Warpstar!

A SCI-FI ROLE PLAYING GAME INSPIRED BY THE

EARLY DAYS OF BRITISH TABLETOP GAMING

Written by Greg Saunders with additional material from

Andy Scott, Drew Gotobed, Justin Wyatt, Lee Rimmer,
Mustafa Bekir, Paul 'Geist' Gallagher, Rob Barrett and
Sean Wills
Cover art by Mustafa Bekir, design Paul Bourne
Internal art by Gary Dupuis, JEShields, Justin Wyatt,
Mustaka Bekir, and Peter Saga
 CONTENTS Soldier 70
Street kid 72
Welcome to Warpstar! 6 Thief 74
What is this game? 6 Trader 76
What do we need to Warp touched 78
play? 6 Character traits 80
How does Warpstar Starcraft 82
work? 7
What do the players Core rules 83
do? 8 Core rules 84
How you actually play? 8 Taking actions 84
The golden rule 9 Making a skill test 84
The Chorus of worlds 10 Basic skill test 84
Bonuses and penalties 85
Creating characters 12 Opposed skill test 85
Creating a character 13 Tools 86
Beginning skills 13 Testing your luck 87
Stamina 14 Testing luck in
Luck 14 opposed tests 87
Humans and non-humans 15 Improving 87
Character physiology 15 Careers 87
Talents 15 Gaining stamina 89
Talent table 1 16 Changing careers 89
Talent table 2 20 Advanced careers 90
Careers and skills 25 Agent 91
The adventuring skills 26 Assassin 91
Career skill 32 Captain 93
Basic equipment 32 Cult leader 93
The basic careers 33 Doctor 95
Agitator 34 Duellist 95
Bodyguard 36 Gang Boss 96
Bounty hunter 38 Gunslinger 96
Diplomat 40 Hunter 97
Entertainer 42 Lawbringer 97
Exterminator 44 Merchant 99
Gambler 46 Spacer 99
Ganger 48 Warp lord 100
Investigator 50
Mechanic 52 Combat 101
Miner 54 Combat 102
Pilot 56 Rounds 102
Pirate 58 Who goes first? 103
Rebel 60 Combat actions 104
Raconteur 62 Movement within
Scientist 64 actions 104
Scout 66 The move action 104
Smuggler 68 Melee attacks 105

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Ranged attacks 105 Boarnda Generation
Pinning 107 Ship 139
Flanking attack 107 Comblis Relief Craft 139
Weapon damage codes 108 Garnaki Attackship 140
Mighty strike 110 Hegemony Cruiser 140
Armour 110 Hegemony Needleship 141
Effects of damage 111 Mistral Hauler 141
Critical hits 112 Ou'sok Pirate Cutter 142
Surprise strikes 112 Warp Consortium
Surrender or flee! 113 Techcraft 142
Recovery 113 Other vehicles 143
Anti-grav Skim bike 144
Spacecraft and vehicles 119 All-terrain Ground
Spacecraft 120 Car 144
Ship name 120 Monowheel Bike 144
Ship dimensions 121 Nova Guard Assault
Spacecraft Minds 121 Tank 145
Interacting with the Police Enforcer 145
Mind 122 Zero-grav Skiff 146
Crew positions 122 Vehicle criticals 147
Ship capabilities 123 Vehicle critical table 148
Ship-to-ship combat 124
Ship-scale weapons 125 Warp glyphs 149
Ship anti-personnel The warp manifest 150
weaponry 125 Glyphs 150
Ship critical table 126 Manifesting glyphs 151
Engines 127 Warp bleed 151
Ship chases 127 Manifesting glyphs in
The space ship in combat 152
atmosphere 127 Glyphs at character
Warp travel 128 creation 152
Astronavigation 128 Learning new glyphs 152
Scanners 130 Warp bleed table 153
Life support 132 Warp Mutations 154
Airlocks and hold 132 Table 1: lesser
EVA Suits 132 mutations 155
Player character ships 133 Table 2: greater
d'Aubigny Envoy mutations 157
Cruiser 133 Glyphs 161
D-Class Charger 134 Burnout (5/S) 162
Kilos Star Hauler 135 Crack (4/S) 162
Felloni Hawkmoth 135 Dead zone (4/S) 163
Stessel Nightwing 137 Deafness (3/S) 163
Type 12 Kouda Deconstruct (5/O) 163
'Chugalug' 137 Deny gravity (3/S) 164
Other spacecraft 138 Doppelganger (4/S) 164
Beseran Star Yacht 138 Esoteric flame (3/S) 164

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 Master (4/O) 165 Vehicles and
Echoes (3/S) 165 spacecraft 190
Enhance (4/S) 165 The warp 193
Ether scream (3/S) 165 Worlds of the Chorus 194
Ethereal shield (4/S) 167
Stupefy (5/O) 167 Denizens 197
Glitch (3/S) 167 One million worlds 198
Hammer (3/S) 167 Defining denizens 198
Heal (2/O) 168 Denizens and careers 199
Images (4/S) 168 Denizens and combat 200
Inner bond (5/O) 168 Denizen abilities 202
Meld (3/S) 168 Amoebis 204
Miasma (5/S) 169 Anthromorphs 204
Negative warp (4/S) 169 Borrs 206
Poison (4/O) 169 Fruiting dead 208
Scour (5/O) 169 Human 208
Scry (3/S) 170 Human, heavy worlder 209
Speak (3/O) 170 Human, light worlder 209
Stutter (4/O) 170 Human, spacer 209
Third eye (2/S) 172 Jondo 211
Time dilate (4/O) 172 Nodes 211
Trance (O/5) 172 Nova Guard 212
Unquiet (4/S) 173 Kronux 214
Unseen (4/S) 173 Skritters 216
Vermin (4/S) 173 Twists 216
Warp blast (4/S) 174 Vornin 218
Warp path (4/S) 174 Warp dragon 220
Warp strike (4/O) 174 Warp entities 222
Warp ticks 224
The Chorus 175
The Galaxy 176 Games master 225
The Hegemony 177 Games master 226
The Merchant Combine 177 The rules 226
The Warp Consortium 178 Discuss the game first 228
The Autarch 178 The setting of
Cadence 179 Warpstar 230
Planetary Lords and What do player
Ladies 179 characters do? 230
Denizens of the Chorus 180 What does the games
Currency 180 master do? 231
Technologies 182 Money and equipment 232
Robots 184 Let them have it 232
Weapons 186 Make them work 232
Armour 188 Test luck 233
Communication 189 Debts 233
Computing 190 Technology 234

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Themes 234 Don't sweat it! 238
Flavour 235 Scenarios 239
Mystery 237 Scenario forms 239
Make it up! 237 Character sheet 242

5
 Welcome to Warpstar!
Warpstar is a rules-light science fiction rol-
eplaying game that aims to emulate the feeling
of old-school British tabletop games of wondrous
and fantastical adventure in the depths of space.
Warpstar looks to reproduce the play style of its
illustrious predecessors but in a light, quick and
simple manner, with a consistent set of rules that
are easily 'hackable' and adaptable as desired.

WHAT IS THIS GAME?

Warpstar is a tabletop roleplaying game, played

with pencils, paper and dice. The implied setting
is the Chorus of a million worlds, a sprawling
stellar empire that spreads across the galaxy. The
players control characters struggling to survive
in a wondrous melting pot of aliens, robots, worlds
and factions. Thematically, Warpstar is a science
fiction game of perilous adventure. However, Warp-
star does not contain lots of explicit setting
information, so you can use it with your favourite
published or home-made adentures and settings.
Instead, Warpstar aims to give you a simple and
concise set of rules that you can shape as you
need.

WHAT DO WE NEED TO PLAY?

There are a few things you will need before you

can play a game of Warpstar. The first is a few
friends, as role-playing is a shared experience.
Typically, between three and six of you is ideal,

6
but you can play with as few as two if you want.
You will also need some paper and pencils (you can
use pens, but a lot of the information you will be
writing down will change during play so pencils are
better). You will need a character sheet such as
the one shown at the back of this book - although
you can easily copy down the relevant information
onto a blank piece of paper should you wish to.
Finally, you will need some dice, more on them
later.

Warpstar is a role-playing game with a narrative

emphasis, so you will not need miniatures or stra-
tegic maps. Saying that, if you want to use them
to enhance your experience of the game then feel
free. Finally, you will need your imagination, so
ensure you bring it along.

HOW DOES WARPSTAR WORK?

A group of people sitting around a table or sharing

a space online plays the game. One of those people
is the games master (GM), who sets the scenes,
takes the roles of non-player characters (NPCs)
and presents the game world and the challenges
therein. The rest of the people around the table
are players who each control one or more player
characters (PCs), their avatars in the game and the
imaginary characters through which they interact
with the game world. Like in a spontaneously cre-
ated radio play, roleplaying games allow players
and the games master to create a story together by
imagining scenarios as a series of interconnected
scenes.

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 WHAT DO THE PLAYERS DO?

During the game, the games master presents the

players with scenes and encounters in which their
characters are involved. The players simply choose
the actions of their characters in each scene and
relate that to the games master, who along with
the players uses the rules of the game to decide
the outcomes of the character's actions. It is as
simple as that!

HOW YOU ACTUALLY PLAY?

In a roleplaying game, the games master introduces

the scene in which the player characters are involved
to the players. They explain the surroundings and
any other characters or enemies that the characters
might interact with. They then typically present a
challenge that the player character face, before
asking the million dollar question 'what do you
do?'. Based on the answer, the games master decides
what occurs, and which, if any, of the mechanics of
the game are invoked. The players and games master
then use the mechanics to resolve the scene. Based
on the outcome the games master describes a new
scene, and the process repeats. It is a very simple
procedure once the games master and players have
'got into character' and got used to the ebb and
flow of play. Warpstar uses a twenty-sided die,
a d20, to resolve actions. You'll also need some
six-sided dice or d6 as they are known. You'll need
these to play, and it's best if everyone has their
own dice.

8
The golden rule
Remember that Warpstar is a game, nothing more,
nothing less. The aim is to have fun, and the
rules in this book are simply a way of arbitrating
actions in a fair way and introducing some unpre-
dictability. This is the golden rule - have fun! If
you are having fun, you are playing the game right!

These rules are very light as roleplaying games go.

If you come across a situation that you cannot find
a rule for (and you will!), simply roll a die. Half
the results go in favour of the players, the other
half go against them.

9
 The Chorus of Worlds
Warpstar is set in the Chorus of a million worlds, a
vast collection of planets spread across an entire
galaxy. The Chorus is a melting pot of cultures,
aliens, technologies, and factions, all vying for
power and influence with the Autarch, the more-
than-man who rules the Chorus from the capital
world, known as the Jewel of the Chorus.

Within the Chorus the following factions exist,

all constantly battling with one another for the
Autarch's favour.

The Hegemony: a military organisation that answers

to the Autarch, which polices and controls the
worlds with their feared Nova Guard power armour
troops. They are tasked with keeping order and
upholding the Autarch's rule, but it is difficult
in the melting pot of cultures and worlds. The
Hegemony have their own space stations and fleets.

The Merchant Combine: this grand collective of

merchants organises and controls the shipping of
goods between the worlds of the Chorus. They are a
capitalist group with feudalistic trappings, with
private armies controlled by their own Lords and
Ladies, and have their own vast merchant vessels
that travel the space ways.

10
The Warp Consortium: a group of guilds that control
the highest technologies, including the devices
that permit warp travel. Using a warp engine, a
pilot can enter the warp, a 'mirror plane' where
distance is inversely proportional to mass, so in-
terstellar space is compressed but the space around
worlds is stretched. Using warp travel crossing
interstellar space is fast, allowing a ship to then
drop out near destination worlds and make the final
approach in real space. The Warp Consortium also
control all manner of other technological marvels.

Feudal houses: these individual houses are respon-

sible for each world, and rule it as they see fit,
paying the Hegemony and the Merchant Combine for
protection and goods, and Warp Consortium for the
right to access the warp.

Cadence: In all of the Chorus, the most valuable

resource is Cadence, a technological drug con-
trolled and distributed by the Autarch that slows
aging and makes regular users immortal. All of the
above groups use Cadence and trade it between them,
restricting access to the most rich and powerful.
It is through Cadence that the Autarch maintains
control of the Chorus and keeps the vying factions
in check.

Welcome to Warpstar!

11
 Creating
Characters

12
Creating a character
Before you can start playing, the players need to
create their alter egos in the game. Player char-
acters (PCs, also just referred to as characters)
are the figures through which players interact
with the galaxy of Warpstar. The personalities
of these characters are the roles players adopt
during play, their focus within the game. It is the
choices players make for their characters and how
those characters interact that creates the story.
Creating characters can be a shared experience,
and building from each other's ideas can help to
create a more interesting group of people. Remember
to include the games master in the design process,
as they have an important part to play in creating
the game everyone will play.

Characters are defined by their skills, their

Stamina and their Luck. These are outlined below.

BEGINNING SKILLS

The skills shown on the character sheet (see the

back of this book) are known as the adventuring
skills. All skills have a level - the higher,
the better. Characters are competent individuals,
so they start with some aptitude here. Ten of
the skills on the sheet you can mark as level 6.
These are where the character has the most natural
ability. Ten more begin at level 5, and the rest
start at level 4. There's a description of each of
the skills starting on page 27.

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 STAMINA

The health, fitness and all-round vitality of a

character is defined by their stamina. The higher
the better. When a character or enemy runs out of
stamina in combat, they risk serious injury and
are at the mercy of their opponent. To determine
beginning stamina, roll the following:

Stamina: 2d6+12

If a player so chooses, the stamina value of a

character can be used to give an indication of
where they were born. Characters with starting
stamina at the top end of the range (22-24) could
be heavy worlders, born on a high gravity plan-
et. Those with a low stamina (14 to 15) could be
spacers, born in zero gravity, while those with
intermediate stamina could be light worlders (16
to 17) or standard humans (18 to 21). These are
only guidelines however - a character from one of
those backgrounds could have any stamina value!

LUCK

A character's destiny and fate are represented by

luck. At any time during a game session, the games
master can ask a character to try their luck to see
if things go their way. To determine luck, roll the
following:

Luck: 1d6+7

14
Humans and Non-humans
The galaxy is full of species, some human-like,
others very different. In the area of space con-
trolled by the Autarch humanity is the prevalent
space-faring species, spreading out from the shat-
tered remains of Earth, but there are plenty of
other species, and most worlds are full of all
manner of non-human lifeforms and cultures.

CHARACTER PHYSIOLOGY

Players are encouraged to create a physical de-

scription of their character, which may be a human
or completely alien being. Mechanically it makes
no difference how your character appears or what
alien features they may possess, it is purely de-
scriptive, however the physiology of your character
may help describe the talents that they possess.

Talents
All player characters start the game with a talent,
a unique ability that sets them apart from others.
This could be an innate ability of a human, a
feature of an non-human life-form, or a cybernetic
implant - the player can decide how a character
developed their talent. To generate a talent for
a new player character, roll 1d20 on each of the
following two talent tables and select whichever
option most fits your view of the character.

15
 TALENT TABLE 1

Roll 1d20.

1 Ambidextrous: You have more than one domi-

nant limb, and as such can wield multiple
melee weapons. When armed with more than
one melee weapon, you may roll to hit once
without the +5 bonus. If you successful-
ly hit, you roll both damage dice and add
them together.

2 Armour: You know your shield generator from

your power armour, or have innate armour
under your skin. You may add 1 to the pro-
tective quality of any armour you wear.

3 Beast Friend: You have a rapport with nor-

mal animals, or come from a species which
can telepathically communicate with beasts.
Unless you or an ally attacks or provokes
an animal, it will regard you as a friend
and not attempt to hurt you, even if hungry
or aggressive.

4 Consummate Professional: You strive to be

the best at what you do, whether that is
exterminating void ticks or peddling wares.
You add 2 to all of your Career Skill rat-
ings.

5 Dark Sight: Either due to implants or innate

ability, you see as well by moonlight as in
day, like a sker-raptor.

16
6 Deadly Aim. Your aim is true and you strike
with pin-point accuracy. Add 1 to all damage
inflicted with ranged weapons.

7 Born Haggler: You are always looking for

the best deal possible and are loathe to
give up those shiny coins. You may subtract
1 from each d6 rolled to determine the price
of anything you purchase. If this generates
a result of zero, the Game Master must roll
again on the next lowest coin (jades to
shards, shards to frags) down to a minimum
of 1 frag.

8 Eyes of a Hawk: Your keen visual senses are

able to spot detail from great distances.
As such, you may ignore the penalty for
shooting at a target far away from you.

9 Fists of Stone: Perhaps you have proto-gor-

gon blood coursing through your veins, or
have bony protrusions on the backs of your
hands. Either way, you inflict 1d6 damage
with your bare hands.

10 Hard to Kill: 'Tis but a scratch!'. Owing to

your hardened physique, regenerative powers
or sheer force of will, you may subtract 2
from all Critical hit rolls you take. Any
result of 1 or less is ignored.

11 Ill-gotten Gains: You have acquired some

stolen loot. Perhaps you found it buried on
a moon, won it at cards, purloined it from
a Noble's spacecraft or prised it from the

17
 hands of your last victim. Either way, you
start the game with a notable rare item,
which you can define during play just when
you need it...

12 Innate Warp Glyph: You have the ability to

channel one random warp glyph. This still
requires a Warp focus test and the expend-
iture of Stamina, like a normal warp glyph.

13 Lightning Reflexes: Either naturally or as

the result of cybernetics, you possess the
reflexes of a glower cat. Unless surprised,
you may always act first in a round.

14 Luck of the universe: You are blessed with

good fortune, or perhaps are destined for
greater things. Increase your Luck by 2.

15 Natural Talent: Choose one adventuring

skill. That skill may always be improved,
no matter what career you are in, but only
up to 10, if you are in a Basic Career, or
14 you are in an Advanced Career.

16 Strong Arm: You strike with powerful, sav-

age blows. Add 1 to all damage inflicted
with melee weapons,

17 Thick-skinned: You certainly know how to

take a beating. Reduce the damage inflicted
upon you from crushing weapons by 1.

18 Tough as Nails: You possess incredible re-

serves of endurance and hardiness. Increase
your Stamina by 4.

18
19
 19 Uncanny Sense: You have a natural ability
to avoid danger, be it a latent psychic
ability, exceptional paranoia or perhaps
dark whispers from beyond the material uni-
verse. Regardless of its source, you cannot
be surprised.

20 Warp Sight: You have the innate ability to

detect warp forces and phenomena. You may
make a Spot roll to detect the presence of
glyph effects and warp entities.

TALENT TABLE 2

Roll 1d20.
1 Highly Attractive: You dazzle others with
your chiselled features or luscious locks.
You may automatically succeed at the first
Bargain or Persuasion test each session
if a target would find you attractive, as
adjudicated by the games master (or test
your luck).

2 Cast Iron Stomach: You are immune to all

ingested poisons including alcohol. You
may even derive nutrition from spoiled or
rotting food, much to the repulsion of your
fellow adventurers.

3 Jack-of-all-Trades: You can pick up skills

quickly or perhaps have had experience in a
few trades before settling on your current
career. You are treated as having a career

20
 skill rating of at least 4 in three Basic
careers you choose.

4 Light Sleeper: You sleep with one eye open.

Or as a result of your non-human nature
barely need to sleep at all. You may make
a Spot test to detect an ambush, even when
sleeping. You may also instantly awake in
such circumstances and be ready to take an
action.

5 Psychic Resistance: You have an innate

ability to resist warp glyphs. You may
make a Warp focus test to negate any glyph
directed directly at you. However, when
making a Warp focus test to manifest warp
glyphs, any failed test results in bleed.

6 Acute Hearing: As a result of non-human

physique or just a natural gift, you may
make a Spot test to hear whispers and quiet
conversations, even when several yards from
you. You can also make such tests to hear
normal conversations on the other side of
doors.

7 Prophetic Dreams: You are plagued by strange

dreams, which can warn you of things to
come. Once per session, if you fail a test,
you may test your luck. If successful,
you succeed at the test instead. You were
clearly just remembering when you failed
the attempt in your dream...

8 Killer Instinct: You want to see your foes

die, often in the most grisly way possible.

21
 You may add 2 to the value of any critical
hit you inflict.

9 Sense of Direction: You have an instinctive

ability to detect 'north' on a planetary
surface and so never get lost.

10 Double-Jointed: Your body is extremely

flexible, or you have tentacles instead of
limbs. You may squeeze into the smallest
spaces, easily escape from manacles or re-
straints and even fit through small gaps
such as iron bars.

11 Dark Destiny: Some strange warp entity is

looking out for you. If you should die, for
whatever reason, you miraculously survive.
However, the entity will reveal its plans
to you with whispers of dark desires. Should
you decide to act against its wishes, you
must lose 1d3 stamina permanently, unless
you successfully test your luck.

12 Fleet Footed: You are exceptionally fast

on your feet, or perhaps are a quadruped.
In combat you may move one range category
and still perform an action, although you
suffer -2 penalty to tests when doing so.
You may also take a move action to move two
range categories, instead of one. Outside
of combat, you may add 4 to your Athletics
to all tests involving sprinting.

13 Natural Charm: Unless they have reasons to

act differently, most people take a shine
to you; people find it easy to get along

22
 with you. Whenever you meet someone, if
they would normally be ambivalent toward
you, now they like you, and those that
would normally dislike you instead are am-
bivalent.

14 Sleep Anywhere: You have a talent for sleep-

ing anywhere - you always get a good rest
no matter where you are, and always wake
up happy and refreshed, even if sleeping
outside in the acid rain.

15 Well-Connected: You have a wide circle of

acquaintances who you may draw upon for
aid. Once per session you may make a luck
test. If successful, you have bumped into
an old friend who owes you a favour.

16 Perfect Recall: Due to cybernetics or bi-

zarre brain chemistry, you have an amazing
memory and never forget anything you have
seen or read. You never forget the contents
of a datapad you quickly skimmed through,
even if you saw it only for a moment.

17 Slink Away: Somehow, you always manage to

slink away from danger, either because you
are very small or because you are a slip-
pery customer. Whenever you are caught in a
large combat with multiple combatants and
have some warning (i.e. are not surprised),
test your Luck. If you succeed, you somehow
escape notice...

23
 18 Non-descript: For some reason, you just do
not stick in the mind. People tend to for-
get what you look like, and are often quite
hard-pressed to recall anything remarkable
about you at all.

19 Scarred: You obtained a scar on your face

in your childhood. It makes it easier to
intimidate people (+2 bonus) and generally
to look mean and impressive, but makes it
harder to charm people (-2 penalty to charm
and persuasion tests).

20 Evil Eye: You have the uncanny ability to

hex opponents with your gaze. Once per game
session, when an opponent succeeds at a
simple or opposed test, you can test your
luck. If you are lucky, they failed the
test or if it was opposed, you won.

24
Careers and Skills
Your career determines how you live - what you
do to earn your keep and place in the Chorus of
worlds. To determine the starting career of the
character, roll a d6 die four times to determine
a career from the table shown on page 33. Then
pick one of the four rolled options that suits
your conception of your character, and that's your
character's starting career. Each career lists
some possessions, so write them down (you'll also
get some basic equipment, see page 32), and allows
you to roll on some small tables which add a bit
of colour and background. Finally each career has
a list of adventuring skills and levels. These are
the only adventuring skills that your character
can advance while in the career, and the maximum
values that those skills can have while in that
career. Tick the boxes on your character sheet for
the two different skill levels - one dash for the
level 10 skills, a cross for the level 12 skills.

