Open Adventure

FANTASY & SCI-FI ADVENTURE GAME

COMPLETE RULEBOOK

For any number of players ages 10 and up!

MECKLEM
The OSR logo and OPEN ADVENTURE are released under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Open Adventure
FANTASY & SCI-FI ADVENTURE GAME

Final Author and Editor-In-Chief: Kyle Mecklem

Cover Illustration (Front): Rusty Hatfield (released

under Creative Commons BY-SA)

Contributing Authors and Editors: Christopher Cortright, Brian Isikoff, Andy Isbell and Matthew Skail
Special Thanks: Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson, Aaron
Allston, Dave Cook, Tom Moldvay, Frank Mentzer,
Inside Cover Illustration: Christopher Cortright (reRob Kuntz and the RPG community
leased under Creative Commons BY-SA)
Copyright 2013-2015 Open Adventure and O.A. are trademarks of Kyle Mecklem. Illustrations and icons their respective artists,
used with permission. OPEN ADVENTURE is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA license.
OSR logo is copyright 2011 Stuart Robertson and does not endorse OPEN ADVENTURE.
DOWNLOAD, DISCUSS AND DEVELOP THE OPEN ADVENTURE GAME RULES AT: www.geekguild.com/openadventure
First Printing January 2015

Table of Contents
Part I: Introduction................................................1
How to Use This Book......................................1
Golden Rules....................................................1
Basic Setup & Game Play..................................2
How To Use The Dice.......................................3
Object Of The Game........................................3
Part II: Player Character Creation...........................4
How To Create a Player Character.....................4
Primary Traits...................................................5
Secondary Traits...............................................6
Abilities List (Alphabetical).................................8
Archetypes & Talents......................................17
Attack & Defense...........................................20
Additional Character Information.....................21
Choose a Race..........................................21
Name Your Character.................................23
Personality................................................23
Background...............................................23
Optional Character Information.......................24
Height & Weight........................................24
Known Languages.....................................24
Age..........................................................25
Alignment.................................................25
Tech Levels...............................................26
Gaining a New Level.......................................27
Part III: Equipment & Services..............................30
Money...........................................................30
Fantasy Weaponry..........................................31
Science-Fiction Weaponry...............................33
Armor...........................................................35
Services.........................................................36
Retainers...................................................36
Specialists.................................................37
Transports.....................................................37
Spacecraft......................................................42
Starbases..................................................43
Starships...................................................43
Starcraft....................................................44
Part IV: The Adventure........................................46
General Game Rules.......................................46
Maps, Spaces & Scale................................47
Time Measurement....................................48
Temperatures............................................49
Expedition Game Rules...................................50
Party Navigation........................................50
Movement & Travel...................................51
Finding Wild Game & Edibles......................53
Outdoor Weather.......................................54
Weights & Encumbrance............................54
Resting & Recuperation..............................55
Breaks from Travel................................55
Sleep...................................................55
Short Rests...........................................55
Natural Healing.....................................55
Planetary Gravity.......................................55
Falling Great Distances...............................56
Crushing Objects...................................56
Fire & Flame.............................................56
Outer-Space Vacuum..................................57
Light & Vision...........................................57
Line of Sight.........................................57

Death.......................................................58
Common Character Actions............................58
Swimming.................................................58
Jumping....................................................58
Listening For Noise....................................58
Searching an Area.....................................58
Throwing Objects.......................................59
Digging.....................................................59
Holding Breath..........................................59
Hanging Freely..........................................59
Conditions, Effects & Abilities..........................59
Special Symbols.........................................59
Conditions List (Alphabetical)......................60
Attack Abilities List (Alphabetical)................60
Part VI: Combat & Encounters.............................62
Creating an Encounter....................................62
Initiative & Surprise........................................63
Morale...........................................................64
Loyalty Points............................................65
Morale Points............................................65
Reactions.......................................................65
Combat.........................................................65
Declare Actions.........................................66
Resolve Actions.........................................66
Combat Actions.........................................66
Melee Attacks.......................................67
Ranged Attacks.....................................67
Unarmed Attacks..................................67
Wrestling..............................................68
Movement............................................68
Delayed Actions....................................68
Aimed Attacks......................................69
Dodge..................................................69
Prone Position......................................69
Sneak Attacks.......................................69
Dual-wielding Two Weapons.......................69
Targeting Specific Body Regions.................70
Temporary Damage...................................70
Power Points..........................................70
Defenseless Characters...............................70
Cover from Attacks....................................70
Attacking from High Ground.......................70
Retreat & Evasion......................................71
Starship Combat........................................72
Part IX: Game Master Information........................77
Playing Your First Adventure............................74
Creating an Adventure Campaign....................76
A. Choose a Plot.......................................76
B. Decide on a Setting................................78
Game Materials..............................................78
Levels & Experience Points.............................79
Earning XP...............................................79
Rate of XP Gain........................................79
Tips & Advice on Game Mastering...................81
Advanced Game Mastering..............................83
Character Record Sheet.......................................87

Forward
The rules in this book are as complete as possible within the limits of one book
and maintaining the practicality of being able to memorize the rules. That is to
say, this book covers the major aspects of medieval fantasy and science-fiction
campaigns but still remains flexible and easy to read.
As with any other set of role playing rules they are to be considered guidelines
to follow in designing your own fantastic medieval or science-fiction campaign.
The rules provided to you are a framework in which you can build a game of
simplicity or extraordinary complexityyour own imagination and free time are
your only real limiting factors, and the fact that you are reading these rules suggests you are not lacking in imagination. The magic of the game is in that those
who play will want to find more and more time for it.
It is advised, however, that a campaign begin slowly, following the steps outlined
within this book, so as to avoid becoming too bogged down with unfamiliar
rules and details. Your campaign should build naturally, at the pace best suited
to the referee and players, smoothing the learning curve for all involved.
Old rules can be thrown out, and new ones substitute their place as to keep the
game fresh with different situations, ideas and options. In addition, the players
themselves should contribute to the game experience as well. Players are encouraged to interact with the mechanics and story as to make the campaign
unique and ever-changing. Follow this advice, and you will have a living game.
If you are a player reading the OA rules in order to learn how to play or improve your play style, you will find there is much to read and glean from within
this book. If your referee has made changes in the rules and/or tables, simply
make a note of the changes in pencil (you never know when the rules will
change again and you may need to erase something previously written). Keep
this rulebook nearby when you play for helpful reference. A quick glance at the
rules may reveal an overlooked treasure or tactic that could save your game
life!
Read through the entire work contain within, in the order presented, before you
attempt to play.
Kyle Mecklem
29 October 2014

Part I: Introduction
OPEN ADVENTURE is a role playing game for persons 10 years of age or older. In the game rules, individuals play fantasy or science-fiction characters in a
medieval fantasy or science-fiction world where super
powers and magic are real, and heroes and heroines
venture to unexplored frontiers in search of fame, fortune and conquest. Characters gain experience by
overcoming perils, defeating enemies and acquiring
lost treasures. As characters gain experience they
grow in both power and talent.

aliens considered unfriendly to player characters, arranged alphabetically.

At least two people are needed to play OPEN ADVENTURE (OA), though the game can be played solo
with a few modifications to the base rules. This game
is most enjoyable when played by a group of four to
eight people. Unlike other games, this game does not
use a board or actual playing pieces. All that's needed
to play are these rules, a couple of six-sided dice, pencil and paper, graph paper and a creative imagination.
The game is more exciting if figurines, a game mat,
and/or dioramas are used, but the game can be
played without such visual aids.

Read through this entire book except the non-player

characters, tech & treasure and game master information (those sections should only be read by the
game master).

How to Use This Book

This book contains all the rules necessary to play the
OPEN ADVENTURE game. The first half of the book
is devoted to the rules and information pertaining to
players while the second half is for the game master
only. Players should withhold reading the second half
of this book unless acting as a game master. This
book has been divided into nine sections.
PART ONE: Introduction, explains generalized information and defines many terms used throughout the
game. These and other terms are collected in the
Glossary which can be found on page XYZ.
PART TWO: Player Character Creation, explains
step-by-step how to create a player character and is
listed in easy-to-follow steps.
PART THREE: Equipment & Services, lists all the
necessary equipment, weaponry and armor your character will need before partaking on a high adventure
whether it be deep inside a dungeon or high above
the stratosphere.
PART FOUR: The Adventure, is filled with useful information for setting out on a grand expedition for all
players.
PART FIVE: Magic, lists supernatural spells and
psionic abilities along with a description and pertinent
information related to each magic type.
PART SIX: Combat & Encounters, deals with running into various monsters or aliens, some of which
will lead to combat.
PART SEVEN: Non-Player Characters, list descriptions & explanations for all types of monsters and

PART EIGHT: Tech & Treasure, explains different

types of treasure, technology and legendary items
player characters may find along their journeys.
PART NINE: Game Master Information, lays out
important information and step-by-step instructions
for designing a medieval fantasy or science-fiction adventure.

Though the rules may seem confusing at first, or that

there are a lot of them, they will begin to become
more understandable the more you read. The rules
were designed to fit together making it important that
you understand the concepts of what the rules are attempting to achieve, rather than every detail listed in
this book.

Golden Rules
While the material in this book is referred to as rules,
in reality they are more guidelines than rules. If, after
playing the game for a while, you and the game's referee (refereed to as a Game Master), decide to alter
or add to the existing rule sets, feel free to do so. The
rules listed here are to serve as a framework onto
which you can build and craft your own imaginary
worlds and adventures.
There are a few Golden Rules that should be understood and followed above all other rules detailed in
this book:
1. If two rules directly or indirectly conflict, the more
specific rule shall take precedence over the
broader or more general rule.
2. If ever in the game an argument arises in which
one party or player wishes to complete an action
but another party or player does not believe the
action is possible or in the spirit of the rules, and
after much thoughtful debate, the default conclusion should be that the action not to be completed.
3. When dealing with numeral fractions, always
round down to the nearest whole number.
4. The Game Master has final say in all rules deliberations.
5. The rules in this book are simply a framework,
not scripture. Any part of the rules can be
changed or neglected by the Game Master.

Part I: Introduction

Basic Setup & Game Play

READ THIS SECTION CAREFULLY! The terms
used here will be used throughout the rest of this
game booklet. The terms can also be found in the
Glossary on page XYZ.

Game Setup
When a group of persons gather together to play a
game of OA, one person acts as a referee and storyteller known as a Game Master (GM). The others
play the roles of medieval fantasy or science-fiction
characters and are called Players. Each player is in
control of an imaginary character known as a Player
Character (PC). Other imaginary characters are
played by the GM and known as Non-player Characters (NPCs). A group of characters (PCs and/or
NPCs) are known as a Party.
Each game session is called an Adventure. An adventure can last as long as players and the GM decide to
play. An adventure may run for hours, or last an entire weekend! The length of playing time depends on
the wishes and schedules of the players and GM. Several related adventures played over a series of game
sessions are known as a Campaign.
It's the GM's responsibility to setup and prepare the
setting and scenario for each adventure before actual
game play begins. Whether the setting is one of an
underground dungeon, space ship, mountain wilderness or alien planet, the area is carefully mapped on
paper (typically graph paper), a game mat, or represented by props acting as a diorama of sorts. An adventure, including the surrounding area in which the
action and fun take place, may be designed by the
game master or pre-created by someone else such as
a friend or professional game designer.
The GM must spend more time creating and preparing the adventure before play than the other players.
The game master must also have an intimate understanding of the rules of OA. Because of this, it is recommended the most experienced player take up the
GM role which requires more forethought and work,
but is an extremely rewarding experience.
Players will create player characters before actual
game play begins. Following the instructions on
PART 2: PLAYER CHARACTER CREATION,
players will choose the strengths, weaknesses and talents of their imaginary character.
When the GM has created and setup the adventure
and the players have created their characters, the
game is ready to begin.

Open Adventure

Game Play
At the beginning of the game players enter into the
scene. FOR EXAMPLE, a scene could begin in a dungeon, on a far away moon or near a small hamlet.
The GM describes what the characters can see, smell
and hear around them. One player should draw a
map according to the game master's descriptions; that
player is called the Mapper. As the party moves forward on their adventure more and more of the surrounding area is revealed. Eventually, the GM's and
players' map will look more or less alike.
To avoid confusion and keep the party advancing in
their adventure, one player should be elected to speak
for the entire party. This player is referred to as the
Caller. When unusual or certain situations occur each
player may want to describe what his or her character
is doing. It is the caller's responsibility to insure each
player's wishes are being accurately represented and
relayed to the GM. The caller is a mediator between
the players and the game master, and should not
judge what the players wish to do.
As details are revealed about the adventure players
will eventually meet non-player characters (NPCs)
which they may talk to, avoid or fight. Enemies are
any animal, person or supernatural creature that is unfriendly towards the party and often wanting to fight
the characters. An enemy may be anything from a ferocious dragon or alien mutant to an angry merchant.
For game purposes any character that's not a player
character (PC) is an NPC. Any NPC that is unfriendly
or hostile towards a player character is an enemy.
When PCs meet up with or run into NPCs it is refereed to as an Encounter. During a typical adventure
player characters will also discover treasure, avoid
dangers such as traps, as well as encounter enemies.
Often times the player characters will resort to fighting
enemies. Such a fight is called Combat.
Throughout an adventure PCs try to gain experience
to further advance their talents. Player characters gain
experience by earning Experience Points (XP) given
to them by the GM based off how much treasure they
find and the number of enemies they defeat in combat. The experience points gained from one adventure will be retained throughout future adventures.
Eventually when a PC has earned enough XP they will
advance in Level. There are a total of five levels a PC
can attain in OPEN ADVENTURE.
A level is a general term meaning an amount of experience points attained by a PC through various adventures. All player characters begin their first adventure at Level 0.
Enemies have various levels as well. An enemy's level
indicates how ferocious and difficult he or she is to
battle in combat.

Open Adventure

Part I: Introduction
rolls are used during game combat, see page XYZ.

How To Use The Dice

When referring to dice, an abbreviation is often used.
The first number in the abbreviation is the number of
dice being rolled followed by the letter d (shorthand
for die or dice), and then the number of sides the
dice have. FOR EXAMPLE, 5d6 would mean to roll
five six-sided dice and add the total of all the dice rolls
together. If a plus (+) or minus (-) symbol, followed
by a number, are present; this means to add or subtract the number from the overall total. FOR EXAMPLE, 1d6+3 would mean roll a six-sided die and
add three to the result.
In OPEN ADVENTURE any action that has a possibility of failure that would carry with it significant consequence, such as a PC attempting a daring jump across
a wide crevasse, can be resolved by rolling two sixsided dice of different colors (preferably one die being
white and the other black). The white or lighter colored die represents positive numbers. The black or
darker die represents negative numbers.
When a character's ability must be tested, both dice
are rolled at the same time, but a player only needs to
pay attention to the die that rolled the lowest number.

If the lowest number rolled was on the white die,

add the number to whichever ability is being
tested

If the lowest number rolled was on the black die,

subtract the number from whichever ability is being tested
If the two dice rolls are the same, then there is no
lowest number and the ability tested is unmodified

FOR EXAMPLE, a roll of 5 on the white die and a 2

on the black die would mean a result of -2 to an ability
test. A roll of 1 on the white die and 1 on the black
die would mean a result of +0 to an ability test. A roll
of 1 on the white die and 3 on the black die would
mean a result of +1 to an ability test.
20
15
10

Probability

5
0
-5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5
Possible outcomes range from -5 to +5, with a statistical bias towards a roll of +/-0. This form of dice
rolling is known as a Standard Roll throughout
OPEN ADVENTURE. For an example of how dice

Dice Alternatives
If only one six-sided die is available, roll the die twice
and consider the first roll as the white die and the second roll as the black die.
If only a standard deck of playing cards are available,
separate six suited cards ranging from ace through six.
Separate another six suited cards (preferably of a different color) also ace through six. Shuffle the two sets
of suits separately then draw the top card from each
pile. Treat the number on the cards from the first suit
as the white die roll. Treat number on the card of the
second suit as the black die roll. Shuffle the cards into
their original piles before reusing them in this manner.
If no materials are available, when a die roll is needed
two players will count to three and, in rock-paper-scissors fashion simultaneously reveal zero, one, two,
three, four or five fingers each. Subtract the highest
number of fingers revealed from the lowest number of
fingers revealed. This is the rolled number.
If the rolled number is not zero, the players repeat the
above game except this time notice if both players reveal an even or odd numbered amount of fingers. If
both players revealed odd or even numbers, the rolled
number is a positive number. If the players revealed an
even and odd set of numbers, the rolled number is a
negative number.

Object Of The Game

In most games the concepts of winning and losing
are important, however in OA these conditions do not
apply! The players and game master do not play
against each other, even though the GM does play the
roles of the enemies that threaten the players. The job
of the game master is to remain fair, neutral and not
take sides. He or she acts as a guide or referee, the
person who offers challenges for the players to overcome, keeps the action flowing and provides an exciting and daring adventure for the players.
Players have fun by overcoming daring obstacles, finding valuable treasures and solving complex puzzles as
a team. But doing so does not mean the game has
been won. Likewise the game is not lost if a
player's character perishes on some far off frontier.
When a player character dies the controlling player
can simply create a new character to later join the adventuring party and continue playing. A good OPEN
ADVENTURE campaign is like a collaborative fantasy
or science-fiction novel, written by the players and
GM alike.
The real way to win OA is to have fun. If you're enjoying the experience; you're doing something right.

Part II: Player Character Creation

Below is a step-by-step list of what players will need to
do to create a new player character for the OPEN
ADVENTURE game. In a two-player game, the player
making a character should make and control at least
two player characters, instead.

How To Create a Player Character

1. On a blank sheet of paper write down the names
of the player character's primary traits: Strength,
Intelligence, Perception, Dexterity, Health and
Charisma. If an OA Character Record Sheet is
being used, the six names will already be printed
on the record sheet. It may prove useful to look at
the character record sheet to better understand
the form it takes. A character record sheet template can be found on page XYZ for review or
printing copies.
2. Starting with 30 character points, divide all of the
points amongst the six primary traits in any way
you choose. No individual primary trait can be
less than 1 or greater than 10. All six of the primary traits should equal 30 when added together.
3. (Optional) Re-assign any amount of the above
points to a seventh primary trait called Magic.
This trait cannot have more then 10 points in it.
Consult the section on Magic (pages XYZ).
4. Read the section on Secondary Traits and fill out
the values for all five secondary traits based off
your character's primary traits. More information
on what these numbers do can be found on page
XYZ.
5. Consult the section on Abilities (page XYZ) and
determine how many +1 modifiers the player
character gets to apply to any of the abilities
listed. Next, choose a weakness by applying ten
-1 modifiers to any one or more of the abilities.
6. If you're making a character with a level of 1 or
higher, read the section on Character
Archetypes (page XYZ) and randomly choose
one Talent from one of the five archetypes of
your choice for every level of your character. Beginning players can skip this step.
7. Set aside a section of the paper for Experience
Points (XP). As a new character, write down 0
for the amount of starting XP. Additionally, make
a note of the amount of XP needed to advance to
second level.
8. Roll 2d6+3. This new number represents the
amount of currency the player character begins
the game with and can use to purchase equipment before game play begins (see step 9 below).
For medieval fantasy campaigns the standard currency is Silver Coins (SC). Science-fiction campaigns use Star Credits (SC) as currency.

9. Consult the tables of Common Weaponry,

Common Armor and Common Equipment
(starting on page XYZ) then purchase whatever
gear your player character chooses, within the
limits of his or her starting amount of currency.
Write down the equipment, weapons and armor
your character purchased on the back of the paper. Deduct any money spent buying equipment.
10. Now that you know what type of weaponry your
character will be using, determine his or her Attack (ATK) trait by adding the weapon's damage
rating to your character's strengthif the weapon
is melee, or perceptionif the weapon is ranged.
Write the new number in a section marked Attack.
11. Find the character's Defense (DFS) trait by
adding their dexterity trait to their armor's toughness rating. Write the new number in a section
marked Defense.
12. Choose a race for your character such as a dwarf
or android (see page XYZ). Name your character
and think up a suitable personality and background story. Optionally, your character may
know more than one language to start. Give this
step care, as once you've chosen a race, name
and background they can rarely be changed!

Character Creation Summary:

1. Assign 30 character points to the six primary
traits
2. (Optional) Re-assign points to the magic trait to
use spells or psionics
3. Determine the five secondary traits
4. Apply positive and negative modifiers to abilities
5. If you're making a character who is higher than
level 0, choose a random talent from a character
archetype of your choice for every level of your
PC (beginning players should skip this step)
6. Roll for initial currency and buy starting gear
7. Determine attack and defense traits
8. Choose a race, name, personality and background for your player character
If any problems or questions come up while creating
your character, double-check with the example of
character creation on page XYZ or consult with the
game master.

Part II: Player Character Creation

Primary Traits
The first step in creating a player character is assigning points to the six Primary Traits.
There are 30 character points to assign amongst the
six primary traits.
A player may place as many of the points into any
one or more of the traits as they see fit with two exceptions:
1. Traits cannot have more than 10 points
2. Traits cannot have less than 1 point
A seventh (optional) trait is available to any players
who wish to assign 1 or more points to it. This seventh trait, called Magic (MAG), opens up the world of
paranormal powers and magical abilities to a character. Like the other six traits, magic cannot have more
than 10 points assigned to it. However, this trait can
have 0 points placed into it. For more information
and a list of magic spells and psionics to choose from
see page XYZ.

Open Adventure
Intelligence directly influences the number of +1 modifiers applied to a character's Abilities, (including the
number of Languages a character knows) and a character's Will Save (see page XYZ).

Dexterity (DEX)
Dexterity refers to agility, flexibility and quickness. A
character with a high dexterity is good at dodging incoming attacks. A player who wants their character to
be good at Defense should choose a high dexterity.
Dexterity directly influences a character's Defense
(see page XYZ), Reflex Save (see page XYZ) and
dexterity Abilities (see page XYZ).

Charisma (CHA)
Charisma is a combination of personal appearance,
charm and leadership ability. A high charisma means
many good Reactions from NPCs, which can help a
player throughout the game. A player who wants a
character who can succeed at social events should
choose a high charisma.

The seven primary traits, and their significance, are

explained hereafter:

Charisma directly influences an NPC's Reaction (see

page XYZ) towards the PC and the character's
charisma Abilities (see page XYZ).

Strength (STR)

Health (HEA)

Strength is a measure of a character's muscular

power and physical brawn. Player's who wish for their
character to wield Melee weapons proficiently such as
a glaive or vibroaxe should have a high strength.

Health is a measure of the constitution, well-being

and overall vigor of a character. A high health means
many Health Points, making a character less likely to
die or be killed. A player who wants a character who
can sustain a lot of damage before succumbing should
choose a high health.

Strength directly influences a character's Melee Attack trait, Encumbrance (see page XYZ) and
strength Abilities (see page XYZ).

Perception (PER)
Perception refers to eye-hand coordination, attention to detail and natural intuition. Perception aids in
a player's ability to wield a Ranged weapon (including
thrown weapons) such as a bow or laser pistol. A
player who wants their character to be proficient with
ranged or thrown weapons should give their character
a high perception.
Perception directly influences a character's Initiative
(see page XYZ), Ranged Attack trait and perception
Abilities (see page XYZ).

Intelligence (INT)
Intelligence is the ability to learn and remember
knowledge. It is also a measure of a character's overall
IQ and ability to solve mental problems. Player's who
wish for their characters to be good at many abilities
should have a high intelligence.

Health directly influences the number of Health

Points (see page XYZ), Stamina Points (see page
XYZ) and a character's Fortitude Save (see page
XYZ).

Magic (MAG)
Magic is the innate ability for a character to harness
unseen but potent supernatural powers. In a medieval
fantasy campaign magic wielders tap into an arcane
realm of occult possibility. For a science-fiction campaign, characters with psionic powers can draw from
a mysterious paraforce.
Magic directly influences how many Spells or Psionics per game-day a character can cast. The higher leveled a character is, the more powerful spells he or she
can cast. Magic is explained in detail in PART 5:
MAGIC on page XYZ.

Open Adventure

Secondary Traits
Each of the five secondary traits are based off of one
of the primary traits. The maximum value of the secondary traits are the same as the primary trait that
they are based off.
The second step to creating a player character is to
find the values for the five secondary traits: Health
Points, Stamina Points and the three Save Tests:
Fortitude, Reflex and Will.

Health Points (HP)

A character starts the game with a number of HP
equal to their health trait.
Health points represent the number of points of
damage a character can take before they die. A character with many health points can take more damage,
and is more likely to survive, than a character with
fewer HP.
Any character reduced to 0 (or less) health points has
succumbed to their wounds and has died. Details
about what happens if a character dies are discussed
in PART 4: THE ADVENTURE on page XYZ.

Stamina Points (SP)

Part II: Player Character Creation

Save Tests
A Save Test represents a chance that a special attack, trap or effect may be avoided or have less than
the normal effect. There are three types of saves every character possesses:

Fortitude Save

Reflex Save

Will Save

Fortitude Saves reduce effects concerning the constitution and well-being of the character's body. Reflex
Saves help avoid fast-moving effects such as traps.
Will Saves deal with a character's mental toughness
and ability to resist coercion or charm. Fortitude, reflex and will saves have the same number as a character's health, dexterity and intelligence, respectively.
Write the save numbers for your player character on
his or her character record sheet.
A save is tested by making a standard roll and applying the result to the character's save number. If the result of a save is equal to or greater-than 5 the save test
is successful. A successful save means the effect or
amount of damage suffered is reduced by half. An unsuccessful save means the character takes the full
damage or effect.
On occasion certain attacks or effects will have a
higher or lower target number than the default of 5
(see page XYZ for target numbers).

Stamina points represent a character's endurance,

energy and going-power. A character starts the game
with a number of stamina points equal to their health
trait. Certain talents, actions or spells may reduce a
character's stamina points in exchange for special effects or bonuses.

Secondary Traits

By exerting themselves (and losing stamina points), a

character can temporarily enhance their Movement
Points (MV) (see page XYZ). As a free action, a character may spend their stamina points to gain movement points. For every 1 SP they choose to spend
this way, they receive +1 MV until end of turn. See
page XYZ for details on movement and movement
points.

SAVE TESTS

Secondary Trait

Number Derived From

Health Points

= Health

Stamina Points

= Health

Fortitude Save

= Health

Reflex Save

= Dexterity

Will Save

= Intelligence

Abilities

If a character has run out of stamina points, they may

not spend additional stamina points until they regain
at least one SP. However, if a character is forced to
lose additional SP (such as from a magical effect) they
lose HP instead. FOR EXAMPLE, a player character
with no stamina points who is forced to lose 2 SP
would lose 2 HP instead.

The third step to creating a character is determining

how you want your character to excel at Abilities.

Additionally, certain equipment or spells may be enhanced by spending SP.

There are many abilities divided amongst five of the

primary traits: strength, perception, intelligence, dexterity and charisma.

Abilities are general actions that characters can use

during an adventure. When a player wishes for their
character to perform a specific action and the game
master feels it requires a dice roll, the GM will determine what type of ability the character is trying to use.

Part II: Player Character Creation

Open Adventure

Abilities
Strength Abilities Perception Abilities

Intelligence Abilities

Dexterity Abilities

Charisma Abilities

Climb

Forgery*

Appraise [Item]*

Balance

Animal Handle*

Escape

Gamble*

Bureaucracy [Subject]* Dodge

Barter*

Force Open

Investigate*

Craft [Item]*

Escape

Deception*

Intimidate*

Listen*

Engineer*

Hide*

Etiquette [Culture]*

Jump

Lock Pick*

Knowledge [Topic]*

Jump

Intimidate*

Melee [Weapon]

Navigate [Area]*

Language [Culture]*

Range [Weapon]

Leadership*

Steadfast

Ranged [Weapon]

Lore [Category]*

Sneak*

Perform [Art]*

Swim

Search*

Medicine

Pilot [Transport]

Persuade*

Taunt*

Sense Danger

Repair [Device]*

Sleight of Hand*

Sex Appeal*

Unarmed Combat

Sense Deception*

Survival [Area]

Throwing [Item]

Teach

* ability test results are known only to the game master

Each ability allows a character many different options

they can try to perform during an adventure. Each
ability is based off a character's primary trait. FOR
EXAMPLE, the swim ability begins with the same
number as the player character's strength (which is
the primary trait that swim is based off). A character
with a dexterity 6 would also have a jump 6.
Sometimes a character may attempt an action that
does not fit within the abilities listed in this booklet. In
such a case, the player will use one of the six primary
traits of the character that best suits the action, instead (at the GM's discretion).
FOR EXAMPLE, imagine a character wished to arm
wrestle an opponent. Because there is no arm wrestle ability, the GM has the player use the number
from their strength trait instead. In this way, primary
traits can be thought of, and used as, abilities just like
the abilities listed in this section.
Abilities take different amounts of time (known as Action Types) to complete. Action types are discussed
in more detail in PART 6: COMBAT & ENCOUNTERS (on page XYZ). FOR EXAMPLE, the escape
ability requires five minutes for a character to perform, while the taunt ability only takes one turn to
complete.

Applying Ability Modifiers

Apply ten -1 modifiers to one or more of your character's abilities (abilities cannot have more than five
-1 modifiers). Apply as many +1 modifiers as is equal
to your character's intelligence trait. You may apply
these modifiers to one or more of the abilities of
your choosing.

When creating a character, you must apply ten -1

modifiers to one or more of the 50 abilities for your
character listed above. These -1's serve as a disadvantage or weakness your character suffers from (no one
is perfect). You may choose to place as many of the
ten -1s into one ability (so long as no ability has more
than five -1 modifiers), or divide them over multiple
abilities. FOR EXAMPLE, a player may choose to
have their character suffer a sneak -5 and intimidate
-5. Alternatively they may choose for their character
to have jump -4, climb -4 and hide -2.
Next, take note of your character's intelligence trait.
This will determine how many +1 modifiers you can
apply to your character's abilities. These serve as a
character's strength or aptitude in specific areas such
as medicine or hiding. Each time a PC gains a new
level they are awarded 1d6 new +1 skill modifiers (see
page XYZ).
The higher your character's intelligence, the more +1
modifiers they get to apply to whichever abilities you
wish in any order you want. In other words, the
smarter your character is; the more abilities they're
good at!

How Abilities Are Used

Characters are often required to test their abilities at
different points throughout the game. Whenever the
GM feels a character's ability to complete an action is
uncertain, and the situation carries the possibility of
grave consequence if the character fails their attempt,
he or she will ask the player to perform an Ability
Test. To make an ability test, make a standard roll
then apply the result to the character's appropriate
ability number. If the result of an ability is equal to or
greater-than 5, the ability test is successful.

Open Adventure

Part II: Player Character Creation

An unsuccessful ability test means the character has

failed at performing the ability and must suffer any
consequences associated with that.

FOR EXAMPLE, two warriors may try pushing a large

stone aside that blocks an entrance to an underground
catacomb. In this example two character's are better
than one.

Ability Test Difficulties

Players should choose which of the character's is the

chief problem-solver for the situation (usually the PC
with the highest appropriate ability number). Next,
that character and all others who are trying to help
should make ability tests. The GM uses the roll of the
chief problem-solver and adds a +1 modifier for every
one of his or her allies who made a successful ability
test, and a -1 for every ally who failed the test. The
chief problem-solver can never receive more than a
+3 bonus this way, but there is no limit to penalties
he or she could receive.

On occasion certain situations will make the Target

Number (TN) (see page XYZ) needed to succeed at
an ability test higher or lower than the default of 5.
FOR EXAMPLE, a padlock made of superior materials and craftsmanship may be more difficult to pick
than a normal lock. In such a case, the game master
may decide a character needs to roll a 7 or higher, instead of a 5, for a successful ability test.
When a character is using an ability, the GM may
wish to increase or decrease the TN needed for the
ability test to succeed. This is done when circumstances within the adventure make the difficulty of
completing the ability test easier or harder than normal. Circumstances can change the target number of
an ability anywhere from 1 to 10, with 5 being the
default TN needed to succeed and 10 the most difficult to achieve. FOR EXAMPLE, a character wishes
to make a repair ability test to repair a mechanical
device. However, the GM may decide that this particular device is especially complex and therefore has a repair target number of 7, instead of the normal 5.

Abilities With [Brackets]

Some abilities require a specific area of expertise to be
chosen. When this is required, the ability will have a
sub-topic listed in brackets. Any modifiers for that ability only apply to the sub-topic chosen. Players should
work with the game master to choose an appropriate
sub-topic that is appropriate for the adventure the
players will engage in.

Multi-Trait Abilities

For some abilities, the dice are rolled in secret by the

GM instead of the player. The ability test will always
seem successful to the character attempting these
types of actions, but it might not be. Only the GM
knows for sure! If the result of an ability test is unknown to a player, it is marked with the symbol.

A number of abilities are listed in more than one trait.

FOR EXAMPLE, the Jump ability is listed both under
strength and dexterity. Abilities of this nature can be
allow the player to choose which of the allowed primary traits they wish to base the ability off of before
performing an ability test. FOR EXAMPLE, a player
could choose to perform a jump ability test based off
the strength traitorthe dexterity trait.

Repeatable Ability Tests

Abilities List (Alphabetical)

Secret Ability Tests

Often, when a character's ability test fails, all the other

players may say He failed?! Let me make my ability
test! This is not something that should be encouraged. If the GM allows everyone to make an ability
test for the same task when someone has failed, one
character will eventually succeed, making ability tests
pointless.
Instead, the game master should usually decide that
the circumstances that lead one character to fail will
make all the other characters fail as well. However,
some abilities are repeatable, while others are not. Because of this, a repeatable ability test is denoted with
the symbol. Abilities that are not repeatable cannot be attempted a second time until 1 or more days
have passed since the last attempt.

Using Abilities Together

Animal Handle
TIME:

3 Hours

TEST RESULT: Unknown

REPEATABLE: No
Animal Handle is the innate feat of being able to
calm and communicate non-verbally with a creature of
less-than humanoid intelligence. The target number to
succeed is equal to 10 intelligence of the animal.
If Successful:

If Failed:

Target animal becomes

a retainer to the handler
(see page XYZ for information on retainers).

A reaction check (page

XYZ) is made using the
result from the animal
handling result.

Often times it's reasonable for multiple characters to

use their abilities together to solve a common task.
8

Part II: Player Character Creation

Bureaucracy [Subject]

Appraise [Item]
TIME:

TIME:

1 Minute

TEST RESULT: Unknown

REPEATABLE: No
The PC with an astute eye for detail may attempt to
appraise the target [Item] (such as a piece of treasure,
armor, weapon or equipment) to determine an accurate value of it's worth.
If Successful:

If Failed:

The character receives

an accurate estimation
for the value of the target object.

The character receives

false information or no
information.

Balance
TIME:

5 Days

TEST RESULT: Unknown

REPEATABLE: No
Bureaucracy is the ability to negotiate with people
of a certain organization or individual [Subject] to successfully pull favors, win respect or accomplish tasks.
A PC good at bureaucracy is good at negotiating the
red tape or an organization.
If Successful:

If Failed:

The character achieves a

minor favor or task using the power and will of
a particular subject.

The subject does not

agree to perform a favor
or action for the player.

Climb
1 Standard Action

TEST RESULT: Known

REPEATABLE: Yes
Balance is the ability to stay centered and not fall
from a narrow ledge or walkway. It is a character's
ability to keep their equilibrium even on unsteady terrain.
If Successful:

If Failed:

The character maintains

their balance and does
not fall.

The character falls to

the ground or off a
ledge (see page XYZ for
falling rules).

Barter
TIME:

Open Adventure

TIME:

Instant (Free Action)

TEST RESULT: Known

REPEATABLE: Yes
Climb represents the proficiency in climbing difficult
slopes or sheer walls. See PART 5: THE ADVENTURE (on page XYZ) for details on climbing. This
ability test should be repeated at the beginning of every turn a character is hanging on a wall unsupported.
Climbing is treated as moving but on vertical terrain.
If Successful:

If Failed:

The character is able to

climb a wall for this turn.

The character falls. See

page XYZ for falling.

Craft [Item]

5 Minutes

TEST RESULT: Unknown

REPEATABLE: No
Barter is the the timeless art of negotiation in an effort to lower the price on an item for sale. This ability
can only be done once per merchant per day.

TIME:

See Below

TEST RESULT: Unknown

REPEATABLE: No
Craft represents hands-on expertise at creating
something such as:

If Successful:

If Failed:

Set Trap

The price of a specific

item, weapon, armor
etc. is reduced by 10%
(rounded down).

The price of a specific

item, weapon, armor
etc. is increased by 10%
(rounded down).

Construct Item

SET TRAP: allows a character to set a trap. Must

have a Trap Kit (see page XYZ) to use. Can only be
used on an adjacent empty space.

Open Adventure

Part II: Player Character Creation

CONSTRUCT ITEM: The character can craft an item

such a armor, a weapon or a piece of equipment.
The time required to use this ability depends on the
individual items.
If Successful:

If Failed:

The character builds a

trap that is only visible
to him or her (unless
seen through a search
ability) or constructs the
item.

The trap or item is not

built and any trap kits
used are destroyed.

tion on stations).
The time required to use this ability depends on the
individual items.
If Successful:

If Failed:

The character successfully disables or alters a

device.

The device or trap is

triggered, or is not disabled. REFLEX SAVE: if
failed, the device breaks.

Escape
TIME:

1 Round (10 Minutes)

Dodge

TEST RESULT: Known

Dodge is a character's ability to jump out of the way

of an incoming attack. For each point placed in
Dodge, a character receives a +1 Defense.

REPEATABLE: Yes
Escape represents a character's ability to free themselves from restraints such as cuffs or shackles. It also
entails breaking free of prison or jail cells.

Deception

If Successful:

If Failed:

TEST RESULT: Unknown

The character successfully

escapes
their
bonds.

REPEATABLE: Yes
Deception is the dark art of misleading or lying to
people. Deception can only be performed on a target
NPC (but not player characters). The TN for deception is equal to the NPC's Sense Deception ability.

The character does not

escape. REFLEX SAVE:
if failed, the character
has broken the device or
is stuck in place.

Etiquette [Culture]

If Successful:

If Failed:

TIME:

The character successfully deceives a target

NPC.

The target NPC is not

deceived. GM will perform a reaction test for
the NPC.

TIME:

1 Full-Turn Action

TEST RESULT: Unknown

REPEATABLE: Yes
Etiquette involves understanding and performing the
finer points of respect (through words and action) as
viewed by a particular [Culture] or society.
The time required to use this ability depends on the
type of etiquette being performed.

Engineer
TIME:

1 Standard Action

See Below

TEST RESULT: Unknown

REPEATABLE: No
Engineer is a broad set of abilities encompassing
several smaller engineering feats:

Enable/Disable Device

Operate Machine

ENABLE/DISABLE DEVICE: A character may attempt to arm or disarm a trap or enable or disable a
mechanical device.

If Successful:

If Failed:

The GM should make a

reaction roll with a number of +1 modifiers
equal to the number of
points over the TN
needed to succeed at the
etiquette ability to determine the response from
the patrons of that [culture].

The GM should make a

reaction roll with a number of -1 modifiers equal
to the number of points
under the TN needed to
succeed at the etiquette
ability to determine the
response from the patrons of that [culture].

OPERATE MACHINE: A character may attempt to

use or hack into a device or machine such as a computer or starship station (see page XYZ for informa10

Part II: Player Character Creation

Force Open
TIME:

1 Minute

TEST RESULT: Known

REPEATABLE: Yes
Force open is a character's ability to bend bars, lift
gates or bash open an item such as a door, chest or
lock.
If Successful:

If Failed:

The adventurer successfully forces a stuck or

locked door or object
open.

The object does not

open. REFLEX SAVE: If
failed, the door is permanently broken in a
locked or stuck stateor
the contents inside are
destroyed or damaged.

ing the results to the dice rolled. FOR EXAMPLE, if a

character failed their gambling ability test by -2, any
winning dice could be changed by the GM by up to
two places (for all dice rolled).
For all other gambling games, treat as a normal ability
test.
If Successful:

If Failed:

The character succeeds

at gamblingor if playing
aularreceives that many
+/- 1's applicable to the
dice rolled in the PC's
favor.

The character fails at

gamblingor if playing
aularreceives that many
+/- 1's applicable to the
dice rolled NOT in the
PC's favor.

Hide
TIME:

See Below

TEST RESULT: Unknown

REPEATABLE: No
Forgery is the art and science of crafting a fake or
counterfeit article to pass off as the real thing. Because of it's intricate work, it requires an eye for detail.
The time required to use this ability depends on what
is being counterfeited.
If Successful:

If Failed:

The player character

creates a fake item that
will be accepted as genuine from any character
with a perception equal
to or less than the
forgery number rolled by
the PC.

The item looks suspect

by anyone who gives it
more than a passing
glance.

REPEATABLE: No
Hide is the ability to blend into a background or
hide in a dark corner. A character must not be adjacent to an enemy when making a hide test. If an enemy moves adjacent to a hiding character, the character must succeed at a new hide ability test vs the enemy's perception, or immediately become noticed.
If a hiding character attacks or moves to another
space, they immediately become noticed by anyone
within line of sight (see page XYZ).
If Successful:

If Failed:

The character hides well

enough to be unnoticed
by any NPC with a perception equal to or less
than the hide number
rolled by the character.

The character is noticeable by anyone within

line of sight.

Intimidate
TIME:

Gamble
TIME:

1 Full-Turn Action

TEST RESULT: Unknown

1 Minute

TEST RESULT: Unknown

REPEATABLE: Yes
An adventurer who is good at gambling can become
wealthy indeed! When gambling by playing a game of
Aular (see page XYZ for rules on aular); players will
receive a number of positive or negative modifiers
equal to the number of points they succeeded or failed
the gambling target number. Those modifiers are used
to either help or hinder a gamblers outcome by apply11

1 Standard Action

TEST RESULT: Unknown

Forgery
TIME:

Open Adventure

REPEATABLE: Yes
Intimidate is the ability to scare off or intimidate an
enemy. When performing an intimidate ability test, a
character is using their physical looks, posture, war
cry or other faculties to persuade one or more NPCs
to flee in fear.

Open Adventure

Part II: Player Character Creation

For rules purposes, a character can yell a maximum

number of spaces equal to 10 x SP (stamina points).
For individual words to be understood, only the distance (in spaces) is allowed.

Knowledge [Topic]

If Successful:

If Failed:

Any enemies within line

of sight and ear shot of
the character must make
a morale check.

No enemies are intimidated.

REPEATABLE: No
Knowledge is the ability to recall from memory details about a particular [Topic] or subject. Common
knowledge topics are related to a:

Investigate
TIME:

10 Days

TEST RESULT: Unknown

REPEATABLE: Yes
To investigate something means for a PC or NPC to
spend several days talking with other people, looking
up relevant documents and following leads that may
reveal the truth about a particular topic.
If Successful:

If Failed:

The game
veals to the
helpful hint
garding the
topic.

The character receives

false information or no
information.

master recharacter a
or clue reinvestigated

TIME:

1 Minute

TEST RESULT: Unknown

Character

Area

Object

Players who are looking to learn more information

about a particular topic should test to determine if
their PC possesses helpful knowledge about the subject.
If Successful:

If Failed:

The GM provides the

player with a helpful
hint, insight or clue
about the [Topic].

The character receives

false information or no
information.

Language [Culture]
TIME:

Instant (Free Action)

TEST RESULT: Unknown

TEST RESULT: Known

REPEATABLE: No
There are many languages spoken by characters, depending on their race or species and [Culture]. There
is also a common language shared by most characters throughout the world and galaxy.

REPEATABLE: Yes
Jump is the ability to leap great distances such as
across pits or over obstacles.

A character must have at least 1 point in the specific

language they heard or read before attempting this
ability test.

At the GM's discretion, the optional encumbrance

rules (page XYZ) affect a character's jump distance.
See page XYZ for additional rules about jumping.

For details concerning languages, see page XYZ. Note

that guild languages do not need to be tested and are
automatically understood by any character who would
possess the appropriate knowledge.

Jump
TIME:

1 Standard Action

If Successful:

If Failed:

The character makes a

successful jump.

The
character
falls
prone onto a space they
were attempting to jump
over or above.

If Successful:

If Failed:

The player understands

the written or spoken
language.

The character receives

false information or no
information about what
was said or read.

12

Part II: Player Character Creation

Leadership
TIME:

Instant (Free Action)

TEST RESULT: Unknown

REPEATABLE: No
Leadership is the natural ability to raise the spirits
and morale of those around you. With a high leadership, an adventurer can convince a retainer to remain
loyal to them and their cause.
If Successful:

If Failed:

Target retainer hired by

the character or target
animal handled by the
character succeeds at
their morale test.

Target retainer hired by

the character or target
animal handled by the
character fails at their
morale test.

If Successful:

If Failed:

The GM provides the

player with a helpful
hint, insight or clue
about the [Category].

The character receives

false information or no
information.

Listen
TIME:

1 Full-Turn Action

TEST RESULT: Unknown

REPEATABLE: Yes
Listen is the ability to hear distant or quiet noises.
Characters may listen intently near closed doors or
long hallways for approaching enemies or other
hushed activities.
See page XYZ for additional rules about listening.

Lock Pick
TIME:

Open Adventure

1 Round (10 Minutes)

Characters cannot attempt to listen during a noisy

event such as battle.

TEST RESULT: Unknown

If Successful:

If Failed:

REPEATABLE: Yes
Lock pick represents the proficiency in manipulating pins and tumblers to open a lock without a key.

The character hears any

noises within range that
can be heard from their
location.

The character hears misleading sounds or no

sound at all.

If Successful:

If Failed:

The lock being picked

opens.

The lock being picked

does not unlock. REFLEX SAVE: If failed,
the lock breaks and is
permanently stuck shut.
It can never be successfully picked.

Lore [Category]
TIME:

1 Minute

TEST RESULT: Unknown

REPEATABLE: No
Lore is the amount of knowledge a character possesses about a broad [Category] or subject. Unlike a
knowledge ability test, lore pertains to general fields of
study and the overarching characteristics of the category being investigated.
Engineering
Geography
History
Cosmos / Planes

TIME:

1 Round (10 Minutes)

TEST RESULT: Known

REPEATABLE: No
Medicine is the practice of healing and nurturing. A
character who practices medicine can remove adverse
conditions or cure certain poisons.
If Successful:

If Failed:

The character removes

1 condition counteror
removes
1
poison
counter.

The character
to help a PC
WILL SAVE:
the targeted
suffers -1.

is unable
or NPC.
If failed,
character

Melee [Weapon]

Common lore topics include:

Medicine

Nature / Science
Animals / Aliens
Culture
Religion

Melee is a character's proficiency with non-ranged

weapons fighting. A specific [Weapon] type must be
chosen for each +/-1 modifier. Once chosen, the
modifiers cannot be changed and only apply when
that weapon type is being used.
For each point placed in Melee, a character receives
a +1 Attack when using the weapon-type chosen.

13

Open Adventure

Part II: Player Character Creation

Navigate [Area]

enticing an NPC to carry out your bidding. No character will engage in an activity that puts themselves or
their allies in direct danger.

TIME:

5 Minutes

TEST RESULT: Unknown

REPEATABLE: No
A character's ability to navigate a certain [Area] can
prove invaluable. Common area types include:

Underground / Building
City / Urban
Sea / Underwater
Overland (see page XYZ)
Outer-Space (see page XYZ)

See page XYZ for rules on retainers, loyalty points

and morale tests.
If Successful:

If Failed:

The NPC is convinced,

and will help the persuading character.

The NPC is not convinced. Suffer -1 negative loyalty point. WILL

SAVE: if failed, the NPC
makes a reaction roll.

Character's who fail to navigate properly can become

lost. See page XYZ for additional navigation rules.

Pilot [Transport]

If Successful:

If Failed:

TEST RESULT: Known

The character correctly

navigates the given area
for 8 hours.

The character becomes

lost (see page XYZ).

REPEATABLE:

Yes

See page XYZ for details about transports.

See Below

TEST RESULT: Unknown

REPEATABLE: No
Perform is the ability to entertain guests and engage
in a delightful (and often visually appealing) activity for
the benefit of others.
Common performance [Art]s include:

1 Full-Turn Action

Pilot is the skill-set of operating a [Transport] such

as a wagon, hover car or starship bridge or cockpit.

Perform [Art]
TIME:

TIME:

Singing
Instrument Playing
Jester / Comedy
Natural Talent

Acting
Dancing
Magic Trick
Prostitution

Other art-related activities such as painting or sculpting should be attempted with a craft ability test. The
time required to use this ability depends on which art
is being performed.
If Successful:

If Failed:

The performing character receives +3 charisma

for 1 hour.

The performing character suffers -3 charisma

for 1 hour.

If Successful:

If Failed:

The piloting character is

able to operate the
transport normally.

The piloting character is

unable to accelerate,
slow down or steer the
transport this turn.

Ranged [Weapon]
Range is a character's proficiency with ranged
weapons fighting. A specific [Weapon] type must be
chosen for each +/-1 modifier. Once chosen, the
modifiers cannot be changed and only apply when
that weapon type is being used.
For each point placed in Range, a character receives a +1 Attack when using the weapon-type chosen.

Repair [Device]
TIME:

See Below

TEST RESULT: Unknown

Persuade
TIME:

5 Minutes

TEST RESULT: Unknown

REPEATABLE: No
Persuade is the art of convincing, encouraging or

REPEATABLE: No
Repair is the mechanical prowess to repair or improve upon a broken or worn-out [Device] or machine
such as a laser pistol, plate armor or spaceship.
See page XYZ for details concerning the optional
rules about equipment damage and damage counters.

14

Part II: Player Character Creation

Open Adventure

If Successful:

If Failed:

Sex Appeal

The device is repaired.

Remove
1
damage
counter.

The device is not repaired. The equipment

suffers
1
damage
counter.

TIME:

Search
TIME:

1 Minute Per Space

TEST RESULT: Unknown

REPEATABLE: Yes
Search is the ability to visually notice things of interest or importance. It is used to search for hidden
doors, hiding characters (see hide on page XYZ),
traps or search an area for concealed treasure.
See page XYZ for details about searching.
If Successful:

If Failed:

The searching character

finds any secret doors,
hidden characters, traps
or concealed treasure
that is within range.

The character does not

spot anything hidden.
REFLEX SAVE: If failed,
any traps within range
are triggered.

Instant (Free Action)

TEST RESULT: Unknown

REPEATABLE: No
Sex Appeal is the ability to garner respect, attraction and admiration from any NPC that would normally be attracted towards the performing adventurer.
If Successful:

If Failed:

The PC gains a +3
charisma towards any attracted NPC within line
of sight for 1 hour.

The PC suffers -3
charisma towards any
attracted NPC within
line of sight for 1 hour.

Sleight of Hand
TIME:

1 Full-Turn Action

TEST RESULT: Unknown

REPEATABLE: Yes
Sleight of Hand is the subtle art of fine manipulation using one's hand such as reaching into an unsuspecting victim's pocket and stealing something from
them without their knowledge.

Sense Danger is a character's sub-conscious knowing when something bad is about to or could happen.

For rules purposes, a character is considered able to

secretly steal an item up to a maximum weight equal
to their sleight of hand number (minimum
weight). FOR EXAMPLE, a character with a sleight of
hand 4 can steal an item of weight 2 or less.

For each point placed in Sense Danger, a character

receives a +1 Reflex Save.

The target number for this ability is vs the character's

perception number.

Sense Danger

Sense Deception
TIME:

1 Minute

If Successful:

If Failed:

The character successfully uses their sleight of

hand unnoticed.

The character is unable

to steal an item. REFLEX SAVE: If failed,
the character is noticed
using their sleight of
hand. The noticing PC
or NPC may make a surprise attack.

TEST RESULT: Unknown

REPEATABLE: No
Sense Deception pertains to a character seeing
through lies or forgery.
Characters can use this ability to counter an NPC's
deception or forgery abilities or to determine if an
NPC is withholding important information at the
player's expense. Player character's cannot use this
ability on other PCs.
If Successful:

If Failed:

The GM provides the

player with helpful insight or clues about the
motives of the NPC.

The character receives

false information or no
information.

Sneak
TIME:

2x Movement Point Cost

TEST RESULT: Unknown

REPEATABLE: Yes
Sneak is the skill of remaining unseen and unheard
by enemies while moving stealthily. Sneaking follows
all the normal rules about movement (see page XYZ)
except the movement point costs are double their normal rate.
A character who begins sneaking while within line of

15

Open Adventure

Part II: Player Character Creation

sight of another character will immediately be noticed

by the PC or NPC that is within LOS.
Once a sneaking character enters a space within line
of sight of a character, they must make a sneak ability
test vs that character's perception. This may mean a
sneaking character is noticed by some characters but
not others. Every turn a character is sneaking and
within line of sight of a character, they must make a
new sneak test at the start of their turn.

If Successful:

If Failed:

The character built a

shelter, fire or found a
number of morsels (see
page XYZ) equal to the
number of points over
the
target
number
needed to succeed.

The character did not

built a shelter, fire or
find anything of importance.

If a character attacks while sneaking, they will immediately stop sneaking and becomes noticed by any characters within line of sight. See page XYZ for details
on sneak attacks.

Swim

If Successful:

If Failed:

TEST RESULT: Known

The character sneaks

well enough to be unnoticed by any NPC with a
perception equal to or
less than the sneak number rolled by the character.

The character is noticed

by the perceptive character.

REPEATABLE: No
Swim is the ability to stay afloat or move through
water or similar liquids.

TIME:

Instant (Free Action)

See PART 5: THE ADVENTURE (on page XYZ)

for details on swimming. This ability test should be repeated at the beginning of every turn a character is in
water of a depth equal to or greater than their own
height.

Steadfast

If Successful:

If Failed:

Steadfast is a character's natural toughness and

resiliency from ill effects and ailments.

The character is able to

move through the water
terrain until end of turn.

The character's head

slips under the water.
See page XYZ for details
about
holding
breath and swimming.

For each point placed in Steadfast, a character receives +1 Fortitude Save.

Survival [Area]
TIME:

Taunt
4 Hours

TIME:

1 Full-Turn Action

TEST RESULT: Known

TEST RESULT: Unknown

REPEATABLE: Yes
Survival is the ability to procure shelter, fire, food
and drink in an otherwise inhospitable or untamed location. Survival differs greatly depending on the [Area]
a character attempts to stay alive in.

REPEATABLE: No
Taunt is act in trying to aggravate an enemy into attacking you. Characters may perform this ability in
hopes of drawing unwanted attention away from their
allies.

See page XYZ for details on finding wild foods. Common areas include:

For rules purposes, a character can taunt an NPC that

is within line of sight (see page XYZ) and a distance
(in spaces) equal to the taunting player's taunt number
or less.

Ocean / Sea
River / Lake
Swamp / Marsh
Jungle / Rain forest
Forest
Plains / Grassland

Desert / Wasteland
Canyon / Cliffs
Hill
Mountain
Snow
Glacier / Ice

At the GM's discretion, the optional weather rules on

page XYZ can affect the chances of surviving.

If Successful:

If Failed:

Any attacking enemies

within LOS and range of
the taunting character
must make a WILL
SAVE: If failed, they attack the character for 1
minute.

The character does not

successfully taunt any
NPC.

16

Part II: Player Character Creation

Teach
TIME:

See Below

TEST RESULT: Known

REPEATABLE: Yes
Teach is a character's ability to pass along knowledge to fellow PC's or NPCs. See page XYZ for additional information about teaching.
If Successful:

If Failed:

The character successfully teaches his student

(roll to see if the student
understood the lesson).

The teacher fails to pass

on his or her lesson to
the student character.

Open Adventure
There are five archetypes to choose from in the
OPEN ADVENTURE game:
1. Combat
2. Subterfuge
3. Magic
4. Heal
5. Social
An Archetype is a model or class of characters that
fit a certain style of play. FOR EXAMPLE, if you
wanted your character to be a strong, courageous
fighter who wielded a spear or laser sword, you might
be interested in the Combat archetype.

Archetypes
Throwing [Item]
TIME:

Instant (Free Action)

TEST RESULT: Known

REPEATABLE: No
Throwing is the act of tossing an [Item], object or
weapon.
See page XYZ for details about throwing. PART 6:
COMBAT & ENCOUNTERS discusses combat with
ranged weapons.
If Successful:

If Failed:

The character hit's their

target space with the
thrown [item].

The [item] misses it's target.

Archetypes & Talents

Randomly choose one Talent from one of the five
archetypes of your choice.
NEW PLAYERS SHOULD SKIP THIS STEP! This
step should only be followed if you're creating a character that is level 1 or higher, or your character has
recently reached level 1 or higher. If this is your first
time creating a character, then you will want to skip to
the Attack & Defense section on page XYZ. For
more information on why characters level 1 or higher
use this step, see page XYZ for details on gaining a
new level.
The fourth step to creating a character is choosing an
archetype that sounds interesting and fun to play.

Archetype

Focus

Combat

Melee Combat

Subterfuge

Ranged Combat

Magic

Spells / Psionics

Heal

Healing & Support

Social

Fortune & Social

When choosing an archetype, you are actually choosing a random Talent from that archetype. A talent is
a helpful or powerful ability that your character will
get to use through out the OPEN ADVENTURE
game. Once you have chosen an archetype talent, it
will stay with your character for the remainder of the
game.
Each time your character achieves a new level, choose
one random talent to add to your character's record
sheet.
To randomly select a talent from one of the
archetypes, roll 2d6. If the white die rolls a 4-6, add
+6 to the black die roll. Read only the black die roll
when consulting the archetype talent tables. Alternatively, you can roll 1d12 for the same effect (if you
have a 12-sided die available). If the talent chosen has
already been chosen by the same character, roll again
for new results.

Combat
Combat represents individual soldiers, mercenaries,
bounty hunters or various types of combatants. They
believe no problem can't be solved with their melee
weapon and choose strength as their highest primary
trait. Warriors and veterans are usually very athletic,
courageous in battle and are willing to stand toe-to-toe
with any enemy that bars their way.

Combat Talents

17

Open Adventure
Roll Talent
d12

Part II: Player Character Creation

Roll Talent
d12

LEADER You and all allies up to 3 spaces

away gain +1 Attack

BURGLAR Opening & closing doors is a

Free Action instead of a Standard Action

BLOODLUST Recover 1 each time you

deal the killing blow to an enemy (the enemy
must remain dead)

DUCK & COVER : You gain +2 Defense vs ranged attacks

TOUGH You begin the game with +1 Defense

NIMBLE FOOTED Movement through moderate terrain costs 1 Movement Point instead
of 2

UNMOVABLE You may ignore all Knockback effects

DANGER SENSE You may make a free attack at any point during the GM's turn

FONT GUARD : When you attack only

once this turn, you may attack twice instead

UNSEEN 2: You gain +2 Defense until end

of turn

LONG ARMS You have Reach 1

TOUGH AS NAILS You gain +2 Fortitude

OVERRUN When running in a straight line

for at least 4 spaces, you may make a free
melee attack

ACROBAT You may ignore all enemies and

obstacles when moving. You must end your
turn on an empty space

SURPRISE ATTACK 2: Target adjacent enemy suffers 1 Stun Counter

MARTIAL ARTIST : You gain +2 Defense vs melee attacks

QUICK FOOTED : You receive +2 Movement Points

10

JUGGERNAUT 2: You gain Knockback 1

until end of turn

SUREFIRE You ignore allies when determining Line of Sight (LOS) for ranged attacks

11

CHAMPION At the start of the game

choose melee or ranged: You gain +2 when
attacking with a weapon based off that type

10

STEADY HAND : Your ranged attack becomes an Aimed Attack

11

FAR KILL You gain +2 Damage when attacking an enemy at least 3 spaces away

12

JACK OF ALL TRADES : You may re-roll

an Ability Test

12

CLEAVE : Each time you kill an enemy

with a melee weapon you may make a free attack with the same weapon

= Stamina Points, = Activate, = Power Points

= Stamina Points, = Activate

Subterfuge

Magic

Subterfuge represents individuals who prefer to work

in the shadows where they remain unseen. Their
weapon of choice is one of range, preferring a safe
distance from their adversaries. They are often up to
something nefarious or illegal whether it be to pickpocket an unsuspecting victim or smuggling illegal
goods off a planet.

Perhaps the most misunderstood and least known of

all the archetypes. Magicians and psionicists harness
mysterious, arcane powers they pull from the ether.
These magic and paranormal wielders employ occult
powers that only they truly understand.

Few locks stand in the way of these mysterious type,

always wanting to gain entry to places denied to
them. When needed, thieves and scofflaws will employ the sinister art of trap making. Because of their
expert experience in such matters, they are also good
at disarming traps. In the unfortunate event a trap is
missed, or not properly disarmed, thieves & scofflaws
are good at making reflex saves.

Subterfuge Talents

When used right, these awe-inspiring spells can

change the tide of battle. Magicians and psionicists
are often much smarter than their fellow brethren
thanks to years of disciplined study and mastery in
their art. Their minds are centered and focused making them exceptional at will saves.

Magic Talents
18

Part II: Player Character Creation

Roll Talent
d12
1

ESSENCE TRANSFER : You gain +1

Damage

ANTIMANA You gain +2 Save vs magic

Open Adventure

Heal Talents
Roll Talent
d12
1

FAST RECOVERY At the start of your turn

you gain +1

SURGE : You gain +1

UNBURDENED If you do not have any Armor equipped, each of your attacks gain +1

FAST HEAL : Gain +1

1: Gain +1

NINE LIVES You start the game with +3

BEND REALITY : You may make a re-roll

SCOUT :You gain +3 Movement Points

DISPEL : Target enemy attacking you receives -1

REGENERATE At the start of your turn gain

+1

TACTICIAN 3: Target character can Aim,

Dodge or make a delayed action (your choice)
as a Free Action

LATENT POWER Each time you attack but

do not receive any , you gain +1

PREPARED 3: You may force the Game

Master to re-roll any dice he or she controls

TELEPORT 2: Move your character to an

empty space adjacent to target ally

HEALER Medicine Ability Test, : If successful, target adjacent character gains +1

10

LETHARGY Enemies must spend +1 Movement Point to enter an empty space adjacent
to your character

MARTYR : If target character receives

damage this turn, you receive it instead

IMMUNITY When you Rest, you may discard 1 Condition from yourself

11

CLAIRVOYANCE Characters and barriertype spaces do not block Line of Sight. Doors
still block LOS

10

CURE ALL 2, X: All allies within 3 Spaces of your character gain +X for each
spent on this talent this turn

12

CONCENTRATION Cast a Spell, : If you

are at maximum Health, gain +2 Mana or Psi
of any type until end of turn

11

INTERCEPTION : Target enemy loses -1

12

PANACEA Knowledge Ability Test, : If

successful, discard 1 Condition from yourself
or an adjacent ally

= Stamina Points, = Activate

= Power Points, = Health Points

Heal
Dedicating their lives to helping others, clerics &
medics seek to right the wrongs of the world, oppose
evil and help those in need.
These friendly types are always willing to lend a hand,
heal the sick or injured, and support the team in less
conventional means.
In combat they attempt to divide and conquer the enemy rather than face it head-on. After the fray has
ended they are the first to mend the wounds of the
fallen.

Social
Resourceful individuals, socialites come from many
walks of life but all share a delight, and affinity, for
talking their way out of trouble or bettering their
predicament.

19

= Stamina Points, = Activate

= Power Points, = Health Points

While many socialites are honest tradesmen, merchants, ambassadors or diplomats, many other use
their trusting nature to con or swindle others.

How Talents Are Used

Talents can be thought of as skills characters have
learned or developed over time and become proficient
at doing. Talents are divided into three parts:
1. Name
2. Cost (optional)
3. Effect
Certain talents require a cost to be paid before the
talent can be used. The cost of a talent is anything left
of the colon (:). FOR EXAMPLE, the steady hand
talent requires 1 stamina point to be spent before the
effects can resolve. If the price cannot be paid, then
the talent cannot be used. The cost of a talent is often
denoted by a number and symbol (such as 2).

Open Adventure

Social Talents
Roll Talent
d12
1

LADY LUCK : You may re-roll one or

more dice you rolled this turn (you must keep
the new roll)

IRON WILL You gain +2 Will

All retainers hired by you gain +2 Loyalty
Points

FAST LEARNER You gain 10% more XP

than normal

EDUCATED You start with +2 Ability Points

SEX APPEAL You gain +4 Charisma vs

characters who are attracted to you

SILVER TONGUE You gain +4 Barter

RANK & STATUS You gain +2 to all rolls vs

a culture or guild of your choice (the culture or
guild must be chosen immediately and cannot
be changed)

WEALTH You gain either 10 gc immediately

or 3d6 sc per month (your choice); once chosen this talent cannot be changed

WRESTLER You gain +2 Attack or +2 Defense vs Unarmed combat (your choice)

10

DAUNTING You gain +2 Intimidate

You gain +2 vs Reaction tests

11

MULTILINGUAL You gain +5 Language

12

CRAFTY You gain +4 to Hide & Smuggle

= Activate

The number represents how many of the symbols

must be spent. The symbols represent a trait, ability
test, save, etc.
Some talent costs are not denoted by symbols but instead are listed as text. FOR EXAMPLE, the Panacea
talent lists Knowledge Ability Test, as it's cost.
This means a knowledge ability test must be performed (and succeed) before the talent can be used.
If the ability test were to fail, the talent could not be
used and none of the costs would be paid.

Ability Activation
Some talents, magic, items etc. have abilities that
must first be activated before they can be used. Abilities that must be activated will have the symbol
before it. To activate an ability, the player or GM must
declare they are activating the ability then note the effect as activated.
An ability that has been activated can only be used

Part II: Player Character Creation

once per turn. At the start of the player or GM's next
turn, all activated abilities are deactivated and are usable again.

