Abilities

One player plays the role of the referee, a special kind of player responsible for storytelling, laying
side characters (non-player characters, or NPCs), and judging situations in which the player's
characters find themselves. Refer to the referee's section for further details on this important job.



All characters have eight abilities, arranged in four pairs. These are Strength/Stamina, Dexterity/Reaction Speed, Intuition/Logic and Personality/ Leadership. These eight abilities tell players how strong, fast, smart and masterful their characters are. They are explained below. Each of these abilities will have a score from 1 to 100. An ability score of 1 means the character is very poor in that ability, while a score of 100 means the character has very high ability in that area. Players find their ability scores by rolling dice. This is explained in the Characters section.





Strength is a measure of how strong the character is. A character with a low Strength score is scrawny and weak. A character with a high Strength score is very strong. A character with a Strength score of 100 may be one of the strongest characters on that planet. Strength is a physical ability score and is often abbreviated STR within these rules. Stamina measures a character's physical fitness and general health. A character with low stamina will get tired easily and will be prone to injury and disease. A character with high Stamina could work hard all day without getting tired, and might never be sick a day in his life. Stamina also measures how badly a character can be wounded before he passes out or dies. Stamina is a physical ability score and is often abbreviated STA within these rules.

Dexterity measures a character's coordination. Character's with low Dexterity scores are clumsy, while characters with high Dexterity scores are very agile. Dexterity is very important in combat. Dexterity is a physical ability score and is often abbreviated DEX within these rules. Reaction Speed measures the quickness of a character's reflexes. If a character with a low Reaction Speed is attacked suddenly, he probably will fumble with his weapon and react slowly. A character with a high Reaction Speed could draw and fire a weapon quickly, jump out of the way of falling boulders, etc. Reaction Speed is a physical ability score and is often abbreviated RS within these rules.

Intuition measures a character's alertness and ability to draw conclusions from what seem to be unrelated facts. Characters with high Intuition scores are more likely to solve problems by having hunches or making guesses than by carefully considering all the evidence. Intuition is a mental ability score and is often abbreviated INT within these rules.

Logic is a character's ability to solve problems in an orderly, step-by-step way. It is the opposite of Intuition. Characters with high Logic scores make good scientists and computer experts. Logic is a mental ability score and is often abbreviated LOG within these rules.

Personality measures how well a character gets along with other intelligent beings. Characters with high Personality scores are friendly, pleasant and persuasive, while those with low scores may be grouchy and hard to get along with. Personality is a mental ability score and is often abbreviated PER within these rules.

Leadership measures a character's ability to give orders that other people will understand and obey. It also measures how willing other people will be to work for the character, take his advice or follow him into a dangerous situation. Leadership is a mental ability score and is often abbreviated LDR within these rules.

Whenever the referee decides there is a chance for your character’s action to fail, he calls for an ability check. The appropriate ability to be checked is determined by the referee, but is obvious once you have an understanding of the role each ability plays in defining the capabilities of your character.

 

To make an ability check, simply roll d100. If you roll less than or equal to the ability in question, your check is successful. If you roll higher than your ability score, your action fails.

 

Example: Garrison is running from security bots, trying to stay away from their identity imaging cameras. He steps out a window on the second story, and sees a wall upon which he could walk to get to safety. The referee informs him that this requires a Dexterity check to make it safely to the other side, warning that failure might result in falling off the 5 meter high wall! Fortunately, Garrison has a DEX score of 65, so you confidently toss the dice and roll a 4 and a 7, a success! The security robots won’t try to follow, as their simple programming doesn’t define the top of a wall as floor space upon which to tread.

Your referee may assess the situation and determine there are bonuses or penalties associated with any given ability check. Difficult terrain, favorable winds, good tactical position, and any number of other factors may help him determine this. When he determines this is the case, he will tell you when he informs you that an ability check is necessary.

Example: Rhainah is a hacker and is trying to break into a computer network protected by fairly simple security software. The referee informs Rhainah’splayer that she must succeed in a LOG check with a bonus of +10, to represent the simplicity of the security software. Rhainah’s player must roll less than or equal to ten higher than her character’s LOG score.

 

Sometimes you must pit your abilities against another player’s character or non-player character. The rules work normally, but both parties must make a roll and compare success. Whoever succeeds by more (rolls the greatest amount under his score) wins the contest.

Example: Yinang, an assassin character working for Streel Corp, is trying to palm his sonic sword handle to conceal it from the quick search of his boss’ thug. The referee determines that palming something that size and shape will require a Dexterity check at -10. Yinang’s player has to roll less than or equal to ten less than his Dexterity score, and must succeed by more than the thug’s Intuition check.

In addition to the basic ability scores, characters are defined by a few other numbers. These are specifically created to help facilitate action-packed combat scenes. They are: Initiative Modifier, Punching Score, Ranged Weapons accuracy, and Melee Weapons accuracy.

Initiative Modifier is not really an ability, but a character's Initiative modifier is important. It is equal to the character's Reaction Speed divided by 10, and is used to determine which character acts first in a fight. Round in favor of the character, thus a Reaction Speed score of 51 results in an Initiative Modifier score of +6. Initiative Modifier is a combat ability and is often abbreviated IM within these rules.

