os =F yaa: Se a ee Ree EU Ufa EGE A GUIDE TO r, we) / f Sean K ReynoldsSE ¢ 14 FX Rules. . FX: Rank Bopehts Purchasing PX Skills Using PX Skille FX-Rolated Skills FX Energy Pool Recovering FX Eneray . Inereasing the FX Energy Pooi PX Potks and Flaws. EX Petk Descriptions , PuFlaw Descriptions ‘The Adep' ‘Adept Spe pr epeckliy Bonsiits Baopt Sines CBeeiesafiog Fx i he Compciat Garpaign Fe Levei Levels al Rules Taste oF CONTENTS Denions ‘Ueast Deron (imp) Lesser Demon (Nali) Lasser Demon (Succubisl 1. Greater Demon Deion Princo Elemental: ‘Ait Elemental Earth Elemental. Fire Elemental Water Elemental |; Spirits. ‘Ancestor Spirit. Animal Spirit Common Undead Other FX Creatures: Familiar «.-...-.. Gardbyi Genius Loci Methrahn Shapeshifte Chapter 7 EX Devices Grecing Fk Device, hone & Meas ot Opontin Fewer Soe ting the Biamplos of Fk Bovicas ‘Appendix: Creating New FX Skills, Broad Skills. oc. -der~ Specialty Skills ‘Table Fl: FX Pecks. Fs Powers. {adiction ine Super Horo Game Bypen of oray Gordiyl Shadow £ Building PX Construct Seeskeeesss2ssvseaessy eee Combined Tables BSS88ruuCHAPTER 1: FX RULES Heroes wielding FX (short for spe- cial effects) powers come in all shapes and sizes. The elderly human wizaid, the robust demon- logist, the patient sesheyan mys- tic, the ght weren shaman, and the hard-edged fraal master of Chi ire alll possible FX characters. As ‘withmutations, psionics, or cyber- ‘ware, any race or profession may use FX as long as the Game master allows them, FX SKILLS FX skillsaxe structured siinilorly td the psionicg skills in Chapter 14/of the Acremum® Player's Handbook. The various types of FK—Arcane Magic, Faith, and Super Power— cre divided into different FX broad skills. As with psionics, no FX ‘broad skill can be used untrained. {Clustered beneath the broad skills are their FX specialty skills. These |, represent specific spells, miracles, or guper powers within each type of FX Some FX specialty skills can bo used untrained. The majority of the Faith FX skills fall into this cat- egory. Others cannot be used untrained, which is the case with most Arcane Magic and Super Power FX skills. Arcane Magic FX broad skills are called schools, and specialty skills are called spells. Faith FX broad skills are called faiths (or sometimes religions), and special- {ty skills are called miracles. Super Power FX broad skills are called | categories, and the specialty skills care called powers. Regardless of ‘heir names, all of them function identically in torms of gamo ‘mechanics. Fk energy flows from diferent “sources. Some types of FX rely on mental fortitude ot clarity of | Bee ty Score for those FX. Others rely on memorizing long, complicated formulas and rituals. Intelligence is the primary Ability Score for those FX. Some FX draw on the physical raservesiof the user. FX of this type are based on Constitu- tion. A tate few FX depend on the user's ability. to persuade, cajole ‘or threaten. These FX'use Person. ality as their base Ability Score. Rank Benefits Many FX specialty skills have rank benetits, Those'rank benefits ‘matked with the @ symbel cannot bbe purchased early, while those feceded by the symbol can. A hero uses skill points to pur- chase FX skills just as she would ‘mundane skills. Most oiten, heroes begin play with FX skills, so start- ing skill points tpust be used to purchase these skill. At the Gamemaster’s discretion, certain FX skills may be leamed after character creation. These/skills must be purchased with dehieve- ‘ment points earned during the! course of play. Unless ahero has the Adept profession (described below); she ‘must pay the full'skill point cpst for all broad «ind specialty FX skills. PX specialty skillsare improved in the same manner as other specialty skills. In other ‘words, to improve a skill to @.High- er rank costs the list price plus the curreat rank. ising FX Skills Using an FX skill wotks very much like using a psionic skill. Each use | STINE HI > — eae’ Peers ted Sometimes you'll want to run a Pore ee enh etary ural or amazing powers. Unfortunately, the FX skills are more expensive than most skills, Sees Pee eked without sacrificing advancement in their other skills. FX achievement ened tenn Ty pec este Using this optional rule, heroes eee en rs eed pees Panesar cement este FX broad or specialty skills. Every Cece ees gain achievement points, they also popeesnrenrents ener ens be spent to buy or improve FX spe- Pete a eee ety Pee reece points on FX abilities een error De eee et ey Eee eri eg eer Pe ores Peet eet pee ee eet ent Sd Pee ee re Pent rer ere teres) Cee ee pepe eee nt ey anon-FX hero in the same cam: Peer ee eeeenrey than a transplanted hero of any type from another campaign. causes the loss of a certain number of FX energy points (see below). FX-Related Skills Some of the FX skill descriptions note mundane skills that can assist in their use. Gamemasters Jie * # : » want fo design additional x 1anlee, « Knowledge-arcanel) fort Bight give bonuses to / tho uso offfreane Magic FX skid $B wnile Technical Science-super- 2 science might make the creation of Supok Power FX devices easier. ‘The DaaieMarrer™ carapaign set- ting provides some examples of such skis: FX Enersy Poot With Fare exceptions, FX skills {{ cost FXenergy points to activate, | justas psionic skills require the suse of psionic eneray points to ‘activate, All FX characters have ‘an PX energy pool that is depleted whon PX skills are used. The exiergy points in this pool are restored Over time, The number of pointsiin a character's FX energy pooldepends upon whether the Gamemaster is running a realis- tic, heroic, or supetheroie cam- aign. Characters begin with 5 ‘points in their FX energy pool if ‘they are in a realistic campaign, 10 points if the campaign is hero- ic, or 15 if itis supetheroic. Cam- paign levels are discussed in ‘Chapter 2: Using FX in the Cam- paign. ‘When a player chooses to use a ‘hero's PX skill, he marks off the ‘appropriate number of FX energy points and attempts the skill ‘check. A character with no FX ‘energy points cannet use any of his FX skills. Most FX specialty ‘skills only cost 1 FX energy point tocactivate, but some of the more ‘powerful ones cost 2 or even 3 ‘points to use. If a character is ‘attempting an untrained skill ‘check, the cost of an attempt is increased by 1 FX energy point. _. Some Super Power FX specialty ‘skills are constantly active. Instead ‘of paying points to use them, the | FX character permanently reduces “his FX energy pool by a set amount and can then use these powers | whenever desired. This option is 4 ‘discussed in the Always Active 12 that interact with FX skaills. ™ Super Powers sidebar in Chapter 5: Super Power FX. Recovering rx Energy When a character's FX ehergy pool is below her maximum, she can roll a Resolve-mental resolve skill check to recover some of that energy every hour that no FX! points have been expended. A Critical Failure or Failure means no poisits are regained. An Ordi- narg.Good, or Amazing result returns 1y2. or 3 FX energy points to theehatacter. If « character spends 8 hours ré¥ting and not using anyPX, all points in the FX energy pool one recovered.No check is necessary for this to hap- the game mechanic to regain @nergy points'is identical for marly of these PX. the in-game actions of the character are very different. Most Faith FX heroes heed to pray or perform other softs) of religious devotions during this recovery period, Arcane Magic FX characters need to study their books of knowledge, and so ou Increasing the FX Energy Pool heros FX eneray pool can be enlaiged thiough spending ‘achievement points. The cost of increasing an FX eneyuy poo! varies with the campaign level. The cost is 15, 10, or 5 cchiévement points per FX eneray point increase for characters in q reals tic, herole, or supetheroi¢ cams ppaign. (Sae Chapter 2: Using FX in the Campaign, characters FX to twice its startin ee Px Rent anc FX PERKS AND FLAWS ‘Those perks and flaws work just like regular pets and flaws found ‘perks count tt e Tas cai eam example.) Many regular perks and flaws can egsily be altered to be pong creas rae Fx chars, ter, For example, the Animal Friend ‘perk may be helpful in dealing = with animal spirits, the flaw may mean the: known as on FX user iniai patign where such a or feared, and the Po: The following perks are new tov this book and may only be pur- ae chased by an Adept or an FX tal- ent, Perks listed in i on F1: FX Penks can only be selected at character creation. FX Awareness eu Cost, INT, Active Z Like the Peionic Awareness perk, scar lpn ter to make a perk check to recog- nige that a type of FX power is. being used in his vieinit player should choose one: PX that he is aware of: A: p: Maple: Fellas Soper Powaltan of perk otherwise works like Pstonic Awareness, € FX Mastery q Cost 4, Ability Score varies, Active ‘The hero has mastered one par- ticitlar FX specialty skill. In game terms, the character has -I step a ‘use of that specialty 5. This |Behe eed Cae) ea rd fared eS erceat T Pe ds rid een ay ao co Active ened rere ont eres ee oe Mentor Cost 4, PER, Conscious This is q variation of the Power- ful Allyyperk. The hero has a men- tor in fier FX specialty. This men- or maybe called! upon for advice, ‘ouiay assist in performing FX céfemonies or rituals, or may even use the Teach skill to,help the haracter advance in her learning. When this perk is selected. the player and Gamemaster should discuss themature of the mentor. Given the nature of FX, the mentof may be sinaply an FX-empowered Powerful Ally, ot she ot he might be somthing as exotic as a famil- jar, demon, guardian ange ancestor spirit, See Chapter 6: FX Creatures.) Rapid FX Recovery Cost 5, WIL. Active The charactor rogains FX energy points at double the nor- mal ate. The character can roll Resolve-mental resolve skill check to recover FX energy every 30 min- ules instead of every I hour, and only 4 hours of rest are needed to fully restore his FX energy pool. FX Flaw Descriptions The following FX flaws are new to this book. Flaws that affect tho user's own PX skills or energy pool can only be selected by an Adept or PX talent. ‘Aplayer can never select more than three flaws for a hero, although the Gamemaster may gssign additional flaws to a char- ‘acter over the course of a gampaign. Fixed FX Recovery +3 bonus skill points, WIL The chardetér cannot regain FX points onan hourly basis. Instead, ail of the character's energy points retam every day at « particular time of day, such as high noon, aundown, sunup, and 0 on. This time is chosef when this flaw is purchased. This tite may repre- sént when the character's tome of knowledge opens, the prescribed time for prayer, or the regular ‘oyele of c stipernatural device. Inhibited FX Recovery +1/9/5 bonus kill points, WIL ‘The chara¢tet is sensitive toc cerlain material of materials. This material hinders the recovery of FX energy points,when the charac- ter is within 100 meters of it. No recovery can be mado in these cir cumstances. Forexample, c hero who specialized in Pyromancy (a fire-based Arcane Magic FX) might be unable to regain FX energy if she is near a quantity of water the size of an Olympic-sized swimming pool or greater. Like- wise, a druid might be ungble to, recover FX energy when he is. close to large antificial constructs (bridges, buildings, automobiles) or concentrations of unnatural materials (asphalt, concrete, plas- tic, refined metals). A Super Power FX hero might not recover energy while in the presence of xenonite, the meteorie metal that was creat- ed when her homeworld exploded. Adjudication of the power level of this flaw requires the Game- master's discretion. Being hin- dered by materials common to the ‘campaign is a S-point flaw, being hindered by uxicommon materials is c 3-point flaw, and being senisi« tivetorare materials is ¢ L¢point flaw. Hindrances that are $0 rare. as to have no effect on the game should Be disallowed. For instagice, while large quantities of refinied metal and the void of space woulld be common hin- drances in the SrAn"Daive® cam- paign setting, thé same things would be rare and nonexistent, respectively, inn American Civil War-era campaign. FX Require Recharging +5 bonus skill points, WIL ‘The character's FX energy pointy do mot recover naturally, either at an hourly gate or through rest. Instead, only'4 partictilar, event (suchas ¢ fulllmoan) ora: ower source (such as q fragile alien artifact kept in c'safe place) can restore the character's FX ‘energy pool. Except in unusual clr- ‘cumstances, the character ean only restore her PX once per day. This procedure should take at least ] minute ifit is tied to « spe- cific object or I hour if itis not. Whatever amount of time it con” sumes, when the procedure is com- pleted. it testores the character's FX energy pool to its full value. This flaw is similar to and slightly overlaps Fixed FX Recov- ‘ery. The Gamemaster should take care to ensure that « hero select- ing Both flaws actually suffers the effects of both. Tape Fe: FX Flaws eet ay ete d eo ete ae I eee a met] SHINY Hd > —FX Susceptibility Loerie The chatacter is especially vul- Md nertible tone or more types of FX. For 3 bonti.skill points, the char acter has ¢-2 resistance modifier ‘againstone type of FX: Arcane Magic, Paith, or Super Power. For 6 skill points, the character suffers the penalty against two kinds of PX For skill points, the hero suf- fers the penalty against all three kinds of FX. Characters must selectidifferent kinds of FX rather that doubling or tripling their susceptibility to one kind. In cam: paigns where one or more types of FX donot exist, susceptibility to these types of FX cannot be selected. FA RULES Slow FX Energy Recovery +S bonus skill points, WIL ‘The Character regains FX ‘energy points at half the normal rate, The character rolls every 2 hours to recover FX energy instead of every hout, and a 16-hour period of rest is needed to restore all FX points. THE ADEPT Like mindwalking, the use of FXis ‘such an unusual ability that some- ‘one whose primary focus is FX doesn’t fit into the four-profession model established in the Player's Handbook. Arcane Magic, Faith, ‘and Supe: Power FX specialists ‘are unique enough to merit their ‘own profession: the Adept. Adepts should be extremely rare in all but superheroic campaigns. Most heroes with access to FX powers are FX talents. Adepts fall into three categories, depending upon whether they use Arcane Magic, Faith, or Super Power FX. Arcanists are Adepts who spe- ialize in manipulating Arcane Magic FX. They are the Tech Ops of the supernatural. They learn the paths of magic to increase their knowledge and ability. They are more comfortable using magic 5 than weapons or technology. Most Arcanists specialize in one type of Arcane Magic FX rather than dab- bling in several sorts. Believers are those Adepts dlessed with the ability touse Faith FX. These people have the sincere faith, devotion, and natural talent to actually communicate swith spiritual entities, Theyhold ‘their religions first and foremost in their lives, and spreading the word of their faiths and assisting fellow believers run close behind. Since each type of Faith FX requires a different sort of belief, characters cantlothave more than one Faith FX broad skill at a time. In gener- ‘leaning « new-Faith FX broad skill requires abandoning the spir- itual paradigm necessary for the old Faith PX te Work. For this red= son, if a new,Paith FX broad skill is leamed by 4 Believer, his old broad skill and its specialty skills are lost {Believers also lose the ‘skill cost reduction noted below if they change from one Faith FX broad skill to another. ‘Super Heroes are Adepts who have somehow gained special powers without the use of arcane spells or faith miracles. Many types of Super Heroes exist: scien: tific geniuses with phenomenally high-tech weaponry, courageous patriots with superhuman strength ‘and endurance, crafty speedsters ‘who can outrun ears, advanced mindwalkers. and so on. In many ‘ways, though, the Super Hero pro- fession is just am-extra layer of gloss on'¢ character's true nature, ‘Which is represented by one of the five professions listed in the Play- ers Handbook. Adept Special Benefits Action Check Score Increase: An Adept's aetion check score is increased by 1 point. > Skill Cost Reduction: Choose ohe FX broad skill. That broad skill and its specialty skills con be purchased at list price —linste of list price. > Secondary Profession: Like «| Diplomat, an Adept selects a sec- skills cam be improved to rank 6, ‘ond profession. All skills from that profession can be purchased for list price -1 instead of list price. ‘This secondary profession deter- mines all other aspects of the hero {starting money, achievement ben- ‘efit costs, and so on). An Adept who chooses Diplomat as a sect ondary profession does not gain Gn additional secondary profes- sion. The character only gets the colt reduction oa Die. Note: Diplomats with the sec- ondary profession of Adept can buy one FX broad skill arid its spe- Gialty skills at list price ~1 instead offist price, but they have the same number of FX energy points as an FX talent. (See the FX Tal ents section below) ‘Note: Remember that FX energy points and psionic energy points | ‘are not interchangeable. An Adept who selects Mindwalker as her ‘secondary profession must track these two sets of energy points. separately. FX Talents Any hero who uses FX without being.an Adept is an FX talent. FX talents can purchase only one FX — ‘broad skill. An FX talent gots no reduction in the cost of that broad ‘skill or its specialty skills. ‘Two of the talent’s FX specialty All others can be raised no higher thar tame, Fitalents begin with halfthe normal number of FX energy points, rounded up. Thus, if an Adept starts with 10 FX energy points, an FX talent in the same ‘campaign begins with 5. FX tal- ‘ents can increase this total to no more than double its starting level by spending achievement points, | as noted above. | Adept Careers With the variety of FX powers and abilities available, it is impossible ‘to describe all the potential careers of an Adept. A few exom- ples are listed below. An FX talent _ ‘might also select from thesecatears; however, skill point costs must be adjusted cppropriately. Because of the high cost of FX sills, Adept careers tend to be more expensite than normal eareers. This will limit some low- Intelligence hatoes from selecting fertain careers without also taking flaws that give them the extra skill points they require. Crusader A crusader is @ combat-oriented Believer Adept who calls the fury of Heayén downto defend the weak ghd thelrightoous. Armored by his faith, the crusader brooks nodisparagement of his methods. Almost all crusaders have the sec- ondary profession of Combat Spec, though a few Free Agents act as spies on the holy front lines. > Signature Equipment: Fatigues, personal radio, first aid iat, pistol > Skill Package: Monotheism-aura, blessing, cure: Melee Weapons, Modern Ranged ‘Weapons-pistol: Knowledge-tirst «id. Gost: 98 points (Combat Spec) ‘0r38 points (Free Agent). Entertainer ‘The entertainer is an Arcanist Adept who uses her FX abilities to ‘muse and entertain people. Whether she works in clubs, on street comers, or on television shows, the entertainer under- stands what people like and works to produce «positive audi- ence reaction. Entertainers tend to have Free Agent or Diplomat as their secondary profession. > Signature Equipment: Trained animal (pet), videorecorder, hand- cutfs, lockpick set, padlock. > Skill Package: Illusion-clam- of, conceal, static image; Manipu- lation-prestidigitation; Entertain- ‘mont-act 2; Interaction-charm 2. Cost: 36 points (Diplomat), 37 points (Pree Agent). Firebug The firebug is an Arcanist Adept who specializes in Pyromancy. He often serves in a military unit as ‘m expert in incendiary devices ‘and demolitions, He assembles, maintains, and uses regular fexplosive munitions and provides ‘some speciclized firepower in times of need Firebugs tend to be wild-eyed ‘and obsessed with blowing things up. The smarter ones take preca tions when using their magi¢ (such as wearing fire-resistant clothing), while the dumb ones just don't live very long. Most fire- bugs are Combat Specs, though some Tech Ops.also enjoy this > Signature Equipment Fatigues (fireproof), protective goggles; personal radio, demoli- tions pack > Skill Package: Pyromancy- fiery bolt, fire wail, storm of flames; Heavy Weapens-indirect fire; Stamina-endurance; Demoli- tions-scrat¢h-built, set explosives. Cost: 42 poifits (CombatSpec) or 44 points (Tech Op). Investigator An investigators a Believer Adept who has become an acci- dental student of the Alienism Faith PX. Introduced to the twisted but miraculous powers granted by the alien gods through witnessing’ a strange or traumatic event, the investigator balances the threat of insanity against the chance to block the cultists that serve Alionism, Most investigators are Tech Ops from a scholastic back- ground, while some are Free Agents working as police officers or private investigators. } Signature Equipment: Brie!- case, business dress, cudio- recorder, cellular phone. > Skill Package: Alionism= circle of the thousarid broken! angles, eyes of the dark ones: Life ‘Science or Physical Sciance: Investigate; Resolve-menta! resolve 2. Cost: 98 points (Tech Op) 0r 99 points (Free Agent). Ranger Arangeris a druidic nature activist who operates on the fringes of normal society to protect, the natural world, This Believer Adept works to stop people and activities thet would harm her nat- ural home and teaches others. about the beauty and wonders of the wilderness, Ecoterrorists and park rangers are the extreme ends of this career’s mentality. Most rangers are Frée Agents, although some Combat Specs take up the caugelas well. > Signature Equipment: Bedroll, fatigues, climbing gear, binoculdits, compass, rifle, first aid kit > Skill Package: Druid-kinship of beasts, life endures: Modem Ranged Weapons-iifle; Survival; Investigate-track: Cost: 89 points (Combat Spec of Free Agent). Tinkerer A tinkerer is @ Super Hero Adept who specializes in the construc- tion and repair of Super Power FX devices. While tinkerers.are often secondary characters in a cam- paign, some of them take a step beyond repairing and building devices for others and construct) some for their own use, becoming high-tech Super Heroes, Tinkerers are nearly all Tech Ops. > Signature Equipment: Toolkit, shabby casual dress, lab'coat, ‘workshop, desktop computer. > Skill Package: Metacon- scious-genius, super Intelligence; ‘Computer Science-hardware; Knowledge-deduce:Technical Sei- ‘ence-invention, juryrig, repait. Cost: 36 points (Tech Op). STIMU HI» —FX arénil gomothing that should be topped ito an existing campaign cot included in the plans for a new campdiigh without some fore- thought: Gamemasters must con- sider the roe of FX in their games the powecfével ofthe prospective a Fiera not horses Lave sdecess to FX FX's potential for tunbalaneing the game, and how = FX interact with other optional ‘rules, such as psionics, cybertech, and mutations. INCLUDING FX OUR GAME Garhemasters planning to use. ‘PX in their campaigns should ask eer the cas -ques- G FH IN THE CAMPAIGH > > Ss > Are FX something new, or are FX a part of the campaign’ history? Designing « campaign in which - EXthave existed for some time involves a lot of work. The ability to place curses on your enemies or to raise the dead and the exis- tence of demons and angels quick- ly cause a real-world timeline to veer from its course unless certain controls are established. Having FX be a recent addition to the campaign is a much easier path nd provides many adventure hooks for players to explore, Some ‘example campaign setups for the introduction of FX might be that a ‘strange energy event bathes the planet and people begin manifest- ing super powers, or that an angel fests on Earth and hundreds ‘of people find themselves able to ‘pray for true miracles, or that peo- ple inc small Wisconsin town ‘wake from nightmares to find that they can summon demons. Such a 8 triggering event opens up numer- ‘hy & fous subsequent adventure possi- bilities that branch off fromit, such as discovering what caused the event, rounding up all of the people aifected, looking fora cure {or those afflicted with harmful powers, and so on » How did FX come about? This question is closely tied to the previous one, but it delves more deeply info the origin of FX, Was the eneigy event c govern- ment experiment or cn alien spacecraft exploding? Was this cngel sent asia promise or c wam- ing? Why were the people in this fone town chosen for this gift, and what is expected af them? > Conanyone with the time \eind interest use FX, or does the ability to use FX require a special Giftor membership in c select group? IEF use requites « particulae inner gift, gene, or inheritance, this sharply limits its spread in a cain ‘Paign! The Gamemaster does not need to worry about why the diab list villain hasn't trained ct hun- dred students in the basics of Dia- olism, These people just don't hhave the talent for it. This approach aso prevents a radiation-empow- ered character from blasting away at his friends until they develop. super powers of their own, IfFX éon be learned ot ‘acquired, the Gamemaster needs to establish « mechanism for that Arcane Magic FX could be jearned through attending schools of ‘magic or perhaps taught by one old wizard with the ability and. Patience to do so. Faith FX could be acquired by studying at tom- ples and monastories that educate nd train the next gonération of ‘empowered worshipers or through! joining amystical ancient order: “thwart (CHAPTER 2: Us NG FX IN THE CAMPAIGN whose members pass of tho secrets of true faith. Super Power PK could be developed the gareinentost am research team,and anyone with enough cash could pay for these ‘enhancements, or only those selected and gleared for top secrat work y the government could receive them, | > incibpesotPteiae 4 By.nd means isa Gamemaster reqhired fo use all thre srt of FX) ‘nen Aur comes eo FX to just one catego many variations, A modern-day world with magie on its sony only: have ilhisi A lost continenit ‘ancient tribe that never | to: ‘speak to the spitit wo fits could be trying fantically to figure out how to dect"with super: powered mutants cfeated by ille~ gally damped toxic waste, » Do alltypesof FX havethe same power level? More than one type of FX could be available, but some FX may be ‘more powerful than others. A magocracy could be methodically stamping out the shamans of an assimilated people, Armies of Faith FX soldiers could be assist- fed in their work by a few rare metahumans. Petty sorcerers could be hiding out in Manhattan ‘among wall-crawling and weather controlling superheroes. > Will player characters have accessto FX? This question is similar to the Gamomaster facos when considering psionics. FX horoes ‘can solve challenges that would many normal heroes, and ‘many adventures can be devisedrind their particular combina- tion of FX abilities. On the other “hand, having heroes be unaware ‘of FX can lead interesting ace- fazlos when they are assisted by ‘allies or confront FX villains. _ > Howlde FX interact with tech- nology? Astaple of many fantasy stories fs that magie wanes as the power of technology increases. This book ‘essumes that thefe is no such lim- itation, but it could easily be mod- led ig the number of Fr pofite tbat to une sore FX bilities in the presence of tech- sreven setilfig limits on 5 of success possible for mutation ‘Players ‘given in the Aura r needs to consider the ns of these: - ‘optional rules is given in the Cam- ign FX Levels section below. How common are FX? Characters with FX may be so rare that the heroes never ‘encounter one, or their main foe ‘be the one FX character in “the entire campaign. In some cam- _ paigns, FX may be so common that you can hardly go to the cor- ‘ner store without bumping into a “super hero. If FX are common, the ‘Gamemaster has to decide if there “are PX police to combat FX crimi- ‘oagls, special measures to prevent FXathletes from playing profes- sports, and s0 on. thols placed of FX? 7} This tiesfinto several’ the | other oe ‘Section. It © Fare well areotalower be 1 depending on papel he Eales ea Cee cacy Sox tae * rd \ > Does the general public know Gbout Fx? \ "If the average person hers edbout super hero battles on'the evening news, there's no réason hy the heroes can't show up in “their super hero costumes to,deal with @ bomb threat. However, if theypresonce of FX is unknown.) ‘ny unusual events—including villains conjuring demons, people throwing lightning bolts, and rela- tives coming back from the dead— are going te atouse unwanted attention/The characters must kkeep « low profile if they want to. kkeep ftom being hauled off to be ‘studied, plagued by the curious, ‘shunned cr blamed by the fearful, _ Sr simply exploited > Are there sactological con- how they gottheitpoweisFor example, very few people want to |! "spend time around someone who | ‘can conjure up real demons. Most “folks don't invite we 1 heroes who | | campaign is} pléwhere oily 41 cae those people are ‘of being a professioned character, an even: ¥ smaller fractionof the population on ee are. or more. FX might only be usable by a small tribe of sesheyans, a hidden con: clave of supertelepaths, lone wizard holding bac hands'of death with an ar spell. In Uys of conan herogs are usually net ing 7 i portirigreast members or work ‘against them as long-term foes, but in these situéttions, the abili- "§ ties of FX are new and junfamiliar » & tothe players. In thosé raresitua-_§ tions wl . ose one t ‘agent i their powers through expo- | ent, People! " sure to radiation over for pool) masicians, of party. (What if they are still ‘eles, or of radioactive?) Characters with cer-- bilities, but the tain FaithFX may be shunned as | always third of fourth-hand members of cults. Stich treatment \ Another possibility is that peop] tends to promote vigilantism in know or suspeet a person or group heroes and criminal behavior in _ of having PX abilities, but the FX those of lesser moral character. users are always remote or CAMPAIGN FX Levers | Forsimplicity.caripaigns with FX ate divided into three power levels: realistic, heroic, and superhercic, ‘These three campaign levela and the variance between the FX in them are described below. Realistic Ina realistic campaign. FX aie rate, very rare, or even in world populated by norinal peo- shunned, and their powers are | never able to be proven, An exam le of stich an FX user might be the apparently mentally ill home- Jess man with the power to talk to the trees, the elderly foreign nun _ who cures the sick, or the czar's yhad to be killed three | eT Aapeople talk about really were true} Some magicians could practice real magic, cancer could be cured through prayer and laying on hands, and ninjas could walk across leat-covered floors and not make «sound. Perhaps one in a hundted professioned characters in such @ieampaign have the potential, if not the actual ability, to use FX. In @heroic campaign, FX users are plentiful enough that different ones turn up fepeatedly, and they haye different types or specialties, offFX Ong space station may be under the sway of c scheming diaholist, and as soon as the heroes have cleaned up that mess, a ship arrives captained by a ‘woman who can fly, teleport, and. breathe fire. The heroes are more likely to use different sorts of FX than in @reglistic campaign, and they:may lmnow of others who do, as well, While first-hand experience with FX is still not common in heroic campaign, most people believe the supernatural to be true, Reports by the media of strange occurrences are not just the purview of tabloid newspa- pers. Evening news stations might contain reports of miraculous events and evidence of arcane ‘activity, and the police would have encountered elements of FX use often enough for some to believe in its existence. ‘The DaRKeMATTER setting is a heroic FX campaign. USING Fit IH THE CAMPAIGH > ~ Superheroic Ina superheroic Aurenwiry cam- paign, FX are common or uncom mon. A campaign of this level has ‘a very large number of FX charac- ters in circulation. FX users might be present in every town, suburb, or city block, or—in the extremist ‘cuse—everyone could be capable of using FX. Almost all heroes in such a campaign are FX users of ‘some sort or at least have unusual dbilities beyond the norm, such as psionics, cybemetics, or muta 10 tions. These campaigns usually Supporting Character Template: eae ee ctrl eee ery Super Power-enhanced thugs hired eee ces generally appear only in superheroic campaigns. They come in many errr ot cerry Perera ri to alien androids. FX skills marked Seer eet eres oe ney the effects of always active powers. ca) ci een rt od ec) 2 coy rie 15 INT ar) u wit e 3 ir PER Cer eee eee a LCT TL) Wacionn = 222 a pan Dee ee ae grow beyond the genre of science fiction and into science fantasy or the realm of comic books. Ina superheroic campaign, most foes have FX or work directly for someone who does. Certain cities, nations, or planets may spe- tialize in particular types of FX, and the places to learn and devel op your own FX.may be as accept ‘ed—and competitive—ds real ‘world colleges. Heroes in an adventuring group could each use a different sort of FX, and their skill level might even bela step above that of everyone else, They are like Mindwalkors when com- pared to psionic talents. FX are well known in this sort of campaign, whether its because the average worker often sees a guy flying overhead during his drive home, reads about the men- ace of « particular vigilante hero in his daily newspaper, or dons a cape and fights crime in his own free time, Just because FX are well known doesn't mean they are well accepled, however. Prejudice and ee eek eee Stamina: Knowledge; Awareness: Petcare renee Caos ern Segre eerey nese ewer Peers aren pee eters Good Skills: Brick-bod nee cere aes pee er ee a rene ts Strength Energy-energy absorption conte dge 2: Leadership- Equipment: Jumpsuit, mm pistol ree es intolerance could slill exist in a ‘world full of magical heroes. Simi- larly, if FX are so common as tobe ‘taken for granted, those with infe~ rior or nonexistent FX abilities might be the targets of ridicule or violence, Most of the comic books in elreu- lation today provide examples of superheroic campaigns. The name of this type of campaign does not limit the type of FX that might be present to Super Power FX. A fan- tasy campaign full of wizards or priests would also qualify. Mixing Campaign Levels There's no reason why a campaign with several types of FX has to have all of them at the same power level. Campaigns where one sort of FX is dominant while others are in decline pose interest- ing challenges to players regard- Jess of which side they're on. For ‘example, in a world where Faith FX are common and the dominantElie T tla ty ee nga d Pere eter SN acre ery ‘out occasionally. and often gets Sense eee eee not truly creatures. describing them Piero cere Sidekicks are utually younger cend leas experienced charactors Coe ee eer ets ge through the trouble of designing oe od Sete ed one of the supporting cast tem: Sey ee eee Reporter. Scientist, and Spy are Peete ene nes should use the Marginal or Cer eae ro en ed broad skill for free and 10 skill ner (WOIG/A). The sidekick should also have a flaw: Bad Luck. Clueless eee koe ec! Peeeoor etre crt oe one rene Peer este eet Pee eae ne reer? Porn erate rank 1. The sidekick’s FX energy pool is half of the hero's starting Peter eens Perr reer Peri ener eee ed Serena Gamemaster. Sidekicks can be Peer peter rere Pee terete Pere eee ite eee stirs font ent ee cert ig Peer ee ea cent en es eee crea Peer ety for roleplaying and character ee eee ty potential of turning into a full lodged character alter spending a Peet tees Seer n tenant) eee mr aes Powerful Ally ot Mentor perk for free (representing the relationship eee nas! eee religion has destroyed almost all lateane lore, the heroes may be rusaders hunting the heretical ‘wizards, or they may be members of a wizard rebellion fightingfor lacteptance and acknowledgment ‘of their rights. The easiest way to help of hin- derja particular sort of FX in & mixed-lovel game is to penalize one sort by restricting its cam- paign level. The above scenario could easily be modeled by devel- oping Faith PXat the superheraic level while limititig Arcane Magic FX to the heroic or even realistic level. As the balance of power changes, the Gamemgster can increase or decrease the cost of additional FXenergy points and the maximum number of FX ehergy points attainable. As the Arcanist heros lose ground in the battle agaigist the Believer sup: porting casijthey may find their magic weakening ona weekly or even daily basis, ‘Another way to approdeh this is to leave the campaign levels the sarie, but give step bonuses or ‘penalties to different types of FX A world where eyil is ascendant might have aI step bonus to all ‘Necromancy and Diabolism FX rolls, while Hermeticism and Illu- sion FX magic might have a +1 step penalty. FX anp OTHER OPpTionaAL RULES The rules systems presented in the three optional chapters in thé Player's Haridbook generally &re of clower powerlevel than the various PX skills presented hore. Part of this is mitigated by the reduced cost for those abilities Psionic broad skills are cheaper, cybertech requires only money ‘and a one-time achievement point cost, and mutations are paid for with drawback points. However. comparing these three types of characters to an FX chara¢ter shows that the FX