Attack & Defense

The fifth step to creating a PC is finding their attack
and defense numbers. These values are used often in
combat, which is discussed in further detail in PART
6: COMBAT & ENCOUNTERS.

Attack
Attack is a representation of how well a PC can use
a weapon competently during combat or while attacking something. Attack is also a measure of how well a
weapon the PC is wielding performs under combat.
Character's with a high strength trait are skilled melee
fighters because of their physical ability to bash, pierce
and slash their way in battle. PC's who have a high
perception trait are gifted at ranged combat because
of their increased eye-hand coordination and exceptional accuracy in hitting the weak points of their target.
Likewise, a quality weapon, will have a high Damage
number (see page XYZ for details on weapons). These
two numbers, a PC's strength or perception and a
weapon's damage, are added together to find a character's Attack value. FOR EXAMPLE, a character
with a perception of 6 attacking with a combat rifle of
3 damage has a total attack of 9 (6 + 3 = 9).
Some weapons have a damage of 0. This simply
means the quality of the weapon is poor; not that no
damage is inflicted. The same process as described
above still occurs:
1. Find the PC's strength / perception number
2. Find the weapon's damage number
3. Add the two numbers together
In this case, since the weapon damage is 0, only the
character's strength or perception, whether it's a
melee or ranged attack, respectively, would be considered during combat. Likewise if a weapon had a damage of a negative number (such as -2, or -3), the
weapon's damage would be subtracted from the
strength or perception of the PC.
Character's who wield dual weapons, or switch from
one weapon to another, will often have different attack values for each weapon since the damage rating
of weapons are often different. Dual-wielding characters do not receive an additional attack because of the
second weapon.
Once your character has purchased a weapon, add it's
damage to your PC's strength (if a melee weapon) or
perception (if a ranged weapon) and write down the
attack number on a sheet of paper or character record
20

Part II: Player Character Creation

sheet (see page XYZ). FOR EXAMPLE, a character
with a strength of 7 wielding a melee weapon with a
damage of 2 would have an attack of 9 (7 + 2 = 9).

Defense
Defense is calculated in the same way attack is except instead of strength or perception, a character's
ability to dodge an incoming attack uses their dexterity
trait number. And instead of a PC's weapon damage,
their armor's Toughness number is added to their
dexterity to find their Defense value. FOR EXAMPLE, a character with a dexterity of 5 and armor of 2
block has a defense of 7 (5 + 2 = 7). A character using a ranged weapon with 4 damage would combine it
with their perception of 5 for an attack of 9 (5 + 4 =
9).

Additional Character Information

The final step to creating a PIC is fill in an assortment
of miscellaneous information. You may have given
this some thought all throughout the character creation process, but now it's time to give your PC a
race, name, personality and background.

Choose a Race
Fantasy and science-fiction worlds are full of creatures
and species ranging from the mundane to the fantastic.
In the OPEN ADVENTURE game, you have the option to choose whichever race you want from the list
below, depending on which sounds most fun. The different races have no in-game effects other than their
size (see page XYZ for rules regarding character size),
but are instead there purely for cinematic and flavor
purposes. With permission from your GM, you may
create your own race or play one not listed. You don't
have to know all the personalty traits of a race to begin playing one; if in doubt, make it up!
The races provided above are different if playing a
medieval fantasy game rather than a science-fiction
game. However, if you wanted to share the races between genres, ask your GM if it is appropriate.
HUMAN: (Medium/Average) Most OA characters will
be humans. Humans are the most wide-spread of all
the races. The human traits of curiosity, resourcefulness and unyielding courage have helped them to
adapt, survive and prosper in every world they have
explored.

Open Adventure

Common Races & Species

Fantasy Races

Science-fiction Species

Elf

Android

Dwarf

Changling

Felidae

Dushraki

Gnome

Genetic Clone

Human

Human

Kitsune

Klangon

Lizardfolk

Mutant

Minotaur

Reptoid

Ogre

Vultan

Troll

V'Ruari

Fantasy Races
ELF: (Medium/Slim) Elves are graceful, slender demihumans with delicate features and pointy ears. They
can be dangerous opponents, able to fight with any
weapon, melee or ranged, and use magic spells as
well, but prefer to spend their time feasting and frolicking in wooded glades. They rarely visit cities of
men. Elves are fascinated by magic and never grow
weary of collecting spells or magic items. Elves love
beautifully crafted items.
DWARF: (Small/Stout) Dwarves are short, stocky
demi-humans with long, respectable beards and heavy
stout bodies. Their skin is earthen tone and their hair
black, gray or dark brown. Stubborn but practical
dwarves love grand feasts and strong ale. They admire
craftsmanship, and are fond of gold and stonework.
Dwarves are dependable fighters and are sturdy
against magical influences.
FELIDAE: (Medium/Average) Felidaens are several
sub-races of feline demi-humans. They are large bipedal humanoids with a feline head, claws, fur and
tail. The colors and markings of their fur can vary
greatly from one of a tiger, lion or leopard. Felidaens
are very tribal, keeping few records of their past. They
share a tight bond with one another and are extremely loyal to their kin. Their focus and courage in
battle are known in far away lands.
GNOME: (Small/Average) Gnomes are small, wiry tinkerers who live underground. Their skin color ranges
from dark tan and woody brown. Their hair is fair and
eyes often varying shades of blue. They are great mechanics and inventors, and are known for their knowledge and eccentric behaviors. Most gnomes wear
plain clothing but admire intricate stitching and fine
jewelry.
KITSUNE: (Medium/Slim) Kitsunes, also known as
foxfolk, are demi-humans with the body of a man and

21

Open Adventure
the head, claws, fur and tail of a fox. Kitsune have a
love for trickery and deception. They delight in the
arts, especially riddles and storytelling. Foxfolk live in
ancestral clans, sharing wisdom passed down from
one generation to the next. Their quick wits and nimbleness have gotten them out of many troubles before.
LIZARDFOLK: (Medium/Average) Lizardfolk are water-dwelling humanoids with the body of a man and
the head, claws, scaly hide and tails of a lizard or serpent. Lizardmen make large tribal nests in swamps,
rivers and along seacoasts. Lizardfolk live in small
tribes and care little for affairs of men or demi-humans. Most are a drab green or brown color, while
others can be dramatically colorful: bright reds, yellow, blues and greens, like some other reptiles and
serpents.
MINOTAUR: (Medium/Stout) Minotaurs are muscular
nomadic creatures with the body of a man and the
head of a bull. They prefer to live underground in
labyrinths or in wide open plains or steppes. They live
a primitive, tribal existence but have a complex culture
surrounding their courage and prowess in battle.
Minotaurs are fierce opponents due to their brawn,
horned heads and hot temperament.
OGRE: (Large/Stout) Ogres are large, brutish humanoids that appear lazy and fat but are in fact incredibly strong. Their skin color ranges from dull
brown yellow to red, deep blues and even ashen
black. Some ogres have two heads, one eye, or a single horn. Their clothing consists of crudely crafted furs
and hides which add to their naturally repellent odor.
Their culture consists mostly of war, violence and feats
of strength. They have a disdain for humans. Ogres
are said to have descended from giants.
TROLL: (Large/Slim) Trolls are a diverse sapient race
that can be found in nearly any corner of the world.
They walk upright but hunched forward with sagging
shoulders. Trolls can be staggeringly tall, lanky, and
muscular with rubbery blue, green and mottled gray
hides. Many trolls hold no loyalty other than to their
tribe. Their long arms, strong legs and quick reflexes
make them adept hunters.

Science-fiction Species
ANDROID: (Medium/Stout) Androids are machine robots made to resemble the anatomical likeness of a
humanoid. Most, but not all, have two legs, two arms,
a head and torso. Androids can speak, see and think
like humans due to their likeness. Androids are manufactured for many different purposes from industrial
fabrication to warfare. While most androids are
looked upon in most societies as inferior to a biological being, in some areas androids have rebelled
against their makers and created a collective band of
machine men.

Part II: Player Character Creation

CHANGLING: (Medium/Average) An alien species
who's origin is a mystery. These often mis-understood
species' natural state of being is of a liquid form. They
can, however, mimic the shape of other species, albeit
not very well. The details of their shapeshift is never
exact and can make a changeling stand out under
scrutiny. The size of their shape is never larger or
smaller then 1 space in volume. Changlings try to remain impartial in political affairs as not to damage relations with other species. Because of this, they have
no natural enemies and are looked up to by other
races.
DUSHRAKI: (Small/Slim) Dushraki are a small-sized
insectoid alien species with the resemblance of a upright walking cricket. They have large albeit flightless
wings affixed to their back. Their exoskeleton is often
drab green or bright yellow. Dushraki care little for
war, instead engaging in art, music and other forms of
pleasure and entertainment. Dushraki are extremely
intelligent and great inventors. Their culture is varied,
made of the best technology from many other spacefaring societies that they've collected over the generations through trade and commerce. Dushraki are hard
industrious workers and loyal allies. Their honesty is
renown throughout the galaxy.
GENETIC CLONE: (Medium/Stout) These creatures
were designed and created in a laboratory as super
soldiers to fight far off wars for a dystopian empire.
Genetic clones have impeccable bodies for battle:
large muscles, swift, nimble movements and the ability
to endure great hardships. While most clones live and
die fighting wars, some have rebelled or defected to
escape their fate. Without a home world, culture or
history of their own, they wander the expanse of
space taking on various jobs for galactic credits. Some
still enjoy the thrill of combat and seek out bounty
hunting or mercenary jobs while others have tried to
escape their past.
KLANGON: (Large/Stout) Klangons are a vicious humanoid warrior species. The klangons are a proud,
tradition-bound people who value honor and combat.
The aggressive klangon culture has made them an interstellar military power to be respected and feared.
Their fearsome faces and bodies are often adorned
with tattoos and scars from battle.
MUTANT: (Medium/Average) Mutants are not a
species in of themselves, but the result of another
species being exposed to harmful chemicals, radiation
or weapons of war. Because mutants take on
grotesque and debilitating physical symptoms of their
illness, they are considered lesser beings than their
healthy counterparts. This has not stopped mutants
from fighting back from those who attempt to oppress
or segregate them. Some mutants have developed supernatural powers or abilities from their mutations.
Many mutants carry on their mutations to their offspring.
22

Part II: Player Character Creation

REPTOID: (Large/Stout) Reptoids are a pre-historic,
scaly, sapient species that just recently acquired superlunary technology. Reptoids are reptilian creatures
with a green skin color, an aggressive nature, and low
intelligence. They have a crocodile-like appearance,
except for the fact that they are bipedal. They are a
nomadic hunter-gather race that prefers to travel the
stars looking for worthy prey to track and hunt, both
for sustenance and enjoyment.
V'RUARI: (Small/Average) The V'Ruari are a mammalian alien race. Their bodies are typically small in
stature with thick russet hair from head to toe. Their
face has a quasi-monkey resemblance with glowing
yellow eyes and serrated teeth. Because v'ruari cannot
breath oxygen well, they are often seen with mechanical respirators to assist in their breathing. V'Ruari are
clever scavengers who cannibalize floating space debris and abandoned technology, repair it then resell it
to the right buyer for a respectable price.
VULTAN: (Medium/Slim) Vultans are an enlightened
species that uses mental discipline and logic to overcome the pitfalls of emotions and undue passions.
Their advanced technology compliments and enhances their pursuit for mental mastery. Vultants are
tall and slim with broad shoulders and a narrow waist.
Their eyes have an uncanny glow. Extending back
from the crown of the head, vultans have a bony crest
giving their heads a long, sloped look. Although excellent fighters, many vultans prefer to use their technological advancements to win their battles over pure
brawn.

Name Your Character

When choosing a name, you should select one that is
appropriate to the fantasy or science-fiction world in
which your PC will be adventuring in. Ask your GM
about the setting of the world he or she will be designing.
If, for example, it was based on a real-world civilization, culture or canon, a name from that time or place
would be most appropriate. Also take into account
the race or species you have chosen for your character, as each race has a different culture.
Many campaigns use straightforward fantasy and science-fiction elements drawn from numerous sources,
yet these campaigns may not be strongly based on
any of those sources. In which case, you need only
make up a fantasy or futuristic sounding name for
your character and ask the GM if it is appropriate
sounding for the setting and circumstances. Choose a
name carefully. It should be a name you'll like and be
proud to use for your PC. You might find yourself
playing as your character for years, and don't want to
regret the name you gave to him or her.

23

Open Adventure

Personality
Think about how your character speaks, their mannerisms, the way they dress, how they like to spend
their money, how they like to spend their non-adventuring time, and so on.
Additionally, consider how your character views the
morals of good and evil, right and wrong. Is your
character a paragon of virtue, or a pariah of society?
How does your character feel about killing (both innocent and guilty NPCS)? Does he or she always follow
the rule of law, even if it is considered unjust? Understanding the moral and ethical motivations that drive
your character will allow you to better play the personality of your character.

Background
At some point you'll want to think about the background of your character, such as where and when
they were born, how they were raised, who their family and friends are, and what they did in their life up to
the time they enter the adventure the GM has set up.
RELIGIONS: What religion, if any, does your character adhere too? In fantasy campaigns religious organizations have great influences and can help or hinder
an adventurer when they go to towns or meet others
of a certain order. In science-fiction campaigns religion may be as diverse as the alien species that inhabit other worlds. Religious orders may span across
the stars. Your character does not need to belong to
any religious organization, but if they do be sure to
think of how they're involved.
GUILDS: Many different factions, gangs, clans and
bands have risen and fallen from power over the generations. Is your character a member of one of these
guilds? Some of the organizations will be a force of
good, while others will hold a more sinister motive.
Some guilds will simply exist for the self interest of
their members. Think of what influence your character has on one of these guilds, if any.
ROLE: What your character does on a day-to-day basis can be considered his or her profession. Professions, also known as Roles, are usually the same as a
career, but not always. Your character should carry
with them a title that defines their expertise in their
role. FOR EXAMPLE, Paladin, Smuggler, or Pirate
are titles of a profession.
This should not be considered a solo event but more
of a collaborative one. The GM may have some suggestions for your character's background, or even ask
you to change some of the details to better fit the
campaign.
If you're having troubles thinking up a convincing
background, try talking with the other players of the
game. Discuss with them to find out what they have
come up with for their PCs. You may even suggest

Open Adventure

Part II: Player Character Creation

that your character's background intersects with

theirs.
This sort of brainstorming helps build comrade and
establish connections for an adventuring group and
players alike.

Optional Character Information

If you've followed the instructions in this booklet up to
this point, your player character is now complete.
However, the GM may wish for you to determine
some additional information that is considered optional to play OPEN ADVENTURE.
Optional information helps draw out new dimensions
of your character and provide helpful information that
may be of use later in the game.

Height & Weight

Some players and/or GMs like to give personal
weights and heights for their characters based off their
race or species, girth, genetics, etc. If so, a player
should work with their game master to determine an
appropriate height and weight that fits their PC's descriptions and the campaign.
For rules purposes, in OPEN ADVENTURE, lengths
are measured in Spaces (see page XYZ for details on
spaces) with one space usually equaling 1 meter in
length. Weights are measured in Weight (WT) where
1 weight equals 1 kilogram.

Character Heights & Weights

Size

Height

Slim*

Average*

Stout*

Small

1 space

18 wt

20 wt

25 wt

Medium

2 spaces 75 wt

80 wt

105 wt

Large

3 spaces 170 wt

190 wt

240 wt

* Not including weapons, armor, items, etc.

If a character is carrying equipment such as weapons

and armor, that weight should be added to the character's overall weight.
Small characters automatically receive +1 defense and
+1 reflex due to their small stature and ability to
squeeze out of tight places. Large characters automatically suffer a -1 defense and -1 reflex due to their
large bodies and lumbering nature. Medium characters
receive no such bonuses or penalties.

Known Languages
Assign a number of +1 ability points to the language ability equal to your character's intelligence
trait number. These points may be placed in multiple
languages, if desired.

Additional Languages
Roll Fantasy
1d12 Languages

Science-fiction
Languages

Doppleganger

Basilosaurus

Dragon

Calamorian

Elemental

Ornithoin

Fairy

Cosmic Cloud

Gargoyle

Crystalline Entity

Goblin

Doppleganger

Harpy

Extragalactic Jelly

Kobold

Floating Brain

Medusa

Megalisk

10

Orc

Reaver

11

Pixie

Species 4782

12

Pegasus

Xergling

When PCs wish to speak with NPCs of other races or

species, it is often useful to speak several languages.
The most widely used and accepted language is
known as common. Common is spoken by most
humans, fantasy races and science-fiction species.
However, many NPCs speak their own language,
named after their race (for example, klangons speak
klangon). Any NPC with it's own language has a
33% (2 out of 6) chance of speaking the common language as well.
At the GM's discretion, players may choose for their
character to know different or additional languages of
varying fluency. Characters may assign a number of
additional +1 ability points to the language ability
equal to their intelligence trait number. These ability
points may be assigned to one language or spread
across multiple languages. FOR EXAMPLE, a character with an Intelligence 7 would have 7 additional ability points to distribute amongst whichever language or
languages they choose as part of the language ability.
They may wish to place 5 points in common and 2
points in goblin.
The game master may let the players choose a language of their choice (each race and species listed in
PART 7: NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS has their
own language, including humans, named after the
race itself) or may randomly choose a different language from the table above.
To use the table above, roll 2d6. If the white die reads
4-6, add +6 to the black die roll. Consult only the
black die roll when using this table. Alternatively you
may roll 1d12, if you have a twelve-sided die available.
When a character is trying to understand a language
they're not particularly fluent in, the controlling player
24

Part II: Player Character Creation

should make a language ability test for the specific language they are trying to understand (the character
must have 1 or more points in the language to make
this test). When making this test, do not count the intelligence trait number of the character, only the number of ability points assigned to the particular language.
If a character's language ability test is 5 or higher,
they understand the language.

Open Adventure
stage above adulthood. Characters younger than
adulthood will have the opposite modification to
their traits.
Characters who are exceptionally young ( their adolescence stage or younger) or exceptionally elderly (
through their elderly stage or older) suffer three -1's
to one or more physical traits and three -1's to one or
more mental traits, instead.

Character Age Modifiers

Guild Languages

Age Stage

Physical

Mental

Often times guild, leagues or factions, especially those

which are also a secret society, will have their own
language known as a Guild Language, a form of
covert communication made up of secret passwords,
hand shakes, jargon, symbols and gestures.

Adolescence

+1

-1

Adulthood

Middle Age

-1

+1

Golden Age

-2

+2

Elderly

-3

+3

At the GM's discretion, a character who is a member

with a guild (and considered in good standing with the
group) may know that guild's language; allowing them
to speak fluently with anyone else who is also a member.
However, because the passwords and secret gestures
are always changing, if a character were to leave the
guild at some point they would soon find themselves
not knowing what the new secret sayings meant and
grow more and more distant from the guild's secret
language as time carried on. Likewise, guild languages
change not just over time, but great distances as well.
A member of the same order from a distant land or
planet may not speak the same guild language or in
the same manner as other characters.
Guild languages will have a number of additional ability points assigned to them equal to the number of
years the character has been a member of the guild. If
the character has left the guild, they will lose 1 ability
point assigned to that guild language equal to the
number of years that they have left the guild.

Age
Most adventurers will begin their journey at a young
but suitable age. However, if a player wishes to create
a character who is younger or older than usual, they
should discuss with the game master on an appropriate age for their character.
At the GM's discretion, a certain species could have a
lifespan anywhere from a few decades to a few centuries. The game master should decide an appropriate
number of years that each species typically lives before they succumb to old age; then divide the number
of years into five equal stages (see the table to the below).
If a character is older than adulthood, they suffer -1
to a physical trait: strength, dexterity or health
(player's choice) and gain +1 to a mental trait: perception, intelligence or charisma (player's choice) for each
25

Alignment
The actions, deeds and intentions of a character,
whether they are good or evil, will begin to effect how
NPCs perceive and treat that character. The more evil
a character is, for example, the less liked they are by
those who align themselves with justice and law but
the more accepted they are by other evil individuals.
How good or evil a character has become is represented by a number of Alignment Points (AP). There
are two types of alignment points: good AP and evil
AP. Characters can receive 1 alignment point for each
time they do one or more of the following:

Good Alignment Points

Donate 1 gc to a church, guild, organization or

person of good intent

Harm an evil-aligned character for good reasons

Perform an overtly selfless act for no compensation

Evil Alignment Points

Donate 1 gc to a church, guild, organization or

person of evil intent

Harm a good-aligned character for evil reasons

Perform an overtly selfish act resulting in loss or

suffering of others

A player can never have good and evil AP at the same

time. If a player has collected alignment points of one
type but then receives an AP of the opposing type the
two points cancel each other out resulting in the loss
of both.
When interacting with NPCS, player characters add

Open Adventure

Part II: Player Character Creation

their character's AP with the NPC's AP. For every 10

points, all characters involved receive +1 (if of the
same alignment type) or -1 (if of the opposite alignment type) to all charisma ability tests. FOR EXAMPLE, a character with 15 good AP encounters a goblin with 10 evil AP. The total of the two alignments is
25, giving a -2 to both the character and goblin when
making a charisma-based ability test (such as a reaction roll).

Alignment Points
AP Total Agreeing
Alignments

Opposing
Alignments

0-9

Neutral

Neutral

10-19

+1

-1

20-29

+2

-2

30-39

+3

-3

40-49

+4

-4

50

+5

-5

If a character has less than 5 AP, they are considered

neutral and do not receive any bonuses or penalties,
even if the other PC or NPC has 5 or more AP.
After a character is created, they may begin their first
adventure with any number of AP (either good or evil)
that they choose, but may never have more than 25
alignment points.
Alignment points will have various effects throughout
the game. The effects may include:

Charisma-based tests (reactions, loyalty, barter,

persuade, etc.)

Revealing of information from NPCs

Access to protected areas or membership to

guilds

If a character fails a charisma test involving an NPC of

an opposing alignment, the GM will secretly make a
reaction roll on the character's behalf with the appropriate modifiers (see page XYZ for details on reactions). If he or she rolls low, the NPC may become
hostile or attempt to sabotage or betray the character.

Tech Levels
Certain cultures or societies are technologically superior or inferior to another society. A Tech Level (TL)
is a way of rating a society's understanding of what
they consider current technology. FOR EXAMPLE, a
cave man would consider current technology to be an
atlatl, mortar and pestle or flint-napped arrowhead. A
pilot of the future, on the other hand, would consider
current technology very differently! Their understanding of technology would more likely involve hyper-light drives, starships and computers.
Two characters of the same intelligence trait could experience difficulty in understanding a technology outside the era they're most familiar with using. FOR EXAMPLE, a knight from the middle ages would be utterly lost when it came to using a starship.
In OPEN ADVENTURE there are a total of 16 tech
levels.

Antiquity

Tech Level 0 Stone Age

Tech Level 1 Bronze Age

Tech Level 2 Iron Age

Tech Level 3 Medieval Age

Tech Level 4 Colonial/Renaissance Age

Modern

Tech Level 5 Machine Age

Tech Level 6 Atomic Age

Tech Level 7 Computer Age

Tech Level 8 Space Age

Tech Level 9 Bioengineering Age

Future

Tech Level 10 Artificial Intelligence Age

Tech Level 11 Antimatter Age

Tech Level 12 Star-faring Age

Tech Level 13 World Building Age

Tech Level 14 Dysonian Age

Tech Level 15 Matter Transmission Age

Tech levels are a classification of a technology based

off a type of age or era from which it originated. Each
character should be assigned a tech level that they are
considered to be most familiar with using. FOR EXAMPLE, an iron age shaman would feel most at
home with an iron age tech level; while a genetically
engineered assassin would feel at home in the bioengi26

Part II: Player Character Creation

neering era or higher.
The GM should decide which, and how many, tech
levels are appropriate for the adventure or campaign
that they wish to have the PCs explore. Each player
should choose one TL from the list of allowed tech
levels for their PC. The chosen tech level will be the
character's standard tech level. An adventurer is
considered to be most familiar with the technology of
that age. Alternatively the GM may assign a tech level
to each character depending on the PC's background
and history.
When playing OPEN ADVENTURE, players will find
and interact with various technology. If the GM
chooses, he or she will populate the world with technology from different ages, each of which carries an
originating tech level. FOR EXAMPLE, a dagger
would be an iron age (TL 2) weapon.

Open Adventure
of Experience Points (XP) a character must obtain
before they can be promoted. A character must collect a number of XP equal to the minimum amount
for the level they wish to reach.
Starting at level I, after achieving a new level players
are allowed to randomly select one new talent from an
archetype of their choice (talents & archetypes are discussed on page XYZ).
Next, the character's maximum HP is increased by
1d6 points. The character also gains 1d6 +1 modifiers for any abilities of their choosing. Lastly, any
characters with 1 or more points in their magic trait
gain access to a new tier of magic equal to their new
level. FOR EXAMPLE, a character promoted from
2nd to 3rd level would be able to use 3rd tier spells
and psionics (as well as all lower tiers of magic) for
which they had the appropriate type of mana.

Every time a character attempts to use a technology

outside their familiarity, they receive a positive or negative modifier depending on how exotic the tech appears to the PC. For every 1 TL above the character's
standard TL that a technology is, the adventurer suffers a -2 to all attempts to use that technology. FOR
EXAMPLE, an adventurer from the machine age
would receive a -2 if they attempted to use technology
which originates from the atomic age. They would receive a -4 for using computer age technology.

Level Advancement

Every time a character makes an ability test while using technology that is more primitive than their current understanding, they receive a -1 for every 2 tech
levels below their standard TL from which the technology originates. FOR EXAMPLE, a character from
a star-faring age would receive a -1 for using technology from the artificial intelligence age, but no TL
modifier from using technology from the antimatter
age.

Level V

Tech Level Modifiers

TL Difference

Modifier

Every 1 TL Higher -2 to use technology

Every 2 TL Lower

-1 to use technology

Gaining a New Level

Randomly select one talent from an archetype of
your choice. Your PC gains 1d6 HP and 1d6 ability
points. Your adventurer can use the next tier of
spells and psionics (if they have 1 or more points in
their magic primary trait)
In total, there are five levels a character can achieve:
level I, level II, level III, level IV & level V. However,
characters begin their first adventure at level 0.
Each level (other than level 0) has a minimum amount
27

Level

Total XP Required

Level 0

Level I

500 XP

Level II

2,000 XP

Level III

4,500 XP

Level IV 8,000 XP
12,500 XP

After 5th level, no additional bonuses or benefits are

gained other than once every additional 18,000 experience points gained the character may randomly select 1 talent from an archetype of their choice.
The game master should refer to page XYZ for details
on how players earn XP.

Open Adventure

Part II: Player Character Creation

Example Character Creation

1. With 30 points to allocate, 25 of the points are
assigned to the six primary traits with the results
of Strength 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 4, Dexterity 5, Health 7 and Charisma 3. These numbers are recorded in pencil on a sheet of paper.
2. The player saves the last 5 points for the Magic
trait.
3. The player notes the pros and cons due to their
character's primary traits:
A. A STRENGTH score of 3 means the character will add 3 to their Melee Attack.
B. A PERCEPTION score of 3 means the character will add 3 to their Ranged Attack.
C. An INTELLIGENCE score of 4 means the
character can assign 4 Ability Points.
D. A DEXTERITY score of 5 means the character will add 5 to their Defense.
E. A HEALTH score of 7 means the character
gets 7 Health Points and 7 Stamina Points.
F. A CHARISMA score of 3 means the character will make Reaction tests at a value of 3.
4. The player assigns the 4 ability points their character got from their intelligence trait to the following abilities: +1 Lock pick, +1 Knowledge
[Magic] and +2 Engineer [Set Traps]. The player
must also assign ten -1 modifiers, and chooses
the following abilities: -4 Swim, -2 Teach, -2
Jump, -2 Bureaucracy [Elves]. These numbers
are written down on the paper with all other
abilities considered to have a +0 modifier.

5. The player writes down their character's three

save numbers: Fortitude 3 (the same as
Strength), Reflex 3 (the same as Perception)
and Will 4 (the same as Intelligence).
6. Because the character has Magic 5, the player
may choose five mana types. The player selects: 3 Black Mana and 2 Green Mana.
7. The player rolls 2d6+3 for a roll of 11, which
gives the character 11 silver coins (sc) with
which to buy equipment.
8. The player decides to buy the following list
of equipment: scaled leather armor (25 sc),
dagger (3 sc), backpack (5 sc), five torches (5
sc), 12 rations (60 sc), tinder box (3 sc), rope
(1 sc), an iron spike (1 sc) and a musical instrument (5 sc). There are 2 silver coins left over.
9. Scaled leather has a toughness of 3. The
player adds this number to their character's
Dexterity 3 to get a Defense of 6 (3 + 3 = 6).
10. A dagger has a damage value of 1. The player
adds this number with their character's
Strength 3 to get a Melee Attack of 4 (1 + 3 =
4).
11. Current experience is marked as 0 and 500
is written as the total necessary to become a
1st level character.
12. The player is female and decides her character
will also be female. She decides her character
is an adult felidaen witch named Ashelia
Greenroot.

28

Part III: Equipment & Services

Adventurers who risk their lives embarking on a quest
are far more likely to survive their ordeal if properly
equipped and armed for the dangers that lie before
them.
This should not be considered a complete list of
equipment, but rather an example of the type of gear
a game master can offer in his or her own campaign.

below table is as follows:

WEAPON NAME describes the basic type of weapon
it is considered to be. The name is different for fantasy and science-fiction genres, but all other rules are
the same. Note ranged weapons require ammunition
to use, with one ammunition being spent per use.
FOR EXAMPLE, a crossbow needs a quarrel to be
fired in order to use the weapon.

Money

COST is the amount of coins or credits that must be

spent to purchase the weapon.

Roll 2d6+3 to determine starting money for your PC

in silver coins or star credits.

DAMAGE is the number that determines how many

of a enemy's health points are lost when a character
attacks with the weapon. A weapon's damage number
is added to a character's strength or perception (depending on if the weapon is melee or ranged).

In OA, there are three types of currencies used when

making trades or purchases. Copper Coins (CC) for
fantasy or Common Credits (CC) for science fiction
games, are the smallest denomination used for purchasing items and equipment. 100 CC is worth 1 Silver Coin (SC) for fantasy or Star Credit (SC) for scifi. 100 SC is worth 1 Gold Coin (GC) or Galactic
Credit (GC) for science-fiction.
Before the game begins players roll 2d6+3. This is
the amount of currency (in SC, see below) their character begins with in the game. Use this money to purchase weaponry, armor and expedition gear before
game play.

Money Denominations
100 Copper Coins

= 1 Silver Coin

100 Silver Coins

= 1 Gold Coin

100 Common Credits

= 1 Star Credit

100 Star Credits

= 1 Galactic Credit

All three types of currency are universally accepted

just about anywhere there is commerce. Treasures
found in the hinterlands or far reaches of space will always have a value given in either copper, silver or
gold coins or in core, star or galactic credits.

Equipment List
The items listed here are common enough that they
can be found for sale by most merchants selling such
wares.
If a character wishes to purchase an item not found
on this list, the GM should carefully consider if such
an item would be appropriate for the campaign, and if
so a reasonable price for which it would be sold (see
page XYZ).

Common Weaponry
The weapons table on page XYZ shows a basic list of
starting weapons for sale. Weapon information in the

RANGE is the maximum number of spaces a ranged

weapon can attack a distant target. This number will
rise or fall depending on the number of positive or
negative modifiers from a dice roll. FOR EXAMPLE, a
weapon with Range 3 would be brought to Range 5
with a +2 dice roll (3 + 2 = 5).
WEIGHT is the amount the weapon weighs. The unit
of weight is 1 kilogram = 1 weight. See page XYZ
for details on weight and encumbrance.
HANDEDNESS is the number of hands required to
wield the weapon. Weapons require either one or two
hands to use.
TECH LEVEL is a determination of which age or era
the weapon was created in. See page XYZ for rules
on tech levels.
ABILITIES are the effects a weapon can achieve during combat. Most abilities have a cost that must first
be paid for the effect to resolve.

Common Armor
The armor table is a basic list of armor for sale commonly found at any merchant who sells such things.
Armor information in the below table is as follows:
ARMOR NAME describes the basic type of armor it is
considered to be. The name is different for fantasy
and science-fiction genres, but all other rules are the
same.
COST is the amount of coins or credits that must be
spent to purchase the armor.
TOUGHNESS is the number that is added to a character's dexterity. This number helps determine how
many points of damage from a enemy's attack are
canceled by the armor.
WEIGHT is the amount the armor weighs. The unit of
weight is 1 kilogram = 1 weight.

30

Part III: Equipment & Services

Open Adventure

Fantasy Weaponry
Weapon

Cost

Damage Range Weight Handedness Tech Level Ability

MELEE WEAPONRY
Axe, Hand

60 cc

1 wt

1H

0+

Axe, Battle

3 sc

3 wt

2H

14

: +1 Damage
: Knockback 1

Cestus, Spiked

50 cc

wt

1H

23

: Stun
: +1 Damage

Club, Baton

30 cc

2 wt

1H

0+

4 sc

5 wt

2H

14

Sweep
: Stun
: Knockback 1

30 cc

wt

1H

1+

: +1 Damage

Flail

1 sc

1 wt

1H

25

Hammer, Maul

2 sc

5 wt

2H

Hammer, War

1 sc

2 wt

1H

Sweep

Polearm, Lance

2 sc

4 wt

1H

35

Reach 1

50 cc

9 wt

2H

35

Reach 1

Polearm, Glaive

4 sc

3 wt

2H

34

Reach 1
Sweep
: Sunder 1
: Pierce 1

Quarterstaff

2 cc

2 wt

2H

0+

Reach 1

Rod, Mace

50 cc

2 wt

1H

3+

Rod, Morningstar

1 sc

2 wt

1H

3+

Scythe

1 sc

1 wt

1H

23

Sword, Bastard

5 sc

3 wt

2H

Sword, Long

4 sc

2 wt

1H

34

: Bleed 1
: Sunder 1

Sword, Rapier

3 sc

1 wt

1H

: Bleed 1
: +1 Damage

Sword, Scimitar

3 sc

1 wt

1H

34

: Bleed 1
: +1 Damage

Sword, Short

1 sc

1 wt

1H

3+

30 cc

1 wt

1H

13

Club, Kanabo

Dagger

Polearm, Pike

Whip

: +1 Damage

: Stun

: Stun

: Stun

Bleed 1
: +1 Damage
Reach 1

= Stamina Points, = Activate, = Power Points

See page XYZ for details on weight and encumbrance.

TECH LEVEL is a determination of which age or era

31

the armor was created in. See page XYZ for rules on
tech levels.

Open Adventure

Part III: Equipment & Services

Fantasy Weaponry (Continued)

Weapon

Cost

Damage Range Weight Handedness Tech Level Ability

RANGED WEAPONRY
Atlatl*

30 cc

1 wt

1H

Blunderbuss***

80 cc

2 wt

1H

45

: Knockback 1
: Stun

Blowgun**

40 cc

wt

1H

03

: Stun
: +1 Range

Bow, Long*

40 cc

16

1 wt

2H

14

: +1 Damage
: Bleed 1
: +1 Range

1 sc

11

1 wt

2H

24

: +1 Damage
: Sunder 1

30 cc

10

1 wt

2H

03

: Pierce 1

Crossbow, Hand**

4 sc

2 wt

1H

14

Crossbow, Light**

3 sc

11

3 wt

2H

24

: +1 Range

Crossbow, Heavy**

5 sc

13

9 wt

2H

34

: Stun
: +1 Damage

Pistol, Flintlock***

50 cc

1 wt

1H

: Bleed 1
: Pierce 1

1 sc

4 wt

2H

10 cc

wt

1H

04

: Stun
: +1 Damage

Bow, Recurve*
Bow, Short*

Musket***
Sling***

THROWN WEAPONRY
Axe, Throwing

80 cc

2 wt

1H

05

Bola

50 cc

2 wt

1H

Dagger, Throwing

30 cc

1 wt

1H

26

40 cc

wt

1H

2 sc

2 wt

1H

4+

Area 3
: Burn 2

Javelin

15 cc

1 wt

1H

3+

Net

20 cc

1 wt

2H

1+

Area 3
: Entangle

Spear

40 cc

1 wt

1H

0+

Star, Throwing

20 cc

wt

1H

24

: +1 Damage

1 sc

2 wt

1H

25

Arrows (10)

25 cc

1 wt

Quarrels (10)

30 cc

wt

Saltpeter (10)

1 sc

1 wt

Pellets, Lead (10)

3 cc

2 wt

Dart
Grenade, Saltpeter

Trident

: +1 Damage
: Entangle

AMMUNITION

* = Requires Arrows, ** = Requires Quarrels, *** = Requires Pellets, = Requires Saltpeter,

= Stamina Points, = Activate, = Power Points, 1 = One-time Use Only

32

Part III: Equipment & Services

Open Adventure

Science-Fiction Weaponry
Weapon

Cost

Damage Range Weight Handedness Tech Level Ability

MELEE WEAPONRY
Axe

3 sc

3 wt

2H

14

: +1 Damage

Blackjack

50 cc

2 wt

1H

46

: Stun

Brass Knuckles

50 cc

wt

1H

5+

Chain

1 sc

4 wt

2H

56

: Reach 1
: Entangle

Chainsaw, Heavy**

3 sc

10 wt

2H

613

: Sunder 2

Chainsaw, Normal**

2 sc

5 wt

1H

613

: Sunder 1

Crowbar

50 cc

5 wt

2H

3+

Cutiken

3 sc

1 wt

1H

1013

Garrote

10 cc

wt

2H

1+

Gauntlet, Stun

80 cc

wt

1H

612

: +1 Damage

Hammer, Sledge

1 sc

5 wt

2H

512

: Knockback 1

Hammer, Meteor

4 sc

2 wt

1H

Machete

1 sc

1 wt

1H

3+

Nunchaku

1 sc

wt

1H

: Stun
: +1 Damage

Subspike

3 sc

3 wt

2H

10+

Bleed 1
: +1 Damage

Sword, Laser

1 gc

wt

1H

13

: Sunder 2

Sword, Hook

1 sc

2 wt

2H

57

Dual Wield: Reach 1

Omnikatar

2 sc

wt

1H

11+

: Bleed 1

Reactive Blade

1 sc

1 wt

1H

12

: +1 Damage

50 cc

9 wt

2H

12

Vibrokatana

2 sc

1 wt

2H

912

: Sunder 1

Vibrostaff

2 cc

2 wt

2H

913

Reach 1

25 cc

2 wt

Trappike

Sweep

Sweep
: Reach 1
: Entangle

AMMUNITION
Fuel/Energy (10)

= Stamina Points, = Activate, = Power Points, ** = Requires Fuel / Energy

33

Open Adventure

Part III: Equipment & Services

Science-Fiction Weaponry (Continued)

Weapon

Cost

Damage Range Weight Handedness Tech Level Ability

RANGED WEAPONRY
Machine Gun, Heavy*

8 sc

18

15 wt

2H

712

Machine Gun, Medium*

5 sc

13

10 wt

2H

612

Machine Gun, Light*

3 sc

13

5 wt

1H

612

Phaserblade Repeater**

1 sc

3 wt

2H

13+

: Sunder 2

Pistol, Laser**

40 cc

wt

1H

11+

: Stun

Pistol, Revolver*

25 cc

1 wt

1H

512

: Pierce 1

Pistol, Semi-Auto*

20 cc

1 wt

1H

612

Plasma Thrower**

15 sc

25 wt

2H

68

: Burn 1
: +1 Damage

Rail Cannon***

20 sc

30 wt

2H

911

: Stun
: Knockback 1
: +1 Damage

Rifle, Assault*

40 cc

12

5 wt

2H

712

Rifle, Battle*

1 sc

13

5 wt

2H

712

40 cc

15

2 wt

2H

612

: Pierce 1

5 sc

1 wt

1H

11+

30 cc

15

3 wt

2H

512

Rifle, Sniper*

2 sc

18

8 wt

2H

712

: +1 Damage

Rocket Launcher***

4 sc

4 wt

2H

711

Area 3
: +1 Damage

Shotgun, Combat*

5 sc

10

5 wt

2H

511

: Knockback 1
: Sunder 1

Shotgun, Full-auto*

40 cc

11

5 wt

1H

710

: Knockback 2

Shotgun, Semi-auto*

30 cc

13

4 wt

1H

611

Submachine Gun*

20 cc

11

2 wt

1H

712

Area 3
: Burn 1

Rifle, Bolt Action*

Rifle, Laser**
Rifle, Lever Action*

: Stun

THROWN WEAPONRY
Thermite Grenade1

1 sc

wt

1H

812

20 cc

1 wt

1H

13+

Bullets (10)

3 cc

wt

Fuel/Energy (10)

25 cc

2 wt

Projectiles (10)

30 cc

2 wt

Entangler

Area 4
: Entangle

AMMUNITION

* = Requires Bullets, ** = Requires Fuel / Energy, *** = Requires Projectiles,

= Stamina Points, = Activate, = Power Points, 1 = One-time Use Only

34

Part III: Equipment & Services

Open Adventure

Armor
Fantasy Armor

Science-Fiction
Armor

Cost

Tough Weight Tech Level

ness

Ability

LIGHT SUITED ARMOR

Garment, Cloth

Uniform, Cloth

Garment, Leather

Uniform, Battle Dress

Garment, Brigandine Flak Jacket

50 cc

2 wt

0+/3+

: +1 (this ability
may only be used once
a day)

1 sc

4 wt

03/4+

3 sc

10 wt

23/612

: +1 Defense until
end of turn

MEDIUM SUITED ARMOR

Mail, Chain

Vestment, Aramid

15 sc

2/4

18 wt

24/712 : +2 Defense until

end of turn

Mail, Plated

Vestment, Ballistic

5 sc

3/5

18 wt

24/712 Roll: For every

rolled, +1 Defense until end of turn

Scale, Bronze

Exoskeletal Frame

5 sc

4/6

13 wt

13/8+

-1 Dexterity
+1 Strength

Scale, Iron

Nanosuit, Mesh

20 sc

5/7

14 wt

23/9+

Scale, Leather

Nanosuit, Adaptive

2 sc

3/5

12 wt

13/9+

: +2 Defense until
end of turn

HEAVY SUITED ARMOR

Banded, Iron

Power Armor, Siege

25 sc

7/9

15 wt

23/12+

Banded, Leather

Power Armor, Tactical

5 sc

5/7

12 wt

13/12+

: +1

Plate, Iron

Tank Suit, Basic

60 sc

8/10

22 wt

3/12+

-1 Reflex Save

Plate, Steel

Tank Suit, Advanced

2 gc

9/11

22 wt

3/12+

-2 Reflex Save

Shield, Buckler

Shield, Mobile

1 sc

+1

2 wt

0+

Shield, Heraldic

Shield, Riot

2 sc

+2

6 wt

24/5+

Shield, Tower

Shield, War Mantlet

3 sc

+3

13 wt

25/11+

: Sunder 2

SHIELDS*
: +1 Defense until
end of turn

ARMOR ACCESSORIES
Armor Spikes

Armor Blades

5 sc

5 wt

24/10+

Shield Spikes

Shield Blades

1 sc

2 wt

1+/9+

Attacks as a Dagger

= Stamina Points, = Activate, = Power Points, = Health Points, * = Requires One Free Hand to Use

35

Open Adventure

Part III: Equipment & Services

Services

Retainer Reactions & Loyalty

Whether looking for hired help to take out a goblins

lair, or a crew to accompany them on a space voyage,
or even for people to manage their estates or resurrect an ally; adventurers will eventually need the services of other, non-player, characters. Hired NPCs
come in two types:

Test Result Hiring Cost Hirelings Mercenaries

Retainers

Hirelings

Mercenaries

Specialists

Hired NPCs will ask for compensation based on the

number of days they're hired, demanding 50% of the
payment before they do any work.
Although hired NPCs may travel with an adventuring
party; they do not consider themselves a member of
the party; but rather an employee hired by one of the
PCs. Because of this, NPCs may desert or even rebel
against their employer if they feel they are being mistreated, placed in unnecessary danger or sent on a
suicide mission.
Each hired NPC must have one player character designated as their leader. In times of duress NPCs may
make a morale test (see PART 6: COMBAT & ENCOUNTERS on page XYZ for details on morale).
The retainer's leader may make a leadership test to
bolster courage and confidence in the retainer. If the
retainer's leader fails their leadership test, the hired
NPC may attempt to run away, sabotage the expedition or threaten the player characters.

Retainers
Retainers are non-player characters that agree to join
an adventuring party as a soldier, guard or other form
of hired arm. However, some retainers may be hired
for unskilled labor or mundane tasks and jobs. Retainers come in two types: hirelings or mercenaries.
When a player character attempts to hire a retainer,
the PC should attempt a bargain ability test. The GM
should consult the table below to determine the retainer's hiring price and morale.
Game masters should refer to page XYZ for details on
creating NPCs.

Hirelings
Hirelings are NPCs who work only for pay, especially
in a menial or boring job, with little or no concern for
the value of their work. Because of their lack of care
for their work, and their focus on money, hirelings are
generally considered to be not trustworthy. However,
hirelings are relatively thrifty to hire for one or two
quests.

0 or less

20% More

1 Morale

3 Morale

1-3

10% More

2 Morale

4 Morale

4-6

3 Morale

5 Morale

7-9

10% Less

4 Morale

6 Morale

10+

20% Less

5 Morale

7 Morale

See page XYZ for details about morale

The experience level of most hirelings range from

commoners to adventurers of the same level or less as
their PC leader.
The cost for hirelings is different for each type, but
the cost is always multiplied by the NPC's level. FOR
EXAMPLE, a level 2 fighter would cost 80 sc per day
(40 sc x 2 = 80 sc). Level 0 hireling costs are always
multiplied by instead of 0. Commoners are always
at level 0, but if a commoner ever gains a level
through experience points, they will be considered a
fighter, healer, magician or spy (game master's
choice).

Hireling Costs
Type & Level

Cost per day

Commoner (Level 0)

10 sc

Fighter (Combat Talent)

20 sc x Level

Healer (Heal Talent)

15 sc x Level

Magician (Magic Talent)

40 sc x Level

Spy (Subterfuge Talent)

12 sc x Level

Player characters will need to provide hirelings with

any equipment (weapons, armor, etc) and transportation before beginning their adventure. Although
hirelings do not usually get a share of any treasure
found on a quest; they are counted as an additional
player when splitting experience points (see page
XYZ) amongst all players involved. In fact, hirelings
can gain experience points and new experience levels
over time.

Mercenaries
When characters need an entire army rather than just
a few helpers, they can hire Mercenaries. Mercenaries are trained troops that will work and fight for payment. The hiring costs for mercenaries is listed on
page XYZ. The costs are different for each type, but
each mercenary has a starting experience level. For
mercenaries of the same type but of higher levels,
multiply their hiring costs by the number of levels
higher than their base level and add it to the total cost
for hire.
36

Part III: Equipment & Services

Open Adventure

Mercenary Costs & Details

Fantasy Type

Science-fiction

Cost per day Level Attack Defense Health Stamina

Archer

Rifleman

25 sc

10

12

15 HP

15 SP

Calvary, Heavy

Shock Trooper, Heavy

1 gc

15

15

24 HP

27 SP

Calvary, Light

Shock Trooper, Light

50 sc

12

12

13 HP

13 SP

Calvary, Medium

Shock Trooper, Medium

75 sc

13

14

19 HP

16 SP

Crossbowman

Bounty Hunter

20 sc

10

12

13 HP

11 SP

Footman, Heavy

Genetic Super Soldier

15 sc

10

11

12 HP

12 SP

Footman, Light

Enforcer

10 sc

5 HP

7 SP

Horse Archer

Warfare Android

15 sc

11

10

14 HP

10 SP

Longbowman

Sniper, Longshot

50 sc

13

12

15 HP

18 SP

Militiaman

Militiaman

5 sc

3 HP

3 SP

Prices listed are during peacetime (prices double during war)

FOR EXAMPLE a warfare android costs 15 sc per

day. If the android was third level (one level higher
than normal), the game master would multiply the
base price by the number of levels higher than normal, then add the total to the base price; bringing the
cost to 30 sc a day (15 sc x 1 = 15 + 15 sc = 30 sc).
Mercenaries supply their own equipment, weaponry,
armor and so on; but all food and general provisions
must be covered by the player characters. Mercenaries
never work alone, insisting on working in a group of
no less than five mercenaries (themselves and at least
four other mercenaries). For every 20 mercenaries
hired, a castellan or lieutenant must be hired (see page
XYZ) to lead the group.

Specialists
Specialists are professionals who are experts in a particular field of study. When characters need specialized
help or insight, they should hire a specialist.
Specialists will not expose themselves to danger and
do not usually accompany characters on adventures.
Like mercenaries, however, specialists supply their
own equipment; but require food and general provisions from the PCs.
The costs for a specialist depend on the type. A list of
common specialists and their hiring costs is listed on
page XYZ. For the price of a specialist not listed, the
game master should assume to have the hiring cost of
20 sc per day hired (if the specialist is skilled) or
price (if the specialist is unskilled).

Transports
Whether to cross a desert, ocean or sea of stars, eventually adventurers will want to travel by means other

37

than their feet. In a fantasy campaign, nearly all transportation is animal, water or wind based. In a sciencefiction adventure, these types of vehicles exist but the
primary method of getting around is with a starship.
A list of common transport types, along with prices
and other details, can be seen on page XYZ through
XYZ. This should not be considered the complete list
of transports, but rather an example of the type of
transportation a game master can create for his or her
own campaign. Transportation information in the
transport tables is as follows:
TRANSPORT TYPE describes the basic type of vehicle or transport it is considered to be.
SPEED is the number of spaces the vehicle can travel
on either an overland or stellar map in an eight-hour
interval (see page XYZ for more on movement).
CARRYING CAPACITY is the amount of weight the
transport can carry before it moves at half it's movement speed. Transports can carry up to a maximum
of twice their listed carrying capacity. Transports that
require a crew of characters to operate do not count
the crew weight when calculating carrying capacity.
Transports pulling drawn vehicles use the carrying capacity of the cart or wagon instead of their own carrying capacity. When pulling a drawn vehicle, a transport moves its normal speed if the drawn vehicle is
carrying it's carry capacity or less in weight; or half
speed if the vehicle is carrying over it's carry capacity.
Some transports (such as a train) have a special ability
to pull more than one drawn vehicle. When this is the
case, if one or more of the drawn vehicles has more
than it's carry capacity in weight, the transport moves
at half speed. A drawn vehicle cannot carry more than
twice its carry capacity.

Open Adventure

Part III: Equipment & Services

Specialist Costs

of it's maximum health points in order for it to function. If a transport has 0 or less health points it is considered dead or destroyed. A destroyed transport cannot be repaired.

Fantasy
Specialist

Science-fiction
Specialist

Cost
per day

Animal Trainer

Alien Animal Keeper

1 gc

Armorer

Armorer

20 sc

Artillerist

Artillerist

15 sc

Bailiff

Repairman

10 sc

Using a Transport

Blacksmith

Metalsmith

50 sc

Castellan

Lieutenant

4 gc

Chamberlain

Waste Disposal

10 sc

Chaplain

Priest

1 gc

Before using a transport, an adventurer must first be

adjacent to the vehicle, then mount or enter it. Next,
the character must ride (if the transport is an animal)
or pilot (if the transport is a vehicle) the transport in
order for it to work properly.

Chemist

Chemist

2 gc

Chief Magistrate Arbiter

4 gc

Engineer

Engineer

1 gc

Equarry

Biologist / Botanist

10 sc

Guard Captain

Security Expert

8 gc

Herald

Ambassador / Spy

80 sc

Magist

Professor of Paraforce

6 gc

Marshal

Recruiter / Scout

10 sc

Provost

Tax Collector

10 sc

Reeve

Accountant

1 gc

Sage

Historian

4 gc

Seneschal

Assistant

80 sc

Sheriff

Constable

10 sc

Spellcaster

Psionicist

Varies

Steward

Logistics Expert

2 gc

Warden

Warden

10 sc

NAUTICAL / STELLAR
Rower

Mechanic

5 sc

Sailor

Starship Specialist

20 sc

Ship's Captain

Starship Captain

50 sc

Ship's Navigator Starship Navigator

30 sc

DEFENSE is the amount a transport deflects or blocks

damage (such as from incoming attacks). See page
XYZ for more on defense.
HEALTH POINTS is the measure of how much damage the vehicle or transport can take before being disabled or destroyed. When a non-living transport (such
as a vehicle) has less than half of it's maximum HP, it
suffers the disabled condition (see page XYZ for more
on conditions).

COST is the amount in coins or credits to purchase

the transport. Some transports can only be rented, in
which case they will be noted with this status.

Characters may spend actions operating transports

(such as steering, slowing down or speeding up). After
a character has successfully performed an action operating a transport, the action takes effect on the transport immediately. FOR EXAMPLE, a character
spends a standard action accelerating a motorbike.
Immediately after the character performs this action,
the vehicle accelerates forward.
A transport that is in motion will automatically move
twice per turn a number of spaces equal to it's current
speed (once after each of the controlling player's standard actions, or once in the middle and once at the
end of the turn, otherwise) as free actions. FOR EXAMPLE, a character riding a pony makes a ranged attack targeting a nearby enemy. After the character's
attack, the vehicle would continue to move it's current
speed of 6 spaces per action. The PC then steers the
vehicle in a new direction. After the character finishes
the steering action the vehicle would move another 6
spaces.
Actions from transports that have no controlling
player will take effect after all other characters (including NPCs) have completed their turn; in order of the
game master's choosing.

Uncontrolled Transports
If while riding or piloting a transport requires great
skill from the controlling character (such as driving a
vehicle while in combat or steering during bad
weather), the GM may require the character operating
the transport to make a handle animal or pilot ability
test. Failing the test means the transport suffers the
uncontrolled condition (see page XYZ for details).
If a character is killed or stops controlling the transport (such as from jumping out of or away from the
transport), the transport is also considered uncontrolled.
An uncontrolled transport will naturally slow down,
moving half the speed of it's previous movement.

A disabled transport must be repaired to half or more

38

Part III: Equipment & Services

Open Adventure

Fantasy Land Transportation

Fantasy Transports

Cost

Speed

Carry
Capacity

Defense Health

Weight

Balance

Tech Level

Camel

10 sc 24 MV

150 wt

15 HP

150 wt

Dogs, Sled (8)

24 sc 30 MV

5 wt ea.

5 HP ea.

35 wt ea.

Donkey / Mule

2 sc

16 MV

100 wt

7 HP

100 wt

Elephant

20 sc

8 MV

300 wt

20 HP

3,800 wt

Horse, Draft

4 sc

16 MV

225 wt

15 HP

225 wt

Horse, Riding

7 sc

36 MV

150 wt

10 HP

150 wt

Horse, War

2 gc

20 MV

200 wt

20 HP

250 wt

Oxen

60 sc 20 MV

225 wt

18 HP

860 wt

Pony

3 sc

32 MV

100 wt

6 HP

100 wt

Carriage

15 sc

650 wt

9 HP

325 wt

24

Cart, 1 Horse

10 sc

200 wt

8 HP

200 wt

+2

1+

Cart, 2 Horses

10 sc

400 wt

8 HP

250 wt

-3

2+

Chariot

10 sc

150 wt

5 HP

100 wt

-2

13

Sled

2 sc

100 wt

4 HP

10 wt

+2

0+

Sleigh

15 sc

600 wt

9 HP

250 wt

2+

Wagon, 2 Horses

20 sc

680 wt

10 HP

450 wt

+1

24

Wagon, 4 Horses

20 sc

1,200 wt

13 HP

500 wt

-5

24

Travois

50 cc

90 wt

2 HP

20 wt

+3

05

3 sc

10 wt

15 wt

15

Saddle Bags

50 cc

40 wt

5 wt

1+

Barding, Chain Mail

30 sc

20 wt

24

Barding, Iron Scale

1 gc

30 wt

24

Barding, Leather

10 sc

10 wt

14

Barding, Steel Plate

3 gc

150 wt

34

DRAWN VEHICLES

ACCESSORIES & ARMOR

Saddle & Tack

For each additional turn the transport is uncontrolled,

the animal or vehicle will continue to slow, moving at
half the speed (rounded down) of it's previous movement until it comes to a complete stop. FOR EXAMPLE, an adventurer is driving a hovercraft when he is
shot and killed by a distant sniper. The hovercraft was
traveling 10 spaces per move action during it's last
movement, before the character was killed. At it's
next movement, the transport slows to 5 spaces (10 /
2 = 5) per move action. Since transports move twice
each turn, the vehicle moves again but only 2 spaces
(5 / 2 = 2, rounded down). On the third turn the vehicle coasts 1 more space; finally coming to a full stop
as it's second movement for that turn.

39

Note that vehicles moving in outer-space do not decelerate naturally unless a character slows the vehicle
down. That is to say, a moving space vehicle will not
stop on it's own!
Uncontrolled air-based transports will naturally drop 1
vertical space every turn it is uncontrolled until it eventually lands or crashes.
A transport that crashes, capsizes or rolls-over (see
page XYZ) will stop immediately. A vehicle that becomes disabled will also immediately become uncontrolled until it is repaired, regardless of whether a
character was operating it prior to it's disablement.

Open Adventure

Part III: Equipment & Services

Science-fiction Land Transportation

Sci-fi Transports

Cost

Speed*

Carry
Capacity

Automobile, Bus

Defense Health Weight

80 sc

24 MV

800 wt

20 HP

6,500 wt

-5

511

Automobile, Urban

15 sc

40 MV

200 wt

10 HP

1,600 wt

512

Automobile, Luxury

2 gc

34 MV

200 wt

11 HP

1,600 wt

-1

311

Automobile, Racing** 50 sc

64 MV

100 wt

10 HP

700 wt

510

Truck, All-Terrain

20 sc

32 MV

400 wt

10

18 HP

2,000 wt

+5

612

Truck, Transport

8 sc

28 MV

500 wt

7 HP

2,500 wt

-2

6+

Truck, Heavy Utility**

2 gc

16 MV

5,000 wt

12

36 HP

10,000 wt

6+

Bicycle

6 sc

24 MV

80 wt

3 HP

10 wt

+3

4+

Motorbike

70 sc

24 MV

100 wt

7 HP

200 wt

+3

5+

Sandrail

20 sc

24 MV

100 wt

7 HP

500 wt

+4

611

Speeder Cycle

1 gc

52 MV

150 wt

8 HP

200 wt

+2

10+

Hovercraft

30 sc

24 MV

300 wt

12 HP

600 wt

+1

10+

Train, Transport**

4 gc

12 MV

27,000 wt1

12

40 HP 200,000 wt

49

Train, Maglev**

8 gc

200 MV 25,000 wt

12

30 HP 180,000 wt

7+

Balance Tech Level

DRAWN VEHICLES
Trailer, Long Bed

1 gc

3,000 wt

7 HP

4,500 wt

6+

Trailer, Short Bed

10 sc

500 wt

3 HP

2,000 wt

-2

5+

Plasticoid Cargo Pod

2 sc

200 wt

5 HP

1,500 wt

+1

10+

Train Car, Box

50 sc

4,000 wt

7 HP

12,000 wt

4+

Train Car, Passenger

1 gc

3,500 wt

8 HP

10,000 wt

4+

ACCESSORIES & ARMOR

Armor, Ceramic Tile

3 gc

200 wt

811

Armor, Grafted Steel

30 sc

1,500 wt

4+

Armor, Molded Alloy

1 gc

100 wt

8+

Armor, Soft Shell

10 sc

50 wt

59

Cargo Bags, Cycle

50 cc

10 wt

10 wt

4+

Cargo Bags, Buggy

3 sc

40 wt

40 wt

5+

* = Speeds listed are for overland travel (if traveling on a road multiply the speed by 20), * = Cannot travel overland (use unmodified
speeds only), 1 = May pull up to a number of train cars equal to 1/100 of it's listed carry capacity

Transport Movement & Speeds

See page XYZ for details on maps.

All transports, except for space-based vehicles, have

speeds listed as the number of movement points they
can spend traveling through an overland map during
an eight-hour interval (see page XYZ for details on
movement and spaces). Space-based vehicles have
two methods of propulsion: sublight engines (which allow a transport to move through a stellar map) and
FTL drives (which allow a vehicle to move through an
astronomical map).

EXPLORATION MOVEMENT: To determine the

number of movement points a transport has to spend
during a one hour interval, divide the transport's
speed by 8. FOR EXAMPLE, a donkey would have 2
MV for every hour of travel.
COMBAT MOVEMENT: Often, transports are used
during combat.

40

Part III: Equipment & Services

Open Adventure

Fantasy Water Transportation

Fantasy Transports

Cost

Speed

Carry
Capacity

Defense Health Weight

Balance Tech Level

Barque
Canoe, River
Canoe, Sea
Galley
Longship
Passage
Passage, Airship
Raft
River Barge
Row Boat
Skiff
Sloop
Trireme
Troopship

Common Transport Actions

Action

Action Type

Accelerate

Standard Action

Decelerate

Standard Action

Steer (yaw, pitch and/or roll)

Standard Action

Move (Transports Only)

Standard Action

Operate a System*

Full-Turn Action

* Starships Only

During tactical time, a character may spend their actions operating a transport (such as to slow down, accelerate or steer the vehicle or animal).
MOVEMENT ACTIONS: When in motion, transports
automatically move twice per turn in two separate
movement actions. Transports will start at rest (not
moving at all) but may be accelerated to increase
speed by moving a number of spaces per movement
action up to it's maximum speed (of MV per action).
To determine the maximum number of spaces a transport may move during a move action, divide the transport's overland speed by 4. FOR EXAMPLE, a bicycle
can move up to 6 spaces for each of it's move actions
(24 MV / 4 = 6 MV).
Transports can move backwards up to their maximum forward speed (rounded down). FOR EXAMPLE, a camel can move forward 6 spaces for each
41

move action, but backwards only 3 spaces for each

move action.
To determine the maximum speeds of spacecraft traveling across stellar maps, refer to the rules on page
XYZ, instead.
ACCELERATION & DECCELERATION: Characters
may choose to slow down or accelerate a transport by
1 space for each of the transport's move actions.
Characters may choose to do this as a standard action. However, a transport may not travel faster than
it's maximum speed per move action. FOR EXAMPLE, a speeder cycle traveling at 11 spaces per move
action could be accelerated to 12 spaces per move action if a character spent one of their standard actions
increasing the speed of the vehicle. The character
may perform this action once more on her turn, increasing the speed of the vehicle to it's maximum
speed of 13 spaces per move action.
Note that spacecraft have sublight engines which follow alternative acceleration and deceleration rules (see
page XYZ for more on sublight engines); therefore
spacecraft are an exception to the rule above.

Steering & Maneuvering

During combat or tactical time it may be necessary for
a character controlling a transport to steer it away
from obstacles or other hazards. Characters may even
attempt to run over enemies with their transports (see
collisions on page XYZ).

Open Adventure

Part III: Equipment & Services

If the players and game master are using square grids

for their play mat, the turning radius of every transport is considered to be 45 from the current direction
of travel. If the players and GM are using a hexagonal
grid for their play area, transports are considered to
be able to steer 60. See page XYZ for details on
square and hexagon grids.
FOR EXAMPLE, a longship piloted by a character is
moving 30 spaces per turn. On the character's turn,
they choose to steer the ship to their right. The ship
turns 45 to the right (the longship is now facing diagonally from it's previous direction of travel). Next, the
ship moves another 30 spaces in it's new direction.
The character continues to steer the ship to the right
another 45 as their second standard action (the vessel is now facing perpendicular to the longship's original direction). The ship moves another 30 spaces.
The turning radius of steering functions the same way
when navigating a transport vertically, as in the case
of air-based transports. A character may steer vertically and horizontally together as one standard action.

Collisions
If a transport collides with an object such as an adventurer or other vehicle, it deals damage equal to 1% of
it's weight (rounded down) for every 3 spaces per turn
it is traveling. The transport itself suffers half the damage it inflicted. Characters can make a reflex save,

with a success reducing the damage suffered by half.

FOR EXAMPLE, a runaway two-horse wagon collides
with an adventurer. The wagon was traveling at 10
spaces per turn and has a weight of 450. 1% of the
wagon's weight (rounded down) is 4. Since the
wagon's speed is 5 per move action (or 10 per turn),
the weight of 4 is multiplied by 3 for a total of 12
damage. The character makes a reflex save and succeeds, reducing the damage the character suffers to 6.
The wagon takes 3 damage.
If a transport collides with a small object that is able to
be moved out of the way (rather than absorb all the
energy from the collision), the GM may decide to reduce the number of damage inflicted by of the original damage instead and suffer no damage to the colliding transport.

Spacecraft
Spacecraft are complex machines, buildings, transports or siege weapons that operate predominately in
outer-space. Spacecraft come in many different sizes
and serve many different functions. Spacrcraft are divided into three general classes, based off their primary purpose:

Starbases

Starships

Starcraft

Science-fiction Water Transportation

Sci-fi Transports

Cost

Speed

Carry
Capacity

Defense Health Weight

Balance Tech Level

42

Part III: Equipment & Services

Starbases
Starships
Starships have eight primary systems that make up
the build of the craft. Some starships have Installment
Slots which are areas on the ship that allow for additional systems to be installed.
The eight primary systems are:
1. Bridge / Cockpit
2. Life Support System
3. Shield Generator
4. FTL Drive
5. Sublight Engine
6. Weapons Control
7. Power Generator
8. Hull

Starship Systems
Each starship system is installed in an installment slot
within a starship. An installment slot is Volume 2x4x2
in size and can house the entire system. Typically an
installment slot is fit into an Area 4 room, though
larger rooms are possible.
A character must spend a full-turn action and successfully complete an appropriate ability test to operate a system on a starship. For rules purposes, each
system is assumed to be 2,000 in weight.
BRIDGE / COCKPIT: A Bridge is where a character
can steer the starship. In order for a spaceship to turn
left, right, up or down, a character must be adjacent
to the bridge and spend a full-turn action to perform a
pilot ability test: If successful, the PC turns the craft
for that turn. See page XYZ for details on transport
maneuvering.
LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM: A Life Support System
(LSS) maintains an artificial gravity environment and
oxygen flowing throughout the spacecraft.
A life support system runs automatically and does not
require a character to operate it. However, an adjacent character may spend a full-turn action to perform
a medicine ability test: if successful the PC may disable
or enable an LSS.
A broken or disabled life support system results in the
loss of both Gravity (see page XYZ for gravity rules)
and Oxygen Points (OP) at a rate of 1 point per turn
throughout the entire ship. If the LSS is activated, it
will increase the ship's oxygen points by 1 point per
turn and restore gravity instantly.

43

Open Adventure
A Breach (see page XYZ) in the hull will result in the
affected room to immediately drop to 0 OP and lose
all gravity. Any adjacent rooms with connecting open
airlocks or doorways will suffer the same effects.
A ship or room with 5 or less oxygen points will result
in all occupying characters to suffocate (see page XYZ
for details on suffocation).
SHIELD GENERATOR: Shield generators produce
Shield Points that surround and protect a space vessel. For each shield point a starship has, it will deflect
1 attack (regardless of the number of damage that attack may inflict).
A character adjacent to a Shield Generator (SG) system may spend a full-turn action to perform an engineer ability test: if successful, the ship's shield points
are replenished by 1 point. FOR EXAMPLE, a shielding system that is missing 2 points would recover 1
shield point after a character successfully operates the
system.
A shield generator that has 0 or less points will not
deflect attacks.
FTL DRIVE: Faster-than-light Drives are special reactor warp engines that propel a starship to incredible
speeds exceeding the speed of light, allowing adventurers to travel the galaxy. An FTL Drive's (FTL) trait
is speed.
The speed of an FTL drive represents the number of
spaces it can travel on an astronomical map (see page
XYZ for details on maps and spaces) over an eighthour interval.
All FTL drives have a Spool Number. Immediately after an FTL Drive has stopped, it's spool number is 0.
A PC adjacent to an FTL drive system may spend a
full-turn action to perform an engineer ability test: if
successful, the character increases the drive's spool
number by 1 point. When an FTL drive's spool number reaches it's maximum, the drive can begin traveling across the astronomical map again.
SUBLIGHT ENGINE: The sublight engine of a starship is the propulsion used to move the vessel when
not in faster-than-light travel. Sublight Engines (SE)
have three traits: Maneuverability, Speed and Carrying Capacity. Maneuverability is the number that determines how fast a starship can speed up or slow
down, in spaces, per turn on a stellar map. FOR EXAMPLE, a motionless starship with an engine of maneuverability 3 could begin moving across the map at
3 spaces per turn at the start of it's next turn. The following turn it could travel 6 spaces per turn (3 + 3 =
6) if it continued to speed up. Likewise, the ship could
slow down 3 spaces per turn. Starships in space don't
slow down naturally; a character adjacent to a
bridge/cockpit must spend a full-turn action to perform a pilot ability test: if successful, the pilot may accelerate or slow down the ship.

Open Adventure
Speed of a sublight engine is the maximum speed it
can travel, in spaces, per turn on a stellar map.
Carrying capacity of a sublight engine is treated the
same way as carrying capacity of any other transport
(see page XYZ for more on carrying capacity).
WEAPONS CONTROL: Weapons control is a system that allows a character to fire weapons of differing types. Each ship has only one weapons control
system, but each weapons control can have one or
more Weapons Bay (WB). For each weapons bay a
ship has, one weapon can be equipped to the starship
for attack capabilities on the port, starboard, aft or
bow of the spacecraft. For a weapon to fire, a character adjacent to the weapon's control system must
spend a full-turn action to perform a ranged weapon
ability test: if successful, the PC may use any readied
weapons bay that turn.
POWER GENERATOR: Without a Power Generator
(PG) no other system on a starship would work.
Power generators provide energy to power each of
the seven other primary systems, as well as any additional systems installed in installment slots. For each
Energy Point (EP) a power generator has that number
of EP can be used to power systems on a starship.
Systems require as much energy points as their class
number. FOR EXAMPLE, a class 3 system would require 3 energy points to function.
Power generators work automatically and do not need
any character to operate the system. However, if a
character wants to re-route power from one system to
another they must stand adjacent to the system and
spend a full-turn action performing an engineer ability
test: if successful, the adventurer may re-route power
until end of turn.
HULL: The Hull represents a starship's overall toughness and ability to take damage. A hull has two values:
Armor, which represents the amount of damage
which is deflected when attacked, and Integrity Points
(IP) which act as a starship's equivalent to a character's health points (see page XYZ about health points).

Part III: Equipment & Services

sucked into outer-space. Characters exposed to outerspace or depressurization receive a dying condition
(see page XYZ) but may still move and perform actions. See page XYZ for details on outer-space.

Upgrades & Construction

The cost to upgrade a starship's system is effected by
the physical location in which the upgrade is performed. The size of a population on a planet or starbase where the upgrades are made will determine if
the upgrade is expensive, cheap or even possible.
Populations are divided into five general sizes: outpost, colony, spaceport, metropolis and city planet.
Outposts, being the smallest, usually lack the equipment to upgrade starships. The few systems they can
upgrade come at a steep price.
City planets, on the other hand, are technologically
advanced space-faring societies that can offer the upgrades at a low price.
The game master should consult the table on page
XYZ to determine the price for a starship upgrade.
The listed price must be paid for each system upgrade.
The benefit to upgrading a starship system depends
on which system is being upgraded. FOR EXAMPLE,
upgrading a bridge would increase the ship's ability to
yaw, pitch and roll increasing it's defense by making it
harder to hit. Upgrading the shield generator, on the
other hand, would increase the number of shields the
ship controls.
Characters may choose to expand their ship by
adding more floor space. Floor space may be purchased and installed for 5 sc for each Area 2 of floor
space. Installment slots cost 50 sc for each slot.

Starcraft

A hull's armor functions the same as a character's armor during combat (see page XYZ for details about
armor during combat). When a hull has 0 or less integrity points, the ship is destroyed and any characters
on board are killed immediately.
A Breach can occur when a weapon with a breach
ability causes the hull of a starship to breach. If a
breach occurs, it effects the room that the breach occurred in. The damaged room immediately loses all
oxygen as well as any adjacent rooms with connecting
open airlocks or doorways. A breach can be repaired
after a character of the same room has successfully
passed a repair ability test.
Any characters inside a room when a breach occurs
must make a reflex save. A failure means they are
44

Part IV: The Adventure

This chapter covers general game rules, how a party
of characters can set forth on their own expedition
and individual character ability rules. Later in the
chapter advanced game rules for long-term play cover
how PCs can build and maintain their own dominion.

General Game Rules

After the players have created their characters, using
character record sheets (see page XYZ for a template)
or a sheet of paper to record primary traits and other
information, the GM will describe the situation.
Often the characters are presumed to have already
met one another and formed an adventuring party,
but this is completely up to the GM. The game masters description at the beginning of the game might
include a few details about the world or galaxy, or this
knowledge might be reserved for the players to discover bit by bit. Regardless of the amount of campaign information revealed, the GM will describe the
characters immediate surroundingsa tavern, a
derelict outpost, an orbiting science station, or whatever other situation the GM has chosen as the starting
point for the adventurers careers.
After setting the scene, the course and success of the
party hinges on the players judgment and creativity.
The players tell the GM what their characters are doing, such as Otael climbs the slope, sword in hand, to
see whats at the crest, or, I turn on my thermal imager and head down the stairs. The GM responds by
telling the players what the characters see, hear, taste,
smell and feel.
There will sometimes be peaceful or violent encounters with non-player characters (NPCs), and the GM
will play the roles of these, either playing the part or
giving the players a summary of what the NPC says
and does.

Party Size & Composition

The enemies that inhabit dungeons, starships, wildernesses and strange moons are far too numerous and
powerful to take on all by yourself. Instead, it is much
safer to form a band or group of adventurers known
as a party. A party of adventurers can help protect
and watch out for one another.
The best size for a party of adventurers is between 4-6
characters, though smaller groups can survive as well.
This size provides enough people to take on the challenges they may face in their expeditions, but not too
many to slow down the pace of the game.
It is smart to have a variety of talents, spells/psionics,
strengths and weaknesses amongst the individual adventurers to gain the benefits that each character provides. Characters who are primarily fighters or warriors offer protection from dangerous enemies. Char-

acters who are sneaky and can go unseen can reach

areas other less-dexterous characters may not. Magic
wielding characters who harness the power of spells
and/or psionics bring to the party a potent combination of tricks and abilities. Characters who focus on
helping, as well as healing, their fellow comrades in
arms will be welcomed to any party that finds themselves surrounded by dangerous things.
Most GM's allow a player to control only one character at a time. However, certain circumstances, such as
when only a few players are available to play OPEN
ADVENTURE, players may control two or more characters. Characters may also hire NPCs to assist them
in their conquest, such as take up arms or provide an
expertise missing amongst the party.

Organizing A Party
Before leaving a village, or after touching down on a
planet of their choosing, the party should arrange a
Marching Order. A marching order is the physical
order of position that the characters form while exploring new frontiers. Party members should determine which character is scouting out front, who's
searching in the middle, and who is following at the
rear of the party.
Players should devise their own style of marching orders when opening doors, searching rooms, fighting
enemies and so on. A common marching order is to
have the characters form a column two-by-two as they
advance forward; though this may have to change depending on the width of corridors and other changing
circumstances.
Characters who are wearing full or heavy armor
should take the point position (in the front) of the
party or remain in the rear to guard the backs of the
characters. Physically weaker characters (such as
wielders of spells and psionics) should remain close to
the middle of the party as to best be protected against
enemies, traps, etc.
Amongst the group, players should designate different
responsibilities to players. These responsibilities include:
THE CALLER: One player should be elected to discuss with the players the best course of action for the
group as a whole, then inform the game master what
everyone has chosen for their characters to do. This
player is called The Caller. Individual players may tell
the GM what their characters are doing; but the game
runs smoother if the players first discuss it amongst
themselves then have the caller tell the GM what the
group has decided.

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Part IV: The Adventure

THE MAPPER: One player should draw a map of the
surrounding area that the characters search, as they
explore it. This player is refereed to as The Mapper.
Maps are drawn to help the players visualize the area
the characters have explored and provide a record of
direction and details on the sections previously
searched. A good mapper should listen carefully to
the descriptions the GM provides to draw a good representation of the area. Pay close attention to proper
direction, shape and size of rooms and corridors. It's
also a smart idea to make a note of any traps, enemies or unusual features encountered. A proper map
is always easy to read and understand.
THE QUARTERMASTER: One player should be
chosen to keep a written record of any equipment,
money or treasure that is shared amongst the party.
However, individual items that are used only by one
character should be tallied and monitored by the
player who's character owns the items. Any party or
group loot should be noted on a separate piece of paper by The Quartermaster. Make sure to keep a detailed record on the amount of each item, the condition or status of the item, the perceived worth or appraisal of any treasure and where each piece of equipment is being stored.

Preparing for an Adventure

Before journeying off into the wilderness, an uncharted star system or new frontier, the party should
formulate a plan on what they wish to accomplish. A
party should consider the following steps as a guideline:
1. WHAT TO DO: Choose the goal of the adventure, where to go and how to get there.
2. SUPPLIES NEEDED: Determine what
weapons, armor, equipment and transports
will be needed to complete the quest.
3. EQUIP & OUTFIT: The characters should
choose how to buy and equip the party with
the gear they need.
4. MARCHING ORDER: Discuss the positions
and tactics the party will use to contend with
combat or deal with a dangerous or surprise
situation.

Maps, Spaces & Scale

A Space is a measurement of distance an adventurer
can walk, run, climb, and so forth. Spaces can be represented by grid squares or hexagons on grid mats or
graph paper (see page XYZ in PART 9: GAME
MASTER INFORMATION). Spaces can represent
both horizontal as well as vertical lengths. In most situations involving player characters interacting with
their environment, 1 space equals 1 meter. However,
spaces can represent larger areas depending on the
47

Open Adventure
type of Map used (see below).

Maps
A map is the play space the characters adventure and
explore in. Characters who travel on horseback for a
day's travel, for example, will do so on a map representing a large countryside. Similarly, a starship traveling from one part of the galaxy to another will operate in a larger map still. The changing of map sizes is
known as Scale. Scale is the number, in meters, that
1 space represents.
In OPEN ADVENTURE there are four different types
of maps, each with a different scale:

Local Map

Overland Map

Stellar Map

Astronomical Map

Each map is used to represent a large or small area.

Fantasy medieval campaigns only use local and overland maps, while science-fiction adventures may use
all four.
LOCAL MAP: Local Map is used when adventurers
are exploring a small area such as a dungeon, forest,
hut or small hamlet. In a local map, 1 space equals 1
meter.
OVERLAND MAP: Overland Maps are used when
characters travel great distances through a countryside, mountain range, coastal beach, etc. Traveling
through an overland map usually represents a day's
travel. In an overland map, 1 space equals 1,000 meters (known as a kilometer).
STELLAR MAP: Stellar Maps are used in sciencefiction campaigns when starships use their Sublight
Engines (see page XYZ) to pilot around a local star
system at slower-than-light speeds. Space combat
takes place over stellar maps. In stellar maps, 1 space
equals 1 million meters (known as a megameter).
ASTRONOMICAL MAP: Astronomical Maps are
used when starships travel great expanses of space.
When characters must pilot starships to travel to distant planets, stars or space stations, an astronomical
map is used. Travel across an astronomical map usually represents a day's travel at faster-than-light
speeds. In an astronomical map, 1 space equals 1 million terrameters (known as an exameter).
Unless stated otherwise, local maps are the default
map used when players are moving around a local
area. Because of this, spaces typically measure 1 meter in length unless using a different map type; or
mentioned otherwise. Maps of indoor or underground
areas are always represented using square grid lines,
while outdoor or outer-space areas are always represented using hexagon (hex for short) grid lines.

Open Adventure

Part IV: The Adventure

Elevation

time is divided into speeds different than real time.

Difference in height, such as altitude or elevation gain,

can provide bonuses or penalties to attacks, and effect
transport movement when traveling over steep terrain. Elevation is measured by drawing contour lines
on local or overland maps.

There are four distinct Time Intervals:

Counter lines on a local map equal 1 space in height

change while contour lines drawn on overland maps
represent topography change of 10 spaces in height.
See page XYZ for details about character & transport
movement over contour lines. Page XYZ covers rules
concerning combat and attacking from high ground.

Distance, Area & Volume

Spaces (SP) are used when determining if something
is within range, such as a ranged weapon (see page
XYZ). Certain spells, weapons, items etc. will target
an Area within the game. Areas are measured in spaces squared (length multiplied by width) and are denoted as Area AxB where A is the area's length and
B is it's width. FOR EXAMPLE, an Area 5x3 would
simply mean an area consisting of 5 spaces long and
3 spaces wide. If only one number is given for an
area, it is assumed the area is a square with equal
lengths and widths.
Spells, items, armor, etc. that deal with Volume are
measured in spaces as well. Volume is denoted as
Volume AxBxC where A and B are the length and
width, respectively, and C is the height of the volume.
FOR EXAMPLE, a poisonous gas cloud of Volume
5x3x2 would be 5 spaces long, 3 spaces wide and 2
spaces tall. If only two numbers are given for a volume, the first is assumed to be for the length and
width and the second number is for the height. FOR
EXAMPLE a fog cloud of Volume 5x4 would be 5
spaces long and wide and 4 spaces tall. If only one
number is given for a volume, it is assumed the volume is a cube with an equal length, width and height.
All areas and volumes are assumed to be centered as
best as possible (with equidistant placements being decided by the current turn's player). Unless otherwise
noted, the bottom space of a volume is always sitting
upon the floor or ground surface.

Time Measurement
For the characters, time is not measured in the real
time of the players around the gaming table. Time
may pass faster or slower in the game world, even to
the extent of the GMs mentioning, for example, a
month passes. The GM normally records the passage
of time, but a few GMs delegate keeping track of time
to a particularly trustworthy player. Measuring time
can be important for many reasons; torches burn
down to useless stubs, food is
consumed, and
wounded characters heal damage as they rest. Game

Tactical Time

Cautious Time

Exploration Time

Extended Time

Each time interval has a unique purpose and focus for

player character's and the adventure as a whole.

Time Measurements
Type

Game Time

1 Turn

6 Seconds

1 Minute

10 Turns

1 Round

10 Minutes

1 Hour

6 Rounds

1 Day

24 Hours (Morning, Noon & Night)

TACTICAL TIME: Tactical Time is the slowest measure of time. Tactical time is used during combat or
other moments of great importance in which every
action, large and small, must be played out second-bysecond. Tactical time is played out in a series of Turns
where 1 turn represents 6 seconds of game time.
CAUTIOUS TIME: Cautious Time is used when adventurers are in a potentially dangerous area and want
to move slowly and cautiously. Cautious time is played
out in a series of Minutes where 1 minute represents
10 turns.
EXPLORATION TIME: Exploration Time is a prolonged period of time used when actions or events
take approximately 10 minutes to complete such as
eating food or landing a starship. Exploration time is
played out in a series of Rounds where 1 round represents 10 minutes.
EXTENDED TIME: Extended Time is the longest of
the four segments of time measurement. Extended
time is used when characters are traveling over great
distances or performing a task that takes a prolonged
period of time. Extended time is played out in a series
of Hours, where 1 hour represents 6 rounds.
For longer period of time, time should be measured in
Days. A day is divided into three eight-hour stages:

Morning

Noon

Night

MORNING: This is when adventurers wake up, pack

any gear they have laying around, eat their first meal
and prepare for the day's events. It's also when they
48

Part IV: The Adventure

Open Adventure

begin their travels to a destination.

Terrain Temperatures

NOON: After characters have traveled for one third of

the day, they are usually tired and hungry. Characters
typically decide to setup camp or stop their starship
for the remainder of the day. Noon is commonly used
to eat lunch, scan or search for anything of use, and
prepare for the impending night.

Terrain

Day Temp.

Night Temp.

Underground

28 TP

28 TP

Water

28 TP

27 TP

NIGHT: Night time is typically when the adventurers

take turns guarding the group while everyone else
sleeps. Adventurers often work hard during the day
and require a full eight hours of sleep to be rejuvenated for the following day.

Snow

27 TP

26 TP

Lava

120 TP

120 TP

Ocean / Sea

28 TP

28 TP

Temperatures

River / Lake

29 TP

28 TP

Swamp / Marsh

29 TP

28 TP

Jungle / Rain Forest 32 TP

30 TP

Forest

29 TP

28 TP

Plains / Grassland

30 TP

28 TP

Desert / Wasteland

33 TP

27 TP

Canyon / Cliffs

32 TP

27 TP

Hill

30 TP

28 TP

Mountain

28 TP

27 TP

Snow

27 TP

26 TP

Glacier / Ice

26 TP

24 TP

Outer-Space

TP

TP

Red Giant Star

500 TP

500 TP

White Dwarf Star

2,400 TP

2,400 TP

In a world where the weather can vary greatly

throughout a day, characters will learn the importance
of being suitably dressed. An environment too cold or
too hot can prove cumbersome or even deadly to the
ill-equipped. Temperature Points (TP) is a numerical
expression of how hot or cold something is (ranging
from an individual character or item to a surrounding
environment). Temperatures are described as either a
number, where 1 TP is equal to 10 kelvin, or as a description such as frigid.
A personal temperature of a character or item is the
given amount of heat of that object or character. Personal temperatures can change depending on the type
of clothing a character wears, the environment they
are in or the current weather they're experiencing.

Personal Temperatures

LOCAL

OVERLAND

OUTER-SPACE

Description

Temperature Points

Frigid

27 TP

Cold

28 TP

Chilly

29 TP

Moderate

30 TP

Warm

31 TP

Clothing Temperatures

Hot

32 TP

Swelter

33 TP

The type of clothing characters wear can offer varying

amounts of insulation from cold. The more bulky the
dress, the warmer it'll keep a character. In cold
weather this is a benefit to a character, however in hot
weather bulky garb can raise the personal temperature
of a character beyond a comfortable level.

Most humanoid characters feel comfortable with a

personal temperature of 30. Characters are very sensitive to temperature changes, and can only tolerate a
few points of temperature difference before risking
hypothermia (excessive cooling) or hyperthermia
(overheating).

FOR EXAMPLE, characters in a forest will have a personal temperature of 29 (before being affected by
other factors such as clothing).

Clothing Temperature Modifier

Clothing/Armor

Temperature Modifier

Light Clothing/Armor

Terrain Temperatures

Medium Clothing/Armor +1 TP

The environment of a terrain or surface of an object

offers a base temperature that a character will find
themselves in.

Heavy Clothing/Armor

49

+3 TP

Open Adventure

Game Day Time line:

1. Daybreak (Morning): The GM rolls 2d6 and
consults the chance of encounter table on page
XYZ to determine if the adventurers experience an encounter such as wandering enemy
NPCs. If the PCs experience an encounter, see
step 2 otherwise skip to step 3.
2. If an encounter occurs, the GM should inform
the players. The GM will determine the type,
number and location of the encountered NPCs
according to the rules on page XYZ and have
the nearest character perform a perception test
to determine initiative & surprise. The same
character should perform a leadership ability
test to determine the reaction of the NPC. The
GM consults the reaction table on page XYZ.
Depending on the NPC's reaction and the PC's
actions, combat may ensue.
3. The GM rolls to determine the weather (page
XYZ) for the morning, and makes note of the
temperature effects on foodstuff (for spoilage
purposes, see page XYZ).
4. PCs ready for travel or prepare for the day's
activities.
5. Navigation: If traveling through an overland or
astronomical map, one member of the party
performs a navigate ability test. A failure
means the party is unknowingly lost. See page
XYZ for details on navigation tests.
6. Midday (Afternoon): The party has traveled for
up to eight hours then finds a place to stop and
rest. It is now afternoon, and the party can
perform various tasks before nightfall. The GM
makes another weather check and encounter
roll (2d6). If an encounter occurs, the GM decides the time when it occurs. See step 2.
7. Nightfall (Night): The GM makes another
weather roll and encounter check (2d6) for
night. Often PCs will take turns standing guard
while the rest of the party sleeps. If an event
occurs, the GM decides the time when it occurs. See step 2.
8. A new day begins. Return to step 1.

Expedition Game Rules

Part IV: The Adventure

quest. Lastly, they will discover and complete their expedition by exploring and conquering any challenges
standing in their way of finishing their job.
Once done with their adventure, the party will typically travel back through the wilderness or unclaimed
space to where they were hired in hopes of receiving
their reward. Along their journey, however, many perils stand before the party that must be overcome or
the adventurers risk death. Typically, a day is divided
into three main phases each consisting on eight
hours: morning, afternoon and night.
During the morning characters often choose to ready
their gear and any transport they may be using (see
page XYZ for more on transports). While readying,
the GM records time in rounds (each representing 10
minutes). After readying, adventurers will usually
spend up to eight hours traveling to whatever destination they seek. Characters can travel longer then
eight hours but risk exhaustion (see page XYZ or details).
In the afternoon, characters will stop traveling and set
up camp, power down the systems on their space
ship, or prepare for the evening hours. A GM should
measure the time spent performing such miscellaneous tasks in rounds similar to the morning activities
before travel.
When characters find themselves in a dangerous area,
or wish to move with caution and vigilance, the GM
should record time in cautious time as the party navigates the corridors of a dungeon, space station or
other similar scenario.
The following section outlines common experiences
faced by brave explorers.

Party Navigation
Lost Party Travel Direction
Roll Direction Change
1d6
1

135 Back-Left

135 Back-Right

90 Left

90 Right

45 Forward-Left

45 Forward-Right

Throughout OPEN ADVENTURE a character will

generally find themselves transitioning between three
distinct phases: starting in a village, starport or other
society; the PCs will gain valuable information and
equipment as well as find work to earn themselves
valuable currency.

Unless the party is following a known path or noticeable landmark such as a river or coastline, the adventuring party runs the risk of becoming lost when traveling through an overland or outer-space map.

Typically this requires the party to travel through wild

or uncharted areas to reach the location of their

At the beginning of each day one character should be

elected as a navigator for the entire party.
50

Part IV: The Adventure

Terrain Navigation Modifiers

Terrain

Navigation Modifier

OVERLAND
Ocean / Sea

-4

River / Lake

+1

Swamp / Marsh

-5

Jungle / Rain Forest -3

Forest

Plains / Grassland

+1

Desert / Wasteland

-1

Canyon / Cliffs

-2

Hill

Mountain

+3

Snow

-1

Glacier / Ice

ASTRONOMICAL
Air

+5

Outer-Space

Asteroid Field

-3

Nebula / Supernova -5

Open Adventure
discover their mistake and figure out where they're
presently located. Note the optional weather rules on
page XYZ can affect the chances of getting lost.

Movement & Travel

In OPEN ADVENTURE movement represents the distance, in spaces, a character can move over time. The
number of spaces a character can travel is effected by
four factors:
1. Time Interval (tactical, cautious, exploration
or extended). See page XYZ.
2. Map Type (local, overland, stellar or astronomical). See page XYZ.
3. Number of movement points assigned to the
character or transport.
4. Terrain types and their movement point
costs.
Movement Points (MV) are a number representing
the amount of spaces a character can travel in a given
amount of time on a specific map. With few exceptions, every player character has the same number of
movement points.
Each time interval offers characters a different numberof movement points.

Character Movement Points

Time Interval

Local
Map

Overland
Map

Tactical (Turns)

6 MV

Cautious (Minutes)

12 MV

Exploration (Rounds)

MV

Different terrain types have higher or lower chances

of causing characters to become lost (see the table below).

Extended (Hours)

3 MV

Morning, Noon or Night

24 MV

When making a navigation test, appropriate modifiers

should be applied before the roll. If a navigator fails
their navigate test, the party has become lost.

Turns and minutes are always played on local maps

while rounds and hours are always played on an overland, stellar or astronomical map.

The players should not be informed of this fact. Instead, the game master should roll 1d6 to determine
the direction the party mistakingly traveled.

Spacecraft always move on stellar maps and travel

long-distances through outer-space on astronomical
maps. For each map type (local, overland, stellar and
astronomical) there are different types of terrains,
each costing a certain number of movement points
(see the table below).

The navigator must succeed at a navigate ability test

to prevent the entire party becoming lost. Additional
characters can help assist in this ability test as outlined
on page XYZ. The game master should make this roll
on behalf of the navigator, as to keep the true results
secret.

The GM always make this roll even if it's unnecessarythat way the players never know whether or not
their characters are lost. The game master should secretly note both the player's perceived location of the
party as well as the true location that the lost party
has wandered too.
Once lost, if the navigator continues to fail at navigate
ability tests, the party will continue to travel in error
from the previous day's true location.
If a navigator succeeds at a navigation test, they will
51

Before entering a space, a character or transport must

first spend the number of MV required to move there.
If a character does not have enough MV to enter the
terrain type of the space chosen, they cannot enter
that space. Once a character or transport enters a
space, the player or game master should subtract the
MV cost of entering that space from their remaining
movement points.

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Part IV: The Adventure

A character has a certain number of MV afforded to

them, depending on the time interval used:

During TACTICAL TIME a character has 6 movement points each turn to spend as a standard action moving on a local map.

Terrain Movement Point Cost

Terrain Type

MV Cost Per Space

LOCAL MAP
Easy Terrain

During CAUTIOUS TIME a character has 12

movement points each minute to spend moving
on a local map.

Moderate Terrain

Vegetation / Thicket

During EXPLORATION TIME a character has a

movement point every round that they can spend
moving on an overland map.

Difficult Surface

Water, Deep

Cliff / Wall

Mud / Ice

Snow, Powdered

Quicksand

During EXTENDED TIME a character has 3 MV

every hour for moving on an overland map.

During MORNING, NOON and NIGHT intervals

a character has 24 movement points to spend
during that eight-hour period on an overland or
astronomical map. The party risks exhaustion if
they travel for more than eight continuous hours.
See page XYZ for more information.

OVERLAND MAP
Trail / Highway

River / Lake

1/5*

Ocean / Sea

2/6*

Plains / Grassland

Forest

Desert / Wasteland

Hill

Snow

Converting Between Time Intervals

Swamp / Marsh

Often times it will prove useful to convert a transports

movement points for an eight-hour travel on an overland map to a per-turn movement on a local map.

Jungle / Rain Forest

Glacier / Ice

Mountain

Canyon / Cliffs

Typically the number of movement points listed for

transports represent how far the vehicle can travel in
eight hours on an overland map. Starships use stellar
and astronomical maps instead of local and overland
maps, respectively.
Note the optional weather rules on page XYZ and encumbrance rules on page XYZ can affect the distance
a character can travel across an overland map.

To calculate the number of movement points a transport is afforded in 1 turn on a local map, divide the
number of spaces it can move in an eight-hour period
by 4. FOR EXAMPLE, a riding horse can move 40
spaces in eight hours. Dividing that number by 4 reveals the horse can move 10 spaces in 1 turn (40 / 4
= 10) on a local map. Reversely, the number of spaces a character or transport can move over eight
hours (on an overland map) can be found by multiplying the number of MV during tactical time by 4.

STELLAR MAP
Outer-Space

Gas Cloud

Asteroid Field

ASTRONOMICAL MAP
Outer-Space

Movement Points Conversion

Wormhole

Time Interval

Calculation*

Solar Winds

One-Third Day Extended

Divide by 8

Nebula / Supernova

Extended Exploration

Divide by 6

Asteroid Field

One-Third Day Tactical

Divide by 4

Gravity Well

One-Third Day Cautious

Divide by 2

* If using a water-based transport use the left number, otherwise

use the right number; when crossing, treat as moderate terrain

* To calculate the number of MV in the other direction, multiply

the MV number instead of dividing

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Part IV: The Adventure

Open Adventure

Terrain Modifiers for Finding Wild Game & Edibles

Terrain Type

Hunt

Gather

Trap*

Fish*

Trail / Highway

-3

-2

-3

-1

Ocean / Sea

-2*

-1

+8

River / Lake

-3*

+2

Swamp / Marsh

+1

+2

+1

Jungle / Rain Forest +3

+5

+2

+1

Forest

+3

Plains / Grassland

-3

+1

-2

Desert / Wasteland

-3

-7

-3

-8

Canyon / Cliffs

-2

-3

-5

Hill

Mountain

+2

+2

+2

Snow

-5

-3

-2

Glacier / Ice

-5

-10

-3

* = Requires special equipment

If the number of movement points a transport is allowed each minute of cautious time is needed, divide
the transport's MV number for eight-hour travel by 2.
FOR EXAMPLE, a raft can travel 20 spaces every
eight hours. By dividing this number by 2, it is revealed a raft can move 10 spaces per minute.
Dividing a transports movement points for an eighthour interval by 8 will reveal the number of MV the
transport has every hour. FOR EXAMPLE, a holo
yacht has 144 MV for eight hours of travel. Dividing
this number by 8 will show the holo yacht has 18
movement points per hour.
To find the number of MV a transport has every
round, divide the transport's movement points for an
hour's interval by 6 (round down to the nearest
point, with a minimum of MV). FOR EXAMPLE, a
draft horse has 2 movement points every hour of
travel during extended time. Dividing this number by 6
reveals the transport has MV every round (2 / 6 =
, minimum ).
For starships, the differences between stellar and astronomical maps are so vast, the speeds are practically
inconvertible. Starships use FTL drives to travel across
astronomical maps and sublight engines to steer
around stellar maps. For these reasons, MV is not typically converted between time intervals for stellar maps
and intervals for astronomical maps or visa versa.

Finding Wild Game & Edibles

If an adventuring party is running low on food, or a
large portion of their food has spoiled (see page XYZ),
hjkhj
53

they may attempt to hunt and forage for edible game

or fish, fruits, vegetables, grains or other nutritious
foods.To find wild foods, a character must succeed at
a survival ability test (see page XYZ for information on
abilities). A player may choose for their PC to try their
hand at hunting, gathering, trapping or fishing for
foodstuff. Depending on the terrain and foraging
method, certain positive or negative modifiers may
apply to the survival ability test. See the table on page
XYZ.
Characters may attempt to assist themselves or others
at finding wild foods by performing an engineer [set
trap] or lore [nature] or lore [animals] test if trapping,
gathering or hunting/fishing, respectively. See page
XYZ for details on assisting with ability tests.
A success at the survival ability test means the character found a number of morsels (see page XYZ) equal
to the number of points over the TN needed to succeed. FOR EXAMPLE, a character spends 4 hours
setting up traps for small game animals. A roll of +1
to a survival 6 means they found 2 morsels (Survival 6
+ Roll 1 TN 5 = 2 Morsels).
Note the optional weather rules on page XYZ can affect the chances of finding wild food.
If 1 or more morsels of food have been procured, the
game master will roll 2d6 to determine the type of
food discovered by the PC. Such characters may
(GM's choice) encounter animals that they can hunt
for additional food. Such encounters can, if the GM
wishes, be played out over a local map (see PART 6:
COMBAT & ENCOUNTERS on page XYZ).

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Part IV: The Adventure

Wild Food Types

Roll 2d6

Hunt/Trap

Gather

Fish

2-3

Meats

Grains

Meats

4-5

Meats

Vegetables Meats

6-7

Meats

Vegetables Meats

8-9

Meats

Fruits

Meats

10-11

Meats

Fruits

Other

12

Meats

Other

Other

Outdoor Weather
Weather can have a good or bad effect on several aspects of a party's journey across a countryside:

NAVIGATING OVERLAND: Before a character performs a navigation [overland] ability test for overland
trekking, the current weather's modifier should be applied to the test. FOR EXAMPLE, an adventurer with
a navigation [overland] of 6 would have it raised to 8
while in sunny, warm weather (6 + 2 = 8).
TRAVELING OVERLAND: When using weather to effect overland movement, use the modifier to add or
take away the number of movement points the character or transport has for overland travel.
FINDING WILD GAME & EDIBLES: The possibility
of finding and foraging food can be increased or decreased according to the weather modifiers by applying them to a survival ability test. FOR EXAMPLE, a
character hunting for food would have their survival 5
lowered to -1 during a lightening storm.

Navigating Overland

Weights & Encumbrance

Traveling Overland

Finding Wild Game & Edibles

Having the right tool for the right task can mean the
difference between life and death in a haunted catacomb or uncharted alien world.

It should be noted this rule is optional depending on

whether the game master wishes to implement it or
not. At the beginning of each adventure the GM
should choose a starting weather from the table below.
Once every 8 hours of in-game time (morning, noon
and night) the GM will roll 1d6. On a roll of 1-2, the
weather changes to the weather type one position
lower on the list than the current weather. On a roll of
3-4, the weather remains unchanged. On a roll of 5-6
the weather changes to the weather type one position
higher on the list than the current weather.
If the weather is Hot/Humid or Blizzard/Snow
(the weather types on the two ends of the list) a roll of
3-4 on a 1d6 will keep the weather the same; but any
other roll result in the weather changing to adjacent
weather type. FOR EXAMPLE, if the weather type
was set to blizzard and the GM rolled a 5 on the 1d6,
the weather would change to Storm / Lightening

Weather Modifiers

Players may be tempted to load their characters with

too much gear, burdening movement and restricting
their fighting capability. Naturally, there is a limit to
how much an adventurer can reasonably carry.
A character weighted down with every conceivable
piece of equipment will soon find that it is best to be
selective in choosing how much weight to carry. Encumbrance is the amount of burden a character suffers from their gear's weight and bulkiness.
All weapons, armor, items, etc. have a Weight number representing their difficulty to carry. For rules purposes, 1 weight equals 1 kilogram. 100 coins or credits amount to 1 weight.
In OPEN ADVENTURE characters suffer 1 encumbrance counter for every STR x 2 weight they carry.
FOR EXAMPLE, a character with strength of 3 would
suffer 1 encumbrance counter for every 6 weight carried. For each encumbrance counter, a character loses
1 movement point (see page XYZ for movement
points).

Weather

Modifier

Temperature

Hot / Humid

-4

+3 TP

Sunny / Warm

+2

+1 TP

Partially Sunny / Clouds

+1

Each adventurer has a maximum weight they can

carry, a maximum weight they can lift and a maximum weight they can push or pull.

Moderate / Overcast

Burden Type Maximum Weights

Wind

-1 TP

Burden Type Maximum Weight

Rain / Hail

-2

-1 TP

Carry

STR x 10

Storm / Lightening

-6

-2 TP

Lift

STR x 20

Blizzard / Snow

-8

-4 TP

Push / Pull

STR x 40

Maximum Weights Carried

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Part IV: The Adventure

Adventurers can carry a maximum weight in
weapons, armor, gear, etc. on their backs equal to
their strength multiplied by 10. FOR EXAMPLE, a
character with strength 5 could carry no more than
50 weight in equipment.
Characters can lift for a short period a maximum
weight equal to their STR multiplied by 20. Characters can push or pull a heavy object or character for a
short period equal to their STR multiplied by 40.
Note that gravity can effect encumbrance (see more
on page XYZ).

Resting & Recuperation

After a long day of traveling or dangerous expedition
inside a dungeon or star base, characters will grow
weary and tired. Resting is an important way for a
character to relax and rejuvenate. To be considered
resting, a character cannot engage in any strenuous
activities (such as combat) or carry, lift or move any
objects heavy enough to cause more than 1 encumbrance counter.

Breaks from Travel

Traveling great distances can prove exhausting to a
character's body and tiresome to their mind. For every
8 hours of travel, characters should stop traveling for
the remainder of the day (16 hours) before continuing
their journey.
If any characters do continue to travel without stopping, they must each succeed at a fortitude save every
additional hour of travel. If they fail their fortitude
save, they suffer 1 exhaustion counter (see page
XYZ).
Characters must also rest over long periods of travel
as to give their bodies a chance to recuperate. For every six days of journey, adventurers must spend 1
complete day (24 consecutive hours) resting, or suffer
1 exhaustion counter for every 8 hours of continued
unrest.

Sleep
In between the rigors of battle, exploration and questing, characters should find time to calm their minds
and sleep. Adventurers must sleep for 8 hours each
day or suffer 1 exhaustion counter. Characters will suffer an additional exhaustion counter for every 4 hours
more of sleep they've been deprived. If characters are
interrupted while sleeping (such as from an ambush by
enemies) they must make up for the lost sleep or suffer the same consequences. For every 8 hours a character sleeps, they lose 1 exhaustion counter.

Short Rests
Sometimes adventurers need to stop and rest for a
while before continuing on their quest, especially after
55

Open Adventure
a physically exhausting event or encounter. Characters
who stop to catch their breath can do so with a Short
Rest. Short rests allow a character to recover lost
stamina points. For every hour a character rests, they
recover 1 stamina point.

Natural Healing
Injured or hurt characters have the natural ability to
heal over time. This allows for adventurers to recover
lost health points through combat, traps and other
dangerous activities. Characters regain a number of
lost health points equal to their experience level per
day (minimum HP), or twice their level per day if
the character rested for an entire day.

Naturally Healing HP
Level Per Day

Per Day (While Resting)

HP

1 HP

1 HP

2 HP

2 HP

4 HP

3 HP

6 HP

4 HP

8 HP

5 HP

10 HP

See page XYZ for details pertaining to the medicine

ability test. It should also be noted that some spells
can recover lost health points (see PART 5: MAGIC
on page XYZ).

Planetary Gravity
In science-fiction adventures, some planets or moons
will have varying levels of gravity. Gravity effects encumbrance and damage suffered from falling (see
page XYZ for falling rules). In total, there are seven
common gravity levels.

Gravity Levels
Level

Effect*

Zero / Microgravity

x0

Half Gravity

Common Gravity

x1

Tier 2 Gravity

x2

Tier 3 Gravity

x3

Tier 4 Gravity

x4

Tier 5 Gravity

x5

*Multiply weight and fall damage with the gravity effect

Multiply the gravity's effect with the amount of weight

a character is carrying or the number of damage sustained from falling. If the speed at which a character is

Open Adventure

Part IV: The Adventure

falling needs to be determined, multiply the speed

with the gravity's effect as well. Similarly damage suffered from a falling object hitting a character or other
object should be multiplied by the gravity's effect.

Campfire Fuel Search Modifiers

Falling Great Distances

Ocean / Sea

-8

River / Lake

-3

Swamp / Marsh

+1

If a character falls off a ledge, sheer wall, pit or other

great distance they risk suffering damage from the impact. A character suffers 1 damage for every space
fallen up to a maximum of 50 damage. FOR EXAMPLE, a character falls 10 spaces off a ledge and onto
a stone surface. The PC would suffer 10 damage.
For rules purposes, a character is assumed to fall 50
spaces per second. However, different gravities (see
page XYZ) can effect this speed.

Crushing Objects
Heavy objects falling on top of a character are sure to
deal great damage to anything they hit.
Falling objects such as a large stone or steel pylon deal
a number of damage equal to their weight to any unfortunate victims they hit. If the object falls less than 3
spaces, it deals half damage. Characters who succeed
at a reflex save can reduce the damage suffered by
half. FOR EXAMPLE, an object that weighs 10 wt
falls 2 spaces and hits a character. Since the object fell
less-than 3 spaces, the damage dealt is reduced by
half (to 5 damage). The character attempts a reflex
save and succeeds, further reducing the damage by
half (rounded down) to a total of 2 damage.

Fire & Flame

Fire can be both a helpful ally, offering warmth, light
and companionship or a deadly enemy and source of
destruction. Characters can use fires to keep warm,
cook food or even as a weapon.

Fire Starting
Before a character can create a fire, they must collect
fuel to burn such as firewood or other tinder and kindling. To find fuel to light a campfire, a character
should attempt a search ability test to search the surrounding area for natural fuel. That the type of terrain
a character is searching in and the present weather
can modify the search test roll. See the table on XYZ
for terrain modifiers and page XYZ for weather modifiers.
Characters can attempt to start a fire by passing a
craft [fire] ability test. Characters may assist each other
in starting a fire or assist themselves by using flint &
steel or other form of ignition. See page XYZ for details about assisting in ability tests.

Terrain

Fuel Search Modifier

OVERLAND

Jungle / Rain Forest -2

Forest

+4

Plains / Grassland

Desert / Wasteland

-3

Canyon / Cliffs

-4

Hill

+2

Mountain

Snow

-4

Glacier / Ice

-6

Fire Characteristics
Size

Fuel

Refuel

Visibility Damage

Torch

10 min.

20 sp.

5 + Roll

Small

1 hour

30 min.

60 sp.

10 + Roll

Medium

4 hours

2 hours

240 sp.

15 + Roll

Large

9 hours

4 hours

540 sp.

20 + Roll

Elements of Fire
Once a fire has been started, it will take on the following properties:
COLLECTING FUEL For every space in area the
fire is in size, it takes 1 hour for a single character to
collect enough fuel to last eight hours. FOR EXAMPLE, an area 2 fire (a 2 by 2 region) would take 4
hours to collect enough firewood to last a night.
REFUELING A FIRE A fire must be refueled with
burnable material every interval of time equal to half
the time it takes one character to find enough fuel for
eight hours (rounded down) for a fire of that size. If a
fire is fueled on time, it will maintain it's size. If the
fire is not refueled, it will shrink to one size lower than
it is currently. A small fire may not extinguish right
away if it is not refueled after 30 minutes, but it will
stop providing warmth, light and other benefits.
VISIBILITY The distance in spaces that a fire can be
spotted from afar. Note that there must be an unobstructed LOS of the fire for it to be spotted. Weather
modifiers (see page XYZ) can affect the visibility of a
fire whereby for every modifier, the visibility is increased (if there is a positive modifier) or decreased (if
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Part IV: The Adventure

Open Adventure

there is a negative modifier) by 10% it's maximum distance, rounded down. FOR EXAMPLE, a medium fire
on a rainy day would have it's visibility reduce by 48
spaces to a maximum of 192 spaces (24 x -2 = -48 +
240 = 192 spaces). Campfire smoke may rise upwards into the sky a maximum number of spaces
equal to one-third the fire's maximum visibility
(rounded down) before dissipating and becoming unseen.
DAMAGE Damage inflicted by a small fire is equal
to a standard roll plus 10 damage. For every one size
larger that the fire is, add 5 additional damage.
Torches and other tiny fires deal the damage of a
small fire. FOR EXAMPLE, an enemy NPC is thrown
into a medium fire. At the end of the turn, the game
master makes a standard roll for a result of +1. The
GM declares the fire has dealt 11 damage to the character. Fire damage does not ignore armor.
Fires inflict their damage after all other characters
(both PCs and NPCs) have finished their turn. For every turn a character is damaged by fire, they must
make a reflect save: if failed, a part of their body,
clothing or equipment catches fire and the character
suffers 1 burn counter.
WARMTH Fires can warm adventurers at night or in
cold environments. Warmth is the amount of heat, in
temperature points (TP) the fire increases the personal
temperature of a personal or object, depending on the
distance they are from the campfire. See page XYZ to
read rules about temperatures. Characters who are
too close to a hot fire will suffer 1 burn counter for every turn they are too close.

Outer-Space Vacuum
An adventurer who is exposed to the vacuum of
outer-space or de-pressurization immediately receives
a dying condition (see page XYZ), but may continue
their turn as normal. A character can remain alive in a
vacuum a maximum number of turns equal to their
stamina points. FOR EXAMPLE, a character with 3
stamina points who enters a de-pressurized compartment receives a dying condition. They may survive in
the vacuum for a maximum of 3 turns before becoming deceased. Once a character has left a vacuum and
returned to a normal atmosphere, they no longer suffer from the dying condition given to them by the vacuum.

Light & Vision

Illumination
Most dungeons and abandoned space outposts are
dark, making it necessary for characters to bring a
portable light source with them. There are three general types of illumination that characters must contend
with throughout their quests:

FULL ILLUMINATION Well lit area similar

to day light or bright artificial light.

PARTIAL ILLUMINATION Objects, spaces

and characters are barely lit and difficult to
see. Spaces that are partially illuminated always have Partial Cover (see line of sight
rules on page XYZ). Characters in partial illumination suffer from the Partial Blindness
condition unless looking at or targeting spaces with full illumination.

NO ILLUMINATION Objects, spaces and

characters are submerged in pitch black darkness and have Full Cover. Characters in spaces with no illumination are considered Blind
(see page XYZ for more on conditions) unless
looking at or targeting spaces with full or partial illumination.

Fire Warmth Given at Distance

Size

1 sp.

2 sp.

3 sp.

4 sp.

5 sp.

Small

+5 TP + 4 TP +3 TP +2 TP +1 TP

Medium

+5 TP +4 TP +3 TP +2 TP

Large

+5 TP +4 TP +3 TP

UNCONTROLLED An uncontrolled fire is a small

fire or larger that has grown beyond it's means or is
not where it should be. Uncontrolled fires have the
chance of spreading to adjacent spaces. Once a turn,
the GM should roll 1d6 for each uncontrolled fire. On
a 1, the fire spreads to an adjacent space of the game
master's choosing.
OXYGEN DEPLETION Fires are voracious consumers of air. If characters find themselves trapped in
an enclosed space with a fire, they will be competing
with it for oxygen. A tiny fire, such as from a torch,
consumes 1 volume of air every five minutes (
round). Small fires are more aggressive, consuming
the same volume of oxygen in 1 minute. A medium
fire will consume the same air in 3 turns. A large fire
will consume the oxygen in 1 turn.
57

When in a dark room, underground or in the blackness of outer-space, a portable light source will provide full illumination to spaces that are within range of
the light source. Spaces outside the range of illumination are considered to have no illumination unless lit
by another light source. At the GM's discretion, illumination may require line of sight to the light source (either partial cover or no cover).

Line of Sight
Anything an adventurer can see from their current position is considered within their Line of Sight (LOS).
Line of sight is the ability to draw a straight line from
a distant target (such as an enemy) to the space an adventurer is currently occupying.

Open Adventure
For a character to have LOS to a target or space, the
game master must be able to draw an uninterrupted
straight line from any corner of the space the character occupies to any corner of the space the target occupies.
If the line of sight only touches a corner of a space
with a barrier, obstacle or character (but does not enter it), or is adjacent to the targeted space, the space
is still considered within line of sight.
However, if the line passes through any part of a
space that is occupied by a barrier, obstacle or character (including the current character), then the target
space is not considered within line of sight. Likewise,
if the line passes parallel to the edge of a space with a
barrier, obstacle or character in it, then the target
space is also not considered within line of sight.
If a space is considered within line of sight of a character but only by 1 corner, the target is considered to
have Partial Cover (read more about effects on page
XYZ) unless the LOS enters into another space with
partial cover, then the target has full cover.

Death
When a character's HP reaches 0 or less, the character is dead.
If an adventurer dies, the controlling player should begin creating a new character (see page XYZ for steps
on creating a character). Although rare, some magic
or abilities (such as medicine") can delay or even reverse the effects of death.
Any treasure, items, weapons, etc. can be divided
amongst the surviving party members in any way they
choose. The total number of experience points (page
XYZ) of the dead character should be reduced by 10%
(rounded down), then transferred to the player's new
character. The new character will begin at whichever
level that the number of XP they have allows them to
achieve.
At the game master's choice, the player's new character can join the adventuring party immediately, or delay the meeting until it is more logical to the story for
the separate parties to meet.

Common Character Actions

Swimming
When a character enters deep or swift moving water,
and every turn they remain in water, he or she must
perform a swim ability test to prevent from drowning.
For every point of encumbrance (page XYZ) an adventurer suffers, they receive a -1 to their ability test.
If a character succeeds at their swim test, they may
continue entering water terrain (at a cost of 3 MV per

Part IV: The Adventure

space, see movement on page XYZ) or choose to stay
afloat.
If the character fails their test, their head slips under
the water. For every turn a character is underwater
they receive 1 suffocation counter (see page XYZ) and
sink deeper into the watery depths at a rate of 2 spaces per turn.
The maximum amount of time a character can swim
in water, in rounds, is equal to their stamina points.
FOR EXAMPLE, a character with 5 stamina points
can swim for 5 rounds (50 minutes). A character's
swim time is reduced by 1 round for each encumbrance counter they suffer. If a character ever has less
stamina points then rounds they've been swimming,
they automatically fail every swim test until they can
get out of the water and rest.
Attacking to or from an underwater space is considered partial cover (see page XYZ).

Jumping
Often times characters may need to jump over perilous pits or out of the way of danger. Player characters can jump up a number of spaces in distance equal
to their jump ability test roll, minus 3 (minimum
spaces). Alternatively a character may jump vertically
up to 1 space in height instead of across.
If the jumping character moves in a straight line for a
minimum of 4 spaces prior to jumping, they may double the distance or height jumped. FOR EXAMPLE, a
character with a jump of 5 could jump 2 spaces in distance. If the character moved quickly in a straight line
across 4 spaces prior to jumping, they could leap a total distance of 4 spaces, instead.

Listening For Noise

Intrepid characters who wish to know who or what
may lay wait on the other side of a door may attempt
to listen for distant sounds. Characters are considered
to be able to hear sounds of talking volume up to a
maximum distance equal to 5 x listen (in spaces). FOR
EXAMPLE, a character with a listen 4 could hear an
NPC speaking up to 20 spaces away.
Individual words can be understood at a distance equal
to the listening character's listen ability number or
less.
Other factors such as ambient sound or partitions will
affect the final range (as determined by the GM).
Characters cannot attempt to listen during a noisy
event such as battle.

Searching an Area
Characters can search any space they occupy or adjacent spaces for 1 minute per space. For rules pur58

Part IV: The Adventure

poses secret doors (see more on page XYZ) and traps
(page XYZ) have a target number of 8. Hidden character's TN is based off their hide ability.

Throwing Objects
Characters are able to throw objects a distance (in
spaces) equal to twice their range ability number. FOR
EXAMPLE, a character with a range 5 could throw an
object 10 spaces. At the GM's discretion, the optional
encumbrance rules (on page XYZ) apply to the weight
of the object, affecting the final distance thrown.

Open Adventure
cliff edge, bar or precipice and not using their feet to
support themselves is considered to be hanging freely.
A hanging character can hold on to a support for a
number of minutes equal to their strength before being forced to let go and fall. Note that encumbrance
penalties effect the number of minutes an adventurer
can hold on before letting go. FOR EXAMPLE, a
character who suffers 2 encumbrance penalties will
also suffer -2 minutes of hanging time. A character
who has 0 or less minutes of hanging time immediately falls.

When throwing ranged weapons that are designed to

be thrown (such as throwing stars), the range listed for
that weapon should be used instead.

If a character is hanging by only holding on to a support with one hand, they hang freely for only the
normal time.

Digging

Conditions, Effects & Abilities

There may be a time, such as after a cave-in or

avalanche, that an adventuring party will need to dig
through dirt, rock, snow or rubble.

In OPEN ADVENTURE characters will acquire and

suffer from a variety of afflictions, diseases, poisons,
and more known as Conditions. Conditions come
from a variety of places ranging anywhere from traps
to magic. Most conditions are not beneficial and
should be avoided at all costs; although a few provide
bonuses to the character with the condition.

Characters who employ digging tools such as a spade

can dig volume 1 worth of soil per hour for as long as
they choose to dig. If a character is without any tools,
multiply the time it takes by 3. FOR EXAMPLE, a
character digging out a cave-in would take 3 hours to
dig 1 volume of soil, if they were without a digging
tool.

Holding Breath
A character who is forced to hold his or her breath
can do so for a number of minutes equal to their
stamina points. During this period, the character can
perform light activities such as walking, opening a
lock, or closing a door. If the character performs any
strenuous activities (such as swimming or combat) the
time they can hold their breath is reduced to their
normal duration.
If the character is still holding their breath after the duration of time has elapsed, they must make a fortitude
save each turn. If they are successful, they remain
conscious and can continue their turn as normal, but
suffer 1 exhaustion counter each turn until they begin
breathing again. If they failed, they fall unconscious
and receive a dying condition (see page XYZ).
A normal humanoid character who is at rest will
breath volume 1 air in 1 day (24 hours). If the character is engaging in light activities, they will breath 1 volume of air in the time (12 hours). If the character is
engaged in strenuous activities, the same amount of
air will be consumed in 6 hours. See page XYZ for
rules concerning fires and the oxygen they depelete.

Hanging Freely
An adventurer who is suspended or hanging midair
(such as over a pit or chasm) by grabbing hold of a
59

Some conditions have levels such as knock back 2

or bleed 1. The number represents how many counters of that condition a player should make note of on
their character record sheet. Conditions with more
than one counter of the same condition will have it's
effect become cumulative for each counter a character
has on them. The effects of multiple counters is always explained in the description of the condition.

Special Symbols
Some conditions, abilities or effects use symbols to
represent different aspects of the OPEN ADVENTURE game:

The symbol represents health points (see

page XYZ).

The symbol represents stamina points

(see page XYZ).

The symbol represents spending a free

action to use an ability. Once used, the ability
cannot be activated or used again until next
turn.

The symbol represents power points (see

page XYZ).

The , , , , , and
symbols represent varying types of mana or
psi points (see page XYZ).

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Part IV: The Adventure

Conditions List (Alphabetical)

turn in an empty space.

Below is a list of common conditions, attack abilities

and other effects; but this list should not be thought of
as exhaustive. Rather, treat this list as an example of
the types of conditions a GM can provide for his or
her own campaign.

Intoxication

Bleed
EVERY MINUTE: Make a Fortitude Save for every
Bleed Counter: If successful, remove 1 Bleed Counter.
If failed, suffer -1.

EVERY ROUND: Will Save: If successful, gain +5

Charisma until end of round. If failed, suffer -2 Intelligence, -2 Perception and -1 Defense until end of
round.

Invisibility
You cannot be seen by eyes alone. You gain +4 Defense.

Blind

Lycanthropy

If Partial Blind: You suffer -2 to Attack and Defense.

Otherwise: You suffer -4 to Attack and Defense.

You will become a lycanthrope of the same creature

that attacked you in 4d6 days. You will begin to show
signs of the disease in half that time. Once a lycanthrope, non-human PCs die immediately. If a human,
you will become an NPC playable by the GM only.

Burn
EVERY TURN: You or an adjacent character may
perform a full-turn action to remove 1 Burn Counter.
You and all adjacent characters suffer -2.

Cold
EVERY ROUND: Fortitude Save: If failed, -1 and -1
to all Saves until end of round.

Confuse
EVERY TURN: Will Save: If successful, remove 1
Confuse counter. If failed, -3 to all Ability Tests.

Defenseless
Your defense is 0. You are instantly killed if attacked
by anyone within range and has line of sight to you.

Deplete
You permanently lose 1d6 x 1,000 experience points.

Dying

Poisoned
EVERY TURN: Fortitude Save: If successful, remove
1 Poison Counter. If failed, you die.

Sleep
EVERY ROUND: If you are asleep, you cannot perform any actions this round. You suffer -8 Defense.

Starvation
Suffer -1 and -1 to all rolls for every Starve Counter.
Eat 1 meal: Remove 1 Starve Counter.

Stunned
EVERY TURN: If you are stunned, you can only perform one action this turn. Spend a standard action to
remove 1 Stun Counter.

Surprised

EVERY TURN: Suffer -1. Fortitude Save: If you fail,

you die.

EVERY TURN: If you are surprised, you cannot perform any actions this turn. Remove 1 Surprise
Counter.

Exhaustion

Suffocation

You suffer -1 and -1 to all rolls for every Exhaustion

Counter. Rest 1 day: Remove 1 Exhaustion Counter.

EVERY TURN: If you are holding your breath; suffer

-5.

Fear

Unconscious

You flee in fear away from enemies and other dangers

for 1d6 minutes.

EVERY MINUTE: If you are unconscious, you cannot

perform any actions this turn. Remove 1 Unconscious
Counter.

Fly
EVERY TURN: You may fly over characters, barrierterrain and elevation 3 spaces or lower than your current space as if they weren't there. You must end your

Attack Abilities List (Alphabetical)

Acid
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Part IV: The Adventure

EVERY TURN: Suffer -2d6. A random wood,
leather or cloth item that's touched the acid is destroyed.

Age
You permanently age 1d6 x 10 years.

Entangle
EVERY ROUND: If you are entangled, you cannot
perform any movement-based actions this turn. Reflex
Save: If successful, remove 1 Entangle Counter.

Knock Back
ATTACK: After dealing at least 1 point of damage to
a character, you may move them a number of spaces
equal to the number of levels in knock back in a direction of your choice. You must have line of sight to the
space the character lands on.

Reach
Your melee attacks target a space at a range equal to
the reach number of the weapon. Reach can attack
through spaces blocked by allied characters. At the attacker's discretion, attacks with reach may target all
spaces between the attacker and it's target. You do
not need to count range to perform these attacks.

Sweep
Your melee attacks target all adjacent spaces.

61

Open Adventure

Part VI: Combat & Encounters

An encounter is when player characters meet one
or more NPCs that are not members of the adventuring party. Encounters can lead to combat, conversation, cooperation or any number of other conclusions.

Chance of Encounter (2d6)

Encounter Checklist:
1. Roll to determine if an encounter occurs (random encounters only).
2. Choose or randomly select the type of NPC encountered (based off terrain).

Terrain

Day Chance

Night Chance

Indoor / Building

2-4

2-3

City / Civilization

2-4

2-3

Underground

2-4

2-4

LOCAL MAP

OVERLAND MAP

3. Determine the number of NPCs encountered.

Trail / Highway

2-4

2-3

4. Place the encountered NPCs on the map.

Ocean / Sea

2-6

2-6

5. Determine initiative & surprise for all parties.

River / Lake

2-6

2-4

6. Test morale, if needed (NPCs only).

Swamp / Marsh

2-7

2-8

7. Determine reactions (NPCs only).

Jungle / Rain forest

2-7

2-7

8. If combat begins, see page XYZ.

Forest

2-6

2-4

Plains / Grassland

2-4

2-3

Creating an Encounter

Desert / Wasteland

2-6

2-4

Encounters come in two types: planned encounters

and random encounters.

Canyon / Cliffs

2-4

2-3

Hill

2-6

2-4

Mountain

2-7

2-6

Snow

2-6

2-4

Glacier / Ice

2-4

2-3

Outer-Space

2-4

2-3

Nebula / Supernova

2-6

2-7

Asteroid Belt

2-7

2-5

Wormhole

2-4

2-4

Planned Encounters
At the GM's discretion, they may wish for the adventuring party to have a special encounter with NPCs,
known as a Planned Encounter. A planned encounter takes place whenever adventurers runs into or
meet one or more NPCs that were in a particular location (such as a room, starship or wilderness setting)
by the GM design, before the party arrived. A planned
encounter will often serve as a challenge for the player
characters or a plot device for the GM to progress the
story of the adventure or campaign.
Planned encounters will often offer a clue, helpful advice, valuable treasure or other challenge or reward.
Game masters should refer to page XYZ for details on
creating and balancing encounters between player
characters and NPCs.

Random Encounters
Random encounters are encounters that takes place
when the GM makes a random encounter dice roll
and gets an encounter result.
Every eight hours of in-game time the GM should roll
2d6 and consult the table on page XYZ to determine
if the party encounters any wandering NPCs. Encounter rolls will change depending on the type of terrain the adventurers are in when the roll is made and
whether it is day or night at the time of the encounter
roll.

ASTRONOMICAL MAP

When in a dangerous or heavily patrolled area, the

GM should roll every round, instead.
The chances of an encounter happening are effected
by the terrain that the player characters are in at the
time of the encounter check. FOR EXAMPLE, an encounter would occur during the day near a river if the
2d6 roll was a 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6. On a trail or highway,
however, an encounter would only occur during the
day on a roll of 2, 3 or 4.

NPC Type Encountered

To determine what type of NPC is encountered, refer
to the tables on page XYZ. The GM must first know
the terrain type that the players are in when the encounter happens. The GM should choose an NPC
from the list of the appropriate terrain type.

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Part VI: Combat & Encounters

Open Adventure

Fantasy Encounters
Plains / Grassland

Forest

River / Lake

Swamp / Marsh Mountain / Hill

Air Elemental

Harpy

Water Elemental

Gargoyle

Black Dragon

Doppelganger

Elf

Venomous Snake

Ghoul

Centaur

Kobold

Spider, Giant

Salamander, Giant

Hag

Dwarf

Pegasus

Troll

Lizardfolk

Lizardfolk

Gnome

Vulpine

Fairy

Bandit

Medusa

Goblin

Minotaur

Wolf

Merman

Werewolf

Orc

Desert / Wasteland City / Civilization

Underground

Ocean / Sea

Jungle / Rain Forest

Earth Elemental

Bandit

Animated Statue

Crab, Giant

Dire Rat

Felidae

City Guard

Centipede, Giant

Merman

Ogre

Fire Elemental

Ghost

Hell Hound

Venomous Snake Felidae

Mummy

Zombie

Living Ooze

Hag

Goblin

Venomous Snake

Werewolf

Minotaur

Water Elemental

Orc

Troll

Gnome

Skeleton

Bandit

Fairy

The NPC lists on pages XYZ through XYZ, should

not be considered exhaustive, but instead a sample of
the types of encounters that a GM can design for their
own adventure.
Alternatively a game master can randomly choose an
encounter from the appropriate terrain type.

Number of NPCs Encountered

The GM may choose any number of NPCs that are
encountered by the adventurers. However, many factors should be considered when determining an appropriate number such as the type of non-player character or characters encountered, the location that the
encounter occurs, the time of day, the current
weather and seasons, the activities of the NPCs and
so forth.
If the encounter is one that the game master is believed will lead to combat, he or she should take care
as to balance the encounter to insure neither side
achieves an easy victory (unless that is the purpose of
the encounter in the first place). Game masters should
roll 2d6 x 10 to find the percentage of the adventuring party's Total Party Level (TPL) that the enemy
NPCs TPL will be, then refer to page XYZ for rules
on balancing encounters. FOR EXAMPLE, a GM rolls
2d6 and gets an 11. The GM multiplies 11 x 10 for a
total of 110. The GM determines the enemy NPCs
TPL will be 110% that of the player character party's
TPL.

63

NPC Placement
During a planned encounter, the NPCs can be placed
wherever would best suit the situation and activities of
the NPCs. FOR EXAMPLE, a band of orcs sleeping
could be encountered while resting on the ground inside their bed rolls. Because the situation of a planned
encountered can be anything the game master wishes,
they should use their discretion on where the NPCs
best belong when first encountered.
When a random encounter occurs, the GM should
place the individual NPCs nearby the adventurers. The
GM may place each NPC in an empty space that has
full or partial cover from the adventurers (see page
XYZ for details on line of sight). If there are not
enough empty spaces outside of LOS, the GM may
place the encountered NPCs anywhere they wish.

Initiative & Surprise

At the start of every encounter, all parties must determine which group heard or spotted the other party
first, allowing them to react first and gain Initiative. If
one party is aware of the other parties presence soon
enough, they may choose to Surprise the other
group.
Initiative and surprise are only checked once, at the
beginning of an encounter. At the GM's discretion, he
or she may determine that itiative and surprise are automatically granted to a particular party, due to the
circumstances of the situation when the parties first
met (for example, an adventuring party walking down
a dark hallway with a bright

Open Adventure

Part VI: Combat & Encounters

Science-Fiction Encounters
Outer-Space

Wormhole

Asteroid Belt

Nebula

Frozen Planet

Military Starship

Non-corporeal Being

Flying Parasite

Pirate Starship

Abominable Yeti

Pirate Starship

Nucleogenic Cloud

Rock Worm, Giant Reavers

Animal, Herd

Bounty Hunter
Starship

Genetic Clone
Starship

Pirate Starship

Bounty Hunter
Starship

Wolverine, Giant

Merchant Starship

Space Amoeba

Mining Starship

Space Worm

Bear, Cave

Mining Starship

Extragalactic Jelly

Dushraki Starship

Reptoid Starship

Doppleganger

Private Starship

Species 4782

Ornithion Starship

Klangon Starship

Caveman

Supernova

Water Planet

Jungle Planet

Desert
Planet

Lava City / Civilization

Bat, Giant

Bandit

Pirate Starship

Basilosaurus

V'ruari

Scorpion, Giant

City Guard

Reaver Starship

Squid, Giant

Floating Brain

Insect Swarm

Vultan

Cosmic Cloud

Hydra, Sea

Xergling

Spider, Giant

Changling

Crystalline Entity

Calamorian

Living Ooze

Lizard, Giant

Android

Mining Starship

Crystalline Entity

Megalisk

Mutant

Dire Rat

Space Worm

Crab, Giant

Spider, Giant

torch or chem light would automatically lose initiative

to and become surprised by enemy NPCs hiding in
the dark due to the light giving away their approach).
Otherwise, the players should determine which character in their party is closest to an encountered NPC.
If two or more characters are equidistant, the players
may decide who amongst the nearest PCs or NPCs
will make an initiative test. The character making the
test will roll a perception test. The GM will elect one
character from each NPC party or NPC type (GM's
choice) to make a perception test as well. Depending
on each party's test result, the following will occur:
1. The party with the highest perception test result
wins initiative. All characters of that group may
begin their turn first.
2. All other parties will compare their test result
against that of the winner. If their perception test
was 5 or more points less than that of the winning party, they suffer 1 surprise counter (see
page XYZ).
3. If two or more perception test results are a tie,
the party that rolled the highest number on their
dice moves first. If there is still a tie, the PCs
move first or there is a re-roll.
4. Each party will take their turn, starting with the
party that won initiative followed by the party with
the second highest perception test result and proceeding in a descending order until all parties
have had a turn.

Morale
Morale is the measure of an NPC's courage. If the
NPC is a retainer (see page XYZ) hired by a player
character, it is also a measure of loyalty to the PC that
hired them and the natural leadership presence of the
employing character. An NPC will have their morale
tested when in the face of danger or during combat.
Player characters never make morale tests because
their actions are always decided by the controlling
player. NPCs (including enemies, retainers or handled
animals) will make a morale test when one or more of
the following conditions occur:

The NPC is put in a position of grave danger

The NPC has lost half or more of their health

points

Half or more of the NPC's party members

are dead, incapacitated or retreating

Half or more of the hull's integrity points of

the starship they reside in have been lost

When an NPC tests their morale, they will do so by

making a will save. If successful, they stand their
ground and continue fighting or completing their objective. If they fail, they suffer 1 fear counter (see page
XYZ). See page XYZ for details on retreat and evasion.

64

Part VI: Combat & Encounters

However if the NPC is a retainer or handled animal,
the PC that hired or handled them can attempt to prevent them from suffering a fear counter with a successful leadership ability test (if dealing with humanoids) or animal handling ability test (if dealing with
animals). The ability test can be affected by NPC's
Loyal Points (LP) towards the PC in charge of them.

Open Adventure

NPC Reactions
Test
Reaction
Result
1 or
less

HOSTILE: NPC attacks, flees or surrenders.

2-4

AGGRESSIVE: NPC threatens the party.

Re-roll in 1 minute with a -2 penalty to the
roll.

5-7

NEUTRAL: NPC moves cautiously, but is

not aggressive. Re-roll in 1 minute.

8-9

FAVORABLE: The NPC seems pleased or

curious about the party. Re-roll in 1 minute
with a +2 bonus to the roll.

10+

FRIENDLY: The NPC is friendly and often

helpful to the party.

Loyalty Points
Loyalty Points are a representation of how loyal an
NPC is to the adventurer who hired or handles them.
When an NPC is loyal to their employer or handler,
they will have positive LP. When an NPC is disloyal to
their employer or handler, they will have negative LP.
An NPC can never have both positive and negative
LP at the same time.
If an NPC has collected loyalty points of one type but
then receives an LP of the opposing type the two
points cancel out resulting in the loss of both. The
number of loyalty points an NPC has towards their
employer is used as a modifier to the NPC's morale
test. FOR EXAMPLE, a morale test would be increased by +2 if the NPC had 2 positive loyalty points
to their employing player character.
Loyalty points can be gained and lost throughout an
adventure based off the actions and words of a character. A GM must decide what exactly the hiring PC
must do or say to earn the NPC positive or negative
LP. FOR EXAMPLE, if an NPC favored brave adventurers, they may gain 1 positive loyalty point each
time their employing character showed acts of bravery. Consequently, the NPC would gain 1 negative
loyalty point for each act of cowardice their employing character exhibited.
Note the optional alignment rule can also effect loyalty points (see page XYZ).

Morale Points
Similar in function to loyalty points, Morale Points
(MRL) act as either a position or negative modifier to
a morale test. The difference between LP and MRL is
that positive or negative morale points are gained
through the overall conditions an NPC must endure.
Many different factors can affect morale points. Anything from adding delicious spices to foods eaten (to
boost morale) to being overly-cold (which would lower
morale) can have an affect on the willingness of an
NPC to defect or stay with the adventuring party.

Reactions
An encounter does not necessarily mean combat will
take place. Two parties that encounter one another
may choose to work together, share information,
trade in goods, run away from one another, etc.
65

The players always choose how their characters will

react in any given situation. NPCs controlled by the
GM will have their reactions decided by the game
master. Descriptions of enemies in PART 7: NONPLAYER CHARACTERS on page XYZ will often
detail the general attitude and behavior of enemies.
The GM may, however, choose to have the NPCs react in a certain way given unique circumstances.
If the GM wishes to randomly determine the reaction
of an encountered NPC, the player character closest
to the NPC should perform a leadership ability test.
Apply negative modifiers if the NPC is naturally hostile or cowardly, and apply positive modifiers if the
NPC is naturally friendly or courageous. The number
from the leadership test determines how friendly or
hostile an NPC may act towards the party FOR EXAMPLE, an adventurer who encounters an NPC performs a presence test to determine the NPCs reaction
toward them. The PC has a presence of 7 and rolls a
-1 for a total of 6. However, the game master decides
that this NPC is cowardly and applies a -2 penalty to
the presence test bringing it to 4. Since the player
character got a total of 4, the GM decides the NPC is
aggressive.
The GM can substitute any appropriate response with
the ones listed in the reaction table. FOR EXAMPLE,
the cowardly NPC may choose to betray or sabotage
the party member at a later time instead of threaten
them.

Combat
Once adventurers are ready to descend into a dungeon, travel through the wilderness or visit an alien
world, they must also be ready to face whatever fierce
or foul foe they run across. Often times, encounters
with such creatures will lead to a violent battle, known
as Combat.

Open Adventure

Combat Time Line:

1. Party who won initiative plays their turn.
A) Movement & combat actions are declared.
B) NPCs make a morale test (if needed).
C) Movement & combat actions resolve.
I.

Invalid movements or actions are rechosen and resolve.

2. Party with next highest perception test plays

their turn (if surprised, skip their actions otherwise go to step A).

Part VI: Combat & Encounters

tions step (see above). If a declared action becomes
invalid or impossible to perform (such as moving to a
location that became occupied after the player declared that their PC would move there), the player
may choose a new valid target for their action or
choose a new action of their choice. FOR EXAMPLE,
Guld Novastar was going to take aim and attack a xerling with his laser pistol, but when the time came for
Novastar to perform his attack, other characters from
his party were blocking line of sight to the enemy.
Guld Novastar may choose a new target to attack or
select a new action instead.

Combat Actions
Before combat begins, all parties should make a perception test to determine initiative, surprise and turn
order. See page XYZ for details on how initiative and
surprise are determined.

During combat, time unfolds slower than normal in

what is known as tactical time (see page XYZ for details on tactical time). Tactical time is resolved in turns
with each turn representing 6 seconds in-game.

Declare Actions

During an combat, characters can perform one of

three types of actions:

Each player may discuss amongst the party the best

course of actions for the characters to perform, given
their present situation. Once each player has decided
what their character will do for the turn, they should
inform the caller of their intentions.
The game master must decide beforehand what constitutes a valid declaration. Some GMs may require
the players to be specificdetailing the exact location
players intend to move their characters towards and
what targets will be subject to the PCs attacks, magic,
talents or other abilities. Other game masters, however, may only require a vague description with a general intention of what the PC is wishing to accomplish.
Once the players have formulated a strategy for their
adventuring party, the caller will declare to the game
master the proposed actions (including movement, attacks, standard, full-turn and special actions) of each
player character and retainer of party. FOR EXAMPLE, the caller player may declare Guld Novastar the
renegade will move forward three spaces and attack
the xergling with his laser rifle. Gaeriel Tull the cleric
will begin conjuring up the 'cure wounds' spell.
Note that this step does not apply to the game master,
and should not be performed by the GM during an
NPC party's turn; but should be performed when the
game master is playing as hireling or mercenary NPCs
that are a member of the adventuring party.

Resolve Actions
Actions of the characters play out in any order chosen
by the controlling players or (in the case of NPC parties) the game master.
On the player's turn, their characters must attempt to
perform the actions declared during the declare ac-

Full-turn Action

Standard Action

Free Action

A FULL-TURN ACTION, as the name implies, is an

action that takes 1 full turn of combat to complete.
Examples of a full-turn action would be casting some
spells or resolving certain conditions. For rules purposes, a full-turn action is considered to take 6 seconds.
A STANDARD ACTION is an action that takes half
the time as a full-turn action. Characters can perform
two standard actions in a single turn. An example of a
standard action would be to perform one attack or
move a number of spaces equal to the character's
movement points. For rules purposes, a standard action is considered to take 3 seconds to complete.
A FREE ACTION is an action that takes place so
quickly, it does not take any time to complete. Characters can perform any number of free actions during
a turn. An example of a free action would be to yell a
command or drop an item.
Some SPECIAL ACTIONS take place over longer periods of time, such as two or more turns. These actions should be divided into, and treated as a series of,
standard or full-turn actions while in combat.
If a character wishes to perform an action not listed,
the GM should decide whether the action could happen immediately, resolve in 3 or less seconds, or resolve in 4-6 seconds. If the action can be completed
immediately, it should be considered a free action. If
the action requires 1-3 seconds, the action should be
considered a standard action.

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Part VI: Combat & Encounters

Open Adventure

Common Combat Actions

Melee Attacks

Action

Any character with a melee weapon may perform a

melee attack. For unarmed attacks see page XYZ.
Melee attacks must target characters adjacent to the

FREE ACTIONS
Drop item / weapon
Lay prone

Attack Time Line:

1. Determine line of sight (LOS) to target

Speak

2. Determine height/elevation of attacker & target

End spell / psi

3. Determine illumination of target

STANDARD ACTIONS

4. Determine range to target (ranged attacks only)

Move

5. Attack target

Attack (melee / ranged)

Aim
Dodge
Pick up item
Delay Action
Draw / holster weapon
Stand up from prone position
FULL-TURN ACTIONS
Wrestle

attacker (unless their weapon has reach, see page

XYZ).
To perform a melee attack, the attacker makes a standard roll then adds or subtracts the result to their
melee attack trait. That number is compared to the
defender's defense trait. For every 1 point the attack
is over the defender's defense number, 1 point of
damage is inflicted. FOR EXAMPLE, an attacker with
a melee attack of 8 rolls a -1, resulting in an attack total of 7. The defender has a defense of 5. The defender takes 2 damage (7 5 = 2).

Light a torch / chem light

Ranged Attacks

Use a starship system

Any character with a ranged weapon (including a

thrown weapon) may perform a ranged attack. The
range of an attack may change depending on the die
roll made during the attack (see below).

SPECIAL ACTIONS
Use magic
Unarmed attacks
Don / doff armor
Perform ability test
If the action can complete in 4-6 seconds, it should be
considered a full-turn action. Actions longer than 6
seconds are considered special (see above) and will be
divided into multiple full-turn actions, minutes, rounds
or longer.
A character may never perform a standard action
then begin a full-turn action on the same turn. A fullturn action, as the name implies, requires an entire
turn dedicated entirely to that sole action.
When performing actions during combat, a character
may choose to perform their actions in any order they
choose including temporarily suspending one action
to begin and finish another. FOR EXAMPLE, a character may choose to move and attack (both standard
actions) on the same turn. At an adventurer's discretion, they may choose to move a few spaces, attack,
then finish their movement action.

67

To perform a ranged attack, the attacker makes a

standard roll then adds or subtracts the result to their
weapon's maximum range. If the target is not within
the range of the attack, the attack is a miss. If the target is within range, the modifier from the die roll is
added to the character's ranged attack trait. That
number is compared to the defender's defense trait.
For every 1 point the attack is over the defender's defense, 1 point of damage is dealt. FOR EXAMPLE, an
attacker with a ranged attack of 7 rolls a +3, resulting
in an attack total of 10. The weapon the attacker is
using has a range of 5 which is increased to 8 because
of the +3 roll. The defender is within range of the
weapon, meaning she is being attacked. The defender
has a defense of 7. The defender takes 3 damage (10
7 = 3).

Unarmed Attacks
Unarmed combat is performed in the same manner as
melee combat, except for two differences: first, the attacker must be attacking without using any weapons.
Second, the attacking character may choose to attack
their target with a Kick or a Strike. For clinching and
wrestling, see page XYZ.

Open Adventure
Kicks and strikes have the following rules that apply to
them:

KICKS are powerful strikes to a defender using the attacker's feet and legs. Kicks give a
+2 Attack, but require a full-turn action to
perform and the attacker suffers -1 Defense
until the start of their next turn.

STRIKES are fast and accurate hits using an

attacker's fists and arms. Strikes can be performed twice as a standard action (up to four
times in one turn).

The attacker only uses their strength trait as their

melee attack number. FOR EXAMPLE, a character
with a strength 4 would have a melee attack 4 when
attacking unarmed.

Wrestling
Adventurers and NPCs can choose to Wrestle or
grapple with another character by performing an unarmed attack (this attack is not affected by kick or
strike penalties, bonuses or effects, see page XYS for
rules about unarmed attacks). When wrestling, a character can try to grab and hold (known as clinching),
take-down or pin another character.
While wrestling, all characters involved will have one
of four possible wrestling statuses: free standing,
clinching, take-down or pinned.

Wrestling Statuses
Status
Free Standing
Clinching
Take-down
Pinned
Before wrestling, all characters involved are considered to be free standing. Any attacker attempting to
wrestle with someone makes an unarmed attack
against the defender. If their attack would deal at least
1 point of damage, they change the defender's
wrestling status from free standing to clinching, instead.
On the defender's turn, they cannot perform any actions if their wrestling status is anything other than
free standing except attempt unarmed attack in response (the defender may also continue to defend
themselves against other attacks). A success means
they can either choose to lower their opponent's
wrestling status by one position (from free standing to
clinching, for example) or raise their own status by
one.

Part VI: Combat & Encounters

position or lower their opponent's status by one position. FOR EXAMPLE, two characters are wrestling.
The attacker has a wrestling status of clinching while
the defender has a status of take-down. On the defender's turn, they make a successful wrestle attack
against their enemy and choose to lower their opponent's status one position to take-down as well.
A pinned character is helpless to defend themselves
(see defenseless characters below) and cannot attempt
to change their wrestling status any further unless released.

Movement
A character may choose to move a number of spaces
on a local map equal to the number of movement
points their character has for tactical time as one standard action. A character may choose to spend a total
of two standard actions moving to move up to twice
their movement points (see details on combat actions
on page XYZ).
Additionally, for every 1 stamina point spent on this
effect, a character may move 1 additional space (even
if they have spent all their movement points). This
ability is considered a free action. FOR EXAMPLE, a
character with 6 movement points may choose to
move 6 spaces as a standard action. The character attacks an enemy with their second standard action,
then chooses to spend 3 SP to move 3 additional spaces. However, characters cannot spend stamina points
they do not have. See page XYZ for more on stamina
points.
Characters can move through spaces occupied by an
allied character (someone on the same side as them),
but never through spaces occupied by an enemy or
other obstacles. Characters may move diagonally for
the same cost of movement points as moving forward,
backward, left or right. A character may never move
diagonally between two spaces that are occupied with
a barrier, obstacle or enemy.
Terrains and surfaces cost varying amounts of movement points to enter. See page XYZ for details on
movement.

Delayed Actions
Characters may choose to delay one action until another character's turn. The character must first spend
a standard action delaying their next action until another character's turn.
The player is not required to declare or reveal any details about the action they are delaying during the declare actions step of combat other than they are delaying their next action.

Each successful wrestling attack allows the attacker or

defender to either raise their wrestling status by one
68

Part VI: Combat & Encounters

The character can perform the delayed action at any
time until one or more of the following happens:

Open Adventure
A dodge action can be used by a character until one
or more of the following events occur:

The delayed character loses 1 or more HP

The dodging character loses 1 or more HP

The delayed character moves 1 or more spaces

The dodging character moves 1 or more spaces

The delayed character performs their delayed

action

The dodging character performs another action

A delayed action may be performed at any time by interrupting another PC or NPC's turn. Performing a
delayed action is considered part of the delayed character's turn and not the current character's turn. Once
the delayed action is over, the interrupted character's
turn resumes.

The start of the dodging character's next turn

begins

A delayed action that is not performed will be lost at

the beginning of the delayed character's next turn.

Aimed Attacks
When an adventurer wishes to steady their aim in
hopes of making a better attack, they may spend a
standard action aiming.
To aim, a character must spend a standard action aiming before they attempt an attack. The next attack
they make may then be an Aimed Attack. An aimed
attack allows the character to re-roll any number of
dice after rolling for the attack. The character must
keep the second result. FOR EXAMPLE, a character
spends a standard action aiming with their weapon.
Their next action is spent attacking a foe. The adventurer declares they're making an aimed attack and
rolls a 1 on the white die and a 5 on the black die (for
a modifier of +1). The character chooses to re-roll the
white die for a new roll of 5. Since doubles result in a
0, and both dice rolled 5's, the total modifier is now
0.
An aimed attack can be used by a character until one
or more of the following events occur:

The aiming character loses 1 or more HP

The aiming character moves 1 or more spaces

The aiming character changes, drops or holsters their weapon

The aiming character performs the aimed attack

Dodge
When a character chooses to perform a Dodge action, they may force any attackers that target them to
re-roll any number of their attack dice. The second
roll must be used in place of the original roll.

69

Prone Position
A character may lay flat on their stomach or back (in a
prone position) as a free action. When prone, a character receives +2 defense vs ranged attacks, but suffers -2 defense vs melee attacks. Standing up from a
prone position is a standard action.

Sneak Attacks
Characters who are sneaking from another character
may attempt to make a Sneak Attack against the
noticing PC or NPC.
To perform a sneak attack, a character must first:

MELEE SNEAK ATTACK: Sneak to a space

adjacent to the target character (weapons
with the reach ability are an exception)

RANGED SNEAK ATTACK: Sneak a number

of spaces away or less from the target character equal to half the range of the weapon

When making a sneak attack; the attacker gains +2

attack against that character. Any damage dealt to the
defender is automatically doubled. FOR EXAMPLE, a
character sneak attacks an enemy with an attack 8.
Since it's a sneak attack, the attack gains +2 for a total of 10. The attacker deals 3 damage which is automatically doubled to 6 damage.
A character who is targeting a specific body region
(see page XYZ for details) may choose to gain +/- 2
to the body region hit location, instead of a +2 attack.
A character who attempting to sneak attack an enemy
by wrestling may opt to change the target's wrestling
status by two positions, instead of a +2 attack.

Dual-wielding Two Weapons

Characters can use two weapons if each weapon is
one-handed and both hands are empty. If either
weapon is two-handed, the weapon cannot be used
with another weapon.
When using two weapons, an adventurer may choose
which weapon of their equipped weapons they wish
to use each time they attack. FOR EXAMPLE, a PC
wielding a laser pistol and a slug thrower may choose

Open Adventure
to attack with either weapon on their first attack of
their turn. If they choose to make a second attack during their turn, they can attack with the other weapon
or continue using their first choice.

Targeting Specific Body Regions

At the GM's discretion, a character attempting to
strike a particular spot or region on their enemies
body may make an attack then roll 1d6 and consult
the table below. The attacking character may spend
any number of power points (see page XYZ) they
have that turn on adding or subtracting 1 point from
the total rolled, for each power point spent this way.

Targeted Body Region

Roll Body Region
1d6

Part VI: Combat & Encounters

Defenseless Characters
Defenseless characters, not to be mistaken with characters with a defense of 0 or less, are PCs or NPCs in
a position that prohibits them from defending themselves. When a character is unconscious (see page
XYZ), bound up or pinned from wrestling, they are
considered defenseless.
See page XYZ for details on the defenseless condition.

Cover from Attacks

When attacked, a character may receive a defense
bonus if they are considered behind cover. Many different in-game objects may provide cover, such as tables, doors, trees and even other characters (both enemies and allies). There are three types of cover:

Right Leg / Foot

1. Full Cover (blocks line of sight)

Left Leg / Foot

2. Partial Cover (+2 defense)

Torso

3. No Cover

Right Arm / Hand

Left Arm / Hand

Head

Temporary Damage
A weapon may be used to bear down or subdue,
rather than kill, a foe. If a character chooses to inflict
temporary damage, they must first declare to the GM
that they are doing so.
Once declared, any HP normally lost from attack
damage results in a loss of stamina points instead.

Power Points
Power Points (PP) are special bonuses characters can
use doing battle. Power points can be used on
weapon, armor and item abilities as well as certain talents. FOR EXAMPLE, a character with 2 power
points wielding a combat rifle may use the weapon's
ability that reads : +1 Range (this means 2 PP
may be spent for a +1 to the attack range until end of
turn).
For every +1 rolled on a standard roll during an attack, that attack gains 1 power point. Any unused
power points disappear at the end of a turn meaning
they cannot be saved or stored for later use. Similarly,
any effects gained from the use of power points only
last until the end of turn (unless otherwise stated).
Note -1 modifiers from attack rolls do no give an attacker power points, only positive modifiers. FOR EXAMPLE, a character makes an attack and rolls a +2.
They receive 2 power points for that attack. On their
next attack they roll -3. They receive no power points.

A character that has partial cover gains +2 defense

against all attacks they are covered from. Partial or full
cover can benefit both a defender as well as an attacker. FOR EXAMPLE, an underwater attacker
would have partial cover gaining +2 defense. However, because the attacker is behind partial cover, their
target receives a +2 defense from their attacks as well.
Refer to page XYZ for details on line of sight, and
how blocking objects can effect cover. Page XYZ covers rules about illumination and it's effects in combat.

Attacking from High Ground

Attacking from a physically higher position can provide a bonus to attackers in combat. For every 1
space a character's head is above their opponent's,
they receive a +1 to all attacks against that character
up to a maximum of +3. FOR EXAMPLE, a human
(who is 2 spaces tall), standing on a ledge 1 space
higher than their opponent would receive a +1 to
their attack. However, a PC only 1 space tall standing
on the same ledge against an NPC 3 spaces tall would
still be at a disadvantage to the NPC since the NPC
would still be higher.
Characters who are 1 or more spaces lower than another character suffer a -1 attack penalty for each
space lower that their heads are in relation to their
opponent's. FOR EXAMPLE, a small character attacking a medium NPC would suffer -1 attack penalty
since they would not be the same height as the NPC.
Characters cannot melee attack a target two or more
spaces higher than they are tall unless their weapon
has reach ability.

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Part VI: Combat & Encounters

Retreat & Evasion Time line:

1. Both parties meet one another. Go to step 2.
2. One party decides to evade. If the other party is
surprised, the evasion is automatically successful (go to step 6). Otherwise, go to step 3.
3. The other party must decide on whether or not
to pursue. Player characters decide for themselves, but NPCs must make a reaction test. If
aggressive or hostile, they give chase (go to
step 4). If any other result, the group does not
pursue, go to step 6.
4. The GM rolls for an evasion test. If the evaders
succeed, they successfully evade their pursuers
(go to step 6). If they fail, the pursuit continues,
go to step 5.
5. The pursuit continues. Each party takes their
turn as per the standard rules of combat with
two exceptions: first, each turn both sides make
a new initiative roll. The side with the higher result goes first. Second, NPC pursuers must
make a morale test every five turns. The chase
continues until one of the following happens:
A) The pursuers give up or fail a morale
test. Go to step 6.
B) The pursuers pin or kill the evading
party members due to attacks.
C) The evading party escapes by making a
successful evasion test. Go to step 6.
6. The evaders regain their bearings and attempt
to take stock of their situation.

Retreat & Evasion

Characters who find themselves in a combat situation
more deadly than they originally expected may wish to
retreat and Evade their pursuers.
A party evading a group of PCs or NPCs will usually
spot their adversary, decide to retreat, turn and run
away. Before an evasion can occur, however, one or
both parties involved must decide they wish to escape
or retreat.
Player characters always make this decision on their
own, but NPC parties must first make a morale test
(see page XYZ). If an NPC party fails their morale
test, they attempt to flee and evade their pursuers.
During an evasion, time is measured in turns. Most
evasions are played out over a local map, but space
evasions are played out on a stellar map, instead.
If the evading party attempts to run away before combat and the other side is surprised, the evasion is automatically successful.
However, if a party sees an enemy group attempting
71

Open Adventure

Evasion Modifiers
Condition

Modifier

Evading party is faster

+1

Pursuing party is faster

-2

Evading party is 5 or less characters

+1

Evading party is 10-50 characters

-2

Evading party is over 50 characters

-5

Pursuing party is less then 10 characters -1

Pursuing party is 25 or more characters +1
Terrain is clear and open

-5

Terrain is filled with partial cover

+1

Terrain is filled with full cover

+3

Pursuing party has full illumination

-3

Pursuing party has partial illumination

+2

Pursuing party has no illumination

+5

to escape, they may choose to pursue the fleeing

party. Player characters may decide whether or not
they wish to pursue; but an NPC party must first make
a reaction test (see page XYZ). If the test result is aggressive or hostile, the NPC party pursues their
prey.
Before the evading party begin their turn, the GM will
make an evasion test. If successful, the evading party
escapes their chasers. Each turn both parties evade or
pursue one another, they suffer -1 before playing
their turn as a standard turn of combat.
If a character does not have any stamina points left,
they can only move at their movement points.
After all parties have had their turn, each party must
make a new initiative test, with the party with the
highest initiative test result playing their turn first. Every five turns the pursuing party must make a new
morale test. If the pursuers fail a morale test, they no
longer give chase.
If the pursuing party catch their prey, the GM should
declare that the evading party can no longer run (due
to reasons such as being backed into a dead end,
forced to the edge of a cliff, etc.) and must stand and
face their enemies. The party that attempted to flee
may choose to fight their pursuers or surrender to
them.

Evasion Test
To make an evasion test, the game master should roll
2d6 and consult the table on page XYZ. A result of
10-12 means the fleeing party successfully evaded
capture.

Open Adventure

Evasion Test
Roll
2d6

Evasion Result

2-3

Evasion Halted

4-5

Pursuit Continues

6-7

Pursuit Continues

8-9

Pursuit Continues

Part VI: Combat & Encounters

See page XYZ for how starship weapon damage is
handled during combat.

10-11 Successfully Evaded

12

Successfully Evaded

A result of 2-3 means the evading party cannot run

any farther due to an unforeseen issue (such as running to a dead end, edge of a cliff or other cause), and
cannot attempt another evasion test against that enemy party for 1 day. Any other result means the pursuit continues.
Several factors can add positive or negative modifiers
to an evasion test. For each condition listed on page
XYZ that is true during an evasion, apply the appropriate modifier to the evasion test.

Starship Combat
Battle in space unfolds very similarly as normal combat with a few exceptions. When a starship is in a battle, combat takes place on two different maps simultaneously: a stellar map where the starship cruises
around outer space and a local map where the characters can move around the starship.
Before a starship weapon can be used, it must be fully
charged. Each weapon has an individual charge time
that must elapse before the weapon is charged. Once
a weapon is charged, it can be used. Immediately after
it's use the weapon will need to charge again before
being used.
To use a starship weapon, the character using the
weapon's control system must announce what they're
targeting.
If they're targeting a structure with rooms, they must
specify which room they wish their weapons to fire
upon. FOR EXAMPLE, an adventurer may choose to
target the room of a starship that has the life support
system. If that weapon had the possibility to cause
fires, it would be possible the LSS could catch fire.
If 1 or more points of damage is dealt to a room with
a system in it, the attacker should roll 2d6 for each
occupying system: on a 2-5 that system is broken. A
broken system can be repaired with a successful repair
ability test.
In starship combat, all characters take their turn before the vehicles move and perform any actions (such
as firing their weapons).

72

Part IX: Game Master Information

THIS SECTION SHOULD ONLY BE READ BY
THE GAME MASTER! Before an adventure can begin and the PCs embark on their first journey, the GM
must create a story or scenario that he or she can tell
as the adventure unfolds. A game master should create imaginary characters, detailed maps, interesting
stories with surprising plot twists and a believable
world or galaxy. This section offers a step-by-step
guide as to how to create a fun filled adventure or
campaign (made up of several related adventures).
This section also covers tips and tricks that will help
playing the role of the game master easier or more
fun to play.

Basic Set Rules

Rule

Pages

Part 1: Introduction

XYZ

How to Create a Player Character (skip XYZ

abilities and talents)
Primary Traits

XYZ

Secondary Traits

XYZ

Attack & Defense

XYZ

Choose a Race

XYZ

Name Your Character

XYZ

Background

XYZ

If the GM plays with new players who are inexperienced with OPEN ADVENTURE, or who have never
played role-playing or adventure games before, the
game master should allow the new players to read
PART 1: INTRODUCTION on page XYZ. This
chapter covers the basic concepts and setup of the
game.

Gaining a New Level

XYZ

Money

XYZ

Weapons & Armor

XYZ

Retainers

XYZ

Party Size & Composition

XYZ

However, do not teach new players the rules or

specifics of OA and do not let the players read the
rules beyond the introduction. Instead, encourage the
new players to think about how they would react and
handle the situation described (not necessarily their
character). Allow the players to discover the game
through interaction and exploration; not through the
rules of this booklet.

Organizing a Party

XYZ

Maps, Spaces & Scale

XYZ

Time Measurement

XYZ

Movement & Travel

XYZ

Resting & Recuperation

XYZ

Falling Great Distances

XYZ

A game master should become familiar with the rules

of this booklet, memorizing as many of them as possible. The GM should handle most of the technical details about how the game is run while the players focus on their character's actions and responses. The
GM or other experienced player should create PCs for
the new players before the game begins and give the
new players the corresponding character record
sheets.

Light & Vision

XYZ

Death

XYZ

Common Character Actions

XYZ

Conditions

XYZ

Part 4: Magic

XYZ

Playing Your First Adventure

Introducing Game Rules Slowly

In a way, the GM should treat this booklet and all the
rules contained within as a secret to keep away from
the players. As a player becomes accustomed to playing the game, and their characters gain experience,
slowly teach the player new rules about OPEN ADVENTURE.
The rules of this book are divided into four rule sets,
known simply as Sets, that introduce the basics of
playing the game. Teach only the rules listed for the
set the players have earned access. With each new set
a player will progressively learn more game rules.
Once a player's character has attained level 1, the
game master should allow the player to read all

Part 6: Combat & Encounters (skip eva- XYZ

sion & retreat and mass combat)
the rules belonging to the basic set. Next, after the
player's character has reach level 2 (and every two levels afterwards) the GM should teach the player the
new rules for the next appropriate set. There are four
sets starting with basic then intermediate, expert and
master. This delayed discovery of the game rules is
known as BIEM (pronounced beam), which corresponds to the order the sets are introduced.

Basic Set (Level 1)

The Basic Set covers the minimum rules needed to
play the game. The basic set serves as an introduction
for new players. Players should read the rules listed in
the table on page XYZ with the noted exceptions.
74

Open Adventurer

Creating an Adventure Campaign

A. Choose a Plot
A Plot is a background story and a series of events
that tie an adventure together. A plot helps prevent an
adventure from becoming a boring repetition of
open the door, defeat the enemy and take the treasure. A good plot should provide the players with a
motivation or reason to embark on the adventure. Every plot should have a story, interesting characters,
maps or floor plans for where the PCs will be exploring, and a reason for the characters to take on the adventure. Plots are divided into five phases:
1. INTRODUCTION Introduces all of the main
characters in the story. It shows how they relate to
one another, what their goals and motivations are,
and the kind of person they are. The players may
have questions about any of these things, which
should get settled, but if they do have questions they
are specific and well-focused. Most importantly, in the
introduction, the players get to know about each
other's PCs, main characters and the villain or villains
working against them. They also get to know their
main goal and what is at stake if the adventuring party
fails to attain their goal.
2. CONFLICT This is the point of the plot that begins the conflict. It is the buildup of events until the climax. The motives and allegiances of all the main
characters are made clear (at least for the most part),

Part IX: Game Master Information

and all the sides involved begin to struggle against one
another. Conflicts can generally be categorized as the
party against another character (a villain type), against
an organization or society (such as a religious sect or
megacorp), against a natural or animalistic force or
even against one another.
3. CLIMAX The climax is the turning point where
the main characters make the single big decision that
defines the outcome of the story and who he or she is
as a person. This phase begins after the PCs finally
clear away the initial barriers standing in their way and
become ready to engage with their main adversary.
Usually at this point of the adventure both sides have
a plan to win against one another. Now is often the
first time the players see their characters going against
the main adversary in either direct or nearly direct
conflict.
4. FALLING ACTION In this phase, the villain has
the upper hand. It seems that evil will triumph. The
adventurers have never been farther from accomplishing their goal due to actions set in place by their adversary. However, usually, the PCs resolve the problem at the last minute.
5. RESOLUTION The adventure's mysteries are
solved and any loose ends are explained. The story
(usually) ends with a happy ending.
A plot can be anything the GM can imagine. To help
new or beginning game masters, some common plot
objectives are listed below.

Sample Plot Objectives

#

Offensive Objectives

Defensive Objectives

Secretly place an item or person in a place of im- 7

portance

Uncover a hidden item, spy or secret plot

Spy on an area or person and report what you

find

Hide or disguise a person or item from being

found or spied upon

Destroy an item, person or place of importance

Defend an item, person or place of importance

Capture an item, place or person of importance

10 Liberate or free an item, place or person of importance

Sabotage a certain area, item or person

11 Repair or restore a certain item or area, or heal a

person of importance

Infiltrate into an area controlled by enemies

12 Escape from pursuing enemies or an area controlled by enemies

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Part IX: Game Master Information

B. Decide on a Setting
A Setting is a description of the galaxy, star system or
world the PCs will be adventuring in. A setting may
also entail smaller, more local areas such as a town,
outpost, dungeon or star base. A setting should be
carefully chosen because it can greatly affect the
theme and tone of the game that the player's play.
In total there are six different types of maps (see page
XYZ) that a game master can create:
1. Galactic Map
2. Astronomical Map
3. Stellar Map
4. World/Planet Map
5. Overland Map
6. Local Map
A fantasy medieval themed-game, or any genre that is
limited to the confines of a single world, may use the
world/planet, overland and local maps. Science-fiction
style games may use any or all of the six maps listed
above.
Galactic and world/planet maps are much too large to
be used by players for travel purposes. Instead, these
two maps types are created strictly for informational
purposes in showing major landmarks, continental or
stellar outlines and dominion borders.

Game Materials
Although OPEN ADVENTURE can be played with
nothing more than your friends or family, this rulebook and an active imagination, it is often helpful to
be prepared with a few simple materials easily attainable and your local store or hobby shop. Such materials help bring the game alive by offering a visual cue
and allows players to better keep track of the different
elements of the game.

Figurines
To enhance the experience of the game, players can
use small Figurines (often known as miniatures) to
represent their characters. Figurines are tiny pewter
or plastic molds representing various characters of
mythology and story. Players can typically purchase
figurines at their local game shop, make their own, or
borrow one from a board game (such as the popular
game of chess).
Players should use figures that resemble their characters and make certain the GM knows which figure
represents their character. The tiny figurines should be
lined up according to the marching order the party
has decided upon. If using a grid mat or diorama (see
below), the players will move their figures around the
76

Open Adventure
play area according to the speed of their character.
If players do not have access to figures, they can simply write on a sheet of paper the marching order of
their characters.

Play Areas & Maps

Alternatively to map drawing, and in order to keep
track of proper distances characters move in a local
map, it is common to use a large grid to represent
spaces (see page XYZ for the details on spaces) similar
to the function of a chess board.

Grid Mats
Hobby and game shops often sell large, roll-able mats
that have grids imprinted on them. These are known
as Grid Mats, and typically have a large square grid
on one side and a hexagon grid on the other. One
space in the grid is typically 2 cm or 1 inch on it's
side.
If players do not have access to grid mats, grid paper
can suffice as an alternative. Even better, a large
poster-sized dry-erase board placed face up on the
game table allows the game master to draw out the dimensions of rooms and obstacles and indicate the position of PCs and NPCs. Players can use a sheet of
glass or Plexiglas for the same purpose.
If none of above-mentioned supplies are readily available, a bolt of yarn and some adhesive tape can create a gird. Tape one end of the yarn to a side of the
game table, then span it across to the other side in a
straight line parallel to the edges of the table then cut
the yarn. Next, tape the other end to the side of the
table. Measure 2 cm distance from the first yarn
length and repeat the process, running the second
yarn strand parallel to the first. Continue these steps
until you have several long lines spanning the length
of the table. Now, continue the process again this
time making the yarn run perpendicular to the first set
of strands. In this manner, the yarn or string can be
used to form a large grid. All of the supplies mentioned thus far can often be purchased at a local arts
& crafts store.

Dioramas
A grid, while visually helpful, is not a requirement.
Game masters can build a miniature Diorama to represent the play area. A diorama is a three-dimensional
miniature model of the scene and scenario the players
are searching. Various cardboard, plastic or metal
props such as dominoes (placed on their side to represent walls) can be used to create the scene before the
game begins.
Because there are no grid lines, one space is a measurement of 2 cm or 1 inch. FOR EXAMPLE, a
character chooses to move 6 spaces in a diorama.

Open Adventure
The player would move their character 18 cm (3 cm x
6 = 18 cm) from their initial position. Rulers or measuring tapes are helpful in keeping track of distances.
If a player does not have a ruler or tape measure, they
can assume the length between their index finger's
first and second knuckle (farthest from your hand)
measure approximately 1 space, for measuring purposes.

Counters, Tokens & Props

Similarly to figurines, various arts & crafts items and
other doodads can be used to represent enemy NPCs,
in-game props, magic effects and radius, and much
more.
Coins, dice, paper, beads, chits and cardboard cut
outs are all easy-to-find materials players and game
master alike can use. Often times small wooden cubes
of various colors can be labeled with a number on it's
top to represent the different races or species of enemy NPCs. Cubes painted four different colors labeled
0 through 9 can help track up to 40 different NPCs.
Bendable pipe cleaner or string can be shaped to take
on the outline of the spaces on a map to show the
range or radius of a spell or weapon's effect. Small
items such as beads can be used to symbolize the
number of health or stamina points a character currently has remaining. Likewise the above-mentioned
tokens can be used as a representation of the number
of monies a character is carrying on themselves.

Levels & Experience Points

A character's experience point number determines his
or her level. The more XP a character earns, the
higher level and power they gain. Experience points
are an important part of any character. Only through
the acquisition of XP will a character gain new health
points, ability points, talents and higher tiered spells.

Earning XP
After an adventure has concluded, the game master
assigns experience points to any surviving characters.
Players should add the XP earned to a grand total of
all XP an adventurer has collected over every adventure or campaign they've played in. If a character has
collected enough experience points, they may promote to a higher level. See page XYZ for level rules.
Adventurers can gain new XP through two ways:
1. Defeating enemies in combat or similar challenges
2. Recovering treasures found on adventures or
given as a reward for completing quests

Part IX: Game Master Information

Defeating Enemies
Add the XP from all the foes defeated during the session and divide the value by the number of characters who helped defeat them. Award the resulting
number of XP to all characters who participated.
Every foe that the characters defeat will earn them a
number of XP equal to the foe's experience point
value. The more foes defeated, the more XP earned.
The total XP earned this way is divided amongst all
the players who helped defeat the foes. The divided
number is the amount of XP each character who participated in the combat earns individually.
Note that defeating enemies does not always require
the destruction or killing of the enemies. Defeating an
enemy could mean scaring it off (see page XYZ for
morale) or avoiding a violent confrontation with it.
The game master will decide what constitutes a victory
over an enemy.

Recovering Treasures
Add the total value of all treasures recovered during
the game session (excluding magic items) where 1 sc
= 1 XP. Divide the value by the number of players
who participated.
Finding and retrieving treasures is not only helpful in
providing wealth to the adventuring party, it also provides experience points. The total value of all treasures found during a game session (excluding magic
items) is added up and divided by the number of players involved. This new number is the amount of XP
each character earns individually.
However, not all treasure provides experience points.
The types of treasure that give XP to characters are:
1. Treasure taken from defeated enemies
2. Rewards bestowed upon the adventurers as
compensation or gratitude for completing a
quest
3. Wealth found in areas related to a quest
4. Riches pilfered from successfully using the
sleight of hand ability (see page XYZ)
Characters only get XP from wealth obtained during
dangerous or challenging experiences.

Rate of XP Gain
As a general rule, the game master should organize
game sessions to allow for enough experience points
to be gained so that player characters and hired retainers should achieve a new level every five game sessions.

77

Part IX: Game Master Information

At that speed, level advancement doesn't come so often as to generate a sense of boredom or trivialize attaining a new level, but not so slowly as to cause frustration or a sense of stagnation amongst the players.
Many factors can affect the rate of XP that PCs gain
such as the length of a game session or the frequency
that the OPEN ADVENTURE game is played. Players
who frequently participate in game sessions may gain
new levels faster than players who play less often, for
example.

A. Divide the Total XP Between Sessions

To better control the rate at which players gain experience points, the game master should offer a maximum amount of XP equal to the number of XP
needed to attain each player's next level; divided by 5.
FOR EXAMPLE, a level three character would need
4,500 XP to reach their next level. The GM would divide this number by 5 for a total of 900 XP that the
game master would offer each game session until the
player has reached a new level.

Maximum XP Per Session (Per Character)

Level

Max XP

01

100 XP

12

400 XP

23

900 XP

34

1,600 XP

45

2,500 XP

This calculation should be done for each character (including NPC retainers) then added together for one
large experience point total. The experience point total is the number of XP offered to the party for each
game session. FOR EXAMPLE, a party consisting of a
level 2 mercenary (900 XP per session), a level 1 constable (400 XP per session) and a level 3 assassin
(1,600 XP per session) would be able to collect at
most 2,900 XP per game session.
Even though a maximum amount of XP is allowed every adventure, whether or not the player characters
are clever or brave enough to find and earn the points
offered is left to the individual PCs.

B. Divide the Session XP by Method

After a game master has determined the maximum
amount of XP he or she will offer the party, the GM
reward the XP based on three criteria:
QUESTS: Of all the XP offered, 50% of it should be
given as a part of a reward or compensation after the
player characters complete their quest or objective.
The character who originally hired the party to complete the adventure should only pay the party after the
78

Open Adventure
job has been finished, although they may choose to
offer 50% of the total reward to the party upfront;
paying the other half after the objectives are finished.
Characters will earn XP for each coin or credit
awarded in this manner following the standard rules
concerning characters attaining new levels on page
XYZ. FOR EXAMPLE, after slaying a dragon to save
a local village; the mayor of the town awards the party
of four adventurers 16,000 sc as an expression of her
gratitude. The GM would therefore award the band of
heroes 16,000 XP, divided evenly amongst the group
of four PCs, giving each character 4,000 XP (16,000
XP / 4 Characters = 4,000 XP).
TREASURES: As explained on page XYZ, treasures
found while partaking on an adventure can earn characters experience points. Up to 25% of the maximum
XP offered per game session should be given as a reward for every coin or credit the party discovers, or
the number of coin or credit any uncovered treasure is
in value. The amount of XP given to the party
through found treasure is divided by the number of
characters (including NPCs) in the party. FOR EXAMPLE, the four adventurers that slayed the dragon also
found 8,000 sc worth of treasure and jewelry. The
game master would award the party 8,000 XP divided
evenly four ways (once for each character) for a total
of 2,000 XP per hero (8,000 XP / 4 Characters =
2,000 XP).
COMBAT: The perils of facing and defeating enemies
in combat can often prove deadly to characters. But
the victories of combat are not without their rewards.
A GM should offer up to 25% of the maximum XP
per session through victories in combat. For each enemy defeated in combat, a certain amount of XP is rewarded to the party, divided by the number of adventurers who participated in the victory. See page XYZ
for more details. FOR EXAMPLE, a party of four adventurers destroyed a number of monsters and other
creatures to earn the party 8,000 XP, giving each
character 2,000 XP (8,000 XP / 4 Players = 2,000
XP).

Maximum XP By Category (Per Character)

Level

Quests*

Treasures**

Combat**

01

250 XP

25 XP

25 XP

12

1,000 XP

100 XP

100 XP

23

2,250 XP

225 XP

225 XP

34

4,000 XP

400 XP

400 XP

45

6,250 XP

625 XP

625 XP

* = Each experience level, ** = Each game session

Open Adventurer

Part IX: Game Master Information

Ability Difficulties & Percentages*

Target Number

Roll At Least

Roll Exact

Roll At Most

Modifier

100%

3%

3%

-5

97%

6%

8%

-4

92%

8%

17%

-3

83%

11%

28%

-2

72%

14%

42%

-1

58%

17%

58%

42%

14%

72%

+1

28%

11%

83%

+2

17%

8%

92%

+3

8%

6%

97%

+4

10

3%

3%

100%

+5

*Based on a character with a standard trait value of 5

Tips & Advice on Game Mastering

The success and level of fun of a game session depends largely on the game master and his or her creation, the adventure. The GM should carefully map
out the details and floor plans of the adventure before
play begins. Even then, a GM will find it impossible to
predict every possibility the players may choose. After
all, there is only one game master but many players! It
is not uncommon for players to find solutions, or pose
new problems, that the game master had not thought
of. For these reasons, it is important for a GM to remain flexible.
It is important for the game master to be fair, judging
everything and making decisions without favoring one
side over the other. The game master is there to insure the adventure is interesting for everyone involved, and that everyone enjoys the game. OPEN
ADVENTURE is not a contest between the GM
and the players! The game master should do his or
her best to act neutrally when taking on the role of
enemies or handling disputes between characters.

Playing Outside the Written Rules

Players will often surprise the game master by wanting
their characters to do something unexpected. If this
happens, don't panic. The GM should simply make
sure everything is performed in a timely order given
by the outline or sequence of events being used. Minor details can be filled in on the spot by the game
master. The important thing is to keep the game moving. A good GM will learn how to handle both new
ideas and unusual requests quickly and with creativity
and imagination.

Often a game master can decide on a solution to a

player character's actions not covered in the rules of
this booklet. One quick method for a GM to decide
whether a certain action or circumstance is possible, is
to imagine the situation then how likely it would be for
a normal adult to complete the action, then assign a
TN based off the percentage chance of success. FOR
EXAMPLE, an action or ability with a target number
5 would be successful for 58% of characters who attempt it, while only 3% of character could succeed at
an action with a target number of 10. Another way of
doing this is by assigning a number of +1's or -1's to
a character before they perform an action.
FOR EXAMPLE, the GM is running a combat scene
taking place near a narrow ledge next to a deep
chasm. One of the player characters feels that certain
death awaits them if they continue to fight and so decides they will take their chances jumping into the unexplored chasm. The player announces Atelia wants
to jump into the pit to escape!. There may be a remote chance she will grab hold of a ledge below or fall
into a large pool of water at the bottom. The GM
thinks about the situation for a moment and remembers that there is a small stream running through
some of the lower levels of the maze. Even so, the
flowing waters and pools are very small and would be
incredibly difficult for a normal person to successfully
target and land in. The game master figures that with
the height of the chasm being 20 spaces deep, and
the pools cloaked in darkness, only 3% of characters
could pull off such a feat. The game master declares
Looking down into the chasm, Atelia can estimate an
incredibly high likelihood of dying if she jumps. If your
character decides to jump, make a jump ability test
versus a target number of 10.

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Part IX: Game Master Information

If you roll 9 or lower, your character will have perished; but if you roll a 10 or higher your character will
survive. Do you still wish to jump?

Applying +/- Modifiers

The game master may wish to help or hinder a PC
based on certain ability tests due to situational circumstances that work for or against the character. The
GM may give a bonus or penalty to the character's
ability test depending on the difficulty of the action.

Open Adventure
an effort to make it feel as real as possible. The GM
can convey a sense of realism by describing what the
PCs see, hear, feel, smell and even feel. When NPCs
talk with the player characters, the GM should speak
as they would, giving life to the non-player characters.
The game master should also describe a sense of time
(such as the time of day) to the players so they are
aware of any urgency, how long they've been adventuring, and how much time as progressed since they
began.

Bonus & Penalty Modifiers

A Balanced Game is a Fair Game

Modifier

Description

+1 / -1

Minor influence

+2 / -2

Moderate influence

+3 / -3

High influence

+4 / -4

Severe influence

+5 / -5

Immense influence

The GM should always maintain a balanced game

when it comes to difficulty and rewards given for
when characters take risks. The treasures should be
appropriately balanced in worth and function by the
dangers that had to be overcome. Some groups prefer
adventures where attaining new experience levels happens swiftly. In such a case, enemy NPCs should be
more difficult to compensate for the increase of treasure rewarded to the PCs. Other groups prefer to focus on the development and story of their character,
and care less about experience level advancement. If
enemies, traps and other surprises are too deadly, the
parties may be reduced by too many deathsnot allowing players to fully explore the roles of their characters. See page XYZ for details on running a balanced adventure.

FOR EXAMPLE, a character locked in mortal combat

with an enemy lunges at his opponent only to have
the enemy character throw sand into his eyes. The
GM decides that the player character having sand in
their eyes means they are considered to have the
partial blindness condition and will suffer a -2 modifier to all future attacks until the PC can wash out
their eyes. The player would note that their attack has
been temporarily reduced from an attack of 8 to an
attack of 6.

The Game Master Has Final Say

The game master always decides how the rules of this
rulebook are used in the OPEN ADVENTURE game.
A good GM will discuss with his or her players about
problem areas within the game and consider reasonable requests by the players. However, the players
should know that the GM is the one who makes the final decision in what is allowed and what is not. The
game master's decision supersedes the players as well
at the rules in this booklet.
If a disagreement is slowing or stalling the game, the
game master may have to make a temporary solution
to keep the game progressing, but agree to talk over
the differences with any players involved once the adventure is over. If a player disagrees strongly enough
about the decisions of the GM or how the game master runs the adventure, he or she may decide to quit
the game. It is the responsibility of the GM to create
an adventure that the players can enjoy.

Never Allow Meta-Gaming

A player should never be allowed to make his or her
PC act on information they would not know or would
have no way of knowing (seeking revenge on an NPC
that killed one of the player's previous characters,
even though the current PC and NPC have never
met). The GM should inform all of the players before
the adventure begins to only have their character behave and act within the knowledge and situation they
have experienced. If a player forgets to have their
character behave within their own knowledge, the GM
should remind them that they are role playing poorly.
The game master should forbid these types of actions
and ask that the player make a more appropriate
choice for their player character.

Mapping

Open Adventure Should Be Fun

The game master should draw an outline or floorplan

on any buildings, spacecraft or outdoor area on
square grid paper (if for an indoors scene) or hexagon
grid paper (for outdoors or outer-space scenes) before
gameplay begins. This will allow the GM to better understand the layout and dimensions of the area the
party will describe, and allow the game master to describe the scene in a hasty manner.

The game master should make every effort to describe

the scenes the player characters find themselves in in

For the player tasked with mapping a previously explored area, mapping can be a difficult task. The GM

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Open Adventure

Part IX: Game Master Information

should describe the length, width, height and/or

depth of a room or region in units of spaces (see
page XYZ for details on spaces). This will allow for an
easy-to-understand description of the map, and save
time. Scale is very important when describing the
scene in spaces.
Whenever players are expected to know the shape of
a stronghold, the GM should draw an outline to show
the mapper. To save time, the GM may even draw
parts of complex or oddly shaped rooms or regions.
However, this should be avoided as much as possible
and only done in extreme situations. Players should
become skilled and talented at drawing maps based off
the game master's descriptions, and will only become
better by practicing and learning to do it themselves.

NPC Descriptions
When describing NPCs and enemies when first encountered by an adventuring party, the GM should
take care to describe what the NPC looks, smells,
sounds and at times feels like instead of merely providing the name or type of NPC the players have encountered. The players will eventually come to recognize the name of the NPC by it's descriptions alone.

Advanced Game Mastering

This section covers instructions on how game master
can take OPEN ADVENTURE beyond the rules laid
out in the booklet; including how to create custom enemies, magic items and more.

Unlimited Experience Levels

After a player character has attained the 5 and final
experience level, the GM may wish to continue allowing PCs to climb in experience levels.
th

A GM should note that this rule variant is optional and

can be overlooked at the game master's discretion. 5 th
level characters can continue level advancement
through two methods:
1. Characters focus on earning more currency,
thus affording themselves greater opportunities and wealth
2. The game master allows players to utilize the
unlimited experience levels rules outlined
below
As explained on page XYZ, player characters should
reach a new level once every five game sessions.
However, starting at level 5, characters can continue
gaining new levels at the rate of a number of game
sessions equal to the level a character wishes to reach.
FOR EXAMPLE, a level 7 character looking to reach
level 8 would have to play, on average, eight game
sessions before reaching level 8. A level 15 character
would have to play approximately 15 game sessions

before seeing his or her character promoted.

The total XP required to attain a new level is equal to
the level number multiplied by half of itself, then multiplied by 1,000. FOR EXAMPLE, to calculate the
number of XP required to reach level 8, a player or
game master would multiply half the level number
with the actual level number, then multiply the total by
1,000 (4 x 8 = 32 x 1,000 = 32,000 XP).

Unlimited Levels Requirements

Level Game
Sessions

Max. XP
Per Session

Min. Total XP
Required

VI

3,600 XP

18,000 XP

VII

4,900 XP

24,500 XP

VIII

6,400 XP

32,000 XP

IX

8,100 XP

40,500 XP

10

10,000 XP

50,000 XP

The maximum number of XP a game master should

offer a player per game session is equal to the PCs
level multiplied by itself then multiplied by 100. FOR
EXAMPLE, a level 9 soldier would have a maximum
of 8,100 XP to collect and earn each game session
(level 9 x 9 = 81 x 100 = 8,100 XP).
Note the game master may have to create new talents, magic, enemies, treasures, technologies and so
forth to keep pace with the character's new powers.

Creating Custom NPCs

OPEN ADVENTURE lists a variety of friendly and enemy NPCs in CHAPTER VII: NON-PLAYER
CHARACTERS. However, if a game master wishes
to design their own NPCs, or make custom enemies,
then they should follow the steps below. Use the descriptions and tables below as guidelines. Whenever a
rule states to multiply a number by the NPC's level,
level 0 NPCs should always be multiplied by
(rounded down) instead of 0.

A. Decide the NPC's Level

An NPC should have a defined level associated with
them. In OPEN ADVENTURE, an NPC can be listed
as level 0 (just starting out) to level V (the maximum
level of a character). If the GM is using the optional
unlimited levels variant outlined on page XYZ, nonplayer characters can theoretically be any level 0 or
higher. It is recommended that if an NPC will likely
fight a player character in combat, the NPC be of the
same or similar level. This offers a challenge for an
adventurer, without making combat too easy (and a
sense of feeling mundane) or too difficult (and causing
despair amongst the players for being so easily defeated).

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Part IX: Game Master Information

Each level has associated with it a recommended
number of Character Points (CP). Character points
are points that should be distributed amongst a character's six primary traits (strength, perception, intelligence, dexterity, charisma and health) as well as the
optional seventh primary trait of magic. See page
XYZ for details on creating a character.

NPC Level & Character Points

Level

Character Points

25

30

II

35

III

40

IV

45

50

Level 0 NPCs are recommended to have 25 points,

with each successive level gaining 5 additional CP
than the previous level. FOR EXAMPLE, a level 2
NPC would have 35 CP, and a level 3 would have 40
CP.

B. Determine the NPC's Primary Traits

After the GM has decided on a level for the NPC and
has a number of character points to distribute
amongst the non-player character's primary trait
points, the GM may begin shaping the strengths and
weaknesses of the character. The GM should follow
the steps below to insure they create an NPC that offers a challenge for the player character, but is not too
strong or weak. The game master insure that the total
sum of all of the NPC's primary trait numbers do not
exceed the CP for the NPC's level. FOR EXAMPLE, a
level 3 NPC should never have more than 36 character points distributed amongst the seven primary
traits.
1. DECIDE THE NPC'S STRENGTH, PERCEPTION
OR MAGIC TRAITS: Most NPCs will serve as a challenge for player characters in the form of an enemy in
combat. An NPC's attack trait will determine how
much damage they could potentially inflict upon a PC.
Attack is divided into two parts: the NPC's strength (if
they're attacking with a melee attack) or perception (if
they're attacking with a ranged attack) and their
weapon's damage number. Some NPCs will not have
weapons, instead choosing to attack unarmedwhile

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Part IX: Game Master Information

Open Adventurer

Custom Enemy Stats

Level

Health Points

Exp. Points

Bonus XP

Character Points STR/PER/MAG, DEX

Specials

2 HP +/- Roll

5 XP

1 XP

25

5-6

5 HP +/- Roll

10 XP

2 XP

30

6-7

10 HP +/- Roll 20 XP

4 XP

35

7-8

15 HP +/- Roll 30 XP

6 XP

40

8-9

20 HP +/- Roll 40 XP

8 XP

45

9-10

25 HP +/- Roll 50 XP

10 XP

50

10+

some NPCs will have natural weapons (such as claws,

teeth, or breathing fire). Natural weapons should be
treated the same as any other weapon type, for NPC
creation purposes.
If an NPC is particularly challenging in combat because of their magic trait, that should be the highest
number.
The game master should decide if they wish for their
NPC to be strongest at melee attacks (including unarmed attacks), ranged attacks (including thrown
weapons) or magic using. Then, the GM should
choose a strength, perception or magic trait number
from the table below. Note it is recommended an
NPC's strength, perception or magic primary trait
number be equal to their level + 5.
FOR EXAMPLE, a game master decides to create a
level 3 NPC that is a proficient ranged fighter. The
GM chooses the recommended perception value of 8
for the NPC.

Recommended NPC Primary Trait Numbers

Description

Trait Number

NPC Level

No Experience

5 or less

0 or less

Novice

0 or I

Basic

I or II

Skilled

II or III

Expert

III or IV

Master

10

IV or V

Grandmaster

11 or higher

V or higher

2. DETERMINE THE NPC'S DEXTERITY NUMBER: Similarly to the non-player character's attack
number, the NPC's dexterity should be determined using the table listed above. In general, it is recommended an NPC's dexterity be equal to their level +
5.
3. ALLOCATE REMAINING CHARACTER POINTS:
The GM should have several character points remaining to allocate amongst the NPC's four remaining pri-

83

mary traits. To determine the number of points remaining, add together the NPC's strength (if primarily
a melee fighter), perception (if primarily a ranged
fighter) or magic (if primarily a magic caster) and dexterity trait numbers; then subtract the total from the
NPC's maximum character points (determined on step
1 on page XYZ).
The number is the amount of CP left to allocate
amongst the remaining primary traits. FOR EXAMPLE, a level 4 NPC would have 45 character points.
The game master places 10 CP into the NPC's magic
and 9 points into dexterity for a total of 18 (10 magic
+ 9 dexterity = 18). The GM would have 27 CP remaining. See CHAPTER 2: PLAYER CHARACTER
CREATION on page XYZ for details on creating a
character.

C. Determine the NPC's Secondary Traits

The next step to creating an NPC is to determine
their secondary trait numbers.

Recommended Weapon/Armor Numbers

Item Quality

Damage/Toughness

No Equipment

Poor

+1

Moderate

+2

Good

+3

Great

+4

Exceptional

+5

Unique

+6

1. DECIDE THE NPC'S WEAPON DAMAGE: To determine an NPC's attack trait, the game master should
first determine the character's weapon damage then
add that number with their strength (if the weapon is
melee) or perception (if the weapon is ranged, including thrown). If the NPC is unarmed, the GM should
choose 0 as the damage number.
Consult the table above for a list of damage numbers
based off the quality of the weapon chosen.

Open Adventure

Part IX: Game Master Information

It is recommended that most weapon's be of moderate quality (inflicting 2 damage), with an increase of
+1 damage for every two levels higher than 0 that is
the NPC's level. FOR EXAMPLE, level 0 and 1 NPCs
would have moderate weapons but a level 2 NPC
would have good weapons and armor,
2. DECIDE THE NPC'S ARMOR TOUGHNESS:
Similarly to determining the NPC's weapon damage
(see the previous step above), the game master should
find the NPC's defense number by first finding the armor quality the NPC has, then adding that value with
their dexterity number. It is recommended that most
armor has a moderate toughness, with each two
successive levels of the NPCs wearing one quality
higher of armor. FOR EXAMPLE, a level 0 or 1 NPC
would be found with moderate armor, while a level
2 or 3 NPC would have good armor. A level 4 or 5
NPC is recommended to have great armor.
3. DETERMINE NPC'S HEALTH POINTS: To determine the recommended number of HP an enemy
should have, multiply their level by 5. FOR EXAMPLE, a level 5 enemy would have 25 HP. A Level 0
enemy would have 2 HP (rounded down). For additional variant, make a standard roll and apply any negative or positive modifiers to the HP number (minimum 1 HP). FOR EXAMPLE, the game master
makes a standard roll for a level 3 NPC and gets a +3,
adding it to the NPC's base 15 HP for a total of 18
HP (3 + 15 = 18 HP). Characters that have a base
HP of 20 or higher should be adding or subtracting
10% (rounded down) of the base XP for every positive
or negative modifier rolled.
4. DETERMINE EXPERIENCE POINTS REWARD:
The recommended number of XP an enemy should
give to a party when defeated is dependent on their
level. Multiply the level of the enemy by 10. FOR EXAMPLE, a level 3 enemy would provide 30 XP when
defeated.
5. DETERMINE SPECIAL ABILITIES & EQUIPMENT: Every enemy should have a number of special
abilities, magical items or special equipment equal to
their level. FOR EXAMPLE, a 2 nd level enemy would
have 2 special abilities, or 1 special ability and 1 special item. Generally, a special ability is a power that
can be used during combat, but which is not characteristic of basic survival skills. For example, a flying
creature does not get an asterisk for good maneuverability, but it may have a swoop ability.
For every additional special ability or item the enemy
has, bonus XP equal to the enemies level multiplied by
2 should be provided to a party for defeating the adversary. FOR EXAMPLE, a level 3 enemy would normally have 3 special abilities. If the NPC had a fourth
special ability, the adventurers would receive 6 bonus
experience points (level 3 x 2 = 6 XP).

84

Open Adventure
Character Record Sheet

Open Adventure
OPEN ADVENTURE fantasy & science-fiction game is not your ordinary game! Every adventure is like writing a collaborative novel with you and your friends or family. Players take
on the roles of elves, androids, dwarves, changlings, minotaurs or humans (amongst many
others) and travel through a fantastic world or mysterious galaxy filled with dangers and ex citement. Adventurers will wander through terrifying dungeons or frightening starbases
conquering enemies, solving puzzles and evading traps.
OPEN ADVENTURE has never been easier to play than now! This rulebook contains all
the rules necessary to begin playing and running your own adventure today. The rules have
been written and organized so that people who have never played before can begin playing
with minimal preparation and supplies. OPEN ADVENTURE can be played by any young
adult age 10 and up. The entire family will enjoy exploring every facet of the game as they
set out to complete their own OPEN ADVENTURE. With hundreds of features, including:

Guidelines to develop and play imaginary characters from levels 1 through 5

Comprehensive lists of over 85

weapons, 30 armors, and a multitude
of expedition gear, siege weaponry,
kingdom building materials, starship
systems and more

55 abilities each character can skillfully

use in completing their quest for glory
and wealth

60 talents divided amongst 5 different

character archetypes for personalizing a
player character's capabilities and your
own unique play style

20 different races and species, with the

option of creating your own or using
one not listed in the rulebook

52 magical spells and mysterious psionics allows characters to harness supernatural powers to overcome the perils
of the game

...no two adventures will ever be alike! If your character is smart enough and strong
enough, they'll discover treasure and wealth beyond imagination! However, the journey will
not be an easy one and is not for the faint of heart. Death will come easy to those who do
not think. Beware; for your character has less than a 20% chance of survival...
Thus warned, shall ye enter? If sograb some dice, your friends or family and discover
where your open adventure of the imagination will take you tonight!

Copyright 2013-2015 Open Adventure and O.A. are trademarks of Kyle Mecklem.
OPEN ADVENTURE is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA license.
DOWNLOAD, DISCUSS AND DEVELOP THE OPEN ADVENTURE GAME RULES AT: www.geekguild.com/openadventure
Printed in the U.S.A.