Slot Mode

3.0

Francesco Alessandro Pizzino

Legal Information
This product is an independent
production and is not affiliated with
Monte Cook Games, LLC. It is
published under the Cypher System
Open License, found at
http://csol.montecookgames.com.

CYPHER SYSTEM and its logo are

trademarks of Monte Cook Games, LLC
in the U.S.A. and other countries. All
Monte Cook Games characters and
character names, and the distinctive
likenesses thereof, are trademarks of
Monte Cook Games, LLC.

You can use "Slot Mode 3.0" to make

your work for commercial purpose if
you give appropriate credit/mention.
 Writer
Francesco Alessandro Pizzino

Art
Playground AI

based on
Cypher System by Monte Cook Games

Special thanks
Qedhup, Assy Stardust (Richard
Locke), and Cypher Unlimited for all
the precious feedback
The First Steps The slots

1) STAT POOLS Your Character needs an

You have 34 points to divide expendable currency to gain
among your Stat Pools Special Abilities and Skills.
however you wish. This currency is the Slot.
There are two types of Slot:
2) EDGE Ability Slot and Skill Slot.
You start with an Edge of 1 in
one Stat you wish. 1) ABILITY SLOTS VALUE

OPTIONAL: Ability Slot

Tier Cost
You can take a Weakness in
one Stat and, in exchange,
1 Low Tier
gain an additional +1 to your 1 Ability Slot
Ability
Edge in one of the other two
Stats.
1 Mid Tier
2 Ability Slots
Ability
3) EFFORT
Your Effort is 1. 1 High Tier
3 Ability Slots
Ability
4) CYPHER
You can bear three cyphers 2) SKILL SLOTS VALUE
at a time.
Trained or slot
Specialized cost
5) WEAPONS
You become practiced with
light, medium, and heavy 1 Narrow Skill 1 Skill Slot
weapons and suffer no
penalty when using any kind
1 Broad Skill 2 Skill Slots
of weapon. Enabler.

Note: Note:
Combat Skills (Attack Rolls, Initiative
If a Special Ability Effect is based on
or Defense Rolls) cost 2 Skill Slots.
Focus Abilities, you can use it for all of
Alternatives: Combat Skills cost 3
your Special Abilities.
Skill Slots and/or can't be chosen at
First Tier.
STARTING Slots

1) STARTING ABILITY
Stat Skill
SLOTS
Points Slots

Choose with your GM and

+0 4
with your party if you play a
Powerful Character or a
Standard Character. +2 3

At First Tier, a Powerful +4 2

Character gains 6
Starting Ability Slots (4 +6 1
from Type + 2 from
Focus). +8 0

At First Tier, a Standard

Character gains 4 Ability Gaining
Slots (only from Type) more Slots

2) STARTING SKILL SLOTS 1) CYPHER

At First Tier, you gain Skill You gain 1 Ability Slot or 1

Slots from your Descriptor. Skill Slot for each cypher limit
Their number depends on you sacrifice.
the Bonus Stat Points you
pick from the following 2) WEAPONS
table.
You gain 1 Ability Slot or 1
The Bonus Stat Points can Skill Slot for each Weapons
be divided among your Category you get Penalty.
Stats however you wish.
You can't get Penalty in one
Note: Weapons Category if you are
You can use Ability Slots and
Skill Slots to flavor your species
practiced with heavier
and/or your behaviour. categories.
EXAMPLE: You can't get You can also gain Starting
Penalty in Light Weapons if Ability Slots from your
you are practiced with Descriptor instead of
Medium or Heavy Weapons. Starting Skill Slots.

If you get Penalty in one or You gain 1 Ability Slot for

more Weapons Category, the each Descriptor Starting
Special Ability "Practiced Skill Slot you sacrifice.
With Medium Weapons"
Power Up
costs 2 Ability Slots, and
"Practiced With All Anytime, you can use Slots
Weapons" costs 3 Ability to gain the following
Slots. benefits:

Penalty in Light Weapons +1 damage to one type

means you can only attack of attack of your choice.
with Special Abilities. Up to 10 for each type
of attack. Cost: 2 Ability
3) INABILITY Slots.
+1 Armor or Special
If you get an Inability, you
Armor against one type
gain 1 additional Skill Slot.
of Damage of your
You can do this up to 2.
choice. Up to 10 for
changing each type of Armor.
Starting Slots Cost: 2 Ability Slots.

You can also gain Starting 1 Power Shift. Cost: 3

Skill Slots from Your Type Ability Slots + 2 Skill Slots.
and Focus instead of Starting
Advancement
Ability Slots.
Whenever you spend 4
You gain 1 Skill Slot for XP by choosing the Skills
each Type/Focus Starting Advancement, you gain
Ability Slot you sacrifice. 1 Ability Slot or 1 Skill
Slot instead.
 Whenever a Powerful 1) POWERFUL CHARACTERS
Character advances to
the next Tier, they gain 3
ABILITY
Ability Slots (2 from Type TIER
SLOTS
+ 1 from Focus).

Whenever a Standard 1 6
Character advances to
the next Tier, they gain 2 2 9
Ability Slots (Only from
Type).
3 12
Anytime, you can spend 2 XP.
Whenever you do this, you 4 15
gain 1 Ability Slot or 1 Skill
Slot. The Slot gained in this 5 18
way doesn't count as
Advancement. 6 21

Higher-Tier
2) STANDARD CHARACTERS
Characters

If you want to create ABILITY

TIER
Characters from Tiers SLOTS
higher than 1, you can use
the following tables to see 1 4
how many Ability Slots you
start with. 2 6

Note:
3 8
Remember to add the Skill
Slots/Ability Slots you gain from
4 10
the Lower Tiers Skills
Advancements.
5 12
Only the Starting Ability Slots of
Tier 1 can be sacrificed to gain
6 14
additional Starting Skill Slots.
Defining Limits

Sometimes, Both Powerful 2) SKILL SLOTS

and Standard Characters can
be too much strong You can choose only the +2
depending on the setting and (with 3 Starting Skill Slots)
the obstacles they interact or the +4 (with 2 Starting
with. Skill Slots) Bonus Stat
Points from your
In these situations, It's Descriptor.
important to understand
what kind of limits and A First-Tier Character
balancement the characters can't spend Skill Slots to
need for the sake of the become specialized in 1
group's game experience. Broad Skill, and/or in more
than 2 Narrow Skills.
The following options are
possible solutions/examples 3) OTHER
for good balancing:
You can't get Penalty with
1) ABILITY SLOTS Light Weapons.

There aren't Cyphers You can't use the

and/or can't be sacrificed "Changing Starting Slots"
to gain more Starting rule.
Ability Slots.
Specific Combat Skills
A First-Tier Character (Heavy Melee Weapons,
can't spend Ability Slots Light Ranged Weapons,
to gain 1 High Tier etc.) cost 2 or 3 Skill Slots,
Ability, and/or more while Broad Combat Skills
than 1 Mid Tier Ability. (All Melee Weapons and All
Ranged Weapons) cost 3 or
4 Skill Slots.
from now, You
can stop
reading and
start to play
with Slot
Mode!

all the
following
pages are
optional
rules and
extra tools!
AGE Ability Sets

Both Non-Adult Powerful The Party and the GM

and Standard Characters can can use Ability Sets to
be Very Young, Young, Old, make Character's Ability
or Very Old. Slots expendable only
for specific Special
If your Character is Very Abilities.
Young or Very Old:
There are two (mixable)
You get -4 to one Stat types of Ability Sets: By
Pool and Penalty with Ability Categories or By
Heavy Weapons. Lists.

You are Trained in one By Ability Categories,

Narrow Skill. the Character can use
Ability Slots to pick
You have Inability in one any Special Ability
Stat-based Tasks and one from specific Ability
Broad Skill. Categories chosen
by the GM and the
If your Character is Young party.
or Old:
By Lists, the
You get -2 to one Stat Character can use
Pool. Ability Slots to pick
Special Abilities since
You have Inability in one specific Tiers.
Broad Skill.
You can use the following
tables to see examples:
 Multiple
1) BY ABILITY CATEGORIES
Ability Sets
Ability The GM and the Party can
CONCEPT
Categories allow the Character to
gain 2 or more Ability Sets.
Tank Protection, Support There are two types of
Multiple Ability Sets:
Character-based Sets or
Attack Skill, Special
Damage List-based Sets.
Attack

1) CHARACTER-BASED
Quick
Healer
Cure, Movement SETS

With Character-based
2) BY LISTS Multiple Ability Sets, 2 or
more of them (By Ability
TIER
SLOTTABLE
Categories and/or By Lists)
ABILITIES
depend on Character's
10 Low Tier, 2 Mid Tier. You can use the
1
Tier previous Chapter tables to
manage Sets.
8 Low Tier, 2 Mid
2
Tier, 1 High Tier
EXAMPLE: The Character
can use their Ability Slots to
6 Low Tier, 3 Mid
3 pick Slottable Special
Tier, 1 High Tier
Abilities from two different
4 Low Tier, 4 Mid Lists of Ability Sets.
4
Tier, 1 High Tier

The Character is a Tier 6

2 Low Tier, 4 Mid
5 Healer-Tank, and they can
Tier, 2 High Tier
use their Ability Slots to pick
4 Mid Tier, 3 High
4 Mid Tier and 3 High Tier
6 Slottable Special Abilities
Tier
from the Categories
"Protection", "Support" and
"Cure".
2) LIST-BASED SETS
List Slottable
Tier abilities
With List-based Multiple
Ability Sets, the Character
6 Low Tier, 2 Mid
has not their own Tier. 1
Tier, 1 High Tier

Every List has its own

Tier, Advancements, and 3 Low Tier, 3 Mid
2
Tier, 2 High Tier
a List Tier Cap equal to 3.

Character Starting Ability 3

4 Mid Tier, 3 High
Tier
Slots use Character
Creation rules shown in the
first pages. Item Slots
In this way, Starting Ability
Slots are equal to 6 for a A weapon, an armor or
Powerful Character, 4 for an artifact can have
a Standard Character. Ability Slots and/or Skill
Slots.
The Character can use their
Ability Slots to pick Special An Item has a Slot
Abilities from any Ability number equal to half
Set List they use. of its level by default.
(Minimum Number: 1
Whenever a Character Slot).
spend 4 XP to pick a List's
Skills Advancement, they The Item Slots can be
gain 1 Ability Slot or 1 Skill divided among Ability
Slot. Slots and Skill Slots
however you wish.
You can use the following
table to see how many If a Character discover
Slottable Special Abilities a an Item with Slotted
Character can pick from a Special Abilities, they
List. can try to Reset Item
Slots.
To Reset Item Slots, you If a Character wants to
need to Remove Item Infuse or Reset Item Slots,
Slotted Special Abilities. The GM can make them
do a Crafting Task.
In this way, you can gain
the original amount of You can use the following
Item Slots. table to see the Crafting
Task Level.
You can use the following
table to see how many
Special
Slots your Item have. Ability
Crafting
to
Task
Infuse
Item Item Level
or
Level Slots Remove

1 1
Low Tier Item Level

2 1 Item Level
Mid Tier
+1
3 1

Item Level
High Tier
4 2 +2

5 2

Note:
6 3
You can use Ability Sets
to list Item Slottable
7 3
Special Abilities.

8 4 Especially List-based
Multiple Ability Sets can
9 4 help when you want to
create Weapons &
10 5 Armor-based Characters.