@tanndev/maelstrom

# Rules The following rules provide a framework to help storytellers and players build their characters, take challenging actions, and get in fights. As with other roleplaying games, it's important to remember that the rules are only there to support the story and not to get in the way of it; storytellers are encouraged to adjust the rules where necessary to make things more fun, cinematic, and engaging.  ## Starting a Campaign Roleplaying games are fun, social experiences that brings friends together, and it all begins with session zero. To ensure that everyone is one the same page about what kind of game you're going to play, it's important to have this first session to discuss the game and create characters as a group. All the players, along with the storyteller, should discuss what kind of game you want to play together and what sort of stories you'll tell. Will it be a tense, resource-constrained horror game or an action-packed combat adventure? Will your party be social and friendly or classic murder-hobos? Will sessions generally revolve around solving puzzles or blowing things up? By talking ahead of time about the kind of game you want to play, you make sure that everyone is on the same page and nobody is surprised when the wacky hack'n'slash adventure they were expecting turns out to be serious political intrigue. (Or vice-versa.) It also gives the players a chance to work together to build a balanced and cohesive party that has all the necessary skills to face the challenges ahead. Your space western game is going to be a lot less fun if it's all Simons and no Jaynes. ## Characters Characters make up the core of any roleplaying game. Your character is your avatar in the game world and they will define who you are and what you are able to do. They are how you interact with the story and with other players. Because of this, the characters in Maelstrom are designed to be flexible. When you [create your character](#character-creation), you'll select a set of backgrounds, traits, and equipment that will help you play the _person_ you want to play. ### Backstory Everyone comes from somewhere and everyone has a story to tell; your character is no exception. Your character's backstory helps you flesh out that story and add depth to their personality and experience. It provides insight into your character's life before you came to inhabit them and before the campaign. This insight is helpful to you as a player, so you can develop a sense of who they are and what they would do or say, but also to the storyteller who will be building worlds for them to explore. All characters should begin by describing their backstory because _who your character is_ matters a lot more than _what they can do_. ( _Unfortunately, this section seems to have gone missing. So, uh... write a story or something!_ )  ### Traits Traits define what your character is capable of and are divided into [attributes](#attributes), [abilities](#abilities), [specialties](#specialties), and [Willpower](#Willpower). These are what you'll use to [perform actions](#performing-actions). #### Attributes Attributes are the intrinsic traits that broadly define the overall capabilities of a character. All characters have at least one dot in all attributes -- except under extreme exceptions -- with two dots being the human average. Almost all player characters will have 3-4 dots in a few attributes and some characters may have fewer than two dots in one or more attributes. ##### Physical The physical attributes define the physical capabilities of a character. ###### Strength Strength is pure muscle power and endurance. It's used for running, lifting, carrying, punching, and other activities where the limiting factor is the raw amount of physical effort the character is able to exert. It is also used to safely absorb certain types of damage. - **0**: Abysmal. You can barely even move under your own power. (Lift 20lbs) - **1**: Poor. You're a couch potato. (Lift 40lbs) - **2**: Average. You can probably do a couple pushups. (Lift 100lbs) - **3**: Good. You work out or do heavy work for a living. (Lift 250lbs) - **4**: Exceptional. You win Strong Man competitions. (Lift 400lbs) - **5**: Outstanding. You are the Mountain that Rides. (Lift 600lbs) ###### Precision Precision is hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity. It's used for acrobatics, parkour, thrown weapons, aimed shots, driving, and other activities where the limiting factor is the precision and accuracy of the character's motions. - **0**: Abysmal. Walking is hard. Falling down is easy. - **1**: Poor. You sometimes trip over perfectly smooth floors. - **2**: Average. You usually at least hit the dart board and you can probably cross a balance beam. - **3**: Good. You get bullseyes regularly and can cross a tight rope. - **4**: Exceptional. You win dart competitions and parkour across rooftops. - **5**: Outstanding. You're Deadshot, if he was in Cirque du Soleil. **Note:** Precise movements usually require a small amount of planning, so sudden or unexpected actions usually cannot be performed with Precision and require Reflexes instead. ###### Reflexes Reflexes is reacting and taking actions quickly. It's used for quickdraws, dodging, unaimed shots, evasive maneuvers, and other activities where the limiting factor is reaction time. - **0**: Abysmal. You're even surprised by your own actions. - **1**: Poor. Sloths respond faster than you. - **2**: Average. You can dodge a wrench (or a ball) if it's slow enough. - **3**: Good. You can shoot from a holster and handle a fighter. - **4**: Exceptional. You win speed shooting and drone racing competitions. - **5**: Outstanding. Your quickdraw is better than Wyatt Earp. **Note:** It's harder to do things in a hurry, so actions will usually carry a higher difficulty when performed with Reflexes instead of Precision. ##### Mental The mental attributes define the mental capabilities of a character. ###### Perception Perception is the capacity to take in and process stimuli. It's used for searching, keeping watch, spotting threats, and other activities where the limiting factor is the ability to see, hear, feel, or smell. - **0**: Abysmal. A fire alarm can go off without you noticing it. - **1**: Poor. People sneak up on you without meaning to. - **2**: Average. You lose your phone occasionally, but usually find it again. - **3**: Good. You could be a detective or guard. - **4**: Exceptional. Where's Waldo is too easy. - **5**: Outstanding. Nothing escapes your notice. You see all. ###### Intelligence Intelligence is the capacity to learn and apply information. It's used for research, mathematics, logical problem solving, and other activities where the limiting factor is education or reasoning. A character with high intelligence is good at reasoning through problems and will tend to figure things out slowly and methodically. If successful, they will usually fully understand the situation and be confident in their solution. - **0**: Abysmal. Ogg not know how make pointy stick. (Illiterate) - **1**: Poor. You ain't much fer book learning. (High school or Less) - **2**: Average. You can do your own taxes more or less correctly. (College/Trade School) - **3**: Good. You can do other people's taxes correctly. (Post-Graduate/Master) - **4**: Exceptional. You're a well known and respected thinker in your field. - **5**: Outstanding. Hawking, Einstein, Tesla, Faraday... and you. ###### Wits Wits is the capacity for cleverness and intuition. It's used for trial-and-error experimentation, intuitive problem solving, out-of-the-box thinking, and other activities where the limiting factor is the ability to think quickly or creatively. A character with high wits is good at thinking on their feet and will tend to figure things out quickly but imprecisely. They may be prone to flip switches without fully understanding what they do. - **0**: Abysmal. There's a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza. - **1**: Poor. Even with a map, you always get lost. - **2**: Average. You can usually navigate a grocery store. - **3**: Good. You're pretty decent with a crossword puzzle. - **4**: Exceptional. Your innovative ideas revolutionize small industries. - **5**: Outstanding. The Enterprise crew doesn't come up with solutions as clever as yours. #### Abilities Abilities are the learned or developed traits that define the specific things a character knows how to do. Many player characters will have 3-4 dots in a few abilities and almost all characters will have a couple dots in many different abilities. Most abilities have lists of [attributes](#attributes) and [specialties](#specialties) which are commonly used with that ability. ##### Talents Talents represent abilities that come naturally to characters, but which may have been honed and trained over the years. When rolling for talents, there is no penalty for having zero dots -- just use the base attribute alone. ###### Alertness Alertness represents a character's passive talent for being aware of their surroundings and noticing threats or items of interest. It's used to do things like set watch around a camp, look for followers, spot an ambush, etc. - **Common Attributes:** Perception - **Advanced Specialties:** Night Vision, Vacuum - **General Specialties:** Terrain (Urban, Forest, Plains, etc), Followers, Ambushes. ###### Athletics Athletics represents a character's talent for physical agility. Where the physical attributes define a character's raw physical capabilities, their athletics defines their level of training and practice. This could be from physical training, sports, or other physical activities. It is used to do things like jump, climb, throw, and run, as well as for thrown weapons such as knives and grenades. - **Common Attributes:** Strength, Precision, Reflexes - **Advanced Specialties:** Grenades, Power Armor, Zero-G, Acrobatics, Parkour, Specific Exotic Thrown Weapon - **General Specialties:** Run, Jump, Dodge, Thrown Weapons, Surprise Attack ###### Investigation Investigation represents a character's talent for gathering evidence, making connections between events, and finding hidden information. It's used to conduct research, process crime scenes, analyse forensics, searching records, and other general skills that might be used to locate information. Most investigation methods require access to people, databases, or other information sources. This can often be acquired lawfully or with proper authorization. But, if not, it can sometimes be obtained via [Tradecraft](#tradecraft). - **Common Attributes:** Intelligence, Wits, Perception - **Advanced Specialties:** Forensics, Missing Persons - **General Specialties:** Research, Computer Records, Crime Scenes ###### Melee Melee represents a character's talent in a close range fight. It includes both armed and unarmed combat and is used for fists, brass knuckles, swords, hammers, polearms, riot shields, and even the occasional wrench. - **Common Attributes:** Strength, Precision, Reflexes - **Advanced Specialties:** Power Armor, Energy Weapons, Swords, Specific Exotic Melee Weapon - **General Specialties:** Clubs, Grapple, Shields, Spears, Brawling, Surprise Attack, Specific Martial Art ###### Performance Performance represents a character's talent for the performing arts. It's used to sing, dance, act, play an instrument, or give a speech. While this ability can determine the quality of a performance, it does not influence the content. As with all social actions, only roleplaying will determine whether or not your speech, lie, etc is believable. Without a good reason or story, even the best actor in the galaxy won't convince a guard to let them into a restricted area. - **Common Attributes:** Precision, Wits - **Advanced Specialties:** Specific Musical Instrument (Piano, Guitar, Drums, etc) - **General Specialties:** Dancing, Singing, Acting, Speeches ###### Stealth Stealth represents a character's talent in hiding, moving silently, and otherwise keeping out of sight. It's used to avoid detection in a crowd, find good hiding spots, or move silently. - **Common Attributes:** Wits, Precision - **Advanced Specialties:** Power Armor - **General Specialties:** Terrain (Urban, Forests, Plains, etc), Surveillance ###### Streetwise Streetwise represents a character's talent for surviving and navigating urban environments. It is used to safely navigate unfamiliar places, find people to buy or sell illicit goods, locate information brokers, and avoid getting mugged. - **Common Attributes:** Wits - **Advanced Specialties:** Black Markets, Criminal Networks, Megacities - **General Specialties:** Colonies, Outposts, Research Stations, Industrial Stations, Docks, Shipyards ###### Technology Technology represents a character's talent for using modern technology. It's used to interact with computer systems to retrieve information, recover lost data, and gain unauthorized access. It is also used with other consumer technology such as communications, security, and navigation systems. While Technology may be used to gain access to insecure systems, or use pre-written exploits against secure ones, proper software development and hacking requires [Computer Science](#computer-science). - **Common Attributes:** Intelligence, Wits - **Advanced Specialties:** Hacking, Data Recovery, Data Forgery, AI Modules, Remote Access - **General Specialties:** Data Storage, Communications, Security Systems, Navigation Systems ##### Skills Skills represent abilities that characters have learned through training and practice. When rolling for a skill in which you have no dots, the difficulty is increased by 1. Then, use the base attribute alone. In some cases, the storyteller may allow an alternate roll or action to allow a character to "figure it out" and avoid the penalty. ###### Artistry Artistry represents a character's skills at creating things via drawing, sculpting, sewing, etc. Unlike [Manufacturing](#manufacturing), the Artistry ability doesn't usually result in useful, precisely-engineered items. However, it can still be used to create useful soft goods such as textiles, maps, documents, and even forgeries. - **Common Attributes:** Varies - **Advanced Specialties:** Forgery, Electronics, Metalwork - **General Specialties:** Sketching, Painting, Sculpting, Photography ###### Driving Driving represents a character's skill operating cars and other ground vehicles. It's primarily used to maneuver ground vehicles but also includes fundamental user-serviceable tasks like refueling and changing tires. However, proper maintenance usually requires [Engineering](#engineering). - **Common Attributes:** Precision, Reflexes - **Advanced Specialties:** Motorcycles, Transport Trucks - **General Specialties:** Gravitic Vehicles, Cars, Trucks, Buses ###### Firearms Firearms represents a character's skill with pistols, rifles, shotguns, and other similar weapons. It's primarily used to perform attacks with these sorts of weapons as well as to safely handle, reload, maintain them. - **Common Attributes:** Strength, Precision, Reflexes - **Advanced Specialties:** Power Armor, Energy Weapons, Extreme Range, Advanced Maintenance - **General Specialties:** Pistols, Shotguns, PDWs, Battle Rifles, Sniper Rifles, Surprise Attack ###### Heavy Weapons Heavy Weapons represents a character's skill with grenade launchers, RPGs, missile launchers, mortars, cannons, and other large, physically-operated weapons. It is also used to reload, disarm, and maintain these weapons. - **Common Attributes:** Strength, Precision - **Advanced Specialties:** Power Armor, Mortars, Artillery, Advanced Maintenance - **General Specialties:** Grenade Launchers, Missile Launchers ###### Piloting Piloting represents a character's skill at operating both aircraft and spacecraft. With the ubiquity of high-efficiency aerospace thrusters, these craft are often quite similar and any character who is able to pilot one is also able to pilot the other. However, atmospheric flight -- along with some other types of maneuvers -- are generally more difficult. Additionally, is only used to follow a pre-set flight plan or travel within a small local area; plotting a new route to a distant location requires [Navigation](#navigation). - **Common Attributes:** Precision, Reflexes - **Advanced Specialties:** Atmospheric Flight, Close Quarters, Fighters, Freighters, Power Armor - **General Specialties:** Space Flight, Shuttles, Frigates, Cruisers ###### Remote Weapons Remotely Weapons represents a character's skill operating remotely-operated fly-by-wire weapons systems such as those mounted on vehicles, space stations, buildings, etc. It includes both the turreted and fixed weapons of vehicles, as well any weapon which is controlled via keyboard, joystick, or other indirect control mechanism. Firing remote weapons is usually a mental task, but quickly responding to and shooting down threats can require reflexes instead. - **Common Attributes:** Wits, Reflexes - **Advanced Specialties:** Defensive Fire, Power Armor, Mining Equipment, Advanced Maintenance - **General Specialties:** PDCs, Missiles, Torpedoes, Rail Guns ###### Survival Survival represents a character's skill at surviving in harsh or austere environments. It's used to build shelters, find food, decontaminate clothing, manage oxygen tanks, etc. - **Common Attributes:** Intelligence, Wits - **Advanced Specialties:** Extreme Temperatures, Radiation, Biochemical Agents - **General Specialties:** Terrain (Urban, Forests, Plains, etc), Vacuum, Non-Breathable Atmosphere ###### Tradecraft Tradecraft represents a character's skill at breaking into placing, stealing things, and conducting espionage. It's used to pick locks, disable alarms, hide weapons, set traps, disarm traps, and carry out other clandestine activity. Conducting a heist or breaking into a records vault will usually require some level of Tradecraft. However, making useful sense of the information stolen will usually require some level of [Investigation](#investigation). - **Common Attributes:** Wits, Precision - **Advanced Specialties:** Lockpick, Pickpocket - **General Specialties:** Weapon Concealment, Dead Drops, Traps, Surveillance, Alarms ##### Knowledges Knowledges represent things that characters have learned through research or training. If you would roll for a knowledge in which you have no dots, you cannot even attempt the action. In some cases, the storyteller may allow an alternate roll or action to allow a character to "figure it out" and use the base attribute alone with a penalty. ###### Computer Science Computer Science represents a character's knowledge of computer hardware and software development. It's used to create new programs, modify or build computer systems, create algorithms, train AI, find exploits, etc. However, interacting with existing tools and systems as an end-user usually requires [Technology](#technology) instead. - **Common Attributes:** Intelligence - **Advanced Specialties:** Hacking, AI Research, Quantum Computing - **General Specialties:** Encryption, Programming, Data Processing ###### Engineering Engineering represents a character's ability to maintain, repair, and upgrade all the various systems usually found on a ship or space station. Similar to a vehicle mechanic, ships' engineers are able to install new parts or jury rig systems to bypass damaged parts. However, creating new parts usually requires [Manufacturing](#manufacturing). However, this trait can also be used to service ground vehicles, aircraft, power armor, outposts, and other mostly electromechanical objects. - **Common Attributes:** Intelligence, Wits - **Advanced Specialties:** Jury Rigging, Power Armor, Weapon Systems, Reactors, Gravitics - **General Specialties:** Spacecraft, Aircraft, Stations, Ground Vehicles, Life Support, Electrical, Mining Equipment ###### Humanities Humanities represents a character's knowledge about human societies, culture, history, languages. It is primarily used to understand the political, social, historical, or cultural context of past events. It's also used to understand specific languages or to study linguistics in general. (All characters are assumed to be fluent in a common language.) Historical politics and laws are covered by Humanities but current events, politics, laws, and contracts require [Statecraft](#statecraft). - **Common Attributes:** Intelligence - **Advanced Specialties:** Linguistics, Specific Language (Chinese, Russian, etc) - **General Specialties:** History, Philosophy, Religion, Literature, Anthropology ###### Manufacturing Manufacturing represents a character's ability to create hard goods out of metals, plastics, ceramics, composites, etc. It includes both the knowledge required to properly operate manual manufacturing equipment and to create toolpaths and blueprints for autofabricators. While the goods produced by Manufacturing can be precisely machined parts and tools, they usually lack an artistic flair. For that, [Artistry](#artistry) is often used instead. - **Common Attributes:** Intelligence, Wits - **Advanced Specialties:** Mechanical Design, Electronics, Explosives, Textiles - **General Specialties:** Autofabrication, Manual Machining, Metals, Plastics, Ceramics, Composites ###### Medicine Medicine represents a character's knowledge about the human body, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices. It's used to diagnose, treat, and prevent injury or disease. It's also used to operate all non-automatic medical equipment and to use automatic equipment more effectively. - **Common Attributes:** Intelligence - **Advanced Specialties:** Surgery, Battlefield Medicine, Zero-G, Prosthetics - **General Specialties:** First Aid, Wound Management, Poisons, Radiation ###### Science Natural Science represents a character's knowledge of the physical and social sciences. It's primarily used to provide information or develop solutions from a theoretical basis. - **Common Attributes:** Intelligence - **Advanced Specialties:** Astrophysics, Quantum Theory, Gravitics, Jump Technology - **General Specialties:** Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Earth Science, Astronomy, Economics, Psychology, Sociology ###### Statecraft Statecraft represents a character's knowledge of the modern political landscape, governments, corporations, and jurisdictions. It's used to understand the relationships between the myriad governments and corporations, navigate complex jurisdictional boundaries, negotiate interplanetary or corporate deals, find legal loopholes, and cut through bureaucratic red tape. Statecraft only provides information about current and recent events, [Humanities](#humanities) is required for a true historical perspective. - **Common Attributes:** Intelligence, Wits - **Advanced Specialties:** Statutory Law, Contracts - **General Specialties:** Corporate Politics, Government Politics, Specific System (Sol, Maelstrom, etc) ###### Navigation Navigation represents a character's knowledge orbital mechanics, trajectories, and maps. It's used to plot routes which are faster, use less fuel, avoid certain areas, limit visible engine burns, or approach the destination from a certain direction. This primarily applies to interplanetary routes, but can also be used for any planetary route long enough to warrant an aircraft. Once a satisfactory route is generated, [Piloting](#piloting) is usually required in order to correctly follow it. - **Common Attributes:** Intelligence - **Advanced Specialties:** Stealth, Close Approach, Precise Arrival, Jump Plotting - **General Specialties:** Gravity Assists, Low Energy Transfers, Constant Thrust, Suborbital Routes #### Specialties Specialties represent areas where characters have focused their training or experience. Each specialty is connected to a single ability, but characters can unlock multiple specialties for each ability. There's no limit on the number of specialties which can be acquired for a given ability, but the amount which can be used in a given roll is limited by the number of dots in that ability. You can even have a specialty in an ability which has no dots, but this will have no in-game effect until you purchase the ability as well. Each ability is listed along with a number of suggested general and advanced specialties. However, these lists are not exhaustive. Work with the storyteller if you'd like to specialize in something not listed; they will determine if it's a reasonable specialty and whether or not it's general or advanced. ##### General Specialties General Specialties represent focus in areas that are not otherwise considered exceptionally challenging. Characters with these specialties will generally perform better at related tasks, but characters without them are assumed to at least some general familiarity from the attribute and are not penalized. ##### Advanced Specialties Advanced Specialties represent focus in areas that are more challenging or require specialized knowledge and practice. Characters with these specialties will perform better at related tasks, similar to general specialties. However, characters without them are at a significant disadvantage. Attempting an action without an appropriate advanced specialty usually adds a [threshold](#threshold) to the roll. (See: [required specialties](#required-specialties)) #### Willpower All characters have a Willpower trait which represents their capacity to push through pain, withstand mental or emotional stress, resist torture, and remain productive in the face of impossible odds. Willpower is commonly used to temporarily resist the effects of things like tear gas, drugs, alcohol, hypoxia, intense fear, and even wounds. It's also used to more quickly recover from the incapacitating effects of tasers, flashbangs, electrocution, etc. Unlike other traits, Willpower is on a scale from 1 to 10 and is always rolled alone. Additionally, Willpower is spendable, which means that it has both permanent and current ranks. A character's current rank can never exceed their permanent rank, but can be reduced and recovered through gameplay. When [purchasing more Willpower](#spending-experience), the cost depends on your character's maximum rank but they gain a dot in both their current and maximum ranks. ##### Rolling Willpower Willpower is almost always rolled at the storyteller's request in order to resist or recover from one of the negative effects listed above. The number of successes on your roll will usually determine how well, or how quickly, your character was able to resist the effect. This roll uses your character's _current_ rank rather than their permanent rank. Also, Using willpower is not considered an action, so it doesn't suffer from [wound penalties](#wound-penalties). Fortunately, failing a Willpower roll doesn't always mean that your character succumbs. After making a Willpower roll, you may choose to [spend a Willpower](#spending-willpower) dot to cancel your roll and succeed automatically. Your number of successes is set equal to your remaining Willpower dots. (You may not spend your final Willpower dot in this way, as doing so would result in zero successes and fail.) Botching a Willpower roll reduces your character's current Willpower by one dot per uncancelled botch. In addition, you cannot spend Willpower dots to cancel a botched roll.  ##### Spending Willpower Spending a Willpower dot reduces your current Willpower rank by one dot until you recover it. This allows you to ignore wounds or guarantee success on Willpower rolls, but comes at the cost of reducing the dice pools for all future Willpower rolls. Spent dots can be recovered, and the dice pools increased again, but only slowly and outside of combat. In addition to spending dots to automatically succeed Willpower rolls, you may also spend them to ignore wound penalties. Once per turn, a character may spend one Willpower dot to ignore their injuries and roll their next action without a [wound penalty](#wound-penalties). (Note: Crippled limbs cannot be used to perform actions and Willpower does not remove this effect.) If a character spends their last Willpower dot in this way, they don't suffer the effects of [zero Willpower](#zero-willpower) until after they complete the action. ##### Recovering Willpower Characters recover Willpower by resting in a safe, comfortable environment. If a character feels threatened or in danger, or if they are particularly uncomfortable, they are not able to recover Willpower. This is up to the discretion of the storyteller but generally requires being in a place with little to no risk of being attacked, no significantly adverse environmental conditions, etc. Once a character is able to recover Willpower, if they are at zero dots, they may immediately recover the first dot. Otherwise, they will regain 1 dot every 12 hours. If they actively rest or relax for that time, they may regain 1 additional dot per success on a difficulty 8 Willpower roll. ##### Zero Willpower If a character is reduced to zero dots in Willpower, either by botching a Willpower roll or spending their last dot to resist their injuries, they no longer have the will to carry on. Characters in this state may not make any actions and are considered incapacitated. However, they will continue to act passively to keep pressure on their own wounds, hide, crawl away from danger, cooperate with other characters carrying or dragging them, etc. If another character is sufficiently motivating or encouraging, they may spend one dot of their own Willpower to restore nearby incapacitated characters to one dot. This can only be done at the discretion of the storyteller and will usually require roleplaying the manner in which the character convinces their companions to carry on the fight. Once a character is longer directly threatened, even if their overall situation is still tenuous and stressful, they can recover by themselves and act normally. This requires being fully out of combat for at least one turn and can usually be accomplished by finding a decent hiding spot, being fully behind sturdy solid cover, or fleeing. However, this only resolves the incapacitation and does not recover a dot of Willpower. In order to recover a dot, they need to find safe place to rest. ### Health All characters have a certain amount of health. Attacks and other damage sources will cause your character to take damage and lose health. As they lose health, they'll begin to suffer from [wound penalties](#wound-penalties). Enough damage will eventually incapacitate them or even kill them outright. #### Taking Damage When your character gets hit by an attack or encounters some other hazard, they're one or more levels of damage. This damage can be [bashing](#bashing-damage), [lethal](#lethal-damage), or [aggravated](#aggravated-damage). Depending on which type of damage it is, and whether your character is wearing armor, you may then have an opportunity to reduce the damage by [soaking](#soaking-damage) it. Finally, once you know how many level of damage your character is actually taking, you'll [mark it down](#marking-damage). ##### Types of Damage There are three types of damage. These damage types are all dealt the same way, and result in the same [wound penalties](#wound-penalties), but are [soaked](#soaking-damage) and healed differently. ###### Bashing Damage Bashing damage represents blunt-force trauma. It can be caused by fists, sticks, clubs, and even explosions. Bashing can incapacitate a character just as quickly as other types of damage, but is far less likely to kill them and much easier to heal. It can also be [soaked](#soaking-damage) without armor. ###### Lethal Damage Lethal damage represents cutting or piercing injuries. It's usually caused by firearms, knifes, and other edged or ranged weapons. As the name implies, lethal damage can quickly be fatal. It's slower to heal than bashing, but faster than aggravated, and it can't normally be [soaked](#soaking-damage) without armor. ###### Aggravated Damage Aggravated damage represents burns, radiation poisoning, and other forms of wide-spread cellular destruction. It can be caused by fire, chemicals, radiation, high-current electrocution, etc. It doesn't kill any faster than lethal damage but is much harder to heal. It can only be [soaked](#soaking-damage) with certain types of armor, depending on the source of the damage. ##### Soaking Damage Soaking allows your character to take less damage than they otherwise would. Usually, characters are only able to soak [bashing](#bashing-damage) damage, but wearing armor can also let them soak [lethal damage](#lethal-damage) as well as some forms of [aggravated damage](#aggravated-damage). Your character's armor will describe what effects it has on their ability to soak damage. Soaking damage is similar to an opposed roll against the incoming damage. Whenever your character is about to receive damage, you'll roll a certain number of soak dice. When taking bashing damage, your soak [dice pool](#dice-pool) is your character's [Strength](#strength) attribute plus any bonus from their armor. For lethal and aggravated, only the armor's rating is used. Unlike other rolls, however, soaking damage is _always_ at a difficulty 6 and isn't affected by wound penalties. In fact, you get to make soak rolls even when your character is fully incapacitated. However, you can't get [exploding 10s](#using-specialties) on soak rolls, nor can you [add experience dice](#adding-experience-dice). After rolling your soak dice, subtract your successes from the incoming damage. If you failed, botched, or couldn't roll any dice, then you take the full damage. (Botching doesn't add any additional damage or anything, but the storyteller may add an amusing description if they wish.) ##### Marking Damage On your character sheet, there is a series of boxes representing your character's health. When your character takes damage, after potentially [soaking](#soaking-damage) it, you'll mark it down in these boxes. Each level of damage that they take fills a single box. However, they are marked in different ways: - [Bashing damage](#bashing-damage) is marked with a single diagonal line from one corner to another. - [Lethal damage](#lethal-damage) is marked with two diagonal lines, like an X. - [Aggravated damage](#aggravated-damage) is marked with two diagonal lines plus a vertical line, like an asterisk. Each type of damage adds a single line over the one before it and this isn't an accident: though each level of damage taken fills one box, the more serious types of damage are recorded at the top and push the less serious types down. So all your character's aggravated damage will be in the top boxes, above all their lethal damage, which is above all their bashing damage. (In practice, they'll rarely have all three types simultaneously.) This doesn't affect the total amount of damage, so wound penalties are mostly unchanged, but means that less serious damage types are healed first. Marking the damage like this makes it easy to convert a lower damage type to a higher one so you can move the lower one down. > **Example:** Your character has already taken one level of lethal damage and two levels of bashing, so their health chart looks like this: `[X][/][/][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]`. They then take another level of lethal, which pushes the bashing damage down to look like this: `[X][X][/][/][ ][ ][ ][ ]`. #### Wound Penalties With the exception of the top one, each box on a character's health chart has a wound penalty listed next to it which increase in value as the character takes more damage. Whenever your character has taken damage, they suffer the wound penalty marked next to the bottom-most box they have damage in. Subtract this many **dice** from the [dice pools](#dice-pool) for all actions your character makes. (Keep in mind that [Soaking damage](#soaking-damage) and [rolling Willpower](#rolling-willpower) are not actions and are not affected by wound penalties.) Your character may ignore their wound penalty an action by [spending Willpower](#spending-willpower). > **Example:** Your character has taken three levels of damage and they are at the "Hurt" wound level. Because of this, they'll have one fewer dice on all their rolls until they heal. If they take another level of damage, they'll be at the "Injured" wound level and suffer -2 dice on all their rolls. ##### Incapacitation and Death The bottom-most box on your character's health chart is marked "Incapacitated" with no wound penalty. If this box contains damage, your character is unconscious and unable to act at all. If this box contains bashing damage, each additional bashing damage your character receives will convert their top-most level of bashing damage to lethal. Once this box contains lethal or aggravated damage, then the next level of damage -- no matter the type -- will be fatal. It's definitely possible to beat someone to death; it just takes a bit more effort. Taking fatal damage most likely means that your character is dead and gone forever. Sometimes, the storyteller may decide to offer your follow players a chance to revive your character but, usually, dead is dead. The journey continues, though, so take this as an opportunity to try something new with a [new character](#character-creation). Sometimes, the storyteller may decide to offer your follow players a chance to revive your character. (As a storyteller, if you choose to allow the revival of a dead character, you should also add a permanent penalty to them; perhaps in the form of a new [flaw](#flaws). This is especially true if the technology used is likely to be available to them again in the future. Otherwise, death stops being meaningful, players stop experiencing any real risk, and the game gets boring.) #### Location Damage ( _This section isn't ready yet. There's [an open issue](https://github.com/Tanndev/Maelstrom/issues/15) to add it_ ) ### Character Creation It's important to take the time to flesh out your [character](#characters)'s backstory and personality before you even start considering the numbers on you character sheet. Having an interesting character design before you start will make it a lot easier to pick out an interesting and varied selection of attributes, abilities, and specialties. Try to resist the urge to "min-max" your character and, instead, select the traits that most fit the personality and history of your character. Even if your character is going to be primarily a gunslinger, consider putting a couple dots in Artistry to reflect their sculpting hobby, or some dots in Law and Academics from back when they dropped out of law school. Remember, your storyteller will be able to weave those sorts of backgrounds into story hooks and challenges, but only if you have the traits to actually face them. Because of this, diverse and varied characters make the game more fun for everyone. Once you're ready to sit down and start filling out a character sheet, you'll go through a few steps: 1. Select [starting attributes](#starting-attributes) 1. Select [starting abilities](#starting-attributes) 1. Spend [starting experience](#starting-experience) 1. Purchase [starting equipment](#starting-equipment)  #### Starting Attributes Your character automatically starts with one dot in each of the six [attributes](#attributes). This is the minimum number for normal, healthy characters but almost all of your attributes will end up being higher than that. Start by selecting either Physical or Mental as your characters's primary attribute group; the other is their secondary attribute group. (Don't bother writing this down; they're only used for this step.) You'll get more dots in your primary group than your secondary one, so consider whether your character should be more brains or more brawn. You can arrange these dots however you want. - In your primary group, allocate 6 additional dots. - In your secondary group, allocate 4 additional dots. Keep in mind that attributes are very expensive to increase, so you'll be stuck with your starting allotment for a while. #### Starting Abilities Unlike attributes, all [abilities](#abilities) start with zero dots. Assign dots to your character's abilities with the following rules: - Choose 2 abilities and assign each of them 3 dots. - Choose another 4 abilities and assign each of them 2 dots. - Choose another 6 abilities and assign each of them 1 dot. - You may not combine these dots; you must select twelve different abilities. When assigning dots, keep in mind that there is a penalty to use [skills](#skills) and [knowledges](#knowledges) are more difficult or impossible to use without any dots in them. So, while it can be tempting to put as many dots as possible into [talents](#talents), it's usually better to spread out your dots somewhat evenly. Of course, the most important thing is to make sure your character's abilities match their backstory and your style of play. #### Starting Willpower All characters start with 3 dots in [Willpower](#Willpower). #### Starting Specialties Characters don't start with any [specialties](#specialties) automatically. #### Starting Experience Your character always begins with a certain amount of [experience](#character-progression) which can be [spent](#spending-experience) immediately to improve their traits further. When deciding how to spend your starting experience, consider picking up several [specialties](#specialties). These can be a very cost-effective way to improve your character's capabilities significantly. This is especially true for [advanced specialties](#advanced-specialties) because it's significantly more difficult and dangerous to perform tasks which [require](#required-specialties) them. Also consider increasing [Willpower](#Willpower) by a couple points, since this too can only be increased via experience. Of course, you can also just increase attributes or abilities if you prefer. Or, hang on to the points and spend them later. This is a reasonable option if you're not yet sure exactly how you want to fine-tune your character's stats.  When creating characters for a new campaign, the storyteller should provide an equal amount of starting experience to all players. The exact number can vary depending how experienced the storyteller wants the starting characters to be, but 30 points is reasonable for a normal game. If a character is joining an existing campaign, the storyteller should provide a reasonable amount of starting experience to match the existing characters. This can be the average experience earned by the party so far or, if replacing a dead/missing character, the total amount earned by that previous character. (Storytellers, remember: losing a character can be traumatic enough, especially in a long-running game, so don't add insult to fatal-injury by making players start over with weaker characters. Death may be an unavoidable part of life, but game must go on and the point of the game is to have fun.) #### Starting Equipment [Equipment](#equipment) will vary from campaign to campaign. Work with your storyteller to determine reasonable starting equipment.  #### Merits and Flaws Merits and Flaws are a totally optional way to make your character more interesting and varied. Their effects vary significantly but they all cost or award experience points. They can usually only be acquired during character creation and affect your starting experience point pool. However, if a story event had the potential to significantly affect your character in some way, the storyteller may provide an opportunity to acquire a specific merit or flaw. In these cases, it'll award or cost available experience points. These lists are not exhaustive, so work with the storyteller if you have a specific thing in mind that might make a good merit or flaw for your character. Also, the storyteller has the right to veto merits and flaws, even those on these lists, if they choose. This may be done to limit "power gaming", or to avoid story problems. For example, they may prevent you from taking the [Huge Size](#huge-size) merit if the story will heavily feature tiny fighter craft. ##### Merits Merits give your character a strength or a useful quirk. Each merit costs the listed number of experience points. ###### Acute Sense **2 or 5 points:** Your character has an exceptionally well honed natural sense (vision, hearing, smell, taste, etc). All perception rolls have -2 difficulty when using the selected sense. Each sense costs 2 points or get all senses for 5 points. ###### Ambidexterous **1 point:** Your character is equally capable with either hand. You suffer no off-hand penalties. ###### Exceptional Balance **1 point:** Your character has exceptional balance. All balance-related rolls (tightropes, narrow ledges, etc) have -2 difficulty. ###### Huge Size **4 points:** Your character is enormous, potentially over seven feet tall or in excess of 400lbs. This added bulk allows them to soak some additional damage. Gain one additional health level at the top of the health chart with 0 penalty. However, while this added bulk may make your character more resilient, it may also give them some difficulty. They will consume more oxygen and may find it difficult to fit into some vehicles, space suits, etc. More mass won't protect them from hard vacuum so consider the risks before taking this merit for the health level, and make sure to hang on to survival gear that fits. ###### Strong Bond **4 points:** In a vast, cold galaxy your character has found another person that gives their life purpose and meaning. This might be their one true love, a close childhood friend, or someone they served with. This bond inspires your character to always make it home. Gain one automatic success on all Willpower rolls. Beware, however, that the other person will exist in the story and may be vulnerable. If your character believes they are dead or lost, you will lose this merit. Sorry, Mario, your princess is in another castle. ###### Common Sense **1 point:** Your character has an abundance of common sense and tends to make reasonable, sound decisions. This gives no direct benefit towards rolls (including Wits). Instead, the storyteller will warn you when you're about to do something that your character would consider unwise or dangerous. They may even suggest some sensible courses of action. This can be particularly useful for new players. ###### Laser Focus **1 point:** No matter what's going on around them, your character is able to focus on the task at hand. You suffer no penalties for being distracted, disturbed, or acting in a loud or adverse environment. You may still need to roll against active interference, such as tear gas or high g-forces, but you suffer no additional penalties to your action if you succeed. ###### Early Riser **1 point:** Some folks just need less sleep than others. Your character is one of these lucky people and only requires 4-5 hours of sleep a night. They suffer fewer penalties from sleep deprivation. They also have a bit more time to get things done during a normal day. ###### Mental Mathematician **1 point:** Your character can do complex math in their head amazingly quickly and accurately. They can perform basic arithmetic instantly, regardless of their circumstances. You, the player, may use a calculator to solve math problems at any time, even if your character is busy, in a hurry, or in combat. Tour character can also perform advanced calculations, such as those required for orbital mechanics, without the need for a computer; though this may still require some time and focus. ###### Timekeeper **1 point:** Unless unconscious or otherwise incapacitated, your character is always perfectly aware of elapsed time. They can keep accurate time, down to just a few seconds, for up to an hour and always know the time of day to within a few minutes. Who needs a kitchen timer? ###### Eidetic Memory **2 points:** Your character generally remembers almost everything that happens to them and is able to memorize things in precise detail. They can perfectly recall text, sounds, and images over long periods of time and may even be able to replicate them with the appropriate skill rolls. This skill applies to almost any ordered data, but works less well on high-entropy data like encryption keys. ##### Flaws Flaws give your character a weakness or a troublesome quirk. Each flaw awards the listed number of experience points. While some flaws may be corrected with cybernetics or prosthetics, doing so will require spending experience points as your character learns to adapt. This cost will usually equal the original number of points awarded by the flaw. ###### Addict **1 or 3 points:** Your character is addicted to something. If they're addicted to something relatively mundane and easy to obtain, like nicotine or alcohol, this flaw is worth one point. This likely won't cause much difficulty most of the time. However, if the substance is illegal, dangerous, or exotic, the flaw is worth three points. This substance may have a more harmful withdrawal effects or just be harder to obtain. In any case, characters who are unable to obtain their chosen substance will undergo withdrawals and suffer effects to be determined by the storyteller. ###### Defective Sense **2 points:** Your character has a natural sense which is dulled or impaired in some way. They might be hard of hearing, colorblind, or be nearsighted. All rolls have +2 difficulty when affected by the flawed sense. Be careful, as this