riftsaga rpg- core document pt 2 (incomplete)

8/8/2019 Riftsaga RPG- Core Document Pt 2 (Incomplete)

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Riftsaga RPGA pulp fiction fantasy game set in the Jazz Age of another world

Core Rule Document, part 2

Table of Contents

I. TalentsII. Gear

III. Combat

IV. Experience Points

V. The World of Riftsaga

VI. Appendix and References

I. Talents

Whether one realizes it or not, some can be said to possess inborn talents, or otherwisedevelop them over time. This chapter deals with the necessary talents of a player

character and even an NPC.

Talents, like ones Vitals, are categorized. The four categories are as follows: Biological

Talents, Mental Talents, Skill Talents, and Miscellaneous Talents. Below will be

information on each predefined Talent. In parenthesis, next to the name of each Talent,

will be the Vital that it uses.

As mentioned earlier, when rolling for successes with each Talent, one rolls dice equal to

both the number of ranks in a talent as well as the mentioned Vital associated with it; ifmore than one Vital is mentioned, one rolls a number of dice equal to the ranks of

whichever Vital has more ranks (i.e. if one was using Athleticism and had 3 ranks in

Endurance, that person would use Endurance if, for instance, the person also had only 2ranks in Might).

CLs not provided usually mean the action cannot be done by a normal humanoid. Any

abilities that require tools will have mention of the tools needed to do so.-------

-BIOLOGICAL TALENTS-

Athleticism (Might or Endurance)

Athleticism allows one to perform feats of physical strength or endurance. Examples of

uses include lifting objects, breaking down doors, climbing, and swimming. Below areexamples of Challenge Levels for various challenges involving each mentioned uses of

Athleticism.

*Lifting CLs*

Lifting an object of up to 50 pounds: 1

Lifting an object between 51 and 100 pounds: 2

Lifting an object between 101 and 150 lbs: 3



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*Breaking down Doors CLs*

Breaking a rotted wooden door: 1

Breaking a weak wooden door: 2

Breaking a quality wooden door: 3 Breaking a reinforced wooden door: 5 (or 4 with a sledgehammer)

Breaking a thin steel door: 6 with a sledgehammer

Breaking a thick steel door: 8 with a sledgehammer

*Climbing CLs*

Climbing up a slope that cannot be walked up, or climbing using a knotted ropeagainst a wall: 1

Climbing up a rope against a wall, a knotted rope, a surface with ledges or

notches for holding onto to standing on; climbing using pitons or up a chain linkfence: 2

Climbing up a rope; pulling oneself up from a ledge: 3

Climbing up an uneven surface with narrow hand-or-footholds: 4

Climbing up a rough surface, such as a brick wall: 5

Climbing across an overhang or ceiling with just handholds: 6

(Note 1: being able to brace oneself against two opposite walls reduces the CL by 2 levelsto a minimum of 1)

(Note 2: climbing a corner where you can brace between two perpendicular walls reduces

the CL by 1 level to a minimum of 1 CL)(Note 3: if the surface is slippery, the CL is increased by 1 level)

(Note 4: flat, vertical surfaces cannot be climbed)

*Swimming CLs*

Swimming in calm waters: 2

Swimming in rough waters: 3

Swimming in stormy water: 4(Note: a GM may or may not tack on extra CL based on how much is weighing a

swimming character down while they are swimming)

Unarmed (Might)

Allows one to fight without the use of weapons or while using weapons such as Brass

Knuckles. Any attacks made using Unarmed are defended against by the targets

Toughness.

Melee (Might)

Allows one to fight with the use of hand-to-hand, non-projectile weapons such asknives, baseball bats or even swords. Any attacks made using Melee are defended

against by the targets Reflexes.

Acrobatics (Endurance)


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Allows one to perform daredevil feats of skill, coordination and agility, not unlike

that of an acrobat. Examples of use include balancing, jumping across distances, or

jumping up vertically. Below are examples of Challenge Levels for each of thementioned uses of Acrobatics.

*Balancing While Moving Across a Surface CLs* Across a distance greater than three feet wide: No challenge

Across a distance 1-3 feet wide: 1

Across a distance 7-11 inches wide: 2

Across a distance 2-6 inches wide: 3

Across a distance less than two inches wide: 4

(Note 1: Moving across a slippery surface, across unsteady surfaces, acrossobscured surfaces such as ones covered in gravel or stones, or up a slope adds a 1

to the CL; both are counted as separate CL increases)

(Note 2: Moving across a very unsteady surface, such as a surface caught in anearthquake, adds a 2 to the CL)

*Jumping Across a Distance CLs*

Across less than five feet: No challenge

Across five to nine feet: 1

Across ten to fourteen feet: 2

Across fifteen to nineteen feet: 3

Across twenty to twenty-four feet: 4

(Note: Across distances longer than twenty-four feet, add a CL of one to the

preexisting CL of 4 for every five feet past 20 feet)

*Vertical Jumping CLs*

Jumping up one foot in height: 2

Jumping up two feet in height: 3

Jumping up three feet in height: 4

Jumping up four feet in height: 5

Toughness (Endurance)

Allows one to try and nullify the effect of an attack that goes against ones physical

strength, such as an unarmed strike or the use of a PsionsPerturbo-agonpower. If moresuccesses are attained in an opposed roll against such attacks, the effect of the attack is

either nullified or only has a partial effect, depending on the attack used.

-MENTAL TALENTS-

Notice (Wits)

Allows one to notice objects that are hiding or are otherwise not in plain sight, as well as

detect things that are faintly perceivable using the five senses. Examples of use include

opposition to an opponents Stealth roll in order to locate hiding creatures, or to


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otherwise detect things that are not easily detected. Below will be example CLs of using

the latter function of this talent.

*Detection CLs*

Smelling smoke, hearing conversation details, or notice a visible being: No

challenge Hear a creature approaching: 1

Eavesdrop on whispered conversation, or find a fairly concealed door: 2

Hear the sound of a key being turned in a lock, or finding an average concealeddoor: 3

Hear a weapon being drawn: 4

Realize someone is pick-pocketing you while they are doing so: Opposed byThievery

Detect a hiding creature: Opposed by Stealth

Find a hidden trap: Determined by the type of trap(Note 1: For using Notice at more than 10 feet away, add on a 1 to the CL of the

above CLs for every extra ten feet)(Note 2: For using Notice regarding the above occurring behind closed doors, add a 1

to the CL)(Note 3: For using Notice regarding the above occurring on the other side of a wall,

such as in another room, add a 2 to the CL for every foot of wall thickness)

(Note 4: For unfavorable conditions, such as trying to detect things through sightwhile in candlelight, add 1 or 2 to the CL depending on the severity of the

unfavorable condition)

Smooth-Talk (Wits or Charisma)

Allows one to apply diplomacy (affecting the disposition of a creature), to blatantly

lie to a target or otherwise to smooth-talk an NPC character who can understand whatis being suggested. The chance of succeeding at diplomacy or smooth-talking

depends on two factors: The attitude of the NPC toward whoever is speaking to it,

and what kind of suggestion is being made. Below are example CLs of each of the

uses of Smooth-Talk.

*Diplomacy and Smooth-Talking CLs Based on Disposition*

The creature has animosity or hostility toward the speaker: 5

The creature is unfriendly toward the speaker: 4

The creature is indifferent toward the speaker: 3

The creature is friendly toward the creature: 2

The creature wishes to be helpful to the creature: 1

*Diplomacy and Smooth-Talking CL Modifiers Based on Request*

Requesting simple advice or directions: -1 to CL

Requesting detailed advice: Does not affect CL

Requesting the disclosure of an unimportant secret, or requesting lengthy orcomplicated advice: +1 to CL


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Requesting aid that would endanger the NPC, or the disclosure of an important

secret: +2 to CL

Requesting aid that would result in the punishment of the NPC: +3 to CL

Requesting more than one thing at once: +1 per additional request

Intimidation (IQ/Charisma)Allows one to frighten a target or to manipulate their actions using verbal or physical

threats. Intimidation attempts are opposed to a targets Willpower save; upon the targets

failures, the one performing the intimidation may provide information that is requested,take an action that would not endanger it under the circumstances of the threat, or

otherwise provide reluctant aid. A success will influence an NPC for up to 10 minutes x

the number of successes. When the Intimidation duration expires, or upon failure, thetarget will become unfriendly with the intimidating character, as the disposition in

regards to the Smooth-Talk talent, and might either report you to local authorities or

attempt to seek revenge. If your character fails by 3 or more successes, a GM may chooseto instead have the NPC feign being intimidated and may use this to try and deceive or

hinder your character (obviously, if this is done, its most helpful for a GM to be rollinghis or her successes in secret).

One may also use Intimidation to frighten targets as the condition. Once more, success

or failure depends on an opposed Willpower save of whatever creatures are being

targeted by this use. One may target multiple creatures with this effect, but only if thetargeted creatures can see and hear and understand your attempt. Success will frighten

affected creatures for one round per success.

Regardless of use, failure to use Intimidation successfully grants the target a +1 per failed

attempt to its Willpower save against further Intimidation attempts from the failing

character for 12 hours, to a maximum of +3; if the targets effective Willpower againstintimidation from the character would treat the target as having a Willpower of 5 ranks,

that target cannot gain any more Willpower ranks toward the intimidator (i.e. if a

character already has a Willpower of 4 ranks normally, he or she can only gain up to a +1

against an intimidator).

Know-How (IQ)

Allows one to recall information that had been learned or is otherwise commonknowledge. Based on the number of ranks, one may have one of field of expertise per

rank of Know-How attained. Failure to meet a CL means one cannot answer a

question regarding a particular field of study correctly, and must spend some time in-

game trying to probe their mind or research for an answer before they can try again(usually one hour of mind-probing or up to one hour of research depending on the

CL). Failure by 3 or more means that the character instead

Typical examples include the following fields of expertise: Engineering (i.e. info on

buildings and structures), Geography (i.e. info on lands and climates), History,

Streetwise (i.e info on urban legends and specific people), Nature (i.e. info on floraand fauna), Politics (i.e. info on politicians and political parties), and Religion (i.e.


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info on religious stories and religious tenets). When each is chosen for each rank, the

expertise attained cannot be changed.

Below are CLs for the degrees of how commonplace or complex a presented question

is, based on the GMs discretion and the circumstances presented.

*Information Recalling CLs and Modifiers*

If the question presented is within ones chosen expertise: -1 to CL

If the question is difficult to provide an exact answer to: +1 to CL

If the question provided is a trick question: See Trick Question Modifiers

Based on IQ

An easy question: 2

A basic question: 3

A tricky question: 4

A rather hard question: 5

A question that few know an answer to: 6

*Trick Question Modifiers Based on IQ*

If the Know-How users IQ is 1 or 2: +1 to CL

If the Know-How users IQ is 3 or 4: Does not affect CL

If the Know-How users IQ is 5: -1 to CL(Note: If a character makes a successful Sense Motive check, the CL being the same

as the presented question, they will deliberately realize that they are being asked a

trick question)

Paranormal (IQ)

Allows one to possess legitimate knowledge of the supernatural. Much like Know-

How, one may possess specific fields of expertise based on the type of paranormalinformation realized. For each rank in Paranormal, a character gains a field of

expertise that, once chosen, cannot be changed out for a different field. Treat

successes and failures in Paranormal the same way as successes and failures inKnow-How.

Typical fields of expertise for Paranormal include the following: Mysteries,Psychokinesis (i.e. types of powers and how to evoke it), Truth (i.e. what is true or

false of ancient legends and popular cultures depictions of creatures), Monsters (i.e.

information on non-spirit or non-demon monsters), Spirits (i.e. information on spirit

and demon monsters), Powers (i.e. information on non-psychokinetic forces such asmiracles and necromancy), and Planes (i.e. legitimate information on afterlives and

the Rift).

CLs for questions or to realize bits of information are the same as those for

Knowledge. In addition, below are CLs when trying to use Paranormal fields of

expertise to try and analyze a beheld monster.

*Monster Analysis CLs*


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Estimate of maximum HP, or a monsters resistances and weaknesses: 1 + the

monsters rarity

Information on common abilities: 2 + the monsters rarity

Information on esoteric abilities: 3 + the monsters rarity

(Note: As with bits of information, a failure on the above checks by 3 or more

will instead provide incorrect information)

Willpower (Wits)

Allows one to try and brace ones mind, neurological anatomy, or psyche againstattacks that affect it directly, such as a PsionsPerturbo-alieno or a Seekers Aura

Wave. If more successes are attained in an opposed roll against such attacks, the

effect of the attack is either nullified or only has a partial effect, depending on theattack used.

Sense Motive (IQ/Wits)

Allows one to detect a lie being told through the use of Deception. Upon a successful

opposed roll, a character realizes that they are being lied to. Upon failure, a characterbelieves the lie.

-SKILL TALENTS-

Firearms (Agility)

Allows one to fight with ballistics-utilizing weapons such as guns or even ballistic

knives. Any attacks made using Firearms are defended against by the targets

Reflexes.

Medicine (Agility)

Allows one to treat injuries and sicknesses through non-psychokinetic means by using aMedical Kit. Example uses include providing first aid to stabilize a dying character,increasing the natural recovery rate of a character, or purging a character of poison or

paranormal disease. In order to remove a characters paranormal diseases, however, one

must be able to identify it using the Paranormal talent. Below are example CLs of eachusage of Medicine.

*Medicine CLs*

Stabilize a dying creature: 3

Increase a characters recovery rate, or heal a single damaged limb: 2

Treat poisoning: 2

Treat paranormal disease: 3(Note: Depending on the contents of the Medical Kit used, CLs might become more

difficult or impossible to meet with the remaining supplies. For more information,read up on the Medical Kit in the Gear chapter)

Deception (Charisma)

Allows one to deceive a character through the use of a lie. The chance of a successfullie depends on how believable or outrageous the bluff is, and is opposed to a targets


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Sense Motive roll. Below are the CLs and Modifiers associated with the use of

Deception.

*Lying CL Modifiers*

Telling a lie when the recipient wants to believe you (Why would I lie to you?

Youve known me for years now. My mother really does the extra silver for hermedical expenses): -1 to CL

Telling a believable lie (Of course this is my own wallet! Did you see that

bouncer? Hed rip me to shreds if tried to take his money): Does not affect CL

Telling an unlikely lie (Hey, bub, youd best lay off my friends. Whatve you

got? Those sissy brass knux? Ive got a knife in my pocket. A serrated one thatll

tear through you like tissue paper): +1 to CL

Telling a rather far-fetched lie (Why on the planet would I steal from the mayor?

Thatll get me a few years in the slammer. Youd have to be psychotic to think Id

take that risk! Ive got a family and everything!): +2 to CL

Telling an outrageous lie (Officers? I didnt assault this man. You shouldve

seen it. My long-lost twin brother did this, not me. That son of a bitch is alwaysout to frame me, that heartless fucker): +5 to CL

Telling a lie to someone who is drunk or otherwise mentally impaired (Ey, if itisnt Rum-Guzzlin Ricky! I can see youre hammered. Dont ya know

Prohibition is still around, boy? Hows this for ya if you dont fork over that

protection money, Im gonna let the cops in on your favorite speakeasy!): -1 toCL

Telling a lie while possessing something that serves as convincing evidence

(You see? My watch DID stop! Its been like this for hours now. See? Its Noon,and this blasted thing stopped a little before 10 oclock, right when you said I

needed to arrive. I apologize, though this damn book has SUCH an addicting

storyline): -1 or -2 to CL, depending on the GMs discretion given thecircumstances

(Note: Upon failure of using Deception to lie, further attempts at lying or even telling anunlikely truth to the NPC will tack on a +1 to the CL for every realized lie within a short

period of time. Depending on the circumstances, it may very well be impossible to try

and lie or tell an unlikely truth to the same NPC or others who find out about your lies

told for some time afterward)

Stealth (Agility)

Allows one to stay out of plain sight or from being sensed, either by moving silently

or by hiding. If a character is clearly observing you using any of their five senses, youcannot use Stealth. In addition, a character using Stealth can either snipe with a

ranged weapon or create a diversion to aid in their hiding. Either way, any Stealthuses are subject to an opposed Notice roll by any who might detect a character who is

trying to use Stealth.

If a character is successfully hiding using Stealth, they can snipe, which allows themto add two dice rolls to the use of a ranged weapon (usually a gun). In addition, one


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may use their Deception talent to try and create a diversion that will allow them to go

into hiding using Stealth. A successful opposed roll against the targets Sense Motive

enables a character to immediately make a Stealth check when they would normallybe in plain sight, without being detected. Failure means the character does not fall for

the bluff, being subjected to the temporary bonus against Deception uses by the

character as normal.

Driving (Agility)

Allows one to successfully drive a land or water vehicle of some sort in times where afailure to do so can endanger those within the automobile. As airplanes, at the point

of the world of Riftsaga that this game is set in, were not available to the public, one

cannot fly a plane in-game. This may or may not be subject to change in any possible

later expansions to the Riftsaga RPG, however.

Either way, success typically means one is able to avert disaster, but because a failure

typically means one cannot avoid a disaster in time, each use of Driving is a one-shot

attempt. Below are the CLs to perform various feats of manual dexterity while drivinga vehicle.

*Vehicle-Driving Maneuver CLs*

Performing easy maneuvers (i.e. a low-speed turn): 1

Performing average-difficulty maneuvers (i.e. dodging obstacles orperforming a sudden reverse): 2

Performing a difficult maneuver (i.e. tight turns): 3

Performing a challenging maneuver (i.e. a bootlegger reverse): 4

Performing a formidable maneuver (i.e. high-speed maneuvers or jumping

obstacles): 5

(Note: At a GMs discretion, he or she may specialize the use of Driving for eitheroperating land or water vehicles)

Reflexes (Agility)

Allows one to either avoid or brace against high-speed attacks, such as the bulletout of a gun or the use of a Psions Micopower. If more successes are attained in

an opposed roll against such attacks, the effect of the attack is either nullified or

only has a partial effect, depending on the attack used.

Thievery (Agility/IQ)

Allows one to perform feats that are associated with larceny, such as disarming

devices, picking open locks, or even picking a pocket. When disabling a device orpicking a lock, a failure by 3 or less means you can try again; a failure by 4 or

more, however, means something goes wrong.

Furthermore, the use of Thievery to pick a pocket is opposed to a characters

Notice check; a failure means that the target realizes that they are being stolen

from. Below are example CLs for the mentioned uses of Thievery.


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*Device Disarming CLs*

Disarming simple devices (i.e. jamming a lock): 1

Disarming average-difficulty devices (i.e. sabotaging a cars wheels): 2

Disarming a difficult device (i.e. disarming a trap): 3

Disarming a complex device (i.e. disarming a complex trap): 4

(Note: Each use requires time; simple devices take one round, averagedifficult devices require two, and difficult or complex devices take three)

*Lock-Picking CLs*

A simple lock: 2

An average-quality lock: 3

A good-quality lock: 4

A high-quality lock: 5

(Note: At the GMs discretion, trying to pick a lock without a set of Lock

Picks can add a +1 CL to simple and average locks and be impossible todo with a good or high-quality lock)

-MISCELLANEOUS TALENTS-

For the sake of any future updates to the game which may add extratalents, there are a couple of spaces open for blank talents.

II. Gear

Choosing the right gear can mean the difference between life and death in an

adventure. With any luck, this chapter will provide information on the various bitsof equipment in the world of Riftsaga as well as give a player an idea on what to

utilize.

But, how do you attain such items? The easiest way to answer this is simply, tobuy them, of course. The main currency of the world of Riftsaga consists of

silver coins and bank notes that are backed by existing silver currency. If a GM

really wished to, he or she may feel free to include exchange rates if a game takesplace in more than one country, but overall, silver is the worlds currency

regardless.

When creating a character, each calling starts with a specific amount of silver

with which to buy equipment. It should be noted however that this amount of

silver is typically NOT a literal amount (unless the character had been saving up

silver or is rich); it is more or less an abstraction, used to signify the value of thevarious items attained over time prior to the start of the game.

Below are the starting silver amounts for each class, chosen based on how muchthe typical calling values money or has need for it in terms of adventuring

supplies:

Gunner: 80 silver

Duelist and Scoundrel: 60 silver


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Seeker and Psion: 40 silver

With that out of the way, its time to introduce the various types of gear that can be

attained.

-WEAPONS-A requirement for doing combat much of the time, a weapon can be a tool of self-

defense, of heroics, of crime, or of villainy. Either way, many characters need to rely on

weapons in varying amounts, whether as their main option of self-defense or as a lastresort.

The charts for weapons are read as follows:

Name: The name of the weapon. Note that if there is a (2H) in the weaponsname, it can only be used in two hands.

Wounds: The amount of damage the weapon does by default. This amount isincreased in a successful attack by the number of successes gained by rolling it.

Body armor not only reduces the number of successes in terms of whether or notone can hit, but also reduces the damage done. For instance, one wearing Leather

Armor would reduce the amount of Slash, Pierce and Bludgeon damage taken by1 point if such attacks hit.

Note that +1 to UAS means that it adds an additional damage to a characters

preexisting Unarmed Strike damage. Furthermore, for a description on the damage ofan attack with a * within its Wounds section, read the description of the weapon

underneath the chart.

Type: The category of damage afflicted. For more information on damage

categories, consult the Combat chapter. For now, the types of damage and theirabbreviations (in parenthesis) on the weapons charts are as follows: Slash (S),

Pierce (P), Bludgeon (Bl), Ballistic (Ba), Force (Fo), and Fire (Fi). Note thatdamage abbreviations with a / between them means that it can afflict differingtypes of damage, depending on what the characters controller decides on (i.e. a

Sword can deal either Slash or Pierce damage). Furthermore, a weapon with a *

within its type means that the damage done varies depending on circumstances;for more information, view the description of such weapons.

Difficulty: When rolling for successes in an attack, the Difficulty determines what

numbers rolled are considered successes. As a general rule of thumb, moreaccurate weapons (i.e. weapons that can hit on more dice results than others)

tend to do less damage by default, whereas less accurate ones tend to deal more

harm by default. As with any other section containing *, the Difficulty varies in

such cases; for more information, read the description of such weapons. Attack Talent: Determines what talent is used to add to the number of dice rolled

when attacking; for example, a Knife uses the Melee talent, whereas Spiked

Knuckles rely on the Unarmed talent. Note that some weapons do not have aparticular talent, and may use Agility +2; this means that, in order to hit with it,

one may instead roll two dice plus dice equal to the users Agility ranks to

determine a hit. This example is mainly used with throwing weapons such asShuriken, and is opposed by a targets Reflexes. Finally, a weapon with a [T] in


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its Attack Talent section means that it can be thrown; if so, its effective range is

listed in its description and, when throwing it, a character uses the Agility +2

rules to determine how many dice are rolled to try and attain successes. If there isonly a [T], it means the weapon can only be used by throwing it.

Price: How much silver a weapon costs. Some weapons, such as Darts, can be

bought in bulk for a single silver. Note, however, than not every item can bebought. An item with a [C] before the numerical price means that it is

Constructed; it (usually) cannot be bought, and the price given is an estimate of

the cost of the materials needed to construct it. An item with an [I] before itsprice, however, means that it is Illegal; a civilian caught with it by local

authorities can be incarcerated due to it being strictly for military personnel or

licensed individuals only. Such items can, however, be attained through the blackmarket. Finally, an item with an [FL] before its price means that it requires a

Firearm License to use legally. Such items are only considered Illegal if a license

is not in ones possession when it is found by local authorities. In addition, one

cannot purchase such items outside the black market without having their license

on-person.

Below is the chart of weapons; for more information on each specific weapon, view thetext below the chart.

Name Wounds Type Difficulty Attack Talent Price (Silver)

Knife 1 S/P 3-6 Melee [T] 2

Bowie Knife 2 S/P 4-6 Melee 12

Rapier 2 P 3-6 Melee 8

Sword 3 S/P 4-6 Melee 28

Bullwhip 2 S 4-6 Melee or Agility +2 8

Brass Knuckles +1 to UAS Bl 3-6 Unarmed 6

Truncheon 1 Bl 3-6 Melee [T] 6Unarmed Strike (Normal) 1 Bl 4-6 Unarmed N/AUnarmed Strike (Seeker) 2 Bl 4-6 Unarmed N/A

Sledgehammer(2H) 3 Bl 5-6 Melee 14

Hatchet 2 S 4-6 Melee [T] 5

Wood-Chopping Axe (2H) 3 S 5-6 Melee 14

Spiked Knuckles +1 to UAS P 3-6 Unarmed 7

Chain Whip 2 Bl 4-6 Melee or Agility +2 10

Chain Link 1 Bl 4-6 Melee or Agility +2 4

Shuriken 1 S/P 4-6 [T] 3 for 1

Dart 1 P 3-6 [T] 3 for 1

Zip Gun (2H) 1 Ba 4-6 Firearms [C] 5Pistol 2 Ba 4-6 Firearms [FL] 30

Hunting Rifle (2H) 3 Ba 4-6 Firearms [FL] 60

Assault Rifle (2H) 4 Ba 4-6 Firearms [I] 80

Shotgun (2H) * Ba * Firearms [FL] 50

Fragmentation Grenade * * 4-6 [T] [I] 22

Dynamite 6 Fo 4-6 [T] [I] 18

Trench Knife * P/Bl 3-6 Melee or Unarmed [I] 8


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Ballistic Knife 1 S/P/Ba 3-6 Melee or Firearms [T] [I] 10

Molotov Cocktail * Fi 4-6 [T] [C] [I] 4

Quarterstaff(2H) 2 B 4-6 Melee 5

Bastian Claw Cestus 1 S 3-6 Unarmed 8

Cudgel 2 B 4-6 Melee 10

Weapon Descriptions

Knife: From a piece of cutlery to a blade made for combat (i.e. a switchblade or a

combat knife), a knife in-game has a blade anywhere from 1 to 8 inches in length.A knife can be thrown; its effective range is up to 15 feet from the thrower.

Bowie Knife: Referring to any knife-like weapon with a thick blade, a bowie

knife is a stout weapon for close-ranged combat. Examples include a bowie knife

itself, a short sword, a butterfly sword, a meat cleaver, a machete, and other suchweapons.

Rapier: A type of sword with a thin blade that is used for thrusting attacks. A

lightweight weapon, rapiers are best used with finesse. Examples include foils andepees.

Sword: A weapon with a long blade from 18 to 30 inches, the sword was once a

widely-used weapon that had served its last battlefield days in the last war prior tothe timeframe of Riftsaga, where it was rarely used in place of a combat knife for

trench warfare. Examples include bastard swords, cavalry sabers, basket-hilt

broadswords, katana, scimitars, and other such weapons.

Bullwhip: Constructed from leather strips woven together, a bullwhip is a rather

unconventional but useful weapon. The damage dealt is due to a length of thick

thread, known as the popper, traveling fast enough to break the sound barrier.

Brass Knuckles: Also known as knuckle dusters, punch rings, or other suchnames, brass knuckles are a type of weapon worn over ones fingers like rings to

amplify the damage caused with a punch by focusing the PSI (Pounds per Square

Inch) of the punch into a smaller space. A similar weapon known as weightedknuckle gloves pack powdered lead or other such materials into the knuckles of a

durable glove to distribute the PSI of the punch to help deliver knockout strikes.

(Note: This weapons bonus to Unarmed Strike damage turns the Unarmed Strikeinto lethal damage, meaning it can make a character start dying if dropped to

zero or negative HP. In addition, the aforementioned effect and bonus to Unarmed

Strike damage only applies if an attack is made using the hands)

Truncheon: A term used for a simple, small bludgeoning weapon. A typical

truncheon is often used by policemen to subdue violent criminals without relying

on the lethality of guns. Examples include night sticks, kali sticks, pieces of pipe,and other small bludgeoning weapons. A truncheon can be thrown; its effective

range is up to 15 feet from its thrower.

Unarmed Strike (Normal): An attack made without weapons, performed by a non-

Seeker character. Examples include conventional strikes like a punch or kick, ormore exotic attacks like an elbow, knee, or even a headbutt. Unarmed strikes from

non-Seekers, if they deliver a blow that would reduce a character to zero or less


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HP, cannot cause a character to start dying unless the are used on a character

who is already at -1 to -9 HP.

Unarmed Strike (Seeker): A Seeker (or an experience martial artist) is capable of

knowing where and how to strike to deal the most harm. As such, not only does a

Seeker deal more damage with an unarmed strike, it can also, upon the Seekers

choice, cause a character to start dying if it knocks a character to zero or negativeHP (Note: It is possible for non-Seekers to have treat their Unarmed Strikes as

that of a Seekers; for more information, see the Experience Points chapter).

Sledgehammer: A two-handed tool mainly used for breaking rocks and stoneapart, when used as a weapon it can be very devastating at the cost of having a

slow recovery time (i.e. being able to get it ready for another strike) after

swinging it. Examples include sledgehammers themselves, a similar weapon

known as a maul, Lucerne hammers, and other such weapons.

Hatchet: A small axe typically used for chopping wood, it can also be used as a

weapon when need be. Examples include hatchets themselves, tomahawks, handaxes (axes with hammer heads at the back of the axe head), and other such

weapons. A hatchet can be thrown; its effective range is up to 15 feet from thethrower.

Wood-Chopping Axe: A two-handed axe used for hewing and chopping wood, it,like a hatchet, can be a destructive weapon if need be. Like a sledgehammer, most

axes are more top-heavy than axes made in ancient times for combat, and thus

make for very slow weapons. Examples include wood-chopping axes themselves,great axes, tabar zins, bardiches, or other such weapons.

Spiked Knuckles: A vicious variant of brass knuckles, spiked jut from the

knuckles of these weapons (Note: This weapons bonus to Unarmed Strikedamage turns the Unarmed Strike into lethal damage, meaning it can make a

character start dying if dropped to zero or negative HP. In addition, the

aforementioned effect and bonus to Unarmed Strike damage only applies if anattack is made using the hands).

Chain Whip: A very difficult martial arts weapon to master, a chain whip consists

of seven or nine steel rods linked together, often with a steel dart chained to the

last rod in the length. The reason it is difficult to master is because the whip isconnected with loose joints (the two rings forming a chain between each rod),

whereas a bullwhips length is all one continuous piece.

Chain Link: Typically used by thugs (or poor adventurers), this length of chainhas thick enough links that, if swung at a person, the blunt trauma will deal

potentially lethal damage.

Shuriken: A famous ninja weapon, shuriken are small, flat pieces of sharpened

metal that are hurled at a target from a distance. Depending on how one throws it,they can either be used to stick into a foe or merely cut them as one flies.

Shuriken are typically shaped like four-pointed stars, but variants with different

shapes and different numbers of points do exist.

Dart: A primitive but effective enough weapon, a throwing dart does not deal

much damage by itself (unless it hits one in the throat or face), but many are oftenpoisoned. Examples include darts used for dartboards, lawn darts, sharpened

metallic needles, bo shuriken, and other such weapons.


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Zip Gun: A slang term for an improvised gun or a homemade gun, a zip gun is

typically used for self-defense or for crime where gun control is strict. Oftentimes, however, possession of a zip gun is illegal in its own right. Typical zip

guns are usually two-handed and resemble rifles, but single-handed variants do

exist. Most zip guns can only fire one shot before it needs to be reloaded.

Pistol: A single-handed gun, pistols are commonly used as side-arms but also are

used as main weapons for police officers, security guards, criminals, or people

trying to protect themselves in dangerous urban settings. Examples include

handguns and revolvers, amongst other weapons. Most pistols can hold anywherefrom 6 to 12 shots in a magazine or chamber (Note: If desired, one may use two

variants of a Pistol: a handgun and a revolver. For a handgun, use the listed

statistics. For a revolver, treat it as a handgun that applies one more die for attack

rolls and damage, but instead has a Difficulty of 5-6; this is due to the kickback ofthe revolver which can make it harder to aim correctly). One may use a pistol as

an up-close-and-personal weapon by holding the barrel of the pistol and striking

with the butt of the handle. Such an attack is known as a pistol whip; treat such

usage as an attack with a Truncheon. A pistol possesses an effective range of upto 160 feet.

Hunting Rifle: A gun used typically for the sport of hunting, it is a high-powerfirearm that typically is used by those defending their homes from burglars when

not used for hunting game. A hunting rifle can hold 5 shots at once; most rifles

used by soldiers typically hold anywhere from 20 to 30 rounds at once. One mayused a rifle as an up-close-and-personal weapon by holding the barrel and using

the stock as a club. Such an attack is known as a gunstock strike; treat such

usage as an attack with a Cudgel. Unlike pistols, the effective range on a huntingrifle depends on the users Firearms talent. At a rank of 1, the effective range is

300 yards. At 2, it is 400. At 3, it is 500. At 4, it is 600. And, at 5, when ones

skill with the rifle is at its best, one can fire up to 700 yards away accurately. Assault Rifle: A semi-automatic to automatic rifle used for warfare, assault rifles

pack considerable force and prove highly fatal as weapons. Because of its

automatic capabilities, assault rifles are highly illegal for anyone other than

soldiers, Special Forces units, counter-terrorism units, or military policemen touse, and even so, it illegal even for those allowed to use them outside of military

service. A typical assault rifle holds a magazine of up to 30 rounds. It is generally

effective up to 330 yards. As with a hunting rifle, one can perform a gunstockstrike with it in melee combat.

Shotgun: A rifle-like weapon, the shotgun is typically not used to fire just one

round, but instead fires a cartridge that lets loose a spray of many metal balls

known as shot. The damage of a shotgun varies based on the range it is fired fromand what kind of ammunition is used for it.

Birdshot fires multiple small shot that resemble metallic ball bearings; due to the

lower mass of each shot pellet, the weapons blast spreads out more. Treat a shotgunfiring a birdshot shell as a weapon that deals 2 damage by default and that has a

Difficulty of 3-6. Buckshot fires larger and more devastating shot balls. Treat a

shotgun firing buckshot shells as a weapon that deals 3 damage by default and thathas a Difficulty of 4-6. Finally, a slug is a heavy lead projectile, typically used for


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hunting big game and that can devastate just about anything it hits. Treat a shotgun

firing slugs as a weapon that deals 4 damage by default and that has a Difficulty of 5-

6.Shotguns can hold up to 5 shells or slugs at a time. The effective range of birdshot or

buckshot shells is 40 yards; the effective range of a slug is 100 yards away. Like a

hunting or assault rifle, once can perform a gunstock strike with a shotgun. Fragmentation Grenade: A weapon used in warfare, the fragmentation

grenades main role in combat is to explode and send its metallic casing, being

torn to shards by the explosion, outward to tear into enemy units. Fraggrenades, as they are nicknamed, are highly destructive and thus are illegal for

civilian use, used only by military personnel in urban settings as a last resort.

Examples include pineapple grenades, potato masher grenades, and other suchweapons. Other types of grenades, such as smoke grenades, thermites, and

others exist and are listed later in this chapter. An effective range is up to 100

feet away when thrown; the type of damage (and amount of it) is based on

how close targets are to the explosion. Regardless, the success rolls are NOT

to determine damage done but instead will determine whether or not thegrenade gets to the specified location. The CL to throw a grenade to a

specified location is a 4, opposed by one Agility roll plus 2 more dice rolls.Failure will cause the grenade to have one of the following effects, determined

by a d6 roll; on a 1 or 2, the grenade will fall 1d6 x 10 feet short of its

intended target. On a 3 or 4, the grenade will instead miss its target, flyingrandomly either to the left or right some 1d6 x 5 feet away from the intended

area. On a 5 or 6, the thrower will instead over-shoot the throw and hurl it 1d6

x 5 feet past the intended target.Those caught within 15 feet of an exploding frag grenade will suffer 1d6 + 4 Force and

Ballistic damage; half of the damage is Force (from the actual explosion), and the other

half is Ballistic (from the launched shrapnel of the destroyed casing). Those caughtwithin 16-50 feet of the grenade will suffer 1d6 +1 Ballistic damage. Either way, anycaught within the explosion radius are DENIED their Reflexes to try and avoid damage;

only their body armor can save them from harm or, at the least, reduce the damage taken.

Dynamite: A highly destructive explosive based off the volatile properties ofnitroglycerine, dynamite is usually found in cylinder-shaped sticks. When lit

(the price of the dynamite also pays for the price of a box of matches used to

light the fuse) and thrown, dynamite will unleash an earthshaking explosion,

annihilating anything caught within. Unlike a frag grenade, the casing ofdynamite is utterly destroyed within the fear-inspiring explosion. Because it is

a high-power explosive, it is highly illegal for anyone other than construction

workers and miners (both only able to use dynamite on-the-job) to use it. Likea grenade, one can hurl a stick of dynamite up to 100 feet away from them,

and like a grenade, the chance of success (and the consequences of failure) is

the same as when throwing a grenade. All caught within a 5-foot radius of anexploding stick of dynamite will suffer 1d6 +1 Force damage.

Trench Knife: A weapon designed in the last war previous to the timeframe of

Riftsaga, this weapon combines a handle with a brass-knuckles-esque guardwith a triangular blade. As such, one can use this weapon either for Pierce


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damage (using ones Melee talent and having a Wounds value of 1) or like

Brass Knuckles (using ones Unarmed talent and adding an additional point of

damage to the users Unarmed Strike).

Ballistic Knife: A clever weapon invented in the frozen country of Ursan for

its Special Forces units; this weapon, at first, resembles a typical double-

edged knife. But, by removing a pin in the cross-guard and pushing a buttonon the grip, one can fire the blade of the knife as far as 20 feet, the blade being

launched by a powerful spring within the handle. This weapon can be used as

a fighting knife by using its Slash or Pierce damage, or as a ballistics weaponby using its Ballistic damage. Like any other throwing weapon, one can

recover the blade of this weapon if it is fired; otherwise, one cannot use the

weapon unless it had its blade. To return the weapon to a fixed knife mode,one needs to reinsert the pin after pushing the blade back into the handle. As it

mainly a military weapon due to its lethal, spring-loaded little secret, it is

illegal for civilians to carry a ballistic knife.

Molotov Cocktail: A crude but effective incendiary weapon, a Molotov

cocktail is produced by filling an container that breaks upon impact (such as athin glass bottle) with a flammable liquid and adding a crude wick (typically a

cloth rag) that partially rests within the liquid. When the wick is lit andthrown, on impact the container will shatter and douse a 5-foot area or a single

target in the liquid, the liquid igniting and enveloping the area or target in

flames. Those caught within the blaze are treated as burning, as thecondition, until they are able to extinguish the flames. A Molotov cocktail

burns for about one round before the flammable liquid burns away. As it is

primarily a homemade weapon, the price for a Molotov cocktail includes

everything needed to make it as well as includes the price of a box of matchesto light it with. Being caught with a premade Molotov cocktail is highly illegal

as it is typically used by criminals in urban settings. Quarterstaff: A simple but effective weapon, typically used primarily in the

martial arts nowadays, consisting of a long wooden or metallic pole of about 3

or 5 feet. Examples include a bo staff, a broom handle, or other such

weapons.

Bastian Claw Cestus: By itself, a cestus is a type of gauntlet used by ancient

boxers, made from leather thongs and, when used as a weapon, it typically

possesses studs or a metal plate on the knuckles. This variant, created forbastian warriors of old, employs thorn-shaped metal claws on the knuckles.

Because of the curves of the metal claws, one can only use a bastian claw

cestus for slashing attacks.

Cudgel: A bludgeoning weapon, longer than a truncheon and typicallyweighed on the striking end, a cudgel is typically an improvised weapon.

Examples include maces, baseball bats, clubs, and long pieces of pipe,

crowbars, and other such weapons.

-ARMOR-


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A necessity to avoid damage, armor is used to (hopefully) protect a character from harm.

Armor reduces the number of successes gained in an opposed roll, based on the specific

types of damage the armor can resist.

For example, Leather Armor, which has a Wound Protection of 1 against Slash and

Bludgeon, would reduce the number of successes of a Slash or Bludgeon attack by 1success. When combined with a characters save Talents (Toughness, Willpower and

Reflexes), armor can thus stop an attack from succeeding. In addition, even if an attack

does land, armor will then reduce the amount of damage taken by the attack by the samenumber of successes it tried to reduce.

Armor, however, does have its downside; even if the attack is stopped by the armor, the

armor itself will take damage equal to half of the number of successes plus half of theweapons Wounds factor (both halves rounded down). In addition, any time a character

takes physical damage (i.e. damage from Slash, Pierce, Bludgeon or Ballistic attacks), his

or her armor will also get damaged equal to the weapons Wounds factor (the number of

successes, in this case, does not factor in to the damage the armor takes).

Each piece of armor has its own Durability. Think of armors durability as its HP. Whena piece of armor takes damage, its durability drops equal to the amount of damage

received as aforementioned. When a piece of armors durability hits zero or negative

numbers, it is ruined and will not be able to protect its wearer until repaired or replaced.

Certain types of armor might only take damage from certain types of damage; within itsDurability section on the armor table, a listed damage element will mean that only the

listed elements of damage can harm that armor. For instance, a slashing attack to a suit of

chain mail cannot do noticeable damage to it, but a ballistic attack can.

Body armor is divided into three categories: body armor, head armor, and shield. Taking

physical damage reduces either ones body armor durability or ones head armordurability (determined by a coin flip); if one is using a shield and succeeds on a

Toughness or Reflexes save, the shield is assumed to have stopped the attack and takes

damage.

One can only wear one category of armor on one armor slot at a time; i.e. one cannot

wear two types of body armor at once. Those who are using a shield cannot use their off-

hand (whichever hand is not their main one) to hold or use a two-handed weapon or tohold or use a weapon in the off-hand.

The armor table columns are as follows:

Name: The armors name.

S: The amount of Slash attacks successes/damage that are reduced

P: The amount of The amount of Pierce attacks successes/damage that arereduced

Bl: The amount of Bludgeon attacks successes/damage that are reduced

Ba: The amount of Ballistic attacks successes/damage that are reduced

Durability: The amount of durability an armor has.


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Type: Shows if the armor is considered body armor, head armor, or is a shield.

Price: The amount of silver required to buy the armor. If there is a [U] in the

price, it means that armor is Uncommon for civilians (non-military personnel) tohave; as such, it is harder to find outside of the black market. By no means,

however, does this mean it is illegal for a civilian to have the armor on his or her

person.

Below is the armor table. Extra information is listed in the armor descriptions below it.

Name S P Bl Ba Durability Type Price

Cuir Bouilli 1 - 1 - 15 Body armor 10

Shock Vest - - 2 1 25 Body armor [U] 18

Chain Mail 1 1 1 - 35 Body armor 24

Fiberglass Vest 2 2 1 2 25 Body armor [U] 30

Steel Plate Vest 2 2 2 2 40 Body armor 40

Ceramic Vest 2 2 1 3 15 Body armor [U] 50

Headgear - - 1 - 10 Head armor 5

Hard Hat 1 - 1 - 15 Head armor 8Chain Coif 1 1 - - 15 Head armor 12

Brodie Helmet 1 1 1 1 20 Head armor [U] 16

Ceramic Helmet 1 1 1 2 10 Head armor [U] 20

Steel Buckler 1 1 1 1 15 Shield 22

Riot Shield 1 1 1 2 20 Shield 30

Armor Descriptions

Cuir Bouilli: Layers upon layers of boiled leather sewn together to form a kind of

armor, cuir bouilli is not very strong but is better than nothing. Examples include

leather armor or leather jackets.

Shock Vest: An experimental type of body armor made from durable foam and

plastic, a shock vest is essentially a cuirass that is made to soften impact. In

addition, a shock vest has been found to be able to resist low-calibur bullets.

Chain Mail: An archaic armor produced by weaving together steel links into a

shirt of sorts, chain mail is highly resistant to slashing and piercing, but narrow

projectiles such as arrows and bullets can pierce through the gaps in the armor.

Fiberglass Vest: An experimental armor that consists of a tactical vest, made fromcut-resistant fabric, with plates of laminated, plastic-reinforced fiberglass within.

This form of composite armor can stop bullets and blades, but cannot handle blunt

trauma very well.

Steel Plate Vest: Utilizing a tactical vest reinforced with steel plates, a steel plate

vest is very durable and can shrug off most bullets; its only downsides are that itis both a bit heavy and that cannot stand up to armor piercing rounds.

Ceramic Vest: With the use of experimental ballistic ceramics, the ceramic vest

combines both a cut-resistant fabric tactical vest with the aforementioned ceramic

plating. It is more lightweight than a steel plate vest and can stand up to even

armor piercing rounds, but due to the fragile nature of ceramics, it can shatter withso much as one forceful strike.


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Headgear: Made from high-impact foam backed with plastic, headgear is typically

used for sparring matches and martial arts tournaments but can provide some (butnot much) protection from certain weapons.

Hard Hat: Normally worn by construction workers, the highly durable plastic of

this hard hat is rumored to be able to stop even a swords strike.

Chain Coif: This hood, made from chain mail, protects the head and neck mainlyfrom slashing attacks as well as piercing attacks with thick-tipped weapons.

Brodie Helmet: Also known as a Tommy helmet, a shrapnel helmet, a tin hat, or

even a doughboy helmet, this steel helmet is typically worn by soldiers. It isshaped similar to that of a soup bowl with a brim and had evolved from the

archaic kettle helm.

Ceramic Helmet: Essentially a Brodie helmet made from ballistic ceramics andreinforced with a thin layer of steel, the ceramic helmet offers similar protection

from armor piercing rounds as a ceramic vest but is also just as fragile.

Steel Buckler: A small shield made from steel that is gripped with a handle in the

center of the shield. The handle is literally within the center of the shield; the

shield convexes outward, the hand protected by a steel boss of sorts within thecenter. The shield is small, making it lighter and easier to maneuver in combat,

but cannot stand up to very large and heavy weapons or high-calibur rounds.

Riot Shield: Made from durable, clear polycarbonates, the model of riot shield

listed can stand up to low-velocity pistol and shotgun fire as well as protect

against shrapnel and some melee weapons. Unlike a steel buckler, one uses a riotshield by slipping an arm underneath one of the arched vertical handles and grips

it in the other.

Armor Repair Prices

Cuir bouilli or headgear: 3 silver

Shock vests or hard hats: 5 silver

Chain mail or chain coifs: 7 silver

Fiberglass vests or riot shields: 8 silver

Steel plate vests, Brodie helmets, or steel bucklers: 10 silver

Ceramic helmets: 12 silver

(Note: Ceramic vests plates cannot be repaired; while a ceramic helmet can be

refitted with a new layer of ceramics, once a ceramic trauma plate within a ceramicvest is shattered, it cannot be repaired)

riftsaga rpg- core document pt 2 (incomplete)

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