When you create your character, you can assign 10

levels to those skills listed in your starting
career, the only restriction being that you cannot
exceed the maximum skill level shown. Remember to
include the skill levels you assigned earlier when
determining your skill level total. You also gain
a 'career skill' at a level equal to an average of
all the skills the career grants (rounded up) as
described on page 32 - you'll need to write this
in the space on your character sheet.

25
 You'll see that there are way more adventuring
skills available than are listed for each career
- to gain others, you'll need to change career, as
described on page 89.

The Adventuring skills

During skill tests, skill levels are used to help
you succeed. Here follows a description of the
various adventuring skills and their use.

26
Animal handler - the character has a knack with
animals, and gets on well with all manner of crea-
tures. They can also ride and tame animals at the
games master's discretion.

Appraise - the character has a keen eye. Not only can

they appraise items for their worth or providence,
they can also assess other people to get a measure
of their worth and their apparent trustworthiness.

Astronav - the ability to chart a course through

warp space, needed when travelling between the
stars.

Athletics - a measure of a character's ability to

use their body in feats of movement and coordina-
tion, including running, jumping, climbing etc.

Bargain - the character's ability to bargain with

others for something they desire, such as a shop-
keeper for their wares or an informant for a piece
of information.

Blades - the character is handy with blades of all

kinds from knives to vibro-swords.

Blunt - the ability to make good use of blunt

weapons like clubs and stun batons.

Brawling - a knack for fighting with fist and body,

knowing how to move and how to fight dirty.

Command - issuing commands and projecting the kind

of confidence that gets those orders followed.

27
 Diplomacy - the art of charting a course through
the rocky ground of interpersonal relations, and
getting two opposed sides to compromise and find a
way forward.

Disguise - the character can adopt a gait, voice

and mannerisms that disguises their true nature
and convinces the casual observer that they are
someone they are not.

Dodge - the character is able to dodge incoming

missiles, be they pulse rounds, stones or rotten
fruit.

Endurance - the character can resist physical

hardship and keep going where others fail.

History - a knowledge of past events of the Chorus

and the realms that surround it, and some of the
major personalities that litter history databases.

Intimidate - the character is able to use their

physicality and personality to intimidate others.
This doesn't necessarily mean they are big and
imposing, more that they are able to push others
around with the strength of their character.

Language - understanding enough of a smattering

of the more common languages of the Chorus, the
character can figure out what people are saying,
even other races.

Lie - the character is able to tell quick and easy

lies, and convince others of their honesty. The
use of this skill is often opposed by the appraise
skill.

28
Medicine - the character is able to help stabilise
wounds and the critical hits that can be suffered
in combat. Without some medical assistance, many
wounds can fester and deteriorate. Rules for this
skill can be found in the combat section of this
book, page 101.

Navigation - finding your way on alien worlds is no

mean feat. This character is skilled in choosing
the right path.

Persuasion - the fine art of getting someone to do

what you want. Persuading people assumes that what
you want them to do isn't against their interests
- if it is, the games master may impose a penalty
to the test.

Pilot - the character is able to pilot craft from

skim bikes to spacecraft.

Repair - characters with this skill are mechanically

minded, and able to perform repairs either ad-hoc
or planned to keep devices and tools operating.

Ship gunner - operation of ship-board weapons,

including complex targeting systems.

Small arms - a character's ability with all manner

of guns from small pistols to hunting rifles and
energy weapons.

Sleight-of-hand - the character is able to use

distraction and manipulation to perform tricks of
prestidigitation, useful in picking pockets and
cheating at cards.

29
 Spot - with a keen eye and a mindset for detail,
the character is able to spot things out of place
or otherwise remarkable but hidden in a scene. This
skill is often pitted against stealth when someone
is sneaking where they shouldn't be.

Stealth - able to make use of cover and shadows,

the character is adept at sneaking about. This
skill is often pitted against the spot skill of
guards and surveillance systems.

Streetwise - a knack for knowing the right kind

of people to talk to and the right places to go
to meet them, this character is knowledgeable in
facets of the seedier side of life.

Survival - how to find a good camp site, find water

and forage for food, a character with this skill
is adept at surviving in the wilds.

Thrown - there's an art to hitting something with

a stone, a javelin or a grenade. A character with
this skill has spent many an hour honing their aim.

Warp focus - the ability to channel warp energies,

used in manifesting and resisting warp glyphs.

Zero G - the ability to move about successfully

in low and zero gravity, and to brace yourself
correctly when firing weapons.

30
31
 Career skill
Each career also comes with a skill named af-
ter the career itself. This represents all the
knowledge and know-how that comes from working
in that profession, things that aren't covered by
the adventuring skills themselves. If a player can
persuade the games master that a career skill makes
sense in the context of a test in the game, one
that's not covered by an adventuring skill, they
may use this skill to determine success.

Basic Equipment
In the Chorus the basic unit of currency is split
into frags (roughly equivalent to a dollar), shards
(ten frags) and jades (one hundred frags, ten
shards). Player characters have careers and have
been working to get where they are, so they have a
basic level of liquidity to purchase the essentials
of life. They do however have 2d6 shards in ready
cash about them. Note that the equipment listed
with each career is the iconic gear associated with
that profession. For example, if a career lists a
trench coat, it does not imply that the character
could not purchase another coat of their choosing!
It means that their old, worn coat is comfortable
and suits them, and they've never had a reason to
buy anything else. All characters can be assumed
to have a bed, some personal possessions, clothes,
boots etc.

32
The Basic Careers
The basic careers that can be taken by characters as
they start their adventure follow. Roll four indi-
vidual d6 (or 1d6 four times and note the different
results). This will generate four separate careers
on the four tables below - choose the result that
best suits your idea of you character. Each career
listing gives a basic description, the adventuring
skills of the career and their maximum level, and
details the iconic possessions the career grants.
Tables of background flavour are also included,
roll 1d6 on each to generate a little back story.

First 1d6 Second 1d6

1 Agitator 1 Gambler
2 Bodyguard 2 Ganger
3 Bounty Hunter 3 Investigator
4 Diplomat 4 Mechanic
5 Entertainer 5 Miner
6 Exterminator 6 Pilot

Third 1d6 Forth 1d6

1 Pirate 1 Soldier
2 Raconteur 2 Street kid
3 Rebel 3 Thief
4 Scientist 4 Trader
5 Scout 5 Warp touched
6 Smuggler 6 You choose!

33
 AGITATOR

Blunt 10, Intimidate 10

Dodge 12, Persuasion 12, Streetwise 12

You spend your time stirring things up, digging

into the psyche of the mob and twisting it to your
ends. You are a good speaker, good at manipulating
people, and at prodding the sore spots. That serf
riot on Geddis IV? That was you. You had something
to do with the overthrow of the Sequined God on
Meblus III, some say. You don't comment.

Equipment: A power baton (S1d6+1C), a hidden combat

vest (light armour), pamphlets, seditious writings.

Who you've worked for (roll a d6).

1 Lord Tern of house D'leon, a psychopath.
2 The Whisper Sect - bunch of warp crazies.
3 Hafo Lux, stirring up trouble to crash
prices.
4 The priesthood of Sest, in the failed Krebix
revolution.
5 Lord Selext, in his mad war against the
Hegemony.
6 Resurrected Clan chief Heent, on Malbaadas
II.

Who's hunting you? (roll a d6).

1 The Nova Guard, oh dear...
2 The Merchant Combine, for no good reason.
3 The Church of the God Betrayed.
4 Your brother, the fool.
5 Verlenti flesh eaters. They say you'd taste
good.
6 You don't know. Which is worrying.

34
35
 BODYGUARD

Blades 10, Medicine 10

Dodge 12, Intimidate 12, Small arms 12

You've guarded everyone from merchants in fear of

rivals to rich Lords of core worlds after some fun
in the rougher parts of the galaxy. You know how
to keep quiet and look mean - all you need, most
of the time. But if things get out of hand and you
need to pull a weapon, you're ready for that too.
Never lost a client. So far.

Equipment: A nox-rifle (M2d6P), armoured bodysuit

and shield projector (modest armour), power baton
(S1d6+1C). A video of your mother, which makes you
cry.

Who you have protected? (roll a d6).

1 Lord Hastamir during the revolt on Malbaada
II
2 Ariol Zee, the holostar and ace reporter.
3 The Ion Priest Tolbera Frey.
4 The Smuggler Fessus, a bloated fool.
5 The crime lord Xxenin, in the port of Sorrow.
6 The Merchant Hafo Lux, during the grain
riots.

A secret you know about them (roll a d6).

1 They are actually a series of clones.
2 They don't exist, it's all a front.
3 They once killed their lover.
4 Where they keep their ship.
5 Who made them, and from what.
6 That they have no secrets. Terrifying.

36
37
 BOUNTY HUNTER

Bargain 10, Small arms 10

Blades 12, Spot 12, Streetwise 12

You keep to yourself. Your face is enough to keep

most people away. You have a knack for finding
people, people that don't want to be found. Mainly
that's a result of knowing the right people - or
the wrong people, as most would see it. But you're
handy with a blade too, as most of the people you
are looking for will do a lot not to get found.

Equipment: A serrated blade (S1d6+2S), under jacket

body plates and shield projector (modest armour),
a python pistol (S1d6+2P). A database of faces and
names for you to look out for.

Who you have caught? (roll a d6).

1 The murderer of the Messiah of Krebix.
2 Deserters from the ruins of Damas IV.
3 Your sister. Don't ask.
4 Deserters from the Nova Guard.
5 The wrong person, but don't tell.
6 The agitator Hemlock, from the mines of Kex
II.

Who you're searching for? (roll a d6).

1 The Rello system poisoner Kacis.
2 The machine agent FeX44.
3 The mad Ion Priest Tolbera Frey.
4 The barbarian Queen Tamulan, a
revolutionary.
5 A reason to hope, in a dark galaxy.
6 A way out and into the light.

38
39
 DIPLOMAT

Blades 10, Command 10

Diplomacy 12, History 12, Persuasion 12

In the fractured Chorus, not everyone bows to their

betters, and warfare can be so... blunt. Your job
is to find a peaceful means of getting everyone
talking. Tireless patience and the ability to
listen are essential, and sometimes a blade is
required to settle those formal duels. The food is
also good.

Equipment: A uniform of the diplomatic corps. A

datapad of history to pick up the nuances of local
events, a duelling sword (M2d6P). Holofilms of your
favourite action heroes, something to get lost in.

Where have you worked? (roll a d6).

1 The Queen Tamulan's official surrender.
2 The aftermath of the Krebix atrocity.
3 The Nova Guard deserters' mass suicide.
Messy.
4 The Lox transgression, with no blood shed.
5 Nowhere you can talk about.
6 The Jewel, corrupt heart of the Chorus.

What went wrong? (roll a d6).

1 No one ever listens. Ever.
2 You lost the duel to decide the mission.
3 You got drunk and missed the peace signing.
4 Everything. Always.
5 Nothing went wrong. Who's been talking?
6 They say I stole from the diplomatic fund.
Prove it I say!

40
41
 ENTERTAINER

Diplomacy 10, History 10

Brawling 12, Disguise 12, Persuasion 12

You can hold a tune, play an instrument or tell a

story, good enough that others will listen. People
like you for that reason, and listen to what you
have to say. Not that you take advantage of that.
Not at all. But hey, everyone has to make a living
right?

Equipment: A neo-violin, stret-cordian or other

musical instrument, a short sword (S1d6+2S) for
effect, nice clothes and a jaunty hat that marks
you as someone to watch. A datapad with the heavily
annotated play you've been working on.

Who you have entertained? (roll a d6).

1 The crowds outside the grand palace on the
Jewel of the Chorus.
2 The patrons of the floating Skyswallow opera
house.
3 The penitentiary staff of Ronus IV.
4 Barbarian Queen Tamulan's last party.
5 No one, they are not yet ready for your
greatness.
6 Anyone who'll listen on the streets.

What have you learned? (roll a d6).

1 The Nova Guard are romantics at heart.
2 Hafo Lux is a swindler.
3 Great stories are often unappreciated.
4 Poetry is not for you, but the peons love it.
5 Sweet words hide ugly thoughts.
6 There's money in well-spoken lies.

42
43
 EXTERMINATOR

Endurance 10, Thrown 10

Blunt 12, Navigation 12, Spot 12

Vermin. Out there, always, eating away at the

fabric of civilisation. One day they'll overrun
everything and be all that's left in the Chorus.
Not today though, you've bills to pay and much as
you hate your job, you hate the vermin more.

Equipment: Reinforced bodysuit (Light armour),

filter mask, tool harness, extendible energy prod
(S1d6+1E), net, toxic lures, flask of soup.

Where was the last infestation? (roll a d6).

1 Cramped vents of the Hovash Lunar Convent.
2 Orbital laboratory NX-6, life support had
failed.
3 Vadain Leisure Park, the day before it opened.
4 Engine room of the spaceliner Meikas Orchid.
5 Lord Zeph's sub-aqua chalet complex.
6 Downtown Roux City, thriving in the squalor.

What did you exterminate? (roll a d6).

1 Caustic spungworms, they burn through
anything.
2 Psionic slimes that when prodded screamed
in your mind.
3 Encroaching crystal lattice, covering
everything.
4 Warp krill that attach to ships, and mutate
in atmosphere.
5 A poisonous spitting bush, will root down
anywhere.
6 Energy moths, causing systems to fail.

44
45
 GAMBLER

Bargain 10, Spot 10

Lie 12, Persuasion 12, Sleight-of-hand 12

A fool and his money are soon parted. You're no

fool, but in the gambling pits of the galaxy, like
the fighting maze of Fellus IV or the aristocrat
Sket racing of the Golden Station, there are many
fools. You're good at finding a mark, and playing
the odds in your favour.

Equipment: A deck of holo cards, well-thumbed,

nice clothes and a serious hat that marks you as a
player. A roll of holofilm with your best cheats
scribbled on it. A knife (S1d6+1P).

Who have you fleeced? (roll a d6).

1 The Brulian, a bounty hunter. Bad move.
2 Your sister. Never liked her anyway.
3 The first manifestation of the Sequined God,
surprisingly bad at dice.
4 Hemlock, a nice chap, prone to ranting.
5 Captain Deq, decorated hero of the Nova
Guard. A sore loser.
6 Who haven't you fleeced?

Who wants revenge? (roll a d6).

1 The Brulian, need to keep moving.
2 Your old lover. Always been a sore loser.
3 Your old shipmates, whom you had to trade for
a throw of the dice.
4 Lord Telleroz, and his robotic daughters.
5 Your family. Turns out blood isn't thicker
than water. Who knew?
6 Who doesn't want revenge?

46
47
 GANGER

Medicine 10, Sleight-of-hand 10

Intimidate 12, Small arms 12, Thrown 12

It's hard to make a living in the Chorus, and they

forced you to make a bad choice. Robbing is simple
and straightforward. A gun is a great persuader.
The difficult bit is living long enough to spend
what you have - those police and Nova Guard are
everywhere, and some people seem to frown on a gang
of ruffians. What is the galaxy coming to?

Equipment: A old but reliable multigun (L2d6+1P),

padded armour, a helmet and an old shield generator
(light armour). A breather facemask. A letter from
a victim to their lover, too poetic to discard.

What did you do? (roll a d6).

1 Refused to enlist in the Nova Guard.
2 Threw rocks at a Merchant Combine
representative who'd bought your land.
3 Stole coin from a drunk system Lord.
4 Killed an artisan in a brawl over the local
skimball team.
5 No idea, they wouldn't say.
6 Handed out seditious material for the Krebix
revolution.

Who hunts you? (roll a d6).

1 The Nova Guard, always watchful.
2 Hafo Lux, who hates you.
3 Your family, eager to have you back.
4 An Ion Priest, for revenge.
5 The Bakkus pilgrims, you stole a relic.
6 No one, you're lucky so far!

48
49
 INVESTIGATOR

Small arms 10, Streetwise 10

Intimidate 12, Lie 12, Spot 12

Space is a lawless place. Most, if not all law

enforcement officers are firmly planted in the
pocket of someone able to pay - but not you. You
stand as the only form of justice in this sector.
You've made a lot of enemies on both sides of the
law and it's just a matter of time before you piss
off the wrong person...

Equipment: A skim-bike, your best friend. A datapad

for recording notes on your targets and a smack gun
(M2d6C) for taking them down when you finally get
them. A trench coat and a pack of smoke-sticks just
for show, of course. Universal translator implant.

What was your most difficult case? (roll a d6).

1 The Hound of the BaskerWorld.
2 The Murder of The Scarlet Lady of House Renn.
3 The Adventure of the Empty Ship.
4 The Case of who stole my whiskey.
5 The Embezzlement scandal at WeyCorp.
6 I'm still waiting for my big break

What keeps you on the right track? (roll a d6)

1 You were betrayed by your partner. Get even.
2 Your lover died - no one else should suffer
that.
3 Inspired by your father, a great man.
4 A criminal wronged you and local law did
nothing.
5 Corruption in the system makes you sick.
6 It's just the right thing to do.

50
51
 MECHANIC

Bargain 10, Brawling 10

Intimidate 12, Repair 12, Zero G 12

Grease Monkey, Tool Jockey, Tinkerer, you've heard

all the nicknames. But when things need fixing,
they all come to you. While some people are good
at wielding a gun, you're better at fixing it, and
some people fly the ship, but you make sure it
stays together. You're an important part of any
team, maybe the most important. And nobody, and I
mean nobody should ever mess with your tools.

Equipment: Magnetic boots, toolbelt with universal

spanner, sub-space sealant, diagnostic scanner,
assorted probes and couplings. A wrench (S1d6+1C).

Where's the best place you've worked? (roll a d6).

1 Habitation domes during a meteor storm.
2 Custom refit for a Rebel shuttle, Shhh!
3 Space station Lupin 3, rush job. Won't last.
4 Patching up haulers for the Merchant Combine.
5 Demolishing a harvesting plant, some
collateral damage, whoops!
6 ZeroG sports stadium, paid with a season
ticket.

What do you spend your money on? (roll a d6).

1 Antique grav-bike, it's a beast.
2 The Pleasure Hive, work hard, play hard.
3 Betting on drakkon racing, can't give it up.
4 Building robots to sell at auction. No
refunds.
5 Gravchute holidays in the Hoon Mountains.
6 Black market Cadence, for your gran.

52
53
 MINER

Repair 10, Survival 10

Athletics 12, Endurance 12, Navigation 12

Asteroids and moons are dangerous places, but they

can be full of treasure - ores, metals... even al-
ien artefacts. You're experienced at digging those
treasures out for profit. There's money to be made
in the dead rocks that orbit distant suns.

Equipment: A mining drill (S1d6+1P), a mining space

suit (medium armour), a short range transport ship
for moving that ore about. A carving of a mine
spirit made from the tusk of an Edletodont, said
to ward off the ghosts of long-dead aliens.

What have you dug up? (roll a d6)

1 Zeorite, an ore for making metallic foams.
2 Good old iron ore, for making weapons.
3 Crystal shards impregnated with alien data,
the Ion priests pay well.
4 Nothing but dirt and ghosts.
5 The buried treasure of lost alien race.
6 The entrance to a tomb, vacuum-sealed and
rotten.

What have you seen? (roll a d6)

1 The Nova Guard destroy a space yacht, for no
discernible reason.
2 The skull of a warp dragon, long dead.
3 Murder in the black depths, out of sight.
4 An alien city, lost to the depths of time.
5 Warp ghosts drifting from the walls.
6 A shrine to an outlawed god, deserted.

54
55
 PILOT

Blades 10, Zero G 10

Astronav 12, Diplomacy 12, Pilot 12

Destined for glory, you passed the piloting acade-

my's entrance exams with relative ease. Of course,
your family always pass, having connections and
hailing from such a revered lineage. Unfortunate-
ly, when you fell from grace your allowance halted
and those who previously revelled in your company
now disdain you. Chin up though, you'll soon get
back on top where you belong!

Equipment: crisply-pressed bodysuit and matching

jacket with piping and academy insignia, cravat with
family crest, shiny high boots, spotless gloves,
ceremonial energy sword (M2d6+1E), an electronic
journal of your travels.

What did you learn at the academy? (roll 1d6).

1 The family trees of major feudal houses,
thrilling.
2 How to mix cocktails while reciting poetry.
3 Dangerous yet effective flight stunts.
4 How to talk your way out of a fight.
5 The eight duelling stances of the Arano.
6 How to talk your way into a fight.

Why were you asked to leave? (roll 1d6)

1 Stealing a shuttle to win a drunken wager.
2 You injured some minor noble when sparring.
3 Crashing that prototype starfighter.
4 Seducing your tutor's intended.
5 Insulting visiting dignitaries.
6 Ultimately, no-one likes a show-off.

56
57
 PIRATE

Small arms 10, Zero G 10

Intimidate 12, Repair 12, Ship Gunner 12

Whether by coercion, ill fortune or bad judgement,

you ended up prowling the spaceways under a stern
Captain who seemed fated to become the scourge of
known space. That's over now, but you're haunted
by the blood and fury of ship-to-ship battles and
boarding actions, so far from the epic adventures
your crewmates sang of.

Equipment: Armoured spacesuit (modest armour),

disruptor pistol (M2d6E), energy mace (M1d6+1E),
implosion charge (S2d6E), hip flask of Jelaxi grog.

What have you plundered? (roll 1d6).

1 The wreck of the Shazanthi Queen.
2 Cadence courier speeding to Pyrras Minor.
3 Artworks from Lord Tern's orbital retreat.
4 Arms shipments to Krebix revolutionaries.
5 Hegemony waystation, never again!
6 Pilgrim convoy on the Bakkus Rim.

What made you leave the crew? (roll 1d6).

1 Captain replaced you all with robots.
2 Ship was destroyed, you took the only life
pod.
3 Merchant Combine put a price on your head.
4 Captain went mad, saw something out in the
Warp.
5 Nova Guard always one step ahead of you.
6 You promised your dying lover you would.

58
59
 REBEL

Persuasion 10, Streetwise 10

Brawl 12, Command 12, Small arms 12

What will you stand for? What will you fight for?
What will you die for? This is what motivates you
from one escapade to the next. Anyone can die, but
you'll die for a cause. With a quick wit, a fast
trigger finger and a short lifespan; every cause
needs a professional rebel to lend inspiration to
the downfall of all cruel tyrants, corrupt oli-
garchs and bloodthirsty warlords.

Equipment: scruffy but stylish attire, good luck

charm, trusty laser pistol (S1d6+2E).

What is your cause? (roll 1d6).

1 Freedom. No person should be enslaved!
2 Fame. Who cares who you fight for as long as
they remember your name!
3 Idealism. For the greater good!
4 Patriotism. I wear this flag for a reason,
pal!
5 Money. Who cares as long as I get paid.
6 Retired. I used to have a cause...but that
was a long time ago...

What rebellions did you fight in? (roll 1d6).

1 The Skalliax Coup. A washout.
2 The Kvis-Kor Uprising. Many friends died.
3 The Liberation of Vallus, glorious!
4 The Reclaimation of the Oostian Throne
5 The Overthrowing of the Overlords of Jaarg.
6 The Mundus Insurrection. The less said the
better.

60
61
 RACONTEUR

Dodge 10, History 10

Appraise 12, Lie 12, Sleight-of-hand 12

You can tell a good tale, that's for sure. Weave

narrative like your life depended on it, and you
have a good eye for what you audience wants to
hear. Is it all true? Well, not exactly true. Like
all great stories it has a life of it's own, so
does that really matter? It seems to some, yes.
Which is a shame, but there you go. Have I ever
told you of the time I..?

Equipment: Jaunty clothes, a bottle or two of some-

thing strong. An ornate laser pistol (S1d6+2E),
few 'relics' of your past exploits, impressive but
worthless.

What tales do you tell? (roll a d6).

1 War stories, from your Nova Guard days.
2 Tales of exploration in Bulang Bulan.
3 The latest tales from the Jewel of the
Chorus.
4 Gossip from the salons of Merchant Combine.
5 Stories of pirates and Hafo Lux.
6 Stuff you read in books, all true!

Where have you been? (roll a d6).

1 The Jewel of the Chorus, where you're
well-known.
2 Where haven't you been?
3 Skalliax, you knew the infector.
4 The liberation of Vallus, you served on ship.
5 The great battle of Garron III!
6 Here and there. Buy me a drink?

62
63
 SCIENTIST

Language 10, Spot 10

Diplomacy 12, History 12, Medicine 12

The universe is full of amazing sights, and you

intend to see as many as you can before you die.
Understanding the very nature of the cosmos is your
calling, and no amount of danger from pirates, mon-
sters or warp beasts will stop you. You're already
sweating at the thought of all those pirates. Gulp.

Equipment: Fine clothes, a datapad chock full

of obtuse scientific works, a multirecorder and
specimen kit. A letter of introduction from your
university, which perplexingly no-one has heard
of. A micro-pistol (S1d6P), which you've never
used.

What do you study? (roll a d6)

1 Warp fluctuations from positronic
emanations.
2 Xeno-biology of large-scale hunters.
3 Warp drive co-locational theory.
4 Everything, just not that well.
5 DNA and subvective prion transmission.
6 Are you trying to steal my research?

What have you discovered? (roll a d6)

1 Nothing yet. It's all rather worrying.
2 That we are all rather fragile.
3 Pirates don't appreciate the scientific
method.
4 That I should have stayed at home.
5 That my degree is worthless!
6 The galaxy is a scary, scary place.

64
65
 SCOUT

Athletics 10, Stealth 10

Animal Handler 12, Navigation 12, Survival 12

You are a trailblazing pioneer exploring the edges

of the Chorus of a Million Worlds. You are truly in
your element when hacking through an alien jungle;
trekking across the black sands of a lifeless de-
sert; or diving the depths of an ice-covered ocean
on some forgotten moon. There's a whole universe
out there to explore, and you're just the scout to
do it!

Equipment: Vibro-Machete (M1d6+3S), portable

wrist-mounted nav-comp, explorator fieldwear (in-
cluding really, really good boots), Laser sniping
rifle (M2d6+1E).

What places have you explored? (roll 1d6).

1 The acid-rain drenched jungles of Kisshtak.
2 The hateful ice-world of Tzur
3 The impressive ruins of Silence IV.
4 The razor-sands of Black Amathrys.
5 The green worlds of the Rhiannon System.
6 The earthquake-riven mountains of Camborr.

What did you discover? (roll 1d6).

1 Coordinates of a secret warp route.
2 The location of a world rich in rare ores.
3 Knowledge of a lost feudal house, changed
after years of isolation.
4 Tactical readouts of a deadly star-system.
5 A terrifying species lurking in the cold.
6 A bizarre disease, toxin or symbiote. You
might be infected...

66
67
 SMUGGLER

Repair 10, Small arms 10

Astronav 12, Bargain 12, Pilot 12,

You shouldn't have accepted that load off Spuri-

ous Gwang. Yes, you delivered it before the Nova
Guard showed up but you can only push your luck
so far before they wipe that cocky smile off your
face. Contracts come your way because you don't
ask questions but maybe you should, given how many
times you ended up at the wrong end of a disrupter
barrel.

Equipment: Reinforced ex-service jacket (light ar-

mour), slug pistol (M1d6+2P), cigarillo, holo-cube
of star maps, lucky charm.

What was your last run? (roll 1d6).

1 Medical supplies the Garron III rebels.
2 Escapees from the Pleasure Hive orbiting
Inux Prime.
3 Relics excavated from sacred Karahus.
4 Weapons scavenged from a graveyard of space
wrecks.
5 Robots liberated from the Eoroz factory moon.
6 Food supplies to war-torn Wega through the
orbital blockade.

What went wrong? (roll 1d6).

1 Attacked by a warp horror, ship damaged.
2 Hijacked by rival, stole your load.
3 Chitinous warp vermin overran the ship.
4 Caught by pirates, chased through asteroids.
5 Stowaway fugitives damaged the ship.
6 Jettisoned shipment during Hegemony pursuit.

68
69
 SOLDIER

Animal Handling 10, Command 10

Blades 12, Brawling 12, Small arms 12

Signed up, shipped out and shot at, it was never

the life of glory and camaraderie you longed for.
Did grinding those tours of duty change you or
did the horrors of battle just make you realize
the person you actually were all along? Well, you
won't find the answers on that barstool and it sure
doesn't banish the ghosts of your past. Best strap
up and move out.

Equipment: breastplate under reinforced greatcoat

(modest armour), disrupter pistol (M1d6+1E), en-
ergy sword (M2d6E), squad tattoos, holo-locket of
those loved and lost.

Where did you serve? (roll 1d6).

1 Muani tombworld, clearing scavengers.
2 The privateer Azure Lady, raiding freighters
under letters of marque.
3 Defending the besieged Crystal Sky Citadel.
4 Patrolling the jungles of Bulang Bulan.
5 Boarding actions in deep space.
6 The ill-fated Charge of the Clans in the
forbidden zone on Damas IV.

Who did you serve under? (roll 1d6).

1 Hafo Lux, ruthless merchant prince.
2 The Obsidian Warlords, cryptic and aloof.
3 Your late father.
4 House Freyne, but don't tell anyone
5 The barbarian Queen Tamulan
6 Blue Karew's mercenary battalion

70
71
 STREET KID

Athletics 10, Stealth 10

Lie 12, Sleight-of-Hand 12, Streetwise 12

Wild-eyed and hungry, you beg, borrow and steal to

survive, scowling and sneering at the high-born
and moneyed from afar. You owe them nothing but
contempt. Some nights you stare at the stars from
the rooftops, wondering if there is a life up there
for you.

Equipment: Scruffy clothes, knife in boot (S1d6+1S),

bedroll, a pouch of worthless but treasured things.

Where did you trespass? (roll 1d6).

1 The bubbling slime gardens of Yaffan 'Worm
face'.
2 The Chapel of the Rusted Guru, to hear the
cyborg choir.
3 Docking bay 12, to glimpse the star yacht of
Grom the Elder.
4 Club Amorous, where the dopey rich kids dance
and debauch.
5 Warehouse X-18, you swear you saw cylinders
of glowing bodies.
6 The lizard-bird aviary of Lady Hanabi,
vicious things!

Who almost caught you there? (roll 1d6).

1 Garff, a friendly rival.
2 Security robots, slow but relentless.
3 The thief Karloi, you strayed on her patch.
4 Ecker's Boys, thugs out to make menace.
5 A curious xenopede, who followed you home.
6 Your mother, and she wasn't proud or happy.

72
73
 THIEF

Lie 10, Streetwise 10

Small arms 12, Spot 12, Stealth 12

So you steal. Nothing wrong with that - it's an

honest profession. You take what you need and spend
it, you're just redistributing wealth and keeping
the economy ticking over. You only take from the
rich. Well, mostly from the rich. Needs must eh?
Can't be too picky.

Equipment: A small concealable laser pistol

(S1d6+1E), lock-picking electronics, a powered pry
bar and a full but light trench coat to hide it
all in. A sack for you gains, no doubt ill-gotten.

What or who have you robbed? (roll a d6).

1 House Freyne, they were displeased.
2 Grom the Elder, he didn't even notice.
3 I'm telling you nothing.
4 The Pleasure Hive of Inux Prime, interesting
stuff there!
5 A Merchant Combine Lord, big mistake.
6 The local Nova Guard captain, an easy mark.

Who wants you dead? (roll a d6).

1 The Merchant Combine, they don't appreciate
artistry.
2 The thieves' guild, they charge taxes.
3 Your father, you disgrace his name.
4 No one, I'm innocent!
5 The judge at Damas IV, you escaped.
6 I said I'm telling you nothing!

74
75
 TRADER

Language 10, Lie 10

Appraise 12, Bargain 12, Diplomacy 12,

Remember the buzz of that first sale when those

Zelanquin monks bought some phase coils that had
fallen off the back of a grav-van. Since then
you've dragged yourself off the streets by your
ability to smell a bargain and seal the deal.
Quality merchandise, of course.

Equipment: Travel robes, fake jewellery, inde-

pendent trading licence, a stash of shoddy goods,
ion-shot pistol up your sleeve (S1d6+1E).

What have you traded? (roll 1d6).

1 Holodisks from the pleasure pits of Ferrus.
2 Feyworms from the jungles of Hetch, tasty!
3 Robot parts from the gladiator ring of Steess
4 Food parcels to the barren zone of Hespis IV.
5 Entertainment databanks to the prisoners of
Gekt III.
6 Anything and everything!

Who thinks you ripped them off? (roll 1d6).

1 The Trot'ter Merchant Lords know you gave
them dodgy holodisks.
2 Big Bob blames you for a deal that went bad.
3 The Merchant Combine want 'words' with you...
4 You don't rip anyone off, you are a
'legitimate' business person.
5 That gun you sold Ripper blew up, he's mad!
6 House Hanabi got some goods off you that
never showed up, not your fault!

76
77
 WARP TOUCHED

Command 10, Endurance 10

Intimidate 12, Persuasion 12, Warp focus 12

The warp sings through your skull. Patterns emerge,

glyphs redolent with power. But it also threatens
to blow your mind. The strain is evident, and peo-
ple shy away from you. Such is the price of power,
raw and unrefined. If only it didn't hurt so much,
the power would be worth it.

Equipment: A cloak with mathematical emblems. A

metal staff affixed with an opening eye, and some
books on warp theory. Pills and tinctures to ease
the pounding headaches. One randomly determined
glyph.

Where have you been? (roll a d6).

1 The Jewel of the Chorus, you were shunned.
2 The cathedral of the Ion Priests on Hax
Prime.
3 The fighting maze of Fellus IV.
4 The blackened warp roads, never again.
5 Nowhere worth visiting.
6 The inside of a Pullxi slaveship - you
escaped.

What have you seen? (roll a d6).

1 A warp lord burning with unrestrained power.
2 A warp beast tearing a ship in two.
3 The look of fear in the eyes of others.
4 Dreams of your own death.
5 The beautiful fractal patterns of the warp.
6 Visions of priests chanting in a golden cave.

78
79
 Character Traits
Come up with your own, or pick three from the list:

Active Capable Conscientious

Adventurous Careful Considerate
Affectionate Caring Cooperative
Afraid Charismatic Courageous
Ambitious Charming Cowardly
Anxious Childish Critical
Argumentative Clever Cruel
Attentive Clumsy Curious
Bewildered Cold-Hearted Daring
Bossy Compassionate Dependable
Brave Competitive Determined
Brilliant Conceited Dishonest
Bully Concerned Disrespectful
Calm Confident Dreamer

80
Eager Lazy Secretive
Easy-Going Leader Self-Confident
Efficient Logical Selfish
Energetic Lonely Self-Reliant
Enthusiastic Lovable Sensitive
Fair Loving Shy
Faithful Loyal Silly
Fidgety Lucky Sincere
Fierce Mature Skilful
Foolish Mean Sly
Friendly Moody Smart
Funny Mysterious Sneaky
Generous Nervous Snobbish
Gentle Noisy Sociable
Gloomy Obedient Stingy
Greedy Obnoxious Strict
Grouchy Observant Stubborn
Hard-Working Optimistic Studious
Happy Peaceful Sweet
Harsh Persistent Talented
Hateful Pessimistic Talkative
Hopeful Picky Thoughtful
Hopeless Pleasant Thoughtless
Humorous Polite Timid
Ignorant Proud Trusting
Imaginative Puzzled Trustworthy
Immature Quick Unfriendly
Impatient Quiet Useful
Impolite Reliable Versatile
Impulsive Respectful Warm-Hearted
Independent Responsible Wise
Insistent Restless Witty
Intelligent Rowdy Worried
Jealous Rude
Jovial Sarcastic

81
 Starcraft
At the start of play, the player characters will
own one ship between them. Roll on the table below
to see which ship design they get. The players can
discuss amongst themselves how they acquired this
ship - it may tie into one of their careers or
career backgrounds. Details of these ships follow
later on page 134.

Starting starcraft (roll 1d6)

1 d'Aubigny Envoy Cruiser

2 D-Class Charger
3 Kilos Star Hauler
4 Felloni Hawkmoth
5 Stessel Nightwing
6 Type 12 Kouda 'Chugalug'

82
Core Rules

83
 Core rules
Now you know how to create a character, let us look
at how the game is played.

TAKING ACTIONS

When a character takes a simple action with no or

only a very small chance of failure, the action
succeeds and the game moves on. There is no need to
roll dice, move on with the story. However, if the
action is difficult, dangerous, or has a large risk
of failure and consequence, then dice are rolled
to represent the risk. This is done by making a
skill test.

Making a skill test

In Warpstar, everything that a character attempts
to do which is dramatic and where failure advances
the story as much as success is resolved with a
skill test. There are two ways to make a skill
test, depending on what the character is trying to
do.

BASIC SKILL TEST

If the character is attempting to impose themselves

on the world around them, and is not directly in
conflict with another individual or group, then
that is basic test. To succeed at a basic test,
the player needs to roll 1d20, add the character's
skill level and obtain a total of 20 or more.

84
 Result of d20 + skill = or > 20, Success!
level

BONUSES AND PENALTIES

Some equipment or conditions might apply a mod-

ification to the result of a character's skill
test. This is either a bonus which adds to the
final result, or a penalty that subtracts from
the result. For example, a character with a skill
of 5 that rolled 1d20 and obtained a 6 in a skill
test would normally have a result of 11. But the
result would be modified to 16 if a bonus of 5 were
applied, or to 6 if a penalty of -5 were applied.
Note that the lowest result that may be obtained in
any test is zero, so penalties that result in lower
results are instead counted as a result of zero.
Bonuses and penalties cancel, so a 5 bonus cancels
a -5 penalty, for example.

OPPOSED SKILL TEST

If the action the character is trying to perform is

directly opposed by another individual or group,
such that the outcome each desire are mutually
exclusive and only one can succeed, it is resolved
with an opposed skill test. Both participants roll
1d20 and add their skill level. The higher total
wins. In the case of a draw, the conflict was a
draw. If this doesn't make sense, re-roll.

Result of d20 + skill = highest of participants,

level Success!

85
 If one character in the conflict has a significant
advantage over the other, for example having better
equipment, then the games master may impose a pen-
alty of 2 or even 5 to the skill of the character
in the more difficult position.

TOOLS

Characters are going to have access to tools

that help them perform tasks. For simplicity, in
Warpstar tools come in two categories. Some tools
simply make the impossible, possible. For example,
a warp engine lets you travel in the warp. With-
out it, this is impossible. Similarly, removing a
bolt is extremely difficult without some kind of
wrench. Possession of such a tool means that the
task is possible and often trivial, and therefore
happens without a die roll - just note that the
tool made it happen. Some tools however can make
a task easier, but still require a roll to use,
typically because the tool still needs skill to use
correctly. For example, a fusion decoupler might
fix a broken ionic drive, but unless you know how
to fit it, it's useless. In such instances, the ad-
venturing skill use assumes that appropriate tools
are to hand. Exceptional quality tools or special
advanced technology might grant a bonus of up to
5 to a roll, whereas a lack of proper tools might
inflict up to a -5 penalty, if the task attempt
is possible at all. As always, the games master
adjudicates the use of tools.

86
TESTING YOUR LUCK

Any time the games master may ask you to test your
luck to avoid some unfortunate occurrence, you
may choose to perform a standard test using your
luck value as a skill. If you pass you avoid the
situation, if not, well - bad luck. In any case,
you deduct one from your luck score for the rest of
the adventure. It is always the player's choice to
test their luck - they don't have to if they don't
want to.

TESTING LUCK IN OPPOSED TESTS

If an opposed test results in a draw, a player

character may test their luck to attempt to break
the tie in their favour. If they succeed they win
the test. If they fail, their opponent wins.

Improving
At points predetermined by the games master, typ-
ically at the end of each session, characters are
granted between 1 and 3 advances. These can be used
to increase the levels of skills associated with
a character's current career, as described below.

CAREERS

Each career shows the adventuring skills associated

with it. These are the skills that may be gained
when in that career. Each 'advance' granted by the
games master increases one adventuring skill in

87
the career by 1, up to the maximum level indicated
in the career description.

The level of the career skill also changes as

characters gain skills in the current career. Re-
member that the career skill has a value which is
an average of the skill levels in all the skills
the career grants (rounded up), and so will slowly
increase as the character gains skill levels.

GAINING STAMINA

Every time a character's active career skill in-

creases by 1, they also increase their maximum
stamina by 1. This represents the character gaining
experience and getting tougher and hardier.

CHANGING CAREERS

At some point a player may decide that they would

like to increase skills outside those of their
current career. If so, they will need to change
career. This is simply done by deciding which new
career they would like to enter, and spending ad-
vances to change career. This costs 5 advances for
each career change. The player will need to think
of an entertaining explanation of how the career
change took place.

Once they have changed careers, they are able to

spend advances to buy levels on the skills of the
new career. They can no longer gain levels in the
skills of their former career - they have left that

89
 life behind. The maximum skill levels of careers
are not cumulative - if the first career gives you
a maximum level of 10 in a skill, and the second
career gives a maximum level of 10 in the same
skill, then the maximum level remains 10, not 20.
If a character has already exceeded the maximum
level of a skill in their new career when they
enter it, then they cannot advance it further, but
they don't 'lose' the extra levels they have. For
example, if a character's first career granted a
skill with a maximum level of 12, the character
advanced to a level of 7 and then changed to a new
career which granted the skill a maximum level of
0 (i.e. it wasn't a career skill), the character
would remain at level 7 but could not advance
further in this skill.

When a character changes careers, they retain the

career skill of their old career. Now they gain a
new career skill at an average value of the skills
the new career grants, rounded up, and gain stamina
as that career skill increases.

Advanced careers
Once a character has entered two careers and ob-
tained at least three adventuring skills at a level
of 10 or more, they may enter an advanced career.
This costs five advances as before, and grants
higher maximum levels for skills. Once a character
has entered an advanced career, they can leave it
for another basic career at any time. To move a new
advanced career, the character must have gained
the maximum skill level in all the skills their

90
current advanced career grants. The advanced ca-
reers follow, along with the required possessions.
You must own these to enter the career.

AGENT

Athletics 14, Blades 14, Dodge 14,

Disguise 16, Persuasion 16, Sleight-of-hand 16

In the back-streets of the space port, in the

passages of the Merchant Combine, or on some alien
world, you know where to go and who to speak with to
find out what you need. And if you need to obtain a
certain rare and valuable piece of information for
your masters, well that is easily done.

Required equipment: Nondescript clothing, heavy

cloak, poisoned weapon, implanted storage for da-
tacubes.

ASSASSIN

Dodge 14, Small arms 14, Streetwise 14

Blades 16, Disguise 16, Stealth 16

You are a killer, nothing more, nothing less. A

killer for money. What else is there to kill for?
The Chorus has plenty of people that others want
dead, for a myriad of reasons. You simply make sure
that it happens, for jades. It's a living.

Required equipment: A poison kit and blade, chame-

leon outfit, a disguise kit.

91
92
CAPTAIN

Dodge 14, History 14, Astronav 14

Blades 16, Command 16, Pilot 16

You command a ship, and others follow. Your pilot-

ing skills are legendary, and you know how to bark
out commands. Others snap to order as you pass,
which is how it should be. You've earned it.

Required equipment: A starcraft and crew, a cap-

tain's uniform, a duelling blade and ornate gun.

CULT LEADER

Lie 14, Streetwise 14, Warp focus 14

Diplomacy 16, History 16, Persuasion 16

The Chorus is awash with cults dedicated to the

warp, to gods or to some local monster. You've
either taken over an existing cult or created one
yourself. Now others follow you, and you rest easy
while they do the dirty work.

Required equipment: Impressive clothes, a book of

your creed and a suitable headquarters.

93
94
DOCTOR

Appraise 14, Command 14, Language 14

History 16, Medicine 16, Persuasion 16

Unfortunately, the Chorus can be a dangerous place.

Luckily, you and your comrades do your best to
patch up the injured and heal the sick. Not that
anyone thanks you, but you don't do it for the
thanks. Luckily.

Required equipment: Doctors diagnostics and medical

kit, a datapad full of the latest medical research,
some pills for when it all gets too much.

DUELLIST

Animal handler 14, Brawling 14, Command 14

Blade 16, History 16, Diplomacy 16

You fight the honourable way. When people want

things settled in a legal manner, it's your sword
arm they turn to. You've a quick wit and a modest
air, but the blade is your friend, and others know
it.

Required equipment: A beautiful and ornate antique

blade and a hidden pistol. Flashy clothes and a
flashy smile.

95
 GANG BOSS

Command 14, Endurance 14, Small arms 14

Blunt 16, Intimidate 16, Streetwise 16

Amongst criminals and killers, you're the boss.

They listen to you, or at least they do as long as
you find easy pickings for them. They'll be quick
to turn on you if things don't go well. So make
sure the money flows...

Required equipment: A sturdy, well-made weapon, a

vicious club of some kind, a gaggle of followers
and a hideout somewhere in port.

GUNSLINGER

Blunt 14, Blade 14, Command 14

Intimidate 16, Small arms 16, Streetwise 16,

You're a killer. Not an assassin, but a fighter.

When it comes to the crunch everyone wants you on
their side. They might not like you, but they know
that when things go south, the safest place is at
your side.

Required equipment: A quality, practical blade and

high-quality gun. A hat and trench coat. A mean
stare.

96
HUNTER

Endurance 14, Stealth 14, Survival 14

Navigation 16, Small arms 16, Spot 16

The wild lands hold no fear for you. Travelling

across the worlds of the Chorus, you have discov-
ered creatures others would only dream of, and
killed them. No one knows the wild worlds like you
do.

Required equipment: A finely crafted hunting rifle,

a vicious blade, navigation equipment and a tent
and camping gear.

LAWBRINGER

Appraise 14, Blades 14, Pilot 14

Command 16, Small arms 16, Streetwise 16

You represent the law. Others look to you for guid-

ance, and you show no mercy to law breakers. You
are a hardened veteran, tough and uncompromising,
and you are used to commanding others. They better
listen, or else.

Required equipment: A uniform, a warrant, a suita-

ble vehicle and your trusty gun. What else do you
need?

97
98
MERCHANT

Lie 14, Persuasion 14, Sleight-of-hand 14,

Appraise 16, Bargain 16, Command 16

You've gone up in the world. No more hawking rub-

bish for you, you are a person of quality, a true
trader, and people know it. You don't sell the
things you trade, you talk about them. Others deal
in the grubby business of selling.

Required equipment: Fine clothes, a writ of trade

from the Merchant Combine, a haulage vessel and
suitable orbital warehouse.

SPACER

Athletics 14, Bargain, Endurance 14

Repair 16, Survival 16, Zero G 16

You live in space, you were born for it. No one can
move with zero G like you do, and you can patch
up anything with enough time and some tape. You're
more valuable on ship than any fancy pilot.

Required equipment: Mechanic's workshop, diagnos-

tics kit, quality space suit, well lived in.

99
 WARP LORD

Brawling 14, Command 14, Medicine 14

Diplomacy 16, History 16, Warp focus 16

You've collected enough glyphs, and learnt enough

of the warp, to call yourself a lord. Now others
tremble at your power. As long as you don't make a
mistake manifesting your glyphs, the Chorus is at
your feet. Just don't make a mistake...

Required equipment: At least five glyphs, impres-

sive and esoteric robes, a staff inset with a
jewelled eye to show others of your power.

100
Combat

101
 Combat
Fights between characters and their enemies can
be extremely dangerous, and represent a swirling
fire-fight or melee where the risk of wounding
is ever present. Attacks between combatants are
resolved as opposed tests - in ranged combat, the
attacker either hits the target or misses, in me-
lee combat the winner hits the loser and inflicts
damage. Note that as all melee fights are opposed
tests it is possible to suffer damage when you
initiate an attack - such are the dangers of hand
to hand combat! Also, each character will only be
able to instigate combat once in a round, but again
as all tests are opposed they have the opportunity
to inflict damage whenever they are attacked.

ROUNDS

In Warpstar action scenes are divided into rounds,

which represent around thirty seconds of time.
Characters controlled by players and most enemies
controlled by the games master get to perform an
action once during the round, when they get to
take their turn. Note that this period of time
is abstract and purely descriptive - the actual
period of time involved isn't really important.
Once everyone involved in the combat has taken all
their actions, the round ends and a new one begins.

Whenever a character takes a turn, the player nar-

rates what they are trying to do and the games
master decides how the game mechanics can be used
to represent the action.

102
WHO GOES FIRST?

In combat, the first thing to do is determine who

gets to act first. The combat is divided into two
groups - the characters and their allies, and the
enemies controlled by the games master. Often it
is obvious which side should act first, for example
one side surprises the other. If it is not clear
who should get the drop, each side in the combat
rolls 1d6. Whichever side obtains the highest re-
sult gets to perform an action first. In the case
of a draw, roll again until one side wins.

Each side then takes its in turn to take an action

with one of their members. So for example if the
games master won initiative, they would take an ac-
tion with one of their combatants. Then the players
get to take an action with one of their characters,
followed by the games master with a second enemy,
and so on until everyone has taken an action and
the round ends. If one side has more combatants
than the other, then they continue taking turns and
performing actions with their excess combatants
until everyone has acted. After the round ends, a
new one begins with the same side taking the first
turn from among their members as before.

When a side has a turn with one of their combat-

ants, they can choose to act with any character
they control that has not already taken a turn in
the round. The choice can become quite tactical,
and players are encouraged to discuss their plans
to make the most of their options. Some aliens
or beasts may make multiple actions in a round,
in which case the games master may select them
multiple times to take actions.

103
 Combat Actions
In combat, on their turn, each character or enemy
may perform one action. The action a character
could take includes anything that the games master
agrees is achievable in a few tens of seconds,
including moving, engaging in combat, manifesting
a warp glyph, etc.

MOVEMENT WITHIN ACTIONS

In Warpstar, characters can move up to around two

meters cautiously as part of another action. The
easiest way to think of this is that combatants can
move a distance equivalent to crossing a room as
part of another action, either before or after but
not during the action.

Importantly, combatants are able to move out of

engagement with another combatant at any time with
no penalty - this represents the swirling and mo-
bile nature of a fight. There is no penalty for
withdrawing from combat.

THE MOVE ACTION

Combatants can also make moving their whole action.

In Warpstar, distances are abstract and measured
on a scale relative to the character. Compared to
a character, places, objects and characters are
either close, nearby, faraway or distant. If you
consider a typical building, close would be in
the same room, nearby in the next room, faraway
on the same street, and distant would be another

104
street. Characters can move one step between these
ranges during their turn as an action - from close
to nearby, or from faraway to distant etc. Weapon
ranges are measured in the same relatively way.
Miniatures can be used to track relative positions
and to aid visualisation, but they aren't essen-
tial.

MELEE ATTACKS

To make a melee attack, a character initiates an

opposed skill test against their opponent, with
each adding their skill level with the type of
weapon they are using. Whoever wins the conflict
rolls the damage die of their weapon and inflicts
stamina loss and potential critical effects on the
loser.

Importantly, the combatant who initiated the attack

gains a bonus of 5 to their skill test result - it
is easier to win the exchange when you take the
initiative!

Note that although one character initiated the

attack against an enemy, either could be injured
as a result, but the combat is weighed in favour
of the attacker. Fortune favours the brave, but
danger is ever present!

RANGED ATTACKS

Should a character shoot at their enemy with a gun,

or vice versa, then the attempt is resolved as a
conflict pitting the attacker's small arms skill

105
against the target's dodge skill. If the range is
close or nearby, roll as normal. If the range is
faraway, the games master may impose a penalty of
-5 to the shooter's test result.

On a successful hit, the attacker rolls the damage

die as with melee combat. If the target wins the
conflict, they escape unharmed.

PINNING

In ranged combat you can pin a target in position,

so that they can't move. To do so, the attacker
rolls a Spot skill test. If they succeed, they fire
off rounds from their gun but do no damage. Instead,
they force their target to duck out of sight, and
pin them in position until the end of the pinned
combatant's next action (i.e. for the target of the
pin, the effect lasts one action). While pinned the
target cannot move from its position, and any tests
that require them to look out from cover (such as
attacks or their own attempts to pin) have a -5
penalty. You can pin an individual, or if the games
masters agrees a group, assuming they are all very
close together.

FLANKING ATTACK

In a flanking attack, the attacker attempts to

manoeuvre into a more advantageous position to
take a shot. First, they make an Athletics skill
test. If they succeed, they flank the enemy, and

107
 can then immediately roll a ranged attack with a
bonus of 5 to the test result. If they fail the
athletics test however, they are instead caught in
the open; and suffer a penalty of -5 to any dodge
test results until the start of their next round.

WEAPON DAMAGE CODES

When a target is hit in ranged or melee combat,

the successful attacker makes a damage roll for
the weapon they are using. The result is how much
stamina is lost by the victim as a result.

As there are huge numbers of weapon types available

in the Chorus, a shorthand is used to indicate the
damage effects of a weapon, for example S1d6S.
The first letter indicates whether the weapon is
small (S, a knife or pistol), medium (M, a rifle
or sword) or large (L, an automatic weapon or large
sword). The code in the middle refers to the damage
die rolled, for example 1d6, 1d6+1, 2d6 etc. The
final letter is which critical table is used for
the weapon, slashing (S), piercing (P), crushing
(C) or energy (E). Note that ship scale weapons
have another critical code - 'S' for ship, as
detailed on page 126, and vehicles have their own
separate critical table.

For guidance, damage codes for some typical types

of weapon follow. Careers and enemy statistics show
appropriate damage codes for assigned weapons.

108
Weapon Damage code

Unarmed S1d6-2C

Melee, small
Lethal small weapon e.g. knife S1d6+1S

Melee, medium
Non-lethal weapon e.g. club M1d6-1C
Lethal weapon e.g. sword M2d6S

Melee, large
Non-lethal weapon e.g. staff L1d6+1C
Lethal weapon e.g. great sword L2d6+2S

Ranged: small
Slug pistol S1d6+1P
Laser pistol S1d6+2E

Ranged: medium
Slug rifle M2d6P
Laser rifle M2d6+1E

Ranged, large
Slug autogun L2d6+2P
Slug shotgun L2d6+3P
Pulse gun L2d6+4C
Hunting needler L2d6P

Thrown
Frag grenade S2d6E
Concussion grenade S1d6C

109
 MIGHTY STRIKE

If the winner of a melee or ranged conflict test

obtains more than three times the result of the
defender on their attack roll, including any bo-
nuses or penalties, they achieve a mighty strike.
Roll the damage dice to determine stamina loss and
add any modifiers as usual, then double the result
before applying the effects of armour.

Armour
In Warpstar, armour reduces the stamina loss from
being struck. When a character or enemy wears ar-
mour, it is defined as either light, modest or
heavy armour. Light armour reduces the stamina
loss inflicted by the damage roll by 1d3, modest by
1d6 and heavy by 2d6. Energy shield projectors are
considered to be part of the abstract description
of armour (i.e. modest armour could be body armour,
combat helmet and an energy shield). Even with
armour, being struck will always cause at least
1 point of stamina loss. If the deductions would
reduce the damage to 0, treat it as 1.

Light armour includes leathers, padded jacks,

light helmets etc., and is the only armour that
could be worn in everyday situations and not raise
much comment in the Chorus. Modest armour such
as combat suits, gel plates and tactical helmets
would raise eyebrows in a city or polite company,
certainly among the police, while heavy armour
such as powered-armour is essentially military and
would have sensible folk fleeing in terror. For
every level of armour however, it is possible to

110
improvise the lower levels, for example a character
owning powered-armour (heavy armour) could wear
just the helmet and breast plate as modest armour.

Similarly, shield projectors are bulky and are

not are not carried in public, they are military
equipment. They could be among a character's pos-
sessions, but walking around a space port carrying
a shield projector is likely to cause problems,
unless you're in someplace without law enforcement.

Effects of damage
Losing stamina through combat effects represents
cuts, bruises, and the tiring effects of physical
exertion - it does not mean that you have suffered
long-lasting, serious injury, just that you are
losing the ability to control the fight. However,
when a character's buffer of stamina is gone, they
risk permanent or long-lasting injury and possibly
death. This is determined by critical hits.

111
 CRITICAL HITS

If a character takes damage that brings them to

below 0 stamina, this is a critical hit. To deter-
mine the effect, roll 2d6 and reference the last
letter of the damage code for the weapon used,
which indicates which critical table (beginning on
page 112) to use. If the damage taken was enough to
reduce their stamina below 0, add a +1 bonus to the
critical roll for each point of 'negative' stamina.
For example, if a character with 6 stamina takes 8
stamina damage, that will result in a critical hit
with a bonus of 2 to the value of the die roll.

If a character suffering from a critical effect

is struck again, the total, cumulative negative
stamina is used as a modifier to the critical roll.
As you can see from the tables, negative stamina
loss from multiple critical hits increases the
chance of outright death. After taking a critical
hit, it is usually time to consider your options!

Note that in melee combat (not ranged combat), it

is always possible to 'pull' a critical, i.e. not
have the critical take effect, and instead leave
the target on 0 stamina and out of the fight.

SURPRISE STRIKES

Stamina represents cuts, abrasions and knocks, i.e.

what a character suffers when they are actively
engaged in a fight and attempting not to get hit
too badly. If a character is struck by a completely
surprise attack that they are unprepared for (a

112
sniper's shot, a knife in the back), their stamina
drops to zero and the damage they take immediately
triggers a critical, i.e. the damage roll is added
to the critical roll. Further strikes will no doubt
prove deadly if they are not dead already! Snipers
are nasty!

SURRENDER OR FLEE!

For characters, their players have the choice of

when they end a fight, and how they do so. For
enemies, that is the games master's job. Few in-
telligent beings will fight to the death, most
will look for some kind of way out of a fight,
surrendering to the characters or by fleeing. Many
creatures are likely to choose one of these options
should their stamina approach 0.

Recovery
Characters recover half their lost stamina as soon
as they take half an hour to catch their breath -
during this time they may do nothing else but rest.
The remaining stamina is recovered after a good
night's sleep. Critical injuries take much longer
to recover from - they represent lasting, danger-
ous wounds. When someone has received a critical
hit, successful use of the medicine skill can be
used to stabilise them. A medical kit grants a
bonus of 5 to the roll. Ideally this is performed
by another character, but the wounded individual
can do it themselves with a -5 penalty to the

113
 roll (which cancels the benefit of the medical
kit). If successful, the use of the medicine kit
brings the character back into the action - they
are injured, but they can still act normally. If
the medicine test is failed, they suffer a penalty
to all actions equal to the total rolled on the
critical table for the remainder of the scene, as a
result of shock. For example, a character suffering
a critical of result 4 who was not successfully
treated would suffer an additional penalty of -4 to
all tests, on top of the effects of the critical.
Criticals require long-term healing, and recovery
is best treated as a story element rather than
mechanically.

114
2d6 + bonus Critical - Slashing

2 Slashed across the skull, dazed for

1d6 rounds, all actions at a penalty
of 2. Double vision for 1d6 days.

3 Slashed on the hip, falls over and

can only crawl in the dirt for 1d6
rounds, all tests at a penalty of -3.

4 Cut on thigh, can only hobble for 1d3

days, Endurance test not to end up
with a limp.

5 That was my foot! Can only hobble for

1d6 days. Toes loose in the boot.

6 Slash on the back, opening muscles,

can't carry a pack for 1d6 days.

7 Whoops, 1d3 fingers sliced off,

randomly determine hand, drop what
you're carrying.

8 An ear is slashed! Permanent penalty

of -2 to tests involving hearing.

9 Hacked in the shoulder! Determine

which arm, tests involving that arm
are at a penalty of -5 for 1d6 days.

10+ Cut through an artery, dead.

115
 2d6 + bonus Critical - Piercing

2 Right through the forearm, pass a

sleight-of-hand test to keep hold of
your weapon.

3 A punctured rump! Very painful, all

tests at a penalty of -3 for the next
1d6 rounds.

4 A hole in the guts, forces dinner up

and over everyone. Spend 1d6 rounds
retching, all actions are at a pen-
alty of -3.

5 Right in the neck, can do nothing

but gasp for breath and defend at a
penalty of -2 for 1d6 rounds.

6 Right through the shoulder, arm im-

mobilised for 1d6 days.

7 In the mouth! Teeth everywhere. Hard

to talk through the blood, even ug-
lier than before.

8 My eye! Permanent penalty of -2 to

tests involving sight, ugly to boot.

9 Pierced my hand! Drops weapon in

pain. Hand a useless claw for 1d6
days.

10+ Pierced through the heart or brain,

dead.

116
2d6 + bonus Critical - Crushing

2 A rap on the skull sends teeth chat-

tering, dazed for 1d6 rounds.

3 Foot crushed, hops around in a g o n y

for 1d6 rounds.

4 Dead leg, all tests involving move-

ment at a penalty of -3 for 1d3 days.

5 A whack in the guts, winded and wheez-

ing, can only defend at a penalty of
-3 for 1d6 rounds.

6 Hand crushed, determine which one

(dominant/non-dominant). Drop what
you were carrying and can't use hand
for 1d6 days.

7 Thumped on the temples and seeing

stars! Passes out for 1d6 rounds.

8 Right in the kidney! Peeing blood,

all tests at a penalty of -5 for the
next 1d6 days. Better hope there is
not too much internal bleeding!

9 Smack on the chin. Jaw fractured,

slurred and garbled speech for 1d6
days. Broken and unsymmetrical face
now.

10+ Smashed on the skull and brained,

dead.

117
 2d6 + bonus Critical - Energy

2 Hand burned! Drop your weapon and draw

something else, quick!

3 Clothing on fire! Spend 1d6 rounds

doing nothing except putting it out.

4 You gear catches fire! Either put it

out for 1d6 rounds, or let all that
you own burn!

5 Breathe in the fumes, coughing and

spluttering for 1d6 rounds, all tests
at a penalty of -3.

6 Blinded by the blast, permanent pen-

alty of -2 to tests involving sight.

7 Knocked off your feet and flung against

the wall. Stunned and prone for 1d6
rounds, all tests at a penalty of -3.

8 Hair singed off, scalp red and raw.

No hats or helmets for 1d6 days, all
tests at penalty of -3 during this
time.

9 Full in the face, the blast destroys

your sense of smell. All tests in-
volving smell at a penalty of -3, now
your companions are more bearable.

10+ Skin and bone seared, dead.

118
Spacecraf t
and vehicles

119
 Spacecraft
Spacecraft ply the warp between the worlds of the
Chorus, connecting societies and providing a means
of trading and communication. These vessels are
also the means by which agents of the Hegemony and
Merchant Combine travel, while the Warp Consortium
have their own distinct vessels. However, these
spacecraft are not just ships or transports; they
are idiosyncratic and individual as the crews that
fly them.

All player character groups begin the game with a

space ship, a reliable and consistent 'home base'
that provides continuity for players when their
characters travel to far-flung places.

The spacecraft is as much a part of the player

characters' team as any individual. Its capabili-
ties and equipment can be the difference between
success and revenge or a cold death between the
stars. Here we describe how a space ship operates
in Warpstar, to help make the vessel an integral
part of the team.

SHIP NAME

Every good ship has a name, a reflection of the

ships character, itself a mirror of the nature of
the crew. Thinking of a suitable name for the ship
can be a tricky endeavour. Luckily, there are plen-
ty of examples in literature of great ship names,
so lots of choices. The players should discuss the
name and see if they come to a consensus. However,
it is the character with the highest pilot skill

120
that gets the final choice - after all, they will
most probably fly the ship.

SHIP DIMENSIONS

Typical spacecraft are large enough to safely ac-

commodate the whole team, their general equipment,
and have a hold large enough to hold some cargo
or scavenged items, maybe even a small vehicle.
The players are encouraged to draw a quick sketch
of the vessel, as this really helps to cement an
image of what is, after all, an integral part of
the team. Finally, if any one wants to, they could
sketch out some floor plans of the ship.

SPACECRAFT MINDS

All Space ship are run by Minds, the complex arti-

ficial intelligences of the Chorus, and strictly
speaking, for 'standard' operation a human crew
is no longer required - the Mind is capable of
controlling all of the mundane functions of the
vessels. These Minds are extremely complex and are
as idiosyncratic and unique as human minds, and
display a personality and nature all of their own.
The pilot is most familiar with the quirks of their
own ship's Mind, but all the player characters
that travel on the vessel are used to dealing with
the Mind - it is just another part of the team.
Although the Mind can handle all of the 'typical'
operations of the ship - flying through space,
life support, anti-grav etc. - anything out of the
ordinary still requires the a human touch, in this
case the help of a pilot or gunner. In game terms

121
 if a dice roll is needed, it is done with one of
the player characters at the controls.

INTERACTING WITH THE MIND

The Mind of the space ship is in constant commu-

nication with the crew when they are outside of
the vehicle, assuming that contact is possible.
The ship can perform a number of functions for the
team - it can provide access to the databanks of
the ship, and also provide translations of spoken
language in real time, with the aid of microphones
carried by the crew as part of their equipment.

Crew positions
For a space ship to be effective, it needs to be
adequately manned. Each of the 'positions' on the
ship needs to be occupied. If the position is
empty, then the capabilities of the ship are much
reduced. Typical positons for a small space ship
suitable for player characters are as follows:

Pilot - This crew member flies the ship. Without a

pilot, the ship cannot evade or perform any more
complex manoeuvres. In combat, a ship without a
pilot counts as having a pilot skill of zero.

Gunner - This crew member is responsible for firing

the weapons. Without a gunner, the ship counts as
having a ship gunner skill of zero.

Scanners - This crew member operates the scanners

using their Pilot skill. Without a scanner oper-

122
ator, the ship acts as if it had a pilot skill
of zero for scanning operations. Note that this
cannot be the same person as is flying the ship,
not without abandoning the pilot's positon.

Astronavigation - a ship Mind can program astronav-

igation, but if you want to drop into warp space in
the midst of the action, you will need a separate
navigator who will use their astronav skill to do
so. Without them, entering warp space is impossible
under pressure.

Ship Capabilities
Ships also have their own innate capabilities.
These are expressed as bonuses and penalties to the
skill level of the operator:

Manoeuvrability: gives a bonus or penalty to the

pilot skill of whoever is flying the vessel.

Ship gun: names the ship's ship-to-ship gun, gives

its damage code and the bonus or penalty to the
ship gunner skill or whoever is manning the gun.

Anti-personnel gun: names the ship's anti-perseon-

nel gun and its damage code and states the bonus
or penalty to the ship gunner skill for the user.

Scanners: gives a bonus or penalty to the pilot

skill of the scanner operator.

Astronav computer: gives a bonus or penalty to the

astonav skill of whoever is plotting the coordi-
nates for warp travel.

123
 Armour: this gives the typical level of armour that
the ship has, which works in exactly the same way
as personal armour, but on a 'ship' scale.

Structure: the ship equivalent of Stamina, this

value indicates how much damage the ship can take
before suffering critical hits.

Ship-to-ship Combat
Space ships use similar rules to normal player
characters, except that everything is on a 'ship'
scale. In other words, a ship's Structure (the ship
equivalent of Stamina) is on a different scale to
character's Stamina, and they cannot be intermixed
(a rifle intended to injure characters will be of
no danger to a ship).

Ships do not have skills; instead the player char-

acters as crew of the vessel may use their skills
when suitable.

Combat with ships works the same way as character

combat, except that only ranged combat is possi-
ble. Ships attack other ships using exactly the
same rules as normal ranged combat, except firing
characters use the ship gunner skill to make the
attack and the defender uses their pilot skill
to dodge and evade the attack. The flank attack
and pinning actions are not normally possible, as
generally there's not much to hide behind in the
depths of space. At the games master's discretion,
these actions may be possible in an asteroid field
for example.

124
Ships have structure instead of stamina. When a
ship loses the last of its structure, it is dis-
abled and can suffer critical hits in the same
way as characters do. Excess damage beyond zero
structure add to the critical hit roll, as with
normal combat.

SHIP-SCALE WEAPONS

Smaller spacecraft are generally armed with a sin-

gle ship-to-ship weapon; they are not large enough
to carry more than one, and each ship weapon will
have a damage value just like a normal gun. This
weapon will have a simple damage code as with
personal weapons, but on a 'ship' scale (i.e. a
small ship weapon is still very large!). All ship
weapons inflict the same type of critical, denoted
'S' for ship.

SHIP ANTI-PERSONNEL WEAPONRY

The ship is also armed with an anti-personnel weap-

on for dealing with human-sized targets. The gun
counts as a heavy weapon. It is turret mounted un-
der the vessel and therefore able to target anyone
around the ship. The weapon deals damage to human
scale targets, and must be operated by crew member
using their ship gunner skill. It is possible for
the ship's Mind to fire the weapon on its own (for
example having received a 'shoot anyone who isn't
us' command), but it makes the shot as if it had a
skill of zero.

125
 2d6 + bonus Critical - Ship

2 Airlock damaged! Will need repair for

EVA.

3 Partial puncture to cargo bay. Breach

will need sealing by a repair.

4 Scanner damaged. -5 penalty to pilot

skill when performing scans until
repaired.

5 Shield generator malfunctioning!

Armour one level lower for 3 rounds
(i.e. modest armour becomes light,
light becomes none).

6 Crew hit by falling ship components!

A random member of the crew loses 3d6
stamina.

7 Everyone knocked off their feet and

flung against the wall. Stunned and
prone for 1d6 rounds, all tests at a
penalty of -3.

8 Engines die! No change of course or

speed until repaired.

9 Integrity loss! All air evacuated in

4 rounds. Get to the suits!

10+ Blasted and destroyed!

126
Engines
Spacecraft have two main drives, a warp drive able
to engage with the warp and drag the vessel through
interstellar space, and another 'normal' drive
capable of in-system travel, typically a fusion
dive. Such systems generally have quite a low fuel
requirement, so ships are often able to operate for
quite long periods without the need to refuel. Both
engines require some complex technologies that rely
on a mechanic to remain in good condition.

SHIP CHASES

Ships attempting to escape a chasing ship use the

pilot skill of both pilots in a contest - the winner
chooses whether to close with or draw away from the
other party in the chase. The range bands are the
same as for normal combat - close, nearby, faraway
or distant, except these are now on a 'ship' scale,
so close might mean in the same orbit, neaby might
mean behind the moon of the same planet etc. Most
weapons are only effective when close or nearby.

THE SPACE SHIP IN ATMOSPHERE

Operating the space ship in the vacuum of space is

straightforward, but it is also able to operate in
atmosphere. Manoeuvring the ship safely may require
a pilot skill test by the pilot if anything fancy
is needed. Landing the ship safely on solid, flat
ground does not require a test unless there are
extenuating circumstances (such as enemy fire), in

127
 which case a pilot skill test will be required. A
failure could mean that the vessel is damaged, or
that it is entangled in some way, making it more
difficult to lift off. If the landing attempt is on
rough ground, they a test will always be required
to avoid damage or entanglements.

Warp travel
The majority of spacecraft are capable of travel
through the warp. This can only be done when distant
from a gravity well - most ships cannot enter the
warp if they are close to a body such as a planet.

ASTRONAVIGATION

For normal astronavigation, no role is necessary

and the ship's Mind can handle the task. However,
programming the astronavigation under pressure
(like in the midst of combat) requires an astronav
skill test by the operator of the system, which
is rolled after 1d6 rounds of hasty programming.
If you are willing to double the time taken, you
can add a bonus of 5 to the astronav skill test.
Failure means you end up somewhere completely un-
expected...

The warp appears as a swirling vortex of energies,

in a myriad of colours, which can have a strange
effect on the mind - most people prefer not to look
on the warp. Special hard fields protect vessels
from warp intrusions, damage to these leave you
open to visits from warp entities...

128
Travel takes a somewhat random period of time,
depending on the warp engines. Most vessels take
1d3 (1d6 divided by two, rounded up) days per light
year of travel, so with stars on average 4 light
years apart, a ship can travel between neighbours
in 6 days. Very large, slow ships take 1d6 days per
light year, some of the fast Hegemony attack ships
are rumoured to travel at speeds of 1d6 hours per
light year. While in the warp ships do not 'see'
other vessels unless they come very close, and even
on heavily travelled 'warp highways' it is unusual
to see anyone else, unless they are pirates of
course...

If a ship drops into the warp, it is possible

for other ships in scanner range of the departing
vessel to attempt to discern where it is heading.
This requires an opposed test of the astronaviga-
tion skill of the operator on each vessel. If the

129
 pursuing vessel is successful the departing ship's
destination is revealed. Of course, a fleeing ves-
sel could always drop out of warp space and attempt
to travel to another destination, but that might
mean leaving the more travelled and therefore safer
warp lanes.

Combat is possible in the warp, as is leaving a

vessel to board another. However being exposed in
the warp is dangerous, outside of the hard field
you are visible to any warp entities that may be
nearby.

Once a vessel in warp approaches another gravity

well, they are ejected from that continuum and must
complete their journey in real space.

Scanners
A space ship is equipped with an array of scanners,
which is capable of scanning for the following
properties, among others.

Power - the ship is capable of detecting the use of

electrical or fusion power. The use of other forms
of energy can also be discovered.

Lifeforms - the space ship's sensors can determine

the presence of lifeforms, assuming that they are
organic and conform to known ideas about what con-
stitutes life. The sensors can detect other more
esoteric forms of life, should the operator be able
to express some search parameters for the type of
life form they are searching for.

130
Metals - certain metals can also be detected, es-
pecially rare or super-heavy elements.

Crystals - the presence of crystalline forms can be

detected, especially if they are notably different
from the surrounding material.

Pollution - The ship's scanners can detect the

types of pollution caused by the burning of fossil
fuels or other industrial processes.

Radiation - the space ship's scanners can detect

strong radiation sources.

The games master should give the operator some lee-

way in scanning for other energy forms, materials
or activities.

The operator can quickly scan a system to determine

basic parameters such as the number of planets
etc. without having to make a roll. To use the
scanners to gain more information requires a pilot
skill test by the operator. The ship's scanner can
be used to investigate objects in space (such as
asteroids, space stations etc.), to do so the ship
must be nearby the object. To scan a planet, the
spacecraft needs to be in orbit.

Scanning is an active activity - other vessels

and anyone else who is looking can pick up the
activity. To hide the scan requires a successful
stealth skill test after the scan is complete. If
the test is successful the scan does not reveal the
space ship, if it is failed, the ship's activity
notifies others of their presence.

131
 Life support
The space ship has full life support, which is
effectively limitless unless damaged. Similarly,
the ship has inertial dampeners that remove the
effects of acceleration and deceleration, and ef-
fectively generate artificial gravity within the
vessel. Each of the crew will have a berth - the
vessel is designed to perform in both the long
haul through warp and the sub-light travel across
systems, and so can accommodate the crew for some
time.

AIRLOCKS AND HOLD

The ship generally will have at least two airlocks

to allow crew to exit the vessel safely, as well
as an umbilical that allows connection to other
airlocks or to other openings. The ship has a hold
that can contain cargo, as well as the general
exploration gear of the crew. Typically, it would
have a large ramp or hatch to allow access, and
could house a small vehicle if needed.

EVA SUITS

Space ships contain a number of standard extra-ve-

hicular activity equipment. Most common are EVA
suits, which are capable of operation in the vacuum
of space, underwater, or in other hazardous atmos-
pheres. A spacecraft would typically carry enough
suits for the entire crew. Each suit provides pro-
tection as moderate armour, but if damage exceeds

132
the armour, the suit is breached and becomes unsafe
to use in vacuum or toxic environments due to a
breakdown in integrity. Space suits typically hold
enough air and foodstuffs to keep a user alive for
approximately two days. After this time, water and
air supplies run low and the user is in danger of
asphyxiation. The suits also carry a back-mounted
gas thruster, which can be used to manoeuvre in
zero gravity. Successful use requires a zero G
skill test.

Player Character Ships

The following ships are all available to player
characters at the beginning of the game, as deter-
mined randomly during character creation.

D’AUBIGNY ENVOY CRUISER

Fast, lightly armed and spacious, the d'Aub-

igny-class Envoy, as its name suggests, is a popular
ship amongst nobles, diplomats and professionals
across the Chorus of a million worlds. Their
design is sleek and slender, usually adorned with
various cosmetic modifications as befits the owner.
These ships have become somewhat popular amongst
young bored nobles embarking on their 'grand tour'
across the Chorus, making them a target for pi-
rates seeking to ransom noble scions back to the
Feudal Families. The d'Aubigny is not a ship of
war, but does have enough firepower to dissuade
minor threats. These ships are ideal for those
who prefer to carry people over cargo, and want no
problem docking in the better spaceports. They are

133
 comfortable, often well maintained, and usually
come with an on-board robot valet to cater to most
needs.

Manoeuvrability: -1 pilot skill.

Ship gun: Light blaster cannon (S1d6+2S), -2 ship
Gunner skill.
Anti-personnel gun: Laser needler (L2d6E), -1 ship
gunner skill.
Scanners: +2 pilot skill.
Astronav Computer: +1 pilot skill.
Armour: Light (1d3).
Structure: 12.

D-CLASS CHARGER

A small, older class model, loved as a classic by

those who appreciate design. Built around a flat
half-circle structure, with the main thrust drives
and warp engines to the rear and bridge and cargo
loading at the front of the curve, the D-class
is an iconic design. While not particularly good
looking, it is sturdily built and has a charm all
of its own. It's not particularly large so can't
hold a lot of cargo, and it's not got the best guns
money can buy, it's primary focus is getting from
point A to B quicker than any other ship. Many of
the older police forces across the poorer stretch-
es of space use the D-class as a runabout, hoping
that speed and manoeuvrability will keep them out
of trouble before the big guns arrive.

Manoeuvrability: +2 pilot.
Ship gun: Light Blaster (S1d6+2S), -1 ship gunner
skill.

134
Anti-personnel gun: Plasma cannon (L2d6+2E), +0
ship gunner skill.
Scanners: -1 pilot skill.
Astronav Computer: +1 pilot skill.
Armour: Light (1d3).
Structure: 12.

KILOS STAR HAULER

A squat, square and somewhat ugly ship, the Star

Hauler has a great reputation for speed and agili-
ty. Most were destroyed when the Kilos manufactory
was targeted by the Hegemony for tax evasion and
blown out of orbit around Freya II, but some got
away and have been changing hands ever since. It
is a reliable, dependable and surprisingly manoeu-
verable vessel. It is also old and somewhat rough
looking, with poor internal electronics compared
to later designs.

Manoeuvrability: +2 pilot skill.

Ship gun: Ionic Pulse Cannon (S2d6S), +1 ship gun-
ner skill.
Anti-personnel gun: Slug cannon (L2d6P), -2 ship
gunner skill.
Scanners: -2 pilot skill.
Astronav computer: -1 pilot skill.
Armour: Light (1d3).
Structure: 12.

FELLONI HAWKMOTH

A favorite of pirates and other undesirables, the

Hawkmoth is a sturdy and robust design that does

135
 not excel in any areas, but makes for a good over-
all package. The Gravitic pulse cannon that the
ship sports is a true one off - no other models
could get the weapon to work reliably, but for some
reason it does on the Hawkmoth. Pirates favour the
vessel as the gravitic gun despite its unreliabil-
ity elsewhere is easy to fix and, on this model,
hardwearing.
Manoeuvrability: +0 pilot skill.
Ship gun: Gravitic Pulse Cannon (S1d6+1S), +1 ship
gunner skill.
Anti-personnel gun: Nox projector (L2d6C), +1 ship
gunner skill.
Scanners: -0 pilot skill.
Astronav computer: +1 pilot skill.
Armour: Moderate (1d6).
Structure: 8.

136
STESSEL NIGHTWING

A beautiful, sleek vessel with excellent weap-

ons and armour but very poor manoeuvrability, the
nightwing is a classic of the overdesigned vessels
that Stessel produced before being taken over by
Kilos. The black frame of the nightwing and its
characteristic under-wing warp drives make the ship
profile iconic, even if the performance leaves a
lot to be desired. Still, for many who would travel
the warp ways the combination of weapons to ward
off attack and armour to protect from pirates and
other undesirables is very favourable.

Manoeuvrability: -3 pilot skill.

Ship gun: Heavy prod gun (S2d6+1S), -1 ship gunner
skill.
Anti-personnel gun: Pencil beamer (L2d6P), -1 ship
gunner skill.
Scanners: +2 pilot skill.
Astronav Computer: +2 pilot skill.
Armour: Moderate (1d6).
Structure: 8.

TYPE 12 KOUDA 'CHUGALUG'

A snub-nosed ex-military dropship re-purposed as

a long-range courier, the Type 12 is infamous for
its poor handling and sluggish energy weapon. It
was designed to withstand damage without systems
failure and as a result has found favour with ex-
plorers and thrifty Warp merchants who also prize
its enhanced scanning and navigation capabilities.

Manoeuvrability: -2 pilot skill.

Ship gun: Plasmatic Accumulator (S1d6+2S), -2 ship

137
 gunner skill.
Anti-personnel gun: Laser combine (L2d6E), +1 ship
gunner skill.
Scanners: +2 pilot skill.
Astronav computer: +2 pilot skill.
Armour: Light (1d3).
Structure: 12.

Other Spacecraft
The following are examples of spacecraft that can
be found among the Chorus of worlds. Of course with
a million worlds in the Chorus, there are hundreds
of thousands of designs of spacecraft that may be
found travelling between the stars.

BESERAN STAR YACHT

A beautiful, sleek and graceful craft, this ex-

pensive vessel comes out of the famous star docks
orbiting Beseran IV. Surprisingly armed with a
powerful main gun to deter raiders, the star yacht
has a waiting list several years long.

Manoeuvrability: +3 pilot skill.

Ship gun: Maser cannon (S1d6+2S), -1 ship gunner
skill.
Anti-personnel gun: Slug projector (L2d6P), -1
ship gunner skill.
Scanners: +2 pilot skill.
Astronav computer: +1 pilot skill.
Armour: Light (1d3).
Structure: 12.

138
BOARNDA GENERATION SHIP

The Boarnda send out many of these vessels in

the infancy of their civilisation, slow travel
generation ships meant to colonise the stars. That
endeavour failed, but the ships remain, typical-
ly re-purposed by the Merchant Combine into vast
cargo haulers. They travel some of the larger star
lanes, and are seen as a testimony to the might of
the Combine.

Manoeuvrability: +0 Pilot skill.

Ship gun: Laser needler x2 (S1d6+1S), +1 ship
gunner skill.
Anti-personnel gun: Electroknife (L2d6P), +0 ship
gunner skill.
Scanners: +0 pilot skill.
Astronav computer: +2 pilot skill.
Armour: Heavy (2d6).
Structure: 52.

COMBLIS RELIEF CRAFT

The peaceful and cooperative Comblis are a welcome

sight across the many beleaguered worlds of the
Chorus. Rushing in medical aid, supplies and medi-
cines, the Comblis are a neutral party (officially
part of the Warp Consortium) in most affairs, and
are recognised as such. Only the most murderous and
barbarous species refuse to recognise the squatand
defenceless box that is a Comblis relief ship.

Manoeuvrability: +1 pilot skill.

Ship gun: None.
Anti-personnel gun: None.

139
 Scanners: +4 pilot skill.
Astronav computer: +2 pilot skill.
Armour: Light (1d3).
Structure: 20.

GARNAKI ATTACKSHIP

The Garnaki are members of the Warp Consortium who

deal in weapons and armaments. One of their most
famous designs is the attackship, a small (crew
of four) attack craft mounting a very large spi-
nal weapon capable of disabling other much large
ships. The drawback is the light armour of the
attackship, a tradeoff against the inertial weight
of the gun. The Hegemony sometimes use these craft
in space battles against well-armed enemies, where
Needleships can provide cover.

Manoeuvrability: +1 pilot skill.

Ship gun: Negative beamer (S2d6+2S), +1 ship gun-
ner skill.
Anti-personnel gun: Laser needler (L2d6+1E), -1
ship gunner skill.
Scanners: +0 pilot skill.
Astronav computer: +0 pilot skill.
Armour: Light (1d3).
Structure: 15.

HEGEMONY CRUISER

Ubiquitous craft across the Chrous, these Nova Guard

vessels enforce Hegemony rule. Large, powerful and
aggressive, cruisers are the most visible Hegemony
vessels along with their Needleship complement.

140
Manoeuvrability: +0 pilot skill.
Ship gun: Gravitic manipulators x3 (S2d6+1S), +2
ship gunner skill.
Anti-personnel gun: Slug projectors x4 (L2d6P), +1
ship gunner skill.
Scanners: +0 pilot skill.
Astronav computer: +3 pilot skill.
Armour: Heavy (2d6).
Structure: 34.

HEGEMONY NEEDLESHIP

These small one-person fighters are a common sight

across the Chorus. Resiliant, fast and armed with
pin beamers, Needleships are the bane of many a
pirate force throughout the million worlds.

Manoeuvrability: +1 pilot skill.

Ship gun: Pin beamer (S1d6+1S), -1 ship gunner
skill.
Anti-personnel gun: Laser spit gun (L2d6E), -1
ship gunner skill.
Scanners: +0 pilot skill.
Astronav computer: -2 pilot skill.
Armour: Light (1d3).
Structure: 9.

MISTRAL HAULER

A workhorse of the star-lanes, the Mistral is a

well-liked and trusted craft for the independent
trader. Sporting a good-sized cargo hold, decent
armaments and some reasonable armour, the Mistral
is a common sight around the worlds of the Chrous.

141
 Manoeuvrability: +2 pilot skill.
Ship gun: Laser cannon (S1d6+1S), +0 ship gunner
skill.
Anti-personnel gun: Slug projector (L2d6P), +1
ship gunner skill.
Scanners: +3 pilot skill.
Astronav computer: +2 pilot skill.
Armour: Modest (1d6).
Structure: 18.

OU'SOK PIRATE CUTTER

Typical of one of myriad attack craft that pirates

and raiders across the Chorus adapt for their own
ends, typically retrofitting civilian craft with
heavy weapons and better armour. The Ou'sok manu-
facture space yachts, and though their craft are
old and outdated by modern standards, they are
reliable and crucially easy to maintain.

Manoeuvrability: +1 pilot skill.

Ship gun: Blast projector (S1d6+2S), +2 ship gun-
ner skill.
Anti-personnel gun: Punchgun (L2d6+1C), +1 ship
gunner skill.
Scanners: +2 Pilot skill.
Astronav computer: +0 pilot skill.
Armour: Heavy (2d6).
Structure: 12.

WARP CONSORTIUM TECHCRAFT

The black sphere of a Warp Consortium techcraft is

an unnerving sight. Often loaded with technology

142
not found elsewhere in the Chorus, techcraft are
not to be trifled with. They are often seen travel-
ling from world to world, looking for warp touched
that they can introduce to their rigorous training
regimes...

Manoeuvrability: +5 pilot skill.

Ship gun: Ennervator x2 (S2d6+2S), +3 ship gunner
skill.
Anti-personnel gun: Warp inducer (L2d6+2C), +1
Sship gunner skill.
Scanners: +4 pilot skill.
Astronav computer: +4 pilot skill.
Armour: Heavy (2d6).
Structure: 40.

Other Vehicles
Note that the most of the rules for spacecraft can
also be applied to other forms of vehicles. Apart
from the lack of warp drives, cars, tanks and skim-
mers all have manoeuvrability, potentially guns,
as well as armour and structure, and the combat
and chase rules work in the same way. However, as
vehicle guns may easily be used against normal
characters, vehicle guns, armour and structure are
on the same scale as player characters, rather
than the 'spacecraft' scale of interstellar craft.
Should you wish to use such vehicle weapons against
starcraft, roll the vehicle gun's damage as normal
and then divide the result by three. Similarly,
should the spacecraft fire back, the spacecraft's
gun damage should be multiplied by three. A separate
critical table is used for vehicles, and given the

143
 varied nature of vehicles across the Chorus, the
games master is encoyraged to liberally interpret
critical effects so that they make sense.

The following are examples of common vehicles

found across the Chorus. The actual deatils such
as appearance, make etc. are left to the games
master's imagination.

ANTI-GRAV SKIM BIKE

A two-person biked capable of skimming over rough

terrain at high speeds.

Manoeuvrability: +2 pilot skill.

Gun: None.
Armour: Light (1d3).
Structure: 18.

ALL-TERRAIN GROUND CAR

A four person rough terrain vehicle, sporting

wheels and comfy seats.

Manoeuvrability: +1 pilot skill.

Gun: None.
Armour: Light (1d3).
Structure: 20.

MONOWHEEL BIKE

Fast racing bikes with a single wheel, common

across the Chorus.

144
Manoeuvrability: +2 pilot skill.
Gun: None.
Armour: Light (1d3).
Structure: 14.

NOVA GUARD ASSAULT TANK

A typical Nova Guard vehicle for ground assaults,

armed with a heavy weapon.

Manoeuvrability: +1 pilot skill.

Gun: Heavy star cannon (L3d6+2E), +1 ship gunner
skill.
Armour: Heavy (2d6).
Structure: 44.

POLICE ENFORCER

An example of the police vehicles that are seen

across the Chorus, backed up by Nova Guard heavy
craft when the going gets tough.

145
 Manoeuvrability: +1 pilot skill.
Gun: Stunner (L1d6+2C), +1 ship gunner skill.
Armour: Light (1d3).
Structure: 21.

ZERO-GRAV SKIFF

A popular vehicle for tourists and pleasure, skiffs

such as these are common on the more exotic worlds,
where they hover at heights up to ten metres and
make great platforms for viewing the environment.

Manoeuvrability: +2 pilot skill.

Gun: None.
Armour: Light (1d3).
Structure: 34.

146
VEHICLE CRITICALS

As with spacecraft, vehicles can suffer critical

hits. In these cases the nature of the attacking
weapon doesn't really matter, it is more about what
happens to the vehcile. The following critical
table can be used for vehicles. As vehicles can
take a wide range of forms, the games masters
must apply a little common-sense to alter critical
effects that don't make sense.

147
 2d6 + bonus Critical - Vehicle

2 Paint chiped and ruined - it's clear

the vehicle has been in a fight.

3 Damage to the drive train, the vehicle

can only travel at half speed.

4 Steering damaged, can now only travel

in a straight line.

5 Armour damaged. If armour is present,

downgrade it by one level (e.g. modest
to light, light to none).

6 Crew hit! A random member of the crew

loses 2d6 Stamina.

7 Someone is thrown from the vehicle.

They are stunned and prone for 1d6
rounds, and all tests are at a penalty
of 3.

8 Engines die! The vehicle grinds to a

halt.

9 Fuel hit! leaking chemicals or radia-

tion everywhere...

10+ Blasted and destroyed!

148
 Warp
Glyphs

149
 The Warp Manifest
Anyone who has travelled through the warp becomes
exposed to its weird energies. In many, this does
not show itself to any great degree. But in a
select few, who train their minds, the energies
of the warp can be channelled into patterns called
glyphs resulting in physical manifestations in the
material universe. Glyphs are dangerous however -
when expressing them, a 'warp touched' is allowing
warp energy to flow through their brain. Getting
it wrong can have devastating effects. Anyone can
train themselves to express glyphs - it requires
nothing but focus and time. However, few choose
to do so, and most warp touched are considered
borderline insane - what sane person allows alien
energies access to their mind?

GLYPHS

The warp focus skill is used to manifest glyphs.

Each separate glyph must be learned by the user,
who must find another being who knows the glyph
and is willing to share the unique mental pattern.
Player characters can learn a number of glyphs
equal to half of their career skill in either the
Warp touched or Warp lord careers. Those who have
no career skills in either can still have the warp
focus skill, but cannot use it to express glyphs.
Instead they can use it to resist the effects of
glyphs.

150
MANIFESTING GLYPHS

Each glyph has a cost in stamina to manifest, which

must be spent before the glyph is attempted. This
represents the life-force that is lost as a result
of warp energies coursing through the brain, and
is lost whether the glyph is successfully manifest
or not.

Each warp glyph listing notes whether a standard

(denoted S) or opposed (denoted O). For a stand-
ard glyph (i.e. one that does not directly effect
another person), the user must make a standard
skill test using the warp focus skill to manifest
the glyph. For opposed glyphs that have a living
target, the user must win an opposed warp focus
skill test with the target to manifest the glyph.
Note that beneficial glyphs that help a target are
often opposed tests - this represents the body
fighting back against unsound warp energies.

In either case, on a success, the glyph activates,

on a failure, the glyph does not. Remember that
regardless of success or failure, channelling the
warp is unnatural and the character making the at-
tempt to manifest the glyph must pay the associated
stamina cost.

WARP BLEED

If a character attempts to manifest a glyph and

rolls a 1 on the 1d20 used in the warp focus
skill test, they have made a mistake in channelling
the glyph, which is potentially deadly. The glyph
fails and they pay the stamina cost as usual. They

151
 must then attempt another warp focus skill test.
If they pass, all is well. If they fail, they must
immediately roll 1d20 on the warp bleed table on
the opposite page, adding the stamina cost of the
glyph they were attempting as a bonus to the roll.
This can be rather bad!

MANIFESTING GLYPHS IN COMBAT

Glyphs can be used in combat. Typically, only a

few moments of intense concentration are needed to
activate the glyph, taking an action to perform.
The warp focus skill check is taken as normal.

GLYPHS AT CHARACTER CREATION

When a player creates a Warp touched character, they

gain access to one glyph, which is rolled randomly
on the glyph table. They may have the capability to
learn more glyphs, but they only know this one at
the beginning of play.

LEARNING NEW GLYPHS

If a Warp touched or Warp lord character wishes to

learn a new glyph, they must already have capacity,
i.e. not know more glyphs that half their appropri-
ate career skill rounded down. If they don't have
capacity, they will need to gain new skill levels
until their career skill advances. If they do have
sufficient capacity, they will need to find someone
to teach them the glyph. An adventure in itself!

152
 WARP BLEED

1 The caster's hands catch fire causing them

1d6 stamina damage.
2 Two mindless tentacles grow from the user's
body for 1d6 days.
3 One of the caster's eyes turns milky white.
4 The glyph discharges incorrectly, hitting
the nearest creature for 2d6 stamina damage.
5 The caster vomits acidic ectoplasm on all
nearby causing 1d6 stamina damage.
6 Blood runs from the eyes for 1d6 days.
7 The glyph backfires, blasting the caster
across the room for 2d6 stamina damage.
8 The caster loses the sense of taste, all
food is like ash.
9 The caster's skin is bleached white.
10 All of the caster's hair falls out.
11 The caster's skin becomes translucent for
2d6 days.
12 The caster's arms are altered, growing
small bone spurs.
13 The caster freezes like a statue for the
next 1d3 days.
14 A miasma of warp energies fill a nearby
space, causing 1d6+2 stamina damage to all.
15 The caster's eyes turn jet black for 1d6
weeks.
16 The caster is possessed by a malevolent
warp being for 1d6 turns.
17 The caster loses the ability to manifest
glyphs for 1d6 days, every attempt causes
warp bleed.
18 The user gains a minor warp mutation.
19 The user gains a major warp mutation.
20 The user is swallowed by the warp!

153
 Warp Mutations
Warp touched who suffer bleed whilst manifesting
glyphs, and others who are exposed to the raw power
of the warp, may develop a warp mutation as the
energy of that dimension twists their bodies. If
so, roll 1d20 on the tables overleaf to see what
minor or major mutation they gain. These effects
are permanent, unless the player characters can
devise a means to remove them! Such warped beings
are known as twists. At the games masters discre-
tion player characters with minor mutations could
continue, but would be hounded by the Nova Guard
and detested by normal folk. Player characters who
gain major mutations are usually driven insane by
the changes wrought upon them.

154
 TABLE 1: LESSER MUTATIONS

1 Bestial Legs - legs transform to be fully

bestial.
2 Cadaverous - the twist appears emaciated,
halving adventuring Athletics and Endurance
skills and suffering -1 to melee damage
rolls.
3 Colour - the twist gains unusual pigmenta-
tion of skin or fur. Roll d6 -
1: Albino, 2: Jet Black, 3: Sickly Green,
4: Blood Red, 5: Deep Purple, 6: Sky Blue.
4 Crest - Wattle or crest instead of hair on
head. Cosmetic.
5 Eye Stalks - 3d6 inches long. Cosmetic.
6 Great Jaws - and savage teeth. May bite as
its attack action for 1d6 stamina damage.
7 Headless - head sinks slowly into the chest.
Any critical strike to the head is ignored.
8 Hunchback - severe kyphosis. Cosmetic
9 Huge Head - grows twice the size of normal,
often ridged or horned. May headbutt as its
attack action for 1d6 damage.
10 Long neck - becomes 60 cm in length. Roll
d6: 1-3 = rigid, 4-6 = flexible.
11 One eye - eyes fuse to a singular, cycloptic
eye. Halve ranged attack roll results.
12 One leg - Legs fuse, the twist can hop at
half speed, moving 2m as part of its action.
13 Pin Head - sever microcephaly. Halves all
weapon and adventuring skill roll results.
14 Quadraped - Arms extend to knees, twist may
move on all fours.
15 Rearranged limbs - Legs and arms swap.
twist halves weapon and adventuring skill
test results that require balance or gross

155
 motor competency.
16 Tentacle arms - prehensile, cosmetic.
17 Third eye - roll d6 for location: 1: head,
2: arm, 3: torso, 4: groin, 5: buttock, 6:
leg. Cosmetic.
18 Tough skin - developes +1 armour. Roll d6
for type: 1: chitin, 2: quills, 3: dense
fur, 4: thick leathery hide, 5: scales, 6:
rubbery flesh.
19 Marked by the warp - roll twice more on this
table.
20 Chosen of the warp - roll once on the great-
er mutations table.

156
 TABLE 2: GREATER MUTATIONS

1 Arms of the Arheobear! - extend arm(s) to

reach to ankles, knotted with muscle. Roll
d6, 1-3 = one arm, 4-6 = all arms. +d6
damage with melee weapons wielded with af-
fected arm.
2 Bestial Head - the twist's head turns into
that of an animal or an alien.
3 Boneless - the twist develops flexible
bones, cartilage and viscera; halves all
damage received from weapons, can squeeze
through spaces 15cm in diameter. Can dis-
tend jaw to swallow unconscious or bound
victims whole.
4 Blood Rage - the twist is subject to frenzy,
doubling its weapon skill when instigating
attacks but halving it when attacked.
5 Breathes Miasma - once per round, as an ex-
tra attack action, the twist spews caustic
vomit at an engaged opponent, inflicting
1d6+3 stamina damage that ignores armour.
6 Warp Spawn - gains an additional 1d3 great-
er mutations.
7 Champion of arms - endowed with surpassing
ferocity by the warp: +2 actions per round.
8 Evil Eye - an extra eye in the forehead
glowing with sickly light that scours and
ruptures all it regards. Once per round, as
an extra attack action, the twist may make
a gaze attack, inflicting 1d6+3 stamina
damage that ignores armour.
9 Flyer - the twist is endowed with a func-
tioning pair of wings they may glide or fly
with.
10 Gaping Maw - a cavernous, toothy mouth in

157
158
 the centre of the torso. An opponent in-
flicting a successful melee attack against
this twist must make a successful dodge
roll or be bitten for 2d6 stamina damage.
11 Giant - the twist grows double in size and
eight times the mass, with +2 to attack
skill rolls, +1d6 to damage rolls and +12
stamina.
12 Great Horns - may charge, attacking one
opponent for 3d6 stamina damage.
13 Hideous Appearance - endowed with a visage
so horrific even aliens unused to human
forms become uneasy. Torso and limbs com-
posed of writhing tentacles, flesh putrid
and rotting, hundreds of eyes and mouths, a
voice that whispers the torment of a thou-
sand screaming children - all in one twist,
for example. The GM is encouraged to play
this for all it is worth. Double adventuring
skill total for Intimidate rolls.
14 Horrible Stench - generates noxious body
odour that can be smelled from the next
field. Halve adventuring skill attempts at
stealth and any social interaction except
Intimidate.
15 Leaper - grows prodigiously muscled legs.
Can leap during action.
16 Multiple Arms - the twist grows 1d3 extra
arms and gains 1 extra attack action per
round.
17 Multiple Heads - the twist gains an addi-
tional head that chatters and bleats con-
tinually. When coordinated, gains an addi-
tional attack action per round. If one head
can be distracted, thwarted or otherwise
disengaged from its task the twist will

159
 fall into argument with itself, becoming
unresponsive to anything other than life
threatening circumstances for 3d6 minutes.
18 Poisonous Bite - the twist's bite is venom-
ous doing 1d2 stamina damage and with the
Poisonous quality.
19 Prehensile Tail - capable of wielding a
weapon, +1 attack action per round.
20 Blessed of the warp - the twist immediately
gains access to 1d6 warp glyphs, and their
warp focus skill increases by 1d6.

160
Glyphs
The following glyphs are examples of glyphs that
can be found in use across the Chorus - not the
only ones, but the commonly known ones. After each
glyph's name, the stamina cost to manifest and
whether the glyph is 'S' standard or 'O' opposed
is given in parenthesis. Warp touched gain one of
these as their starting glyph, rolled randomly by
rolling two d6 and correlating the result.

First d6 Second d6 Glyph

1 1 Burnout (5/S)
2 Crack (4/S)
3 Dead zone (4/S)
4 Deafness (3/S)
5 Deconstruct (5/O)
6 Deny gravity (3/S)
2 1 Doppelganger (4/S)
2 Esoteric flame (3/S)
3 Master (4/O)
4 Echoes (3/S)
5 Enhance (4/S)
6 Ether scream (3/S)
3 1 Ethereal shield (4/S)
2 Stupefy (5/O)
3 Glitch (3/S)
4 Hammer (3/S)
5 Heal (2/S)
6 Images (4/S)

161
 First d6 Second d6 Glyph
4 1 Inner bond (5/O)
2 Meld (3/S)
3 Miasma (5/S)
4 Negative warp (4/S)
5 Poison (4/O)
6 Scour (5/O)
5 1 Scry (3/S)
2 Speak (3/O)
3 Stutter (4/O)
4 Third eye (2/S)
5 Time dilate (4/O)
6 Trance (O/5)
6 1 Unquiet (4/S)
2 Unseen (4/S)
3 Vermin (4/S)
4 Warp blast (4/S)
5 Warp path (4/S)
6 Warp strike (4/O)

BURNOUT (5/S)

This glyph will burnout any small, delicate elec-

tronic device, for example a computer, or the lock
on an electronic door. The item will be destroyed
by the warp energies, so it will be obvious that
it has been tampered with.

CRACK (4/S)

The user creates a crack in reality that acts like

a wall between themselves and a target. The crack
is two metres high and wide, and may be used to

162
block an entranceway. The wall lasts 1d6 minutes,
and cannot be penetrated by physical items or be-
ings. It may by penetrated by warp energy.

DEAD ZONE (4/S)

When this glyph is activated, a zone of the black-

est night expands around the user and all those
in nearby range. The user and those creatures that
can see in pitch black are unaffected. From the
outside, the manifestation resembles a cloud of
seething darkness.

DEAFNESS (3/S)

This glyph renders anyone nearby the user insidi-

ously deaf. They don't notice the change, but may
become aware of it depending on the circumstances.
The glyph lasts 1d6 rounds, during which even the
loudest noise cannot be heard by those so affected.

DECONSTRUCT (5/O)

Using this glyph, the user is able to deconstruct

the physical manifestation of a warp creature. Once
activated, the user engages in a conflict of warp
focus skill against any creatures that originated
from the warp in nearby range. If successful, the
beings are destroyed in a crackling discharge. If
unsuccessful, the user suffers 1d3 stamina loss.

163
 DENY GRAVITY (3/S)

The user manipulates the warp to crack the laws

of physics, and is able to rise ten meters into
the air. The glyph lasts 1d6 rounds while the user
concentrates, after which the user falls unless
they are on stable ground. This glyph may not be
used to arrest a fall.

DOPPELGANGER (4/S)

Once activated, this glyph creates an ethereal dop-

pelganger of the user that will do their bidding.
The creature is intelligent, silent, and deeply
disturbing, but it is able to carry messages and
items over vast distances (planetary range) for
the user, travelling at warp speed, and may fetch
small items that fit in the hand. The creature
remains to haunt the user for 1d6 hours.

ESOTERIC FLAME (3/S)

The user is able to manipulate warp resonance to

set fire to something within nearby range that is
flammable, as if a flaming torch had been held
against it for several seconds. This can be used
to set clothing alight. During activation, sparks
are visible flying from the user's head toward the
target.

164
MASTER (4/O)

This glyph allows the user to take over the minds

of unintelligent creatures. If successfully ac-
tivated, the user has complete control of the
creatures mind and may direct it to act as they
will, except when this would be obviously damaging
to the creature. The glyph lasts 1d6 rounds, which
the games master rolls in secret.

ECHOES (3/S)

Using ethereal energies, this glyph will create 1d3

copies of the user, which will mirror the actions
of their parent. Enemies will not know which is the
real user. The effect lasts 1d6 rounds.

ENHANCE (4/S)

Warp energies flow into any weapon, making it

ethereal and thus able to damage beings normally
only damaged by such things. The weapon will also
inflict an additional 1d6 stamina damage in combat.
The effect lasts for 1d6 turns, after which the
device becomes burnt-out, brittle and breaks. Can
be used with guns which are destroyed after the
manifestation ends.

ETHER SCREAM (3/S)

Manifesting this glyph over an area nearby the user

creates an ethereal alarm. Anyone entering who is
not an ally of the user triggers the alarm, which

165
166
is very loud. The alarm lasts one day, or until
triggered.

ETHEREAL SHIELD (4/S)

The user creates a suit of shimmering, ethereal

amour about themselves. This counts as heavy ar-
mour, and lasts 1d6 rounds. It glows with enough
light to act as a dim torch as well.

STUPEFY (5/O)

This glyph makes a target being clumsy and disori-

entated. For 1d6 rounds it will be unable to pick
up its weapon, make a coordinated attack or do
anything else that requires physical coordination.

GLITCH (3/S)

Flickering into the warp, a user who is falling

from a height 'glitches' to the floor, escaping
harm. A strong smell of ozone and crackling energy
discharges remain.

HAMMER (3/S)

This glyph gives the user enhanced strength, so

that their melee attacks hit like hammer blows. In
combat, if the user hits a target, roll the damage
dice twice and take the better result. Lasts for
1d6 rounds of combat.

167
 HEAL (2/O)

This glyph allows the user to heal 1d6+3 stamina

either to themselves or to allies. The glyph may be
activated in combat, but the user must be touching
the target of the glyph for it to have effect.

IMAGES (4/S)

With this glyph the user is able to create an illu-

sion that tricks the eyes of those that see it. The
illusion has the maximum dimensions of a table and
lasts 1d6 rounds. If the user stops doing anything
else and concentrates solely on the manifestation,
they may make the illusion move and produce sound.

INNER BOND (5/O)

This glyph allows the user to change the demeanour

of one unfriendly target to one of friendship. It
will not affect the target's allies, and the target
will act as any other friendly being from that
point on (i.e. if the target was attacked, it would
become unfriendly once more).

MELD (3/S)

This glyph can be used to meld two small items

together, or to seal a door shut with a hand-span
of fused material. The glyph makes a loud popping
sound when manifesting.

168
MIASMA (5/S)

When activated this glyph creates a cloud of warp

energies that destructively interacts with living
matter. Any being, friend or foe, within nearby
range loses 1d6 stamina. Only the user is bliss-
fully resistant to the hideous energies.

NEGATIVE WARP (4/S)

After manifesting this glyph, the user is sur-

rounded by a golden hued glow. For the next 1d6
rounds, the user may make a standard warp focus
test to dispel any glyph manifestations that occurs
nearby, even those that don't target them. If they
are successful, the manifestation is dissipated,
if not its effects occur as normal.

POISON (4/O)

A target touched by the user suddenly becomes

convinced they are poisoned. They fall prone,
wretching for 1d6 rounds before the suggestion
subsides.

SCOUR (5/O)

Using insidious warp energies, the user can read

the surface thoughts of a being within nearby
range. Only general impressions can be gained (for
example, hostile intent but not exactly what action
this will produce). To outside observers except
the target this manifestation appears as crackling

169
 line of energy connecting user and target for a
few moments.

SCRY (3/S)

With this glyph, the user consults a crystal or

other esoteric gewgaw and can see into the future.
What they see is up to the games master, but it
should be somewhat pertinent to the situation at
hand.

SPEAK (3/O)

The user can use this glyph to speak to an intel-

ligent creature as if he knew their language. The
user will understand what they say, and his words
will be automatically translated. Lasts for 1d6
minutes.

STUTTER (4/O)

Stretching and kneading eldritch energies like

glue, the user points at a target within nearby
range who stutters out of reality and freezes in
place for 1d6 rounds. The target cannot move from
that place, although they can sway, move their
arms etc. In combat the target can only attack
those that come within range and all rolls suffer
a penalty of -5 due to the hindering effect of the
glyph.

170
171
 THIRD EYE (2/S)

This glyph allows the user to detect something

within nearby range, so for example in the same
room, that is hidden. The user can ask the games
master to reveal a single thing hidden, which they
must do. However that information is interpreted
is up to the user.

TIME DILATE (4/O)

With a touch, the user slows time for the target,

effectively doubling the speed of any one person,
such that their movements appear as a blur. This
has the specific effect in combat of allowing the
target to take two actions in a round (so they
can be selected to act twice), and giving them a
bonus of +5 to attacks due to the whirling speed
of their weapons. The glyph lasts 1d6 rounds, after
which the target suffers loss of 1d6 stamina due
to exhaustion.

TRANCE (O/5)

This glyph renders a target into a trance-like sleep

for 1d6 minutes. The user must touch the target,
which in combat requires a successful brawling
attack. When the target awakes it will have no idea
what happened.

172
UNQUIET (4/S)

Swelling with ethereal might, the user projects

a sense of fear that is palpable. All enemies in
nearby range (i.e. not the user's allies) suffer
a penalty of -3 to all tests due to fear for 1d6
rounds or until the user is next struck, whichever
comes first.

UNSEEN (4/S)

Bending the warp like a lense, this glyph renders

the user invisible to any enemies in nearby range
at the time of manifesting, although they still
make sounds. The user's allies can still see them,
as can other enemies who appear later. The glyph
lasts 1d6 minutes, which the games master rolls
in secret. There is no obvious sign that the user
is no longer invisible. While invisible, enemies
attacking the user suffer a penalty of -5 to attack
rolls.

VERMIN (4/S)

Using an eldritch calling, the user summons an

infestation of warp vermin. These chitinous crea-
tures fill a space nearby the user, and remain a
seething, tumultuous mass for 1d6 rounds, before
they dissipate.

173
 WARP BLAST (4/S)

This glyph generates a ball of negative warp energy

that boils in the hand of the user, and may be flung
at a single target within nearby range. It requires
a successful ranged attack using the user's thrown
skill against the target's dodge. On a successful
hit, it inflicts 2d6+2 stamina damage and makes the
target glow with discharging energy for 1d3 turns.

WARP PATH (4/S)

Using this glyph, the user is able to flit into

the warp and re-appear within two metres of their
original position. Great for moving through walls
etc., but should the user rematerialize in a solid
object, death is instantaneous.

WARP STRIKE (4/O)

This powerful offensive glyph sends an arcing lance

of eldritch power toward the nearest target within
nearby range. The attack automatically hits the
nearest person, friend or foe, and inflicts 1d6+2
damage, 1d6+4 if the target is wearing appreciable
amounts of metal. The bolt is bright blue and
generates a crack, and is extremely obvious.

174
 The
Chorus

175
 The Galaxy
Humanity has spread across the galaxy. From the
lost cradle of Earth, the human race has conquered
the stars and formed the Chorus. This is in part
due to breakthroughs in warp travel, something
made possible by the technologies proliferated by
the Warp Consortium, but also by the ingenuity and
determination of humankind. Countless worlds have
been colonised and turned into homes, from gas
giants to frozen moons, jungle worlds to howling
wastelands. The Chorus loosely exists in a sphere
of space, overseen by the Autarch and the courts
on the Jewel, but in reality, the Chrous only
exists due to the might of the Hegemony, the trade
of the Merchant Combine and the technologies of
the Warp Consortium. These are the real powers of
the Chorus, and balancing them is the Autarch, the
figurative head of the Chorus. For many, the Chorus
is a place of hope and optimism.

However, there is still war, strife, need and the

'haves' and 'have nots'. Rebels inhabiting entire
worlds pick away at the social order. Interplane-
tary wars breakout across the galaxy between bit-
ter rivals for trade and resources, and life for
some is far from easy. This may be an enlightened
time, but the same fears and doubts, part of the
human condition, dictate the relationships of the
Chorus. The gap in wealth between the rich and poor
is greater than ever, with whole worlds either
dwelling in luxury or consigned to poverty. As
is often the case little attention is paid to
this social imbalance - those in power have little
sympathy for those with none, especially when they
may be on an entirely different world.

176
THE HEGEMONY

The military might of the Chorus is the Hegemony,

and their feared Nova Guard, soldiers kitted out
in the best power armour and sporting deadly pulse
rifles. These troops are the visible fist of the
Autarch's rule, and are seen on most worlds to some
degree or other. They police the Chorus, fight its
battles and regulate its laws. Recruiting vessels
travel the worlds siphoning up individuals to join
the ranks, and vast military construction systems
churn out spacecraft and weapons. Rumours of cor-
ruption and brutal violence by the Hegemony are
rife, and many citizens do their level best to
keep out of the Hegemony's way. Still, when other
empires threaten the security of the Chorus, most
turn to the Hegemony to defend them. In reality,
their hold over the more lawless areas of the
Chorus is fleeting at best.

THE MERCHANT COMBINE

The Merchant Combine's vast ships ply the warp

lanes, transporting goods and people between the
worlds and making the machinery of commerce tick.
Without the Combine, trade slows and in some cases
stops, and whole worlds wither and degrade. With-
out doubt the great houses of the Combine are the
lifeblood of the Chorus. Still, others complain
that the houses stifle competition, and trade wars
within the Merchant Combine can bring whole systems
to their knees, fought over the perceived petty
slights of ruling lords and ladies. But there is
no doubt that the free movement of people about
the Chorus is a result of the Combine's actions,

177
 that raise living standards for the majority while
making a minority extremely rich in the process.

THE WARP CONSORTIUM

Controlling access to the incredible technologies

that allow warp travel, as well as many other
related and unrelated sciences across the Chorus,
without the Warp Consortium life as it is known by
Chorus citizens would cease. The Consortium is a
loose group of scientists, research institutes, re-
ligious organisations and technology conglomerates
that works to a common goal - an understanding of
science, and especially the warp. The warp touched
and warp lords that express the warp in real space
are the pinnacle of the Warp Consortium's goals,
and their black spheres travel the Chorus seeking
warp touched to instruct. To many, the Warp Consor-
tium are the weird technologists who push too far
into the warp, and they are to be mistrusted and a
little feared.

THE AUTARCH

Ruling the entire Chorus from the Jewel, a palace

machine world, is the Autarch. In the Chorus, the
Autarch's words are law, and their whim is reality.
They also act as a counterpoint to balance the
three powers, the Hegemony, the Merchant Combine
and the Warp Consortium. Who (or indeed what) the
Autarch is has become a mystery - some even say
that the Autarch is not a person but a vast think-
ing machine, and that the Jewel is not a world,
but a computer. Others laugh this off as rubbish.

178
What is known is that the Autarch remains the sole
source of Cadence, and this is their hold over
the vast powers of the Chorus. Most people think
of the Autarch as some kind of ruling emperor of
the galaxy, a shining beacon of authority, and
give them powers and sway to enforce oder on the
Chorus. In truth of course reality is somewhat more
nuanced...

CADENCE

The single most valuable resource in the Chorus is

Cadence. This drug-like material has a strange ef-
fect on living lifeforms, drawing on warp energies
to extend life and 'stretching' senses. The effect
can be addictive, and those that maintain a steady
supply effectively do not age. In a galaxy where the
powerhouses of the Hegemony, Merchant Combine and
Warp Consortium command almost unlimited wealth,
Cadence is the only commodity that commands value.
The sole originator of Cadence is the Autarch. No
one knows how the ruler creates this substance,
where it comes from or even how it works. However,
so valuable is the resource, and so desperate to
live forever are all living beings of the Chorus,
that Cadence gives the Autarch ultimate power.

PLANETARY LORDS AND LADIES

Individual worlds are ruled by their own great

houses, headed by lords and ladies and their
courts. These local powers govern as they seem
fit - some to the benefit of the populace, some to
their detriment. Contracts with the powers of the

179
 Chorus give them control, at a price. Cadence is
available to those higher in the echelons of local
courts, should they pay their tithes.

DENIZENS OF THE CHORUS

The denizens of the Chorus are many and varied. Hu-

mans, and cybernetically and genetically modified
versions of them, are common. Changes to 'core'
humans like cosmetic alterations, mechanical or
electronic implants and 'alien' genetic components
are so common as to be completely unremarkable. A
human with green striped skin, a bionic eye and a
long, prehensile tail wouldn't even raise eyebrows
walking into a spacer bar. Similarly, aliens (i.e.
beings from non-human worlds) are everywhere, and
that bar could be full of twenty different aliens
from as many worlds. Robots take many forms and are
ubiquitous, and uplifts (creatures raised to human
intellect levels) are equally common.

Currency
In the Chorus, the universal monetary system is
composed of crystals made of a nano-etched mate-
rial containing strings of code which cannot be
replicated, control of which falls to the Merchant
Combine. The three sizes of currency are frags,
shards and jades. Ten frags make one shard, and
ten shardes make a jade. Frags are cheap fragments
of etched crystal, shards are plain and simple
crystal slices and jades are beautiful deep green
slices with elegant etching.

180
 Frags are the currency of common citizens. Most
things that everyday people buy and sell cost frags.
Shards are the currency of artisans, traders and
the middle classes. Most things they buy and sell
in daily life cost shards. Jades are the currency
of the nobles and upper class, things they buy or
sell cost jades.

Characters start out with 2d6 shards, which may

represent money they have scraped together over
their life so far or all that is left of a bigger
sum, depending on their career.

Items that a commoner might normally be able to buy

cost 1d6 frags. For the middle classes, items cost
1d6 shards and for aristocrats, 1d6 jades. Better
quality or higher workmanship adds a further 1d6 or
2d6 to the cost. Rarity also influences price - a
map to buried treasure on a forsaken moon will
cost jades, not frags. Weapons (where legal) and
armour always costs at least 2d6 of the appropriate
currency value for poor quality, or 3d6 for normal
quality.

Technologies
The Warp Consortium has made massive advances in
science. Many almost magical technologies have
become a reality, such as the warp drives that
allow for extremely fast interstellar travel, and
hard fields that protect ships and their occupants
from inertial damage. Replicators can build many
medium-complexity devices in minutes, and robotics
have advanced to everyday practical use.

182
The Warp Consortium keeps a firm hold on much of
this technology - this is especially true of warp
drives and hard fields that are kept under tight
control. The reality of this is that while local
engineers and scientists know enough to keep these
technologies operational, their complete working
is a mystery, and it is only through the assistance
of the Consortium that this technology permeates
the Chorus.

Outside of warp travel and hard fields, the tech-

nology of the Chorus is extremely advanced. Sleek,
efficient and practical, Chorus devices are highly
robust and are suitable for use under extreme envi-
ronmental conditions. Metal, ceramic and composite
materials are used in construction and structures
tend to be complex hybrid materials that are ex-
tremely resistant and hardwearing. Technology is
built to last. Still, despite these advances there
are still many limitations in technology within
the Chorus. Energy is still in short supply. On
some worlds, growing enough food even in hydroponic
vats for the entire population is a problem. True
artificial intelligence remains elusive, and medi-
cal science has not managed to extend the lives of
even the very rich beyond around two hundred years,
not without reliance on the Autarch's Cadence.
Money remains a powerful force in the human sphere,
and the access to technology enjoyed by the rich
far outshines the poor.

Fuel sources for devices that require them take

many forms: liquid fuels, fuel cells, electricity,
nuclear power... all are possible and all can be
found somewhere within the Chorus. Everything from
weapons and armour to buildings, vehicles and fur-

183
 niture can be found among the million worlds.

ROBOTS

The robots of the Chorus come in all shapes and

sizes, adapted to the particular purpose for which
they were built. Unlike many of the other tech-
nologies of the Chorus, robots are often carefully
designed for specific purposes, so for example
many of the robots found in combat orientated
roles differ greatly from those built for service.
Body shapes vary widely, including very humanoid
designs, through to more outlandish, non-bipedal
forms. However, the majority of robots have a dis-
tinctly humanoid form, as people feel more at ease
interacting with a form similar to humans. Most of
these robots are human-sized, and the majority are
bipedal with four limbs. However, they can sport
a wide range of other adaptations such as wings
or inbuilt equipment, and can vary drastically in
size. The only thing that can be said with cer-
tainty is that all robots are capable of some fine
manipulation, either through the use of mechanical
digits or through rope-like tentacles. All have
some sort of optical system as well as audio and
tactile sensors, and all can talk. In this re-
gard the sensory inputs available to robots are
very similar to those of humans. Most robots are
semi-intelligent, running near-AIs that can mimic
natural behaviour, but they lack the intuitive
thinking of real intelligence.

Weapons and armour used by robots are similar to

those discussed below, except that armour is usu-
ally a composite ceramic material is built into

184
185
 the outer casing rather than being a separate
component.

WEAPONS

They say there are more weapon designs in the Chorus

than there are worlds, so unsurprisingly Chorus
weapons cover the gamut from hi-technology weapons
like pulse guns, nano-wreckers and strip-rifles
to conventional slug throwers and autoguns. The
Hegemony in particular makes use of a huge array
of technologies when constructing weapons, so a
startling and seemingly disparate selection of
weapons can be found scattered about the more vio-
lent worlds, all produced in the typically sleek,
efficient way that characterises Chorus technol-
ogy. Hand-to-hand weaponry tends to be of archaic
design, such as swords, axes and clubs, although
often with a noticeable technological enhancement,
such as the 'sing-sword', a bladed weapon that
vibrates rapidly with acoustic energy sufficient
to liquefy flesh.

Ranged weapons take all manner of forms. Slug

projectors that fire solid metal, plastic or ce-
ramic rounds are common, being reliable, easy to
manufacture and cheap - these are common on poorer
worlds. More standard on richer worlds, lasers
benefit from unlimited range (within reason) and
near-silent operation (the cooling systems do
make some noise). The Hegemony in particular make
great use of pulse guns; they operate by firing
super-heated copper atom plasmas at the target,
causing a great deal of damage, but at some cost
to the range. Higher technology weapons such as the

186
187
 man-portable mass drivers and the plasma discharge
guns are available, but they are expensive and
difficult to use. Launched weapons such as grenade
launchers and mortars are found among militaries
and well-armed criminals on some worlds. But it is
not uncommon for every armed criminal you meet to
be carrying a different gun made on a different
world, all proliferated by the Merchant Combine.

On the more civilised planets, inhabitants are

generally either lightly armed or unarmed, with
weapons only being readily available on the black
market. In other less salubrious worlds, many car-
ry weapons for protection, usually well-concealed
snub pistols and small blades.

ARMOUR

Chrous armour tends to be constructed from ceramic

composites, the heavy metal armours of the past no
longer competing due to their bulkiness. Linked and
articulated panels of ceramic merged to skin-tight,
body-hugging suits are common; discs of reactive
gel sit behind these panels and remain soft during
normal use, but harden on impact. The most advanced
armour is based on powered suits, as worn by the
Nova Guard, with fluid hydraulics and electrical
circuits providing support for massive limbs and
thick armour plates. Menacing to behold, power ar-
mour is indeed a fearsome sight. Shield generators
create mini hard fields, to protect their user.
They are effective but reasonably bulky, and are a
sure sign that the bearer is looking to cause or
escape from trouble, and is probably best avoided!

188
Environmental suits are of a similar design to
armour. Backpacks provide environmental require-
ments, and the body is kept under pressure through
the use of a gel that floods the inside of the
suit.

COMMUNICATION

In the Chorus, communication on-planet is through

diffusive computing nets via orbital satellites.
Every citizen is fitted with an internal augmenta-
tion at birth that allows direct access to com-net,
a diffusive computing network. Citizens are able
to contact one another non-verbally, assuming that
they have permission from the other party. Some ru-
dimentary computing is also possible through these
nets, although this is only basic querying rather
than any form of programming. Access to various
com-nets is very dependent on the location. On
remote locations and in space, such networks don't
exist.

Intersetllar communication is through the warp,

with the Warp Consortium controling access. Mes-
sages between worlds can travel considerably faster
than ships, and on average between two worlds four
light years apart the most rapid communications
communications take around twelve hours. Although
this means comminication between worlds is rapid,
in the grand scheme of the Chorus of million worlds
it can take a long time for even a vital message to
travel from one edge of known space to the other.
The Warp Consortium gives access to warp communi-
cations on the basis of prestige and expediture.
For those without the money or political clout,

189
 messages to other worlds can take a lot longer
than three hours per light year, as such messages
usually rely on ships for physical transport.

COMPUTING

Chorus computers are incredibly powerful, complex

devices with a high degree of intelligence that are
ubiquitous across the many worlds. Many of these
machines have semi-intelligence and some awareness
of themselves; one of the achievements of humanity
was the development of artificial near-intelli-
gence. The main difference between semi-AI and true
artificial intelligence is free will. Many robots
and related computer systems on the Chorus worlds
are subservient and limited in function, unable to
act outside of their purpose and function.

Programming of Chorus computers is performed ver-

bally through a complex language specially designed
for the purpose. Even modest computers understand
basic speech, but programming requires a special-
ist vocabulary where the programmer explains his
desires to the computer, interpretation being
aided by the machine's intellect. More powerful
computers interact with users through an avatar,
typically a holographic representation.

VEHICLES AND SPACECRAFT

Ground, water and air vehicles are employed ex-

tensively in the Chorus. Most show the same sleek
efficiency of design that characterises Warp
Consortium technology. For ground-based vehicles,

190
191
 wheeled, tracked and walker designs are common,
depending on the terrain of the environment in
which they are to be deployed. Liquid-based ves-
sels range from boats to submarines to suit var-
ying aquatic environments. Most air vehicles are
based on highly efficient planes or rotor-equipped
craft. Most vehicles are fairly small, with room
for a couple of occupants, although much larger
specialist designs can be found, for example in the
Hegemony. Fusion engines usually provide power,
although some other designs based on solar and
chemical power may be found. Most of these devices
are manually piloted; only the larger space ships
have powerful computer intelligences interacting
with users through holographic avatars.

The spacecraft that ply the lanes between the worlds

of the Human Sphere sport warp drives that drag
the ship into warp space. During transport, most
passengers either enjoy the pleasures available or
on smaller ships remain in coldsleep - a state of
suspended animation. The duration of journeys in
system can vary wildly due to the relative posi-
tions of leaving points and destinations and the
vagaries of the warp - a few days to a few weeks
are typical. Small personal craft are abundant,
with room for less than ten crew and cargo space
to make a little money trading. The larger vessels
typically belong to the Hegemony, with truely
enormous vessels belonging to the Warp Consortium
and the Merchant Combine.

192
The warp
The vessels that allow passage through the warp be-
tween solar systems are common in the Chorus. These
ships are capable of travel in normal space using
fusion drives, but are also capable of dropping
into the rifts or portals that lead into the warp,
using devices constructed by the Warp Consortium
to open the way. Once within the warp and protected
by a sheath of hard fields, vessels can travel
light years in a matter of days or at the most
weeks, with the duration seemingly random and only
loosely related to the distance travelled. Space-
craft range in size from small individual vessels
to larger commercial ventures. Some of the largest
ships of the Merchant Combine ply between the same
worlds and accept smaller vessels into their bows,
allowing ships not equipped with the requisite
drives to travel the warp while their crew either
relax in comfort or squeeze into uncomfortable
quarters, depending on how much they are willing
to pay to the masters of such vessels.

The warp is a dangerous place, a twisted reality

beyond our understanding. The warp touched of the
Warp Consortium show what can happn to a mind
exposed to warp energies, and the warp denizens
that sometimes manifest in the real are extremely
deadly. Most people fear the warp and distrust
those that deal with it, while at the same time
relying on warp travel for their livelihood. Such
is the complexity of the Chorus.

193
 Worlds of the Chorus
The Chorus is said to contain a million worlds.
Earth is now a shattered ruin, a result of the
Xenri incident, but that is of little concern
except to the historians and scientists of the
Warp Consortium. Instead, humanity has spread far
and wide across a startling array of worlds. In
the Chrous, gas giants are numerous, and these
provide fuels to many civilisations. Rocky worlds
of all sizes pepper the systems within the galaxy,
often sporting all manner of moons. Asteroid belts
provide the raw materials for construction, their
hollowed out remains making excellent orbital

194
worlds known as eggs. Some alien structures also
exist within the Chorus, evidence that humanity
is not the first race to hold sway here. At least
three other empires have left structural remains
in the Chorus, all millions of years old.

In terms of function, the Chorus is composed of a

range of different kinds of world. At the core lie
the machine worlds. These are the richest, most
adapted and most populous of the Chorus worlds.
Dominated by vast continent-spanning cities, the
machine worlds are the powerhouses of the Merchant
Combine's manufacturing and trade. These worlds
are the pinnacle of Chorus achievement. The Jewel,
the centre of human culture, is the richest and
most developed machine world, although outside of
the Merchant Combine's juristriction.

Given over entirely to recreation and excess, the

pleasure planets are the destinations of choice
among those who can afford it. These worlds cover
the gamut of tastes and requirements, from fami-
ly-orientated worlds of harmless fun and adventure
to darker realms that sate baser desires. Some
are rich, others are seedy, but all are dedicated
to the acquisition of wealth through a seemingly
endless stream of visitors.

The military of the Hegemony is concentrated in the

war worlds. These worlds house the manufacturing
facilities capable constructing new Nova Guard
Ships in record time, and of complementing the
Hegemony military organisation with Skim craft and
other weapons of war. The Warp Consortium maintain
the best warp routes at these systems, allowing
rapid dispersal of military assets.

195
 Further out on the periphery of the Chorus lie the
separatist worlds, where political parties escape
the oversight of the Autarch and ferment rebellion
and independence. Occasionally one of these worlds
bears fruit and a crusade of ideas sweep across the
sphere bringing a new order to the human worlds.

Beyond the periphery, the warp routes of space

are less travelled and far fewer. Out here lie
other empires and other races, some lost to ancient
history, some very much alive.

196
Denizens

197
 One Million Worlds
The Million worlds of the Chorus have spawned near-
ly as many beings, and warp travel has allowed
intermingling of almost every race and culture. The
human race is dominant in the Chorus, but there are
many other beings, so many so that any space port or
space station is a kaleidoscope of humans, aliens,
robots and mixtures of all three. There follows
some examples of beings that could be encountered
in a game of Warpstar, but really the beings of the
Chorus are only limited by the players and the games
master's imagination. It is important to note that
in Warpstar, there's no mechanical difference be-
tween humans, aliens, robots or uplifted creatures,
unless you give them some abilities as detailed
later. The games master should feel free to describe
denizens however they like - such descriptions are
just flavour that help to make the Chorus seem
real. The games master should feel no compunction
to explain differences in minute detail, or to make
their denizens completely consistent - there are a
million worlds out there after all!

DEFINING DENIZENS

To define denizens for Warpstar, the games master

has a few things to consider. The process is quick
and can be done 'on the fly', so a lot of forward
planning isn't required.

198
DENIZENS AND CAREERS

Many of the denizens that player characters en-

counter will be in a career, for example the po-
lice, traders, dock-hands, medics etc., or will
be unintelligent creatures capable of acting as
such, for example a great feline behaving like a
'hunter'. To create such a denizen, especially if
no combat is expected, all that is required is to
determine the level of their relevant adventuring
and careers skills. To do so, the games master is
first advised to give the denizen a career skill
for their relevant job at the following levels.

Career skill level Description

0-3 Amateur
4-8 Professional
9-13 Expert
14+ Master

Then, the games master should pick one adventuring

skill that represents the most iconic skill of that
career, for example small arms for a soldier or
bargain for a trader. That skill should be set at
a level of the career skill +3. Four other skills
that might feature in such a career (for example
blades for the soldier) should be at the level of
the career skill -1, and all other skills at the
career skill level -3.

For example, a professional soldier might have a

'Merchant Guild soldier' career skill of 7. The
games master determines that the small arms skill
is iconic for this career, and set it at a level of

199
 10. Four other adventuring skills - dodge, brawl-
ing, blades and command - the games master decides
are important for the career and sets at level 6.
All other skills are then at level 4.

There's no need to write this down to this level

of detail, often all that's needed is the level of
the one relevant skill to the situation at hand,
which the games master can just eyeball using the
list above as guidelines.

DENIZENS AND COMBAT

If it likely that a denizen will be involved in

combat with the player characters, or the situation
deteriorates to that despite best efforts, then the
games master has a few more parameters to define.

Weapons - what weapons the being has, and at what

damage. Note that for intelligent species, this is
likely to be a standard 'weapon', but for creatures
it could also be natural weapons like claws or
teeth. For the sake of simplicity, all attacks from
a denizen do the same amount of damage.

Actions per round - the number of times the being

can act in a round (i.e. be selected by the games
master to perform an action). Most 'standard' hu-
manoid denizens (police, soldiers etc.) will act
once is a round. More than this is usually reserved
for large creatures or more powerful denizens.

Stamina - the amount of stamina the being has. In

general, 'standard' humanoids have around 15 stam-
ina. However, those more skilled and experienced,

200
or from tougher species, might have considerably
more. The games master is encouraged to use stamina
as a measure of how tough they want a denizen to
be.

Armour - any armour the being has, and the damage

deduction it grants. Intelligent creatures can wear
armour similar to that worn by characters, denoted
here as 'armour'. Creatures may have natural armour
of their own.

Notes - any other special abilities of the crea-

ture, as described later.

The games master should feel free to alter the

values for the various races as they see fit, to
keep things fresh and to keep the characters on
their toes regarding the capabilities of beings
they might encounter. Increasing stamina and weap-
on skill completely changes the capabilities of a
creature, as well as the number of actions it can
take in a round. Finally, intelligent creatures can
wear all of the armour types and use all of the
weapons described previously in this book.

201
 Denizen abilities
To add further flavour to denizens, the games mas-
ter can add some abilities, mechanical effects that
make a being different to a 'normal' human. The
following are examples of such abilities, but the
games master is encouraged to make up new ones and
even to create them on the fly as needed.

Brittle - this denizen is susceptible to impact

damage. If smashing weapons or guns attack them
successfully, the damage is rolled twice and the
higher value is applied.

Dissolve - this being is able to dissolve matter,

or exudes an acidic venom. All successful attacks
cause it to splash out the venom, and any time
it is successfully struck in melee the attacker
must test their luck. On a fail, their weapon is
destroyed.

Energy attack - the being has an energy attack that

they can use once a round that ignores armour.

Flying - using wings, engines or similar, this

denizen can fly. Treat this as normal movement, but
ignoring barriers that can be flown over at the game
master's discretion. This being cannot be engaged
in melee combat whilst flying unless it chooses to
attack, in which case it can be targeted.

Formless - The body of this denizen has no real

form, so it may slide under doors, squeeze through
narrow spaces etc. as if it were a thick, viscous
liquid.

202
Poisonous - this denizen carries a poison or can
inject a venom. If it successfully hits a target,
the victim must test their luck. If they fail, the
victim is poisoned, and loses 1d6 stamina at the
start of each of the next 1d3 rounds. Poison or
venom effects from the same source are not cumu-
lative, although of course the creature can still
inflict its normal damage when it hits.

Puppet - the being has no will of its own and must

be directed by another mind. In consequence, it
never surrenders or flees and will fight until
destroyed.

Regenerating - the being is able to recover damage.

Every round the being regains 1d6 stamina, up to a
maximum of its starting value.

Tracking - the denizen is excellent at tracking

others by scent or using another sense. Treat its
adventuring skill at three times the normal level
for tests involving tracking.

Warp denizen - this creature does not exist in the

material plane. It can only be harmed by warp-based
attacks such as glyphs, and can pass through solid
barriers such as doors and walls with ease.

Warp manifestations - the being is able to utilise

warp glyphs. The games master should feel free to
assign the creature glyphs that reflect its power.
It uses stamina to cast spells and requires a Warp
focus skill check.

203
 AMOEBIS

Actions/round 1
Weapon/skill/damage Acid/6/1d6+2
Armour None
Stamina 20
Notes formless/dissolve. On zero
stamina, splits into two
amoeba with 10 stamina
each.

Blue-black 'puddles' of sentient organic matter,

the predatory amoebis thrive on the strong emotions
felt by intelligent beings. They seek to dissolve
their prey, being satiated by the fear and death
throes of their victims. Any damage causes amoebis
to divide in half, splitting the starting stamina
between the creatures, both retaining the power to
dissolve.

ANTHROMORPHS

Actions/round 1
Weapon/skill/damage Weapons/6/-
Armour Armour
Stamina Varies, 10 to 40
Notes Variable abilities
depending on form

Description - When the Warp Consortium created a

genetic arc to ensure humanity's survival in the
event of the Xendri events, they mined old Earth
for DNA. Some of the more ambitious scientists in
the Consortium team decided to create a number of
hybrid creatures at the same time, so that Earth's

204
205
 animals could live on. Eventually, the interest
in the designs waned and they were sold to the
Hegemony and weaponised. Anthromorphs are animal/
human hybrids created for various missions. Brutes,
typically created from elephants, rhinos, bulls or
bears, are deployed for pure aggression. Stalkers
are stealth specialists and assassins and created
from such animals as cats, rats, and tigers. Tink-
erers are highly intelligent tool users and tech
specialists and created from apes, raccoons, bea-
vers etc. The genetic splicing of Human and animal
DNA tends to create more extreme personalities and
Anthromorphs are often somewhat larger than life
figures.

BORRS

Actions/round 2
Weapon/skill/damage Claw and fang/8/2d6+1
Armour 1d6 hide
Stamina 32

Description - These fearsome-looking horned

quadrupeds are surprisingly cultured and urbane.
They appear as animals, wearing no technology or
clothing, but they can speak and employ robots
to help them when required. They consider their
bestial appearance a mark of pride, a connection
to the past and their own culture. Often in the
Chorus they take roles which either suit their
fearsome appearance, such as acting as enforcers
or hunters, of conversely those that lead off from
their intelligence and culture, such as acting as
translators, diplomats and composers.

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207
 FRUITING DEAD

Actions/round 1
Weapon/skill/damage Claws/7/2d6
Armour Armour
Adventuring skills 4
Stamina 15
Notes Soporific spores

Shambling undead humanoids infested with a warp-

spawned fungal mass that seeks to pacify living
beings with the soporific spores they exude so they
can leech them of nutrients. If the fruiting dead
are struck in combat, those at close range must
test their luck or sleep until medically revived.
Leeching takes 1d6+1 rounds and the victim is left
as a desiccated husk that will prey on other beings.

HUMAN

Actions/round 1
Weapon/skill/damage Weapons/5/-
Armour Armour
Adventuring skills 5
Stamina 15

Description - a standard human, as would have be

indistinguishable from the multitudes on Earth
before that world was destroyed. This set of sta-
tistics can be used for the majority of humans in
the Chorus, even though such individuals may be
unique in appearance. Grosser changes to the human
form (extra limbs, a tail, wings etc.) can be
represented by denizen abilities as appropriate.

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HUMAN, HEAVY WORLDER

Actions/round 1
Weapon/skill/damage Weapons/6/-
Armour Armour
Adventuring skills 5
Stamina 17

Description - beings that hail from worlds with

very strong gravities are called heavy worlders.
Compared to normal members of their species, they
tend to be squad and muscular, with greater strength
but at a cost in grace and suppleness.

HUMAN, LIGHT WORLDER

Actions/round 1
Weapon/skill/damage Weapons/6/-
Armour Armour
Adventuring skills 5
Stamina 13

Description - born on worlds with low gravity,

light worlders as they are known, tend to be tall
and slender, lacking muscle mass but having in-
creased dexterity and nimbleness.

HUMAN, SPACER

Actions/round 1
Weapon/skill/damage Weapons/5/-
Armour Armour

209
210
Adventuring skills 5
Stamina 9
Notes Brittle

Description - born in zero gravity (not just on a

spacecraft, most of which have artificial gravity),
spacers are adept at managing without gravity, and
don't loose muscle mass etc. as normal humans do in
such an environment. They are however very slender
and less robust than even light worlders.

JONDO

Actions/round 1
Weapon/skill/damage Weapons/9/-
Armour Armour
Stamina 26

Description - The Jondo are large, ape-like beings

whose home world is lost to the distant past.
Intelligent, they are large and strong, but tend to
have placid natures and are prone to self-analysis
and philosophising. They are often found around
space ports and on orbitals, where their strength
is valued. They also show a remarkable aptitude for
zero gravity, which makes they useful as mechanics
and engineers.

NODES

Actions/round 2, cybernetically enhanced

Weapon/skill/damage Weapons/9/-
Armour 1d3 toughened skin
Stamina 21

211
 Description - Living cybernetic implants that in-
fect people and turn them into drone soldiers of a
collective intellect, nodes are highly dangerous
machine organisms that have spread from a location
outside of the Chorus. Individuals infected by
nodes show cybernetic growths on their bodies,
particularly on the regions holding their brains,
and attack with a single minded purpose. Their aim
is always the same - to subdue individuals and
infect them with more nodes, which they create from
captured matter. The Nova Guard have been fighting
the nodes for many years, and it is not easy to say
which side is winning.

NOVA GUARD

Actions/round 3, cybernetically enhanced

Weapon/skill/damage Weapons/10/-
Armour 2d6 powered
Stamina 22
Notes Flying (antigrav pack)

Description - Wearing powered-armour and sport-

ing powerful pulse weaponry, the Nova Guard are
feared as a military organisation while also being
revered as the last defence of the Chorus. Their
troopers are seen over most Chorus worlds, space
ports and orbital structures, and their cruisers
and needleships are a common sight on the space
lanes. The Nova Guard also act as customs and trade
enforcement for the Merchant Combine, and back up
the Warp Consortium on their missions to find warp
touched. The Autarch also employs the famous 'Pur-
ple guard' as their own military force, rumoured
to be the best soldiers in the Chorus.

212
213
 KRONUX

Actions/round 1
Weapon/skill/damage Claw and fang/8/2d6+4
Armour 1d6 tough skin
Stamina 18
Notes Dissolve, regenerating

Description - A species that was initially contacted

on Gald-Aru VIII, the kronux have become a menace
across parts of the Chorus. Seemingly intelligent
but violent and utterly devoid of recognisable
emotions, the kronux seem to be intent on spreading
themselves across a large volume of space. They do
this by converting genetic matter into new kronux
- the genetic matter in question being that of
other intelligent beings. This creates all manner
of hybrid beings that share physical traits with
the kronux and with the host species, but no matter
how 'kronux' a being may be, once it is infected
with the kronux DNA, it becomes as unthinkingly
destructive as the original species. Infection
seems to be through some viral agent that converts
non-kronux DNA, creating a hybrid that changes
slowly over time to become completely kronux. The
intelligence of the species can be seen in the
secretive and planned way in which they infect new
host planetary systems. The Hegemony is sworn to
stamp out the kronux menace.

214
215
 SKRITTERS

Actions/round 1
Weapon/skill/damage Claw and fang/5/1d6+4
Armour None
Stamina 8

Description - Originating from the dense jungles of

Arzuli, these one-metre long scaly vermin have long
reptilian tails, sharp claws and teeth strong enough
to bite through metal. Skritters are a nuisance
across the Chorus of a Million Worlds. Skritters
make nests in piles of scrap metal and cabling.
Their urine is acidic; you can tell if you have a
skritter problem from the burns marking the holds
of infested ships. Skritters are a common cause for
malfunctions as they eat their way through crucial
hardware.

TWISTS

Actions/round 1
Weapon/skill/damage Weapons/5/-
Armour Armour
Adventuring skills 5
Stamina 15
Notes Mutations

Description - The Warp Consortium tries to hide

it, but it is an open secret that travelling the
warp is not entirely safe. A very small fraction
of people who do so are changed by the experience,
mutated from their original DNA, and become what
are known as twists. It seems that those who face
the warp directly by leaving a vessel in warp space

216
217
 are most likely to mutate, but some denizens just
seem more susceptible. Warp touched are even more
likely to become twisted, failing to control the
glyphs they use. Twists are mutated versions of
their original species, and they are invariably
driven insane by the experience. They are often
shunned and feared, for although DNA manipulation
is relatively widespread, mutations caused by the
warp seem resistant to cure, and if anything can
become more severe if tampered with. As a result
twists often live on the fringes of society, as
pirates and raiders, and draw the ire of the He-
gemony. To generate a twist, roll on the lesser
and greater mutations table beginning on page 154.

VORNIN

Actions/round 2
Weapon/skill/damage Weapons/9/-
Armour 1d6 hide
Stamina 18
Notes Tracking

Description - Savage killers who make excellent

mercenaries and bounty hunters, the Vornin are
known and feared across the Chorus. Their home-
world, Excet Prime, was destroyed by a warp storm
brought about through Warp Consortium experiments,
and they have harboured a hatred of the Consortium
and by extension the rest of the authority figures
of the Chorus ever since. Tall, whip-strong and
agile, the Vornin make excellent servants if de-
struction and death are your aims.

218
219
 WARP DRAGON

Actions/round 4
Weapon/skill/damage Energy blast/16/4d6
Armour 2d6 crystalline hide
Stamina 67
Notes Warp denizen

As Warp-born creatures, Warp Dragons begin life

as egg-shaped Warp crystals, and can eventually
grow to immense size in the wilds of Warp space.
As Warp Dragons grow, so do their highly prized
crystalline 'wings', actually powerful capaci-
tors for Warp Energy which enables these beasts
to project powerful warp blasts and move through
space and air. The largest of their kind are able
to emit warp blasts capable of splitting Hegemony
battle-cruisers in half. Hunted across the galaxy,
there is also a lucrative trade in harvesting Warp
Dragon eggs, for young Warp Dragons have become
fashionable pets amongst the nobles of the Chorus.

220
221
 WARP ENTITIES

Actions/round 1
Weapon/skill/damage Ethereal claws/5/2d6
Armour None
Stamina 15
Notes Warp denizen

Description - Sometimes things from the warp mani-

fest in the real. These creatures are called warp
entities, and they can be extremely dangerous.
Often, such manifestations begin as a spectral
warp beast, a ghostly form that is visible and au-
dible, but unable to interact with the real world.
However, should such a fragment accumulate enough
psychic energy such as fear or anger, it can use
that power to manifest in the real. Typically, these
events happen when travelling through warp space.
It starts by the appearance of the warp ghost,
spreading fear and terror through telekinesis, but
feeds on that fear to eventually burst forth in a
monstrous physical manifestation. Typically, this
entity thus created appears as a pale, thin human-
oid, but with strange and distinctive features and
powers that seem to manifest randomly.

222
223
 WARP TICKS

Actions/round 1
Weapon/skill/damage Claw and fang/4/1d6
Armour 1d3 shell
Stamina 8

Description - The large insect-like creatures hov-

er at the broken edges of warp space, where they
attach themselves to passing spacecraft. They are
dangerous pests, chewing into hull structure and
cabling, and if left unhindered can easily reduce a
spacecraft to debris in a few days. Sadly, the only
way to remove them is to exit the craft and blast
them off, and they can be very nasty!

224
Games
Master

225
 Games master
As with many role-playing games, the games master
has a difficult job in Warpstar. They are responsi-
ble for setting up the game, creating the backbone
of the story that the players will be involved in,
and adjudicating all of the decisions that take
place during play. This section gives advice to
the games master about how to perform these duties
effectively and how to make Warpstar an interesting
and fun game for everyone involved. Remember, the
games master gets to have fun too!

The Rules
The rules to Warpstar are straightforward, and are
designed to allow you to create your own worlds
of adventure or to adapt modules from other games.
This book is designed to be a primer for your imag-
ination; a set of rules you can adapt to your own
games. Warpstar is designed to emulate a certain
style of British old school tabletop gaming. You
can use it to play adventures and campaigns that
fit into that kind of framework. Let us look at
some of the assumptions in the rules of Warpstar.

Combat is deadly and can have lasting implications.

Most enemies would rather escape or surrender than
fight to the death.

Warp powers are real but expertise requires spe-

cialisation.

226
Denizens and warp beings are not necessarily evil,
but may act as such.

Combat in Warpstar can be very dangerous, for char-

acters as well as those they face. No one wants to
die, and most enemies will always try to find a way
out of a fight if it looks like they are going to
lose. For the games master, this means always giv-
ing the characters and their enemies some options
to end a fight without wholesale slaughter. Most
intelligent creatures have some kind of 'rights'
- for example needlessly killing pirates is just
not acceptable behaviour in much of the Chorus.
Also, having other outcomes to combat encounters
makes the game more interesting. After all, if an
enemy surrenders, the characters may end up having
to deal with a hostage, potentially a much more
interesting story than would be created by killing
them!

The warp can be pervasive in Warpstar - any charac-

ter can get themselves some level in the Warp focus
skill which allows them to resist warp glyphs. If
they wish to manifest their own warp glyphs, they
will need to enter the Warp touched or Warp lord
careers. This is deliberate - it makes warp powers
difficult to obtain but not so much that every
character cannot learn a glyph or two if they de-
sire. It also means that Warp touched individuals
are not completely one-dimensional, and that they
do not generally grow so powerful as to over-shadow
every other character type.

227
 Warpstar is very much designed to be 'hackable'
- modify it and twist it to suit your needs. Make
new careers, new monsters and new spells, create
your own magic items to populate your own worlds.
The game system has few interconnecting parts, so
making changes without disrupting the game is easy.
Want a faster career progression? Give out more ad-
vances per session. Want the fights to be deadlier?
Reduce the stamina of starting characters. You can
change what you want, how you want. Remember the
Golden Rule - if you are having fun, you are doing
it right!

DISCUSS THE GAME FIRST

It is a good idea to discuss with the players the

type of game you all want before the start of play.
Touching on themes, play styles, and what players
are expecting from the game as part of the first
session is a really useful way of setting expecta-
tions and making sure everybody knows what they are
in for. There's nothing more disappointing for a
player than creating a character focused on inves-
tigative play only to discover that everyone else,
games master included, is playing combat-focused
game, or for the games master to create a horror
scenario that none of the players want to play. The
games master should try to ensure that during these
discussions everyone has equal say in the type of
game they want to play.

228
229
 THE SETTING OF WARPSTAR

One thing you will not find in this section is

an hugely in-depth description of the setting of
Warpstar. This is deliberate. In the first role-
playing and adventure games, there was rarely a
huge back-story to read - it was about adventure
in the here and now! It is up to the games master
and to some extent the players to decide these
things - what may be the truth of the setting
for one game will not be the case for another. In
many old-school games, the details of the setting
are not that important unless they push the story
forward. As always, the choice remains with the
games master and players to decide on the type of
game they wish to play.

WHAT DO PLAYER CHARACTERS DO?

In Warpstar, players and their characters explore

the galaxy, fight evil, solve mysteries and just
generally adventure, much as they would in many
other roleplaying games. In Warpstar the story and
adventure is what draws the players onwards. There
is a goal of sorts though - to advance and grow.
In Warpstar, this happens through the characters
sharing experiences and adventures together, and
as a result progressing in capability and stand-
ing. This is achieved by earning advances, which
the games master awards at the end of the session
to highlight the players engaging in good play,
pushing the plot forward and having fun at the
table. Players need to buy in to this style of play
when you bring Warpstar to the table.

230
WHAT DOES THE GAMES MASTER DO?

The games master has three really important jobs

in Warpstar. Firstly, they are responsible for
adjudicating the rules and describing them to the
players, so they need to have a firm understanding
of the mechanics of the game. Secondly, they are
responsible for creating the worlds, technology and
ultimately the stories that the players take part
in, and populating them with interesting locations
and characters. Finally, they create, describe and
control the scenes that make up each scenario.
These are tough jobs, so let us look at them in
more detail, starting with some particulars of
adjudicating aspects of play.

231
 Money and Equipment
In the Chorus getting hold of most common items is
trivial. Banking is interstellar, and characters
have careers and therefore some form of wealth
they can draw on. Anything relatively mundane can
be acquired in short order, so keeping track of
that kind of stuff isn't really very interesting,
nor is monitoring closely a player character's
bank account. Instead, we take a loose approach
to money and equipment. So assuming the characters
decide that they need something, a games master has
several methods to deal with this, as described
below. Firstly, consider how the kit fits into the
story...

LET THEM HAVE IT

If the players want their characters to acquire

something simple and common in the environment
they are in (for example, a tent for outdoor living
on a civilised world), the games master should just
let them have it. There's no need to roll any dice
or subtract coin from back accounts, just assume
that someone pays for the item. To put it another
way, if not acquiring it doesn't make sense or is
not very interesting, then let them get it.

MAKE THEM WORK

If the item is rarer, the games master should make

them work for it. This should not be about spending
more money, as ultimately that is not very interest-
ing. Instead, make it about a non-player character

232
and about the story. For example, the characters
want a sniper rifle to hunt the Oliprodont that has
claimed territory around their crashed ship. That
is not something readily available. Rather than
just charging them more for a rare item, or making
them spend an age looking through markets, make
it part of the story. 'Sure, old Follix can sort
you one of those, he'll want a favour in return
though...' Hey presto, an adventure!

TEST LUCK

Sometimes player character finds themselves without

a piece of kit that they need which is commonplace
(we need climbing rope? Dammit!). As games master,
there are two choices here - either give it to
them (you knew you were going to be climbing, so
of course you brought rope), or ask them to test
their Luck. If they succeed they remembered it, if
not, bad luck!

DEBTS

Some of the player characters might have debts.

The games master should avoid making them the kind
of sum that you could just 'save up' for. In game
terms, having a debt is not about the money, it is
about owing someone. The games master should make
the debt is so big that a player character will
need to do something special to clear it, 'You owe
me big time Killian, but if you do this little
thing for me, I'll consider us square...'

233
 Technology
In any role-playing game set in the future, tech-
nology plays a vital role. In many ways it is the
description of exotic and powerful technologies
that defines science fiction and introduces the
sense of wonder on which so much enjoyment of the
genre depends. Accordingly, technology is a very
important concept. Generally speaking, the games
master is responsible for the game mechanics of any
technology that characters might bring to bear. The
following sections describe how technology could
be approached in Warpstar.

THEMES

Warpstar is not a 'hard science fiction' game.

There are a million worlds in the Chorus, and
each has its own technology. Things that were once
considered impossible - warp travel, anti-gravity
- are commonplace in the Chorus. Travel between the
worlds is also straightforward, and the Merchant
Combine exists to ship goods between worlds. These
factors strongly influence how the games master
should portray technology. There are no set lists
of technological devices; instead, the Games master
can create anything that is required during a game
'off the cuff'. This may seem scary, but what is
most important to remember is that the rules engine
is simple and robust; just assign a few key statis-
tics to the technology if it needs it (damage for a
weapon; manoeuvrability for a vehicle) and you are
good to go. For many items of technology, a quick
description of function is all that is required.
In play, the characters and their interactions

234
drive the story, not the technology. The games
master should see technology as a scene-setting
device, nothing more, and should not feel afraid
of modifying or changing these props as the game
progresses. After all, who knows which equipment
might be available from than alien merchant from
Melora VI? The games master should not waste time
giving needless detail about devices that have no
real part to play in the story. Technology in the
game should be fun and exciting; to keep it that
way, the games master should focus on what's really
important about a piece of equipment or device.

FLAVOUR

A lot of technology in play is essentially a prop

to help add flavour to the game. For instance, many
of the space ships that skirt around the worlds can
be 'flown' by their on-board computer. Using such
devices does not require a roll of dice unless in
the middle of an action scene, and the mechanics
of game play are not changed in any way. Technology
of this kind is a story prop, an element of the
adventure rather than something that alters the
mechanics of the game. For many pieces of technol-
ogy, there will always be an element of descriptive
story that has no real affect on the mechanics. For
example, the mechanical values assigned to differ-
ent types of gun could be very similar, but the
story effects could be very different. One might
be a slug thrower spitting out highly energetic
metallic spheres, and the other a xenon laser that
can sear flesh and bone. They both have the same
game affect when they hit a target, but how they
are described is very different.

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236
MYSTERY

The Chorus is larger than anyone can imagine, full

of wonder and mystery, and the games master should
try to keep it that way. Do not allow players to
become too comfortable and complacent with what
they see in the Chorus; strive to keep them off
balance. This doesn't mean that every single device
encountered should be unique, but players should
never think that just because something worked in a
particular way during one story it will definitely
work the same way when they encounter something
similar elsewhere. With the entire knowledge of
the Warp Consortium at the games master's dispos-
al, there should be plenty of opportunity to keep
things fresh.

MAKE IT UP!

Technology doesn't have to be very detailed, and

the games master is encouraged to just make it
up as they go along. Be detailed in your naming,
but light in your mechanical implementation. For
example, a thug might be armed with a club, but it
sounds much more interesting to call it a electro
magnetic stun-baton or a vibromace than just a
club. Mechanically, it makes no difference at all,
but it adds a level of detail that helps to create
a sense of the Chorus being a real place. Even more
so, add the name of a manufacturer or homeworld to
add a greater feeling of place, e.g a Wardine In-
dustries electro magnetic stun-baton or a Cestler
vibromace.

237
 This is especially important for spacecraft. Give
your enemies interesting craft and don't feel
obliged to add too much detail - the player char-
acters will soon recognise that the Barness Light
Stabship they just saw belongs to their sworn enemy
Haplen Grift. No need to go overboard describing
the ship!

DON'T SWEAT IT!

There's no need to re-use the details of technology

that you create - with a million worlds and free
trade, technology has spread and is so rich in
diversity that player characters might never seen
the same thing twice. It can help to define (in
name at least) 'common' items, for example the
many mono-bikes that are common everywhere, or the
feared Nova Guard Pulse guns, but if you forget
a detail it doesn't matter. The galaxy is a big
place - just roll with it!

238
scenarios
At its simplest, a scenario is a story arc or plot
line that describes a series of events that will
take place within the setting of the game. The
player characters then take part in this plot and
interact with the various elements of the story.
The difference between a scenario and the script
of a film or play is that nothing is set in stone
- the players get to decide how their characters
act during the story. The games master assesses and
reacts to the players' actions and describes the
events that unfurl as a result; the players react
to each new revelation and in doing so directs the
path of the story. It is this that makes role-play-
ing games so interesting - those playing get to
create a story collaboratively that involves all
the characters, themes and ideas they find most
interesting in the setting. Unfortunately, this
places a great responsibility on the games master.
They must create the basis of the story - the
scenario - and then they must react to the actions
of the players and alter the flow of the story
accordingly to create a smooth game.

SCENARIO FORMS

Once players and the games master have discussed

the game, the games master can begin to create a
scenario that features some of the concepts the
players touched on. Scenario construction is key to
playing roleplaying games and is worth considering
in more detail.

Some games masters like to script their scenarios,

239
 going into details regarding the scenes that take
place and writing out the major events, locations
and characters involved. Purchased adventures fall
into this category. This can be very useful, as
going into detail gives the games master a sense
of comfort that they've covered every eventuality.
However, there are a few things to be aware of with
this approach. Writing detailed scenarios is ex-
tremely time consuming and players will more than
likely deviate from well-constructed plot lines,
which often means that no matter how much time the
games master has spent crafting their scenario,
the story might end up somewhere else completely.
Also, it can be difficult not to railroad players
when using scripted scenarios, restricting their
choices and giving the game a forced feel.

The alternative is the free-form approach, which

you might also call winging it! Here the games
master starts with a rough idea of the plot and
the direction of the story and perhaps some of the
characters and locations involved, but then makes
up the rest on the fly as the game progresses.
This technique has the advantage of allowing the
games master to react to the ideas and plans of
the players, but does put a lot of emphasis on the
skills and ideas of the games master. It can also
cause problems if it becomes apparent that the
games master is acting off the cuff, as players can
lose focus on the game world and the story if they
think the games master is 'making it up'.

Ideally, a combination of these approaches to sce-

nario construction is best, combining the detail
and forethought of a planned scenario with the
flexibility and reactive nature of a free-form

240
game. The games masters should consider these ap-
proaches before play to see which better fits their
style.

The most important aspect of being the games master

is this - have fun. If you're not having fun,
you are playing your game wrong. Discuss with the
players, reset expectations and go again. Don't
give up! You'll get there in the end.

Now, off to adventure!

241
NAME:______________
COMMUNITY:_________ BACKGROUND:_______
CAREER:____________ __________________
PAST CAREERS:______ __________________
__________________ __________________

STAMINA:________ LUCK:_____________

Career advances mark:

Lower max. level Higher max. level

ADVENTURING SKILLS
LEVEL LEVEL
Animal handler_______ Lie__________________
Appraise_____________ Medicine_____________
Astronav_____________ Navigation___________
Athletics____________ Persuasion___________
Bargain______________ Pilot________________
Blades_______________ Repair_______________
Blunt________________ Ship gunner__________
Brawling_____________ Small arms___________
Command______________ Sleight of hand______
Diplomacy____________ Spot_________________
Disguise_____________ Stealth______________
Dodge________________ Streetwise___________
Endurance____________ Survival_____________
History______________ Thrown_______________
Intimidate___________ Warp focus___________
Language_____________ Zero G_______________

CAREER SKILLS: WEAPONS:__________

______________________ ___________________
______________________ ___________________
______________________ ___________________
___________________
POSSESSIONS:____
_____________________ TALENTS:____________
_____________________ ___________________
_____________________ ___________________
___________________