character has aif advantage. The following are suggestions on how to use psion- ics, cybertech, and mutations in campaign with FX as well as how FX can be used to enhance each of these ghd vice versa. Mindwalking Mingwalking, or psionics.i8 easily brought up to par with the aver age FX by converting Mindwallk- ers to EX ser Mindwalkers, which usually results in & doubling of psionic energy points. Altornative- 1y, Gamemasters might want to consid@r making nonpsionic char- acters slightly vilnerable to men tal powers. In tis ease, nonpsion- ic characters wouild have a -1 resistance modifier against all psioniciskills used against them. If the Gamemaster permits it. ¢ character can have psionics and FX, either as a Mindwalker/FX tal- ent of FX Adeptpsionic talent. In this case, psionic energy points cand FX energy points are two sep- ‘arate @nd roninterchangeable types of energy, A FX/psionic char- ‘acter who runs out of FX energy points comnot use psionic energy ‘points to fuel FX skills. The sur- prise benefit of this is that the two ‘pools replenish themsélves sopa~ ately. A hero can spend all of his FX energy points, then start using ‘patonic energy points while the PX ‘energy pool is recovering. In other words, using psionics does not disrupt FK eneigy recovery, and vice versa. The Gamemaster should be careful about allowing characters of this sort to specialize in one particular field. A necro- mancer-psionicist with ranks in Biokinesis-rejuvenate and Necro- man ey-forlitude could turn into « eal combett monster, and he could ‘walk away from « terrible fight in perfect health by sing « combi- nation of Biokinesis-hea! and Necromaney-knit wounds. Cybertech Cybertech is more of an additive measure than an entirely new sy tem of powers, All cyberware is NSWWAHUD JHE HI #4 SUIS» ~ NlUSING FH 1H THE CAMPAIGH p> > t éither an enhancement 6f the physical form or something some- ‘one could do without cyberware 60 long as she had the right piece of interface equipment, A character with cyberware is on a different power level than an FX character, ‘but not too different from a stan- dard noncyber non-FX character in ‘most cases. What the cybered character lacks in power is made up for in reduced achievement point cost and unlimited usage. (She has no cyberware energy pool to become depleted, for example.) ‘An FX character with cybertech presents some interesting options. K necromancer could store her book of spells and other refer- fences in a nanocomputer or on a holoprojector built into her arm. A hermetic wizard could keep hi cryptography programs online in his nanocomputer and decode spells while he sleeps. An illu- sionist could use am optic screen toprovide 9D models for images she wishes to create. A voodoo might keep especially rare ingredients or offerings for spirilé within a cybernetic storage com- partment. A superhero with the Brick-body armor specialty skill could benefit from body plating or CF skinweave. A flying super hero Could keep in touch with her tecm- mates with subdermal comm gear. Cybertech may also interfere ‘with certain FX. A superhero with the ability to boost his strength with adrenaline might lindithat it doesn't ailect the power of his cyberlimb, A diabolist with visible eyberware may suffer a negative reaction from a flesh-cbsassed suc- cubus he's trying to bargain with, A voodoo priest with two cyberoptic. ‘eyes may find that he ean no longer see the spirits he calla, A ‘shaman may find out that her ‘ancestor spitits look unfavorably ‘upon her tise of modern technology. Mutations Like cyberware, mutations are generally only enhancements to of detractions from a character's nat- ural abilities. None are particular- ly powerful when compared to FX, nd the abiiity to pay for muta- tions with disadvantages makes them extremely inexpensive by comparison, especially since most of them are continually active ot can be used repeatedly. None of the mutations or draw- ‘backs presented in the Players Handbook would greatly add to or detfect from « character's ability touse FX in ways other than what is obvious. A mutation that lowers character's Will Ability Score makes it moré difficult to roll sué- cosses on Will-based FX, but it does not tliet wise prevent the character ffom using Will-based FX. Likewise, the Major Physical Change drawback may aifect encounter reactions in the real world, but in the symbolic and ephemeral spirit world, many things have strange or monstrous forms, so a shaman with this drawback does not snfferany penalties when intoracting with spirits. ‘The mutations presented in the Player's Handbook are often weak ‘when compared to the powers ‘dvailable through Super Power FX. In addition, at flo time should! the term mutant used to deseribe characters cteated with the Play- ers Handbook mutation rules be confused with super heroes that gets their FX powers from being a mutant. (See Chapter S: Super: Power FX for more information on types of super heroes.) Mixed FX ‘Some Gamemasters may feel hin- dered by the broad skill classifica tions of the various sorts of FX pre- ‘sented here and want to have ‘more versatile characters in their ‘campaign. An example of when these PX divisions are probably inappropriate is in @ campaign in ‘which AbvanceD DUNGEONS & Dracons* fantasy roleplaying ‘game characters have been trans- ated into an Avrenwry game. 1a games such as these, Arcanists 1 | | |