghouls are the most dangerous form of undead; they are stronger, faster, and smarter
than all of the other types. They can even pass for living humans... from a distance, in
bad light, if they are downwind. In the stat block below there are two ratings, the first for
common ghouls and the second for the legendary techno-ghasts.
Attributes: Alertness 6, Endurance 7/9 (bonus 1), Intelligence Cunning, Quickness 4/6
(bonus 1), Strength 7/9 (bonus 1), Will 4, Health 20/24, Speed 19/23
Abilities: Bite/Claws (light edged melee weapons, power 2; target must succeed on a
static Endurance test to avoid Infection); Implants (techno-ghasts only; can see in
infrared, hear ultrasonic sounds, and perceive EM fields); Infection (1 damage per hour
for 2d10+4 hours, roll 1d10 for attribute affected [1-5 = Endurance, 6-8 = Strength, 9-10
= Intelligence]); Tireless (can work or travel without rest for up to [Endurance] days);
Unliving (doesn't need to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe; immune to poison and disease).
Techno-ghasts have been known to wield high tech and even hypertech weapons.
Professions: Pursuit Predator/Hunter

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Shambler
What shamblers lack in speed and intelligence they make up for in durability and
persistence... not bad for something that looks like a rotting corpse. In the stat block
below there are two ratings, one for the basic zombie and one for the cyber-zombie.
Attributes: Alertness 2, Endurance 4/6 (bonus 1), Intelligence Mindless/Dull, Quickness
1/2, Strength 5/7 (bonus 1), Will 3, Health 14/18, Speed 6/8
Abilities: Bite (light edged melee weapon, power 2; target must succeed on a static
Endurance test to avoid Infection); Implants (cyber-zombies only; can see in infrared,
hear ultrasonic sounds, and perceive EM fields); Infection (1 Endurance damage per hour
for 1d5+2 hours; a target who dies becomes a zombie); Tireless (can work or travel
without rest for up to [Endurance] days; Speed is halved [already factored in]); Unliving
(doesn't need to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe; immune to poison and disease). Cyber-
zombies sometimes wield weapons, especially firearms.
Professions: Endurance Predator

Ursine (Creature 2 for medium, 3 for large)


Bears are the largest land predators, at least in areas where there are no paranormal
carnivores. The smallest species are as massive as humans, while the largest are big
enough that tigers would hesitate to mess with them.
In the stat blocks below the attributes are listed in order of medium/large.
Attributes: Alertness 4, Endurance 7/9 (bonus 1), Intelligence Cunning, Quickness 4/3,
Strength 7/9 (bonus 2), Will 5, Health 22/32, Speed 19 (38)/20 (40)
Abilities: Bite/Claws (medium edged melee weapon, power 3); Keen Senses (+1 bonus
success on perception tests related to hearing and smell); Sprint (x2 Speed for
[Endurance] turns; already factored in); Thick Skin (enhanced light armor, protection 1;
damage that exceeds protection is halved)
Professions: Endurance Predator

Whirtle (Creature 4)
A whirtle is a living construct courtesy of genetic engineering. They are designed to
be efficient fighters and loyal guardians... and to be adorable. They make excellent pets
and are even good with children. As manufactured lifeforms whirtles are sterile; the
company that makes them likes having a monopoly.
A whirtle's appearance combines traits of felines, canines, and avians. They imprint
on their owners while young, and they bond deeply with their masters. Bereaved whirtles
have been known to pine away to the point of death after losing their owners.
Whirtles are medium creatures whose genetic memory includes combat training.
Attributes: Alertness 6 (bonus 1), Charisma 3, Endurance 5, Intelligence Clever,
Quickness 7 (bonus 1), Strength 5 (bonus 1), Will 4, Health 15, Speed 26
Abilities: Claws/Fangs (light edged melee weapons, power 2); Night Vision (-2 to
darkness penalties); Pack Tactics (whirtles instinctively fight as a group; add a bonus
success to any combat maneuver if there is at least one other whirtle or the whirtle's
master helping); Pounce (Strength x2 for determining jumping distance); Swiftness (+6
Speed, already factored in)
Professions: Resistance Defender

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People
People in the Breccia setting are a rich and varied lot. Most of the entries below are
generic templates for broad categories of people, but four are specific named persons who
are suitable as patrons or antagonists for a PC group.
An individual of any of the generic types (save one; see below) can be purchased with
the Connection resource subject to GM approval. Named individuals may not be taken as
Connections, but if the players agree a PC group can be assigned to that NPC's command.