Punching Score is a modifier, just like Initiative Modifier is. It is determined by looking at the following table (simply, Punching Score receives a +1 for ever 20 points of Strength the character has). Whenever your character successfully punches his opponent, or uses a melee weapon such as a club or sword, he adds this number to the damage total. Punching Score is a combat ability and is often abbreviated PS within these rules.

Strength Score	Punching Score
01-20	+1
21-40	+2
41-60	+3
61-80	+4
81-00	+5

Ranged Weapons accuracy score is the base chance to hit when aiming a weapon (whether that weapon is hurled or aimed in hand or targeted using advanced targeting systems). It is equal to half your character’s Dexterity score, since it is purely a function of hand-eye coordination. List it as a percentage instead of a bonus like the other nonability score values. Ranged Weapons is a combat ability and is often abbreviated RW.

Melee Weapons accuracy score is the base chance to hit when wielding a hand-held weapon or punching someone. It is equal to half your character’s Dexterity or Strength score, whichever is higher. List it as a percentage instead of a bonus like the other non-ability score values. Melee Weapons is a combat ability and is often abbreviated MW within these rules.

Skills

There are 13 different skills that a player character can learn. These 13 skills are organized into three Primary Skill Areas (PSAs): Military, Technological and Biosocial.

Military skills deal with combat. There are seven different Military skills: Beam Weapons, Demolitions, Gyrojet Weapons, Martial Arts, Melee Weapons, Projectile Weapons and Thrown Weapons. The Characters section goes into detail on each of these. The referee may allow the player to add +10 per level in this skill to any ability check dealing with military operations and red tape.

Technological skills deal with various types of machines. There are three different Technological skills: Computer skill, Robotics and Technician. The Characters section goes into detail on each of these. The referee may allow the player to add +10 per level in this skill to any ability check dealing with technology.

Biosocial skills deal with the intelligent races and their surroundings. There are three different Biosocial skills: Environmental, Medical and Psycho- Social. The Characters section goes into detail on each of these. The referee may allow the player to add +10 per level in this skill to any ability check dealing with biology, health, fitness, and social interaction.



At the start of the game, each player must choose one Primary Skill Area as his character’s career. This will never change. The player then chooses two skills for his character. One skill must be from the character's PSA, but the other can be from any PSA. The character starts with Level 1 experience in both skills. More information, and a step-by-step example, can be found in the Characters section.

As a character adventures and succeeds in his missions, he will be awarded experience points that his player may then use to purchase additional skills or to improve ability scores.



In the Characters section you will find details on specific applications of each of the thirteen skills. Each skill encompasses several sub-skills, each of which will have a score that increases with level. Skill checks work just like ability checks: roll d100 and try to roll less than or equal to the skill’s chance to succeed.



Players can choose to make their characters members of one of four races: Human, Dralasite, Vrusk or Yazirian. These are described in greater detail in the Characters section.

Humans are similar to Earthmen, but these Humans developed on another planet closer to the center of the galaxy. Humans are considered the average characters in STAR FRONTIERS games, so their abilities are not modified when the character is created.

Dralasites are rubbery, elastic aliens sometimes called "blobs." They can change their shape at will creating as many artificial arms and legs (pseudopods) as they need at the moment. They are stronger than Humans, but are also slower. They enjoy philosophical debates and have a very strange sense of humor; they love telling old jokes and puns they hear from Humans.

Vrusk look like large insects, and are sometimes called "bugs." They are quicker than Humans, but are not as strong. Vrusk are excellent businessmen and merchants. They love art, beauty and music.

Yazirians are tall, light-boned humanoids with furry manes around their necks. Humans nicknamed them "monkeys" because they look a little like chimpanzees. Thin membranes that stretch between their arms, torso and legs allowed Yazirians to glide between the trees on their native planet. They are generally smarter and quicker than the other races, but are not as strong. Their eyes are very sensitive to light, so they usually wear dark goggles during the day. Yazirians were very warlike in the past, and are still considered pushy and aggressive by other races.



Each of the non-human races have special abilities that cannot be defined by the standard eight abilities and thirteen skills. These abilities are explained in detail in the Characters section.

Some of the special race abilities possess a score, expressed as a percent. Characters attempting to invoke their special ability simply roll d100 and must roll less than or equal to their listed chance of success. Note that these special race abilities can be increased through character development, and can be assessed bonuses and penalties based on situational modifiers just like making any other ability check or skill check.

How to Referee Adventures

Adventures are the stories to challenge the players and their characters. The referee can use published adventures or he can create his own. The first thing you must do as a referee is create
adventures for your players. Adventures can be as simple or as complex as you want to make them. You can design them completely from your imagination, or take ideas from books and movies.

1. Choosing a theme or basic story and the goal of the adventure.
2. Selecting the settings where the story takes place.
3. Designing the events that lead to the goal, and the obstacles that must be overcome to reach the goal.
4. Creating the non-player characters and creatures that the characters will meet, and deciding how they will affect play.
5. Writing any special rules that are needed for unusual events
6. Writing a final outline of the adventure to guide the referee through the action.
7. Create any maps needