Modern Age Glossary

ability:One of nine core benchmarks that attack roll: The roll made when a char- after. After spending Conviction, char-
define a character’s physical and mental acter wants to attack in combat. This is acters recover it by acting in accord with
prowess. The abilities are Accuracy, an ability test with a target number (TN) their drives.
Communication, Constitution, Dexterity, equal to the opponent’s Defense. damage roll: A damage roll is made when
Fighting, Intelligence, Perception, attitude: How one character feels about a character successfully hits an oppo-
Strength, and Willpower. They are used another, on a scale from Very Hostile to nent in combat. Damage total = weapon
most commonly in ability tests. Very Friendly. Social interactions can damage + Strength (for melee weapons) or
ability focus: An area of expertise within adjust attitudes. Perception (for ranged weapons) – oppo-
an ability. A character who has an appro- background: Each player character (PC) nent’s Armor Rating and/or Toughness,
priate focus when making a test adds +2 to has a background that represents their depending on the campaign’s mode and
the test result. Only one ability focus can upbringing and training. Available back- damage type. The opponent deducts the
add to a test. Also known simply as focus. grounds depend on social class. A starting damage total from their Health.
ability test:The most common dice roll in character is defined by their background, defense: Defense measures how hard it is
the game, an ability test is used to resolve profession, and drive. to hit a character in combat. The higher
actions and reactions. Test result = 3d6 + ballistic damage: Damage inflicted by
the Defense, the better. Defense = 10 +
ability + focus (if applicable). firearms and other high-velocity attacks. Dexterity + shield bonus (if applicable).
actions: During action time, a character Abbreviated as B. Armor often has a degree of success: When it’s important
can take a major action and a minor action different Armor Rating versus ballistic to know how well a character performed
or two minor actions. Free actions do not damage as opposed to other forms of on an ability test, the Stunt Die is used
count toward this limit. damage. to determine the degree of success. The
action time: When it becomes important basic test: The most common ability test higher the Stunt Die, the greater the degree
to track time precisely and know who did in the game. A test is made and the result of success.
what when, the game switches from narra- compared to a target number determined dice: Modern AGE uses only one type of
tive time to action time. Time is tracked in by the GM. If the test result meets or beats dice: six-sided cubic dice, commonly used
15-second rounds during action time, and the target number, the test is successful. for other games. Usually abbreviated d6.
characters take turns in initiative order. Test result = 3d6 + ability + focus. discipline(psychic): A set of four psychic
Action time is used most commonly to bond: A connection established by a Rela- powers, acquired as a talent. Characters
handle combat. tionship, defined by its description and who acquire psychic disciplines are called
adjacent: When characters are within Intensity. psychics.
2 yards of each other, they are said to be breaching: An advanced test that repre- drive: A character trait defined during
adjacent. You can only make melee attacks sents a complicated plan, such as a heist. character creation which tells you why
against adjacent targets. Failing rolls in a breaching test can result your character goes on adventures and
advanced test: Basic or opposed tests that in negative consequences in the middle of provides some other benefits.
use a success threshold to track completion the test. encounter: An encounter is a scene in
over time. The task is complete when the campaign: This is the continuing story of an adventure. There are three types of
total of the Stunt Dice from all successful the PCs, as experienced through a series of encounters: action encounters, exploration
tests is equal to or greater than the success adventures. If an adventure is a short story encounters, and social encounters.
threshold. Breaching and chases use varia- starring the PCs, a campaign is a novel.
tions of advanced tests. experience points (XP): PCs receive expe-
chase: When one individual or group rience points after completing encounters
adventure: A series of encounters that pursues another, on foot, in a mount, or during an adventure. A running total is
tells a complete story. Sometimes called a in a vehicle, going as fast as they can, a kept and when they accrue enough XP,
scenario. An adventure may take a single chase ensues. This uses a variation of the characters gain a new level.
session to complete, or several. advanced test rules to determine who free action: An action that takes a negli-
arcana: A themed group of four magical takes the lead, how participants interact, gible amount of time. It does not count
spells, each of which corresponds to a and when the chase ends. toward a character’s usual limit of actions
magic talent. Only available in campaigns cinematic:Game mode where characters on a turn.
where magic exists. A character who are tougher and able to do exceptional
knows and uses arcana is called an arcanist. game master (GM): The Game Master runs
things more easily than in other modes. the game and acts as a referee.
armor penalty: Each armor type has a Emulates the least-realistic action-adven-
penalty that represents its weight and ture movies. gritty: A game mode where characters can
bulk. The penalty applies to Speed if a face real danger from violence, and heroic
chase test:The rolls use to determine how action is rare.
character is trained in the armor’s use, but a chase proceeds. Stunt points accumu-
to Dexterity (and thus to Speed) if the char- lated in the Chase test are added to the handling: A modifier to tests to operate a
acter is not. Chase Total for each participant. vehicle.
armor rating: Each armor type has a chase total: The running total of SP accu- health: This is a measure of a character’s
numeric rating, keyed to ballistic and/or mulated during Chase tests. The highest fitness and wellbeing. Class choice deter-
impact damage. When a character takes Chase Total is in the lead. mines starting Health and characters gain
damage in combat, subtract the Armor more each time they level up. A PC whose
Rating from the damage before deducting conviction: An optional game system Health drops to 0 from wound damage
Health. Penetrating damage ignores most where characters spend Conviction points will die without medical treatment. A char-
armor. The Armor Rating stacks with to enhance their actions. If this system is acter whose Health drops to 0 from stun
Toughness to reduce damage. used, characters acquire 3 points at level 1, damage is rendered unconscious for 2d6
and 1 point per odd-numbered level there- minutes instead.

186 Glossary