Ace Pilot Kaplan


Kaplan is one of the best mech pilots Shadesvale has ever produced. The former
leader of the Blood-Reds faction is now the city's mayor, but he still uses his days off to
take the fight to the streets when he isn't teaching young people the proper use and care of
mechs. His no-nonsense approach to law enforcement makes him widely popular with
the city's people... and ensures that the price placed on his head by the more violent gangs
keeps growing.
Attributes: Alertness 5, Charisma 5, Endurance 6, Intelligence 4, Quickness 6 (bonus 2),
Strength 4 (bonus 2), Will 5, Health 15, Speed 19
Abilities: Kaplan has a DNI (direct neural interface) implant that he uses to control his
mech, a cybereye with infrared capability, and a neural implant that accelerates his
reflexes (already factored in). He has also received muscle grafts that boost his strength.
Kaplan's mech has been customized beyond the point where Gear 6 would be adequate
to describe its capabilities; it blurs the line between "mech" and "main battle tank." If it's
not the most powerful mech in Shadesvale it's definitely in the top five.
Professions: Guard/Competent, Official/Novice, Pilot (Mech)/Expert, Soldier/Expert
As a Patron: Kaplan would send Troubleshooters under his command to fight crime,
pure and simple. He would expect results, but if they deliver he'll have their backs when
it comes to property damage (within reason) and injuries to known criminals. They can
always count on him for equipment repairs and reloads.
As an Antagonist: Best case scenario, the PCs are loose cannons Kaplan has to reign in
administratively. Worst case, they are violent criminals who warrant his personal
attention as a mech pilot. If that happens it won't just be Kaplan coming after them, it'll
be all of the Blood-Reds.
Destiny Points: 3

Assassins
It is said that assassins place a high value on human life... which is probably why they
charge such high prices for ending it. Assassins don't engage in stand-up fights if they
can help it; their preferred method is to strike from the shadows, finish the job, and get
out before anyone discovers the body.
Attributes: Alertness 5, Endurance 5, Intelligence 4, Quickness 6 (bonus 1), Strength 3,
Will 5, Health 13, Speed 16
Abilities: Resilience (add one bonus success to any successful resistance test versus pain
or poison)
Professions: Assassins are all at least Competent in the Assassin profession. Many are
also Novice or better Entertainers (Actor) in order to maintain cover, and those who make
their own poisons will have one or more levels of Chemist (Apothecary).

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Captain Tarlach
The leader of Tortuga is a known ladies man and a former pirate. His old pirate crew
is now his police force and coast guard. Tarlach runs his city like he ran his ship; he
expects unquestioning obedience, and he's not above enforcing it with a public flogging.
Attributes: Alertness 4, Charisma4, Endurance 6 (bonus 1), Intelligence 3, Quickness 5
(bonus 1), Strength 5, Will 6, Health 18, Speed 17
Abilities: Captain Tarlach still commands his ship, the Harridan, and its crew of salty
sea dogs. He has vast stores of treasure from the booty he has collected over the years,
and there are hundreds of people who owe him favors, including the leaders of the
Magpies and the Circle of Vipers.
Tarlach's left hand is a hook with a vibroblade function and the hard-hitting minor
enchantment (power 4, armor-piercing). He carries a 6-shot revolver that looks like a
flintlock but is actually a modern firearm with the hard-hitting enchantment (power 4,
medium range). He often loads out with special ammunition.
Professions: Artisan (Shipwright)/Novice, Official/Competent, Pilot (Sailcraft)/Expert,
Soldier/Competent, Technician (Rigging)/Novice, Thief/Competent
As a Patron: Despite the strict discipline Tarlach is a lighthearted man (or at least he can
put up that front) who likes stiff drinks and bawdy songs. Please him and he'll treat you
like a boon companion. Displease him and you're in real danger of walking the plank.
He likes to reward success materially, often in the form of Gear... and his punishments
can involve taking things away. Sometimes Gear, sometimes fingers.
As an Antagonist: You. Don't. Want. This. Tarlach makes a point of killing all of his
enemies, and he likes to do so in ways that will make the next guy think twice about
crossing him. Getting on Tarlach's bad side also means being on the bad side of all those
people who owe him favors.
Destiny Points: 6

Common Folk
There are plenty of these in Breccia. In fact, they're quite... common. Common folk

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do all of the dirty jobs – cooking, cleaning, farming, raising livestock, building, crafting,
and so forth. In other words, they do all of the really important work. What common
folk typically lack in education and wealth they make up for in practical skills and the
ability to improvise.
Attributes: Alertness 2, Charisma 1 (3 for local leaders), Endurance 3, Intelligence 3,
Quickness 3, Strength 3, Will 2, Health 8, Speed 12.
Professions: Common folk have common professions like Artisan, Domestic, Drover,
Farmer, Hunter, and Technician. Few are Soldiers (Guard is more likely, though still
rare), and none are Scholars.

Founders
The gods of Nine Stupas make regular appearances there; every adult resident has met
at least one Founder, some have met several, and a few can truthfully claim to have dated
one. These beings are so immensely powerful that they rarely deign to notice mere
mortals except to answer prayers... unless they sense that someone has a powerful
destiny. In that case a Founder might take a personal interest in that person. Those who
know something of the habits of gods understand that this is not necessarily a good thing.
And just to be clear... a Founder may not be purchased as a Connection.
Attributes: no exact stats are given on the basis of, "if it has stats, we can kill it," and
player characters should definitely not be able to kill a Founder. If a lesser avatar of a
Founder chooses to fight PCs it rolls 1d5 + 2 for the number of successes each action
receives. Tests that use the attribute most appropriate to that Founder's purview gain an
additional three bonus successes.
Abilities: Immortal (Founders are immune to disease, poison, and the ravages of time,
and killing one's physical form is merely a temporary inconvenience; Health 100+,
protection 5 as if wearing enhanced reinforced heavy armor, damage is halved before
acting against protection); Mana Well (Mana 120+, and that's if you catch one in an
empirical zone in a setting that is opposed to the god's purview – in a noetic zone that is
consistent with the god's purview a Founder's store of mana is effectively infinite; can use
magic while in an empirical zone)
Professions: a Founder is treated as having Expert skill in any profession that falls
under its purview and Competent skill in any related secondary professions. Instead of
reducing difficulty each level of skill adds one more bonus success to the affected action.
This stacks with the bonus successes from the Founder's primary attribute.
Destiny Points: 15

Homunculi
These artificial persons are the mainstay of Kardashev's militia, but their presence is
illegal outside of Kardashev. A few have been secretly deployed as bodyguards to
Kardashevik dignitaries, and there are rumors that some of them have followed beloved
masters into the wider world or gone rogue.
Attributes: Alertness 5, Charisma 2, Endurance 7 (bonus 1), Intelligence 6, Quickness 7
(bonus 1), Strength 6 (bonus 1), Will 4, Health 19, Speed 15, Mana 56
Abilities: Extended Lifespan (a homunculus can live up to 300 years and doesn't show
signs of advanced age until after 250); Mana Well (Mana attribute x2, already factored in)
Professions: Every homunculus has at least one level each of Soldier, Technician, and

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one magic profession (usually Mage or Sorcerer). More experienced individuals have
multiple magic and/or Technician professions.

Hostesses/Hosts
This is a catchall category for servants and entertainers – dancing girls, barbacks,
cleaning ladies, and lounge singers. It also includes… more specialized... entertainers.
Hostesses and hosts are easy to spot thanks to their distinctive uniforms or costumes.
What's not so easy is determining which ones are more than what they seem.
Attributes: Alertness 4, Charisma 5, Endurance 3, Intelligence 4, Quickness 5, Strength
2, Will 4, Health 9, Speed 13
Professions: Hostesses/Hosts have professions as Domestics or Entertainers. A rare few
(read: as many as the plot demands) have Assassin, Spy, or Thief as their actual
professions. Those that are undercover law enforcement rather than criminals might have
Guard instead.

Magic Users
Practitioners of the arcane arts can be fearsome opponents, especially in direct combat
(via sorcery) or by uncovering the PCs' plans (via divination). Magic users range in skill
from the lowly apprentice through skilled adepts up to the most powerful masters.
Because they are weak in direct physical combat, particularly up close, magic users often
employ hired thugs, guard beasts, or combat constructs as protection.
Attributes: Alertness 4, Charisma 4, Endurance 4, Intelligence 4, Quickness 4, Strength
3, Will 5, Health 12, Speed 13, Mana 24
Abilities: add one bonus success to any test that uses the focus attribute in its dice pool
– if the magic user has multiple magic professions that use different attributes they all get
this bonus. An adept or a master is likely to be equipped with a mana stone.
Professions: A magic user always has at least one magic profession. A mere apprentice
will have only one at Novice, while an adept will be Competent in one or two and might
have one or two more at Novice. A master will have two or three magic professions at
Expert with two or three more at Competent and up to two more at Novice.

Marionettes
Unlike homunculi this class of artificial beings isn't prohibited outside their home
region. Lawmakers claim this is because Marionettes aren't physical and magical
powerhouses designed for combat. Lawmakers know that Marionettes are highly sought-
after companions for the rich and powerful... and lawmakers like companionship as much
as they like campaign contributions. Every Marionette is custom made for the person
who ordered it. Marionettes' legal status in Breccia is roughly equal to that of minors.
Attributes: Alertness 3, Charisma 6 (bonus 1), Endurance 3, Intelligence 4, Quickness 6,
Strength 3, Will 3, Health 9, Speed 15
Abilities: Self-sufficient (doesn't need to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe)
Professions: A Marionette has the Domestic profession at Novice or better, Entertainer
(Courtesan) at Competent (treat as Expert when used on the person who commissioned
it), and one or two levels of other professions of the sponsor's choice – Marionette's who
double as laborers might have Artisan and/or Technician, for example, while those who
serve as bodyguards would have Guard or Soldier.

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Nobles
Ruling is a dirty job, but someone has to do it. Nobles are the hardy souls who
graciously step forward to lift the burden of self-governance from the shoulders of their
fellow human beings. And all they ask in return is unswerving loyalty, fawning adulation
and the lion's share of the wealth. Selfless of them, isn't it? Nobles aren't completely
useless, however. Their somewhat-less-noble ancestors were the thugs and brutes who
protected their communities from other thugs and brutes, and modern nobles still hold
those warrior skills in high regard. And because they know how effective martial skills
and military-grade weapons are in anyone's hands, nobles are also among the most apt
practitioners of the art of diplomacy.
Attributes: Alertness 3, Charisma 4, Endurance 4, Intelligence 3, Quickness 4, Strength
4, Will 4, Health 12, Speed 14.
Professions: Nobles often have professions such as Cavalryman, Official, Soldier, or
Scholar, but Doctor is not unheard of. All are Elites by profession as well as by birth.

Overseer Valerie
Valerie is new to her job as Overseer of the Scelus police force. She has a reputation
as being one of the few officers who doesn't take bribes. This has made her a number of
enemies among the criminal element and almost as many among her fellow police. The
Overseer is honest to a fault, but she's no wide-eyed idealist. She believes in justice even
more than she believes in the law... and when criminals put themselves outside the reach
of the law, she's willing to do what it takes to see justice done.
Attributes: Alertness 6 (bonus 1), Endurance 4, Intelligence 4, Quickness 5, Strength 4,
Will 5, Health 13, Speed 15
Abilities: Overseer Valerie has access to the resources of the Scelus police department,
which includes military grade weapons. She can also call on some or all of the city's
police force... and she knows which ones are actually loyal.
The Overseer has a good relationship with the Scelus district attorney's office (which is
mostly free of corruption). The citizens of Scelus love her, and they extend a portion of
that love to anyone the Overseer trusts.
Professions: Guard/Expert, Official/Competent, Thief/Novice
As a Patron: Overseer Valerie wants to uphold the law. Even more than that, she wants
justice. If PCs are willing to work toward that, she'll work with them. In particular she
needs undercover operatives who can infiltrate criminal organizations and bring them
down from the inside. To that end she will do whatever it takes to help the characters
maintain their cover... and to escape the criminal's retribution when the PCs inevitably
come in from the cold. If bringing criminals to justice means stepping a little outside the
law Valerie will cover for her agents without hesitation.
As an Antagonist: The only reason Valerie would ever regard player characters as
antagonists is if she believed they were criminals. If that's the case she'll go to the same
lengths to bring them in as she would with any other criminals. If they are former agents
of hers who betrayed her she won't particularly care about bringing them in alive.
Destiny Points: 6

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President Cäsium "Cassie" Steiner
President Steiner is a certified (some say certifiable) genius. She has multiple degrees
and is currently working on a second doctorate. Her research and the good of the
Academy – in that order – are her only priorities. Cassie's admirers say that she is
incorruptible. Her detractors claim that she is already thoroughly corrupted... by science.
It says something about the culture of A.M.B.I.T.I.O.N. that the people who say this
regard it as a compliment.
Attributes: Alertness 3, Endurance 3, Intelligence 6 (bonus 1), Quickness 5, Strength 3,
Will 4, Health 10, Speed 14
Abilities: President Steiner can call upon the considerable resources of the Academy,
both in terms of personnel and materials. She can mobilize thousands of students with an
hour's notice, and they'll help out for nothing more than academic credit. She can also
call upon the faculty of the Academy to bring the products of their research to bear.
Anyone who thinks a group of science nerds can't be dangerous has never seen the
physics department of A.M.B.I.T.I.O.N. competing to see who has the most powerful
death ray.
Cäsium's favorite pastime is long-range target shooting using an experimental railgun of
her own design. It is a heavy ranged gauss weapon (power 7) with burst-fire capability,
an integral telescopic sight, and a 300-round drum. She gets around the Strength
requirement by using a built-in antigravity generator. She would definitely load out with
special ammunition if she had to use the weapon in actual battle... and she has access to
experimental stuff like antimatter rounds.
Professions: Official/Novice, Scholar (Mathematics)/Expert, Scholar (Physics)/Expert,
Technician (Electronics)/Novice
As a Patron: Characters who work for President Steiner will probably be employed as
escorts; scientists typically don't have combat skills, so they need fighters to protect them
while they do research in dangerous areas. Cassie might also put PCs to work as couriers
– data files and samples must sometimes be moved through areas that aren't safe for
researchers to travel through. The most lucrative duty is field testing experimental tech...
just don't tell your insurance company you're doing this.
As an Antagonist: Cäsium doesn't dislike anyone enough to actually hurt them. Active

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opposition from her will probably take the form of red tape impeding characters' actions
or sabotaging of academic reputation. The president's supporters are a much greater
threat. They have been known to unleash the products of their research on anyone who
crosses their beloved boss.
Destiny Points: 4

Sailors
Every watercraft, from taxi gondolas to cargo liners, requires one or more sailors to
operate it. Most sailors are just doing difficult (but legal!) jobs, but some go to sea for a
darker purpose.
Attributes: Alertness 3, Charisma 2 (3 for petty officers, 4 for officers), Endurance 5,
Intelligence 2 (officers 3), Quickness 5, Strength 4 (officers 3), Will 3 (officers 5), Health
12, Speed 15
Professions: Anyone who aspires to actually sail a ship needs some skill as a Pilot, but
there are a lot of jobs that need doing aboard ship. Being able to make repairs on the hull
and superstructure requires Artisan (Shipwright), maintaining the motive systems requires
Technician (Mechanics or Rigging), and working ship's guns isn't possible without some
level of Gunner. Some skill as a Soldier is useful if one has to repel boarders... or if one
intends to be one of the boarders that needs to be repelled. A pirate might have a level of
Thief as well.

Soldiers
When wars need to be fought, it's the soldiers who do most of the fighting and dying.
Non-combatants wish that wars didn't need to be fought quite so often. Soldiers agree.
The main perks of the job are steady pay, regular meals and access to top notch
equipment. The main downside is regularly getting shot at.
Attributes: Alertness 3 (scouts 4), Charisma 2 (officers 3, senior officers 4), Endurance
4 (officers 3), Intelligence 2 (officers 4), Quickness 4, Strength 5 (officers 4), Will 3
(officers 5), Health 12, Speed 15.
Professions: All soldiers have the Soldier profession at Novice or better, and elite units
are full of Experts. Many also have the Novice level of a second profession, usually
Cavalryman, Drover, Pilot, or Sapper, and officers are also Novice Officials or Scholars.

Thieves
Not everyone chooses to make an honest living; some make their way by stealing from
others. The ones who can't build a career in politics become thieves. Like commoners,
thieves tend to be good at making do with improvised equipment.
Attributes: Alertness 5, Charisma 2, Endurance 3, Intelligence 3, Quickness 5, Strength
3, Will 3, Health 9, Speed 14.
Professions: All thieves have the Thief profession at some level. The successful ones
either have it at a very high level, or add some Official and/or Technician skills as well.

Thugs
There are many enterprises that benefit from having a dedicated labor force for the
purpose of breaking legs. Thugs fill the roles of bodyguard (for non-nobles), bill
collector (for high interest loans), security guard (because businesses need protection)

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and concerned citizen (when there needs to be a lynching). The pay may be mediocre
and the food might be lousy, but there is one really good perk – when you're a thug, it's
not likely that there will be thugs coming after you.
Attributes: Alertness 1, Charisma 1 (4 when using intimidation), Endurance 5,
Intelligence 1, Quickness 3, Strength 5, Will 3, Health 13, Speed 14.
Professions: The average thug will have Novice skill as both a Thief and a Soldier or
Guard. Gang bosses often add Official to that list.

Tourists
Tourists bring in lots of money that can be soaked out of them by means of currency
exchange rates, cheap souvenirs, carefully inflated prices on salty food and watery,
sugary and/or alcoholic drinks, renting rooms, and shamelessly inauthentic
entertainments. Only two municipalities (K'Zordak and Shadesvale) have much in the
way of tourist industry, but others are working on developing it.
Attributes: Alertness 2, Charisma 2, Endurance 3, Intelligence 2, Quickness 3, Strength
3, Will 2, Health 8, Speed 12

Undying
Undying is a modifier to another people type. Newborns (less than a century old)
make up more than two-thirds of Undying and are little more powerful than experienced
PCs. Elders (100-500 years old) are all obscenely skilled and magically powerful beings.
An ancient (over 500 years) has power rivaling that of a Founder. The world's two most
powerful vampires, the Vampire Matriarch and the Vampire Lord, have power that
actually exceeds that of individual gods, as does the world's oldest mummy the First
Pharaoh. The Trans-Uranic Lich was the equal of those three worthies.
Abilities: Immortal (Undying are immune to disease, poison, and the ravages of time);
Strong (Strength x for carrying/lifting); Swiftness (Speed +6). An elder Undying will
have accumulated over a dozen levels of resources, and an ancient has easily twice that.
Attributes: Alertness +1, Charisma +1, Endurance +2, Quickness +2 (bonus +1 for
elders), Strength +2 (bonus +1 for elders), Will +1. Add an additional +1 to all attributes
and +1 Endurance bonus for ancients. The Vampire Matriarch, Vampire Lord, and First
Pharaoh don't have actual stats because, as with the Founders, PCs shouldn't have any

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chance of winning a direct confrontation with any of them... even if the PCs manage to
get past the hordes of minions.
Professions: as the base template plus additional levels proportionate to the vampire's
age; the older the individual the more time has been spent on learning skills. Any elder or
ancient vampire has multiple levels of magic professions.
Destiny Points: 6 for elders, 12 for ancients, 18 for the Vampire Lord, Vampire
Matriarch, and First Pharaoh

Urchins
Some children grow up on the streets because they lack parental supervision, others
because they lack parents. Urchins survive any way they can, stealing what they need or
using their cuteness to elicit pity. Urchins usually operate in teams and often have adult
criminals directing them. No urchin is older than 15; past that point they transition into
some other template.
Attributes: Alertness 6, Charisma 4, Endurance 2, Intelligence 2, Quickness 5 (bonus 1),
Strength 2, Will 2, Health 6, Speed 14
Abilities: Teamwork (add a bonus success to any test if another urchin is within range
and actively helps)
Professions: at least one of Entertainer (Actor) or Thief. The most tragic cases might
have Entertainer (Courtesan) instead or as well.

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CHAPTER 6: WHAT DO WE DO NOW?
The fundamental question about a Breccia game – a question that no set of rules can
answer – is, "what do the characters do?" An even better question – which the GM must
answer – is, "how do they do it?" Each campaign has a style that comes from its
particular combination of mood and focus.

Mood
Mood describes the feeling that pervades the campaign. This is the "how do they do
it?" part of the equation. There are four basic moods for Breccia, each of which has
several variations. The GM and players should discuss the possibilities and come to a
consensus on what style of campaign they'd like.

Adventurous
Anyone who has seen a classic swashbuckling action film knows this mood well. An
adventurous campaign is full of excitement and acts of derring-do. There is also plenty
of comic relief – usually in the form of self-deprecating humor (so that the heroes don't
come off as complete jerks) and/or sarcasm at the villains' expense. In-game events are
always played straight, and characters in an adventurous campaign know that their
situation is serious even when they're joking about it. Adventurous is the mood of the
official Breccia source material and therefore the default mood of the game.

Dark
The primary mood of a dark campaign is some brand of fear. This can range from
primal terror to creeping dread to crushing despair. Characters will often fear for their
lives or well-being, and players should be kept in suspense as much as possible. Humor,
when it makes its rare appearances, is often of the gallows variety. Characters in a dark
campaign know that they're screwed, they just don't know when the ax will fall. Some
respond to this by partying hard to stave off the blues, while others grow sullen. A dark
mood isn't at all like the source material, but some players like darkness – there could
well be an entire world of it out there somewhere.

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Silly
A silly campaign starts. Hilarity ensues. The action in this type of campaign is rarely
played straight; the characters are blatantly silly, and they know that they're being silly.
The exception is the occasional straight man or straight woman who, by trying to be
serious, manages to be funnier than anyone else. Hardly anyone ever dies, and even
serious injury doesn't happen often (unless it would be funny; punchlines are sometimes
punctuated with actual punches). Humor occurs several times in every scene and tends
toward slapstick and bad puns.

Darkly Silly
A darkly silly campaign is the mutant offspring of the dark and silly moods.
Characters in this kind of game don't actually know that they're screwed, but they are
very much aware of the possibility that they could be. But while the characters are in
actual danger and take it seriously, their situation is so over the top that it looks funny to
anyone who is observing from a safe distance – such as an audience or a gaming group.
A character's fear (or irrational lack thereof) is often exaggerated for humorous effect.
Pain and death are real possibilities, but embarrassment and anticlimax – especially when
connected to their successes – are guaranteed.

Focus
The focus of the game is about what the characters will spend most of their time
doing. Every campaign has aspects of all three foci, but one will be dominant.

Action
An action campaign is mainly about physical conflict – in other words, combat. An
action campaign is about overcoming tangible obstacles by means of physical prowess or
superior firepower. Physical prowess in this case includes both magical talent and the
ability to flee when confronted with superior firepower.

Discovery
The discovery campaign is a mental exercise for characters and players alike. The
focus is on puzzle solving, investigation, or expanding the boundaries of knowledge.
This includes the inexorable march of science (or SCIENCE!), solving crimes, and
exploring unknown lands. Discovery with a healthy dose of action is the default focus.

Intrigue
In an intrigue campaign the conflict is more social than physical. Characters plot and
plan to achieve their goals and try not to get caught up in the plots and plans of others.
This kind of game has wit, manipulation and persuasion as the weapons of choice.
People skills are more important than combat skills, and a firefight is usually a sign that
one's plan didn't quite work.

Once the group has decided on a mood and focus and generated characters they are
ready to play.

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Endgame
It's possible for a characters who has been in play for some time to reach a point where
further character development isn't possible. A character can increase all attributes to
their maximums, reach Expert levels in multiple professions, load up on resources and
collect huge amounts of cash and other rewards. When a character becomes so powerful
that the GM can no longer present them with reasonable challenges it's time to remove
that character from play. There are three ways to do this that are fun for the GM and the
players alike.

Passing the Torch


The character goes quietly into that good night – but before he goes he passes on some
vital bit of information, bequeaths an inheritance, or leaves an interesting item. The
retiring character may leave any one of his resources (as long as the GM rules that it can
be transferred) to the player's new character.

Grabbing the Brass Ring


The character cashes in her adventuring gear and all of the favors that she is owed to
purchase an estate, farm, yacht, or whatever. She then retires in style. With this option the
GM can bring the character back as an NPC from time to time – the retired PC may even
act as a patron for a new group of player characters.

Blaze of Glory
The character goes on one last mission trying to make that one big score that will
allow him to grab the brass ring as above. What the PC doesn't know is that the player's
intention is for him to die gloriously. The GM and player will work together to provide
the character with the kind of end that lives on in song and story – or as a cautionary tale.
If this is done right the players will still be talking about the character's death scene
months later.

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Adventures
The following adventure seeds are here to help GMs begin their Breccia campaigns.
They all assume the default mood of Adventurous, and each one has a different focus.
The first is focused on Discovery, the second on Intrigue, and the third on Action. As
with the NPC templates, these descriptions are deliberately vague so that players who
have read this book won't know exactly what they're up against.

The Beast of Benohiym


A team of paleontologists out of Melachiym Eyer has uncovered evidence of a new
lifeform, a missing link between dinosaurs and dragons. They have already picked out a
promising dig site, they just need the party to escort them there and provide security.
What the PCs aren't told up front is that one of the researchers plans on collecting
more than just bones. She has obtained a magitech device that she believes will revitalize
the samples to the point where viable DNA can be extracted from them. Worst case,
she'll be able to reconstruct a partial genome for comparison to living dragons. Best case,
she'll have enough genetic data to clone a living specimen. She plans to share the credit
with the rest of the team, but she hasn't let them in on the plan – it's too likely that they
would try to stop her.
But of course, it's not that simple; the device malfunctions the first time it is used.
Perhaps it resurrects a living beast... or worse, a mated pair. Or maybe it transports the
team into the past when the beasts are still alive. The worst possible outcome is an
unstable portal through which ancient creatures can pass into the present and modern
creatures can journey to the past.
Characters: the three researchers use the Noble template with the Charisma and
Intelligence scores reversed and an emphasis on the Scholar profession. All of them are
over 40 years of age, and the lead researcher is in his sixties. They will each have
different specialties (genetics, geology, and paleontology; the geneticist is the one with
the device). There will also be 2-3 student assistants for each researcher; they are
Common Folk with the Scholar profession instead of Artisan.
Story Elements: the GM must decide exactly what form the malfunction will take. If
the device revives the beast there will be a living animal to fight, or possibly a new
species that could contaminate the modern ecosystem if not dealt with (perhaps
combining traits from one of the Dragon templates with a Crocodilian or Avian). The
problem is even worse with an open portal; if the potential for temporal paradox inherent
in that possibility doesn't occur to the PCs the researchers will definitely think of it and
be suitably terrified. If the team gets transported to the past they will have a survival
problem – ancient predators, touchy giant herbovores, and an environment in which the
edible plants that they know haven't evolved yet. A truly caring GM will throw in
damage to the device; after some repairs it will be capable of making one more temporal
jump to get them home. And with no opportunity to come back for further observation,
the researchers will be in no hurry to go home.

The Forest for the Trees


A scholar from A.M.B.I.T.I.O.N. has secretly hired one or more of the PCs to uncover
the secret of why there are no children in Jaratha. He has already gathered information
on immigration figures, and he knows that the number of immigrants to Jaratha falls far

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short of the reported number of deaths. So how does Jaratha keep its population stable?
The client suspects that Jaratha's leaders are over-reporting the death rate, especially
deaths by old age. He wants proof... and if possible, a sample of what he suspects is the
Jarathans' secret to supernatural longevity.
The first wrinkle in the plan is the fact that Jaratha has recruited one or more PCs –
specifically including any Jarathans among them – to help preserve the secret. The secret
keepers must lay down false leads, plant misinformation, and destroy any actual evidence
that the searchers manage to uncover. They have the full support of Jaratha's government
in this endeavor.
The kicker is that A.M.B.I.T.I.O.N. isn't the only party that wants the secret. Criminal
elements from Scelus, Shadesvale, and Zlatbisa are also in the game, as are magical
researchers from Kardashev, K'Zordak, and Occaecare and perhaps even some foreign
spies... and each party wants to prevent all of the others from succeeding. Each of them,
of course, approaches a different PC with their offer.
This scenario works best if each PC's mission is kept secret from the other players, at
least at first. Once the players become aware of the web of conflicting loyalties they can
continue to work at cross purposes, or they can join forces to either discover the secret or
keep it. In the former case they make an enemy of Jaratha, and in the latter case they
antagonize all of the other parties... many of whom have some rather old-fashioned ideas
about disproportionate revenge. Good thing Jaratha will be grateful.
Characters: the initial recruitment will be done by go-betweens – use the Hostess/
Host template with the Elite profession in place of Domestic. If the party decides to help
keep Jaratha's secret there will be plenty of Thugs armed with high quality weapons to
contend with. The magical research teams will add Magic Users to the mix.
Story Elements: If the PCs decide to uncover the secret – and if the GM decides to let
them – it will be necessary to determine what the secret actually is.

The Pirates of Black Cove


It's time for the Troubleshooters to shoot some trouble! Cargo ships from Cosmos and
Tanager have been plagued by recent attacks by suspiciously well-equipped pirates. The
pirates have also disappeared without a trace after each attack. The job is simple; find the
pirates and put them out of commission. How the PCs go about accomplishing that is up
to them.
Characters: confronting the pirates at sea will require a ship and a crew, which
Tanager will provide. There will also be at least one shipload of pirates. Use the Sailor
template for both pirates and crew. If the plan is to track the pirates back to their base
and fight them on land Tanager will provide a squad of marines to help out (use the
Soldier template).
Story Elements: the GM will need to answer few basic questions. How many pirate
ships are there, and what size(s)? Where are they getting their black market weapons
(A.M.B.I.T.I.O.N., Scelus, Tanager, and Zlatbisa are all equally likely)? Where is the
Black Cove, and how do the pirates enter and leave it without being seen? Lastly, where
are the pirates coming from – are they Tortugan, or just flying Tortugan pirate colors to
throw pursuers off the scent?

126
BRECCIA
Character:

Origin: Sex: □ Female □ Male Age: _______ yrs.

Ethnicity: Height: ___' _____" Weight: _______ lbs.

Hair Color: Eye Color:

Calling/Level: /

PRIMARY ATTRIBUTES (add [Bonus] successes to rolls w/1+ natural successes)


Alertness (Bonus ) Quickness (Bonus )
Charisma (Bonus ) Strength (Bonus )
Endurance (Bonus ) Will (Bonus )
Intelligence (Bonus )

SECONDARY ATTRIBUTES
Health (Endurance + Strength + Will + any Bonus to those Attributes):
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Mana (Charisma + Endurance + Intelligence + 12 + any Bonus to those Attributes):


_______ O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

Speed (Quickness + Strength + 6 + any Bonus to those Attributes):

PROFESSIONS (●
( = Novice, ●● = Competent, ●●● = Expert)
OOO OOO
OOO OOO
OOO OOO
OOO OOO
OOO OOO

LANGUAGES/SPECIAL BACKGROUND SKILLS


Breccian,
127
RESOURCES

DRAWBACKS

Destiny Points: XP: Total Spent


NOTES/BACKSTORY

128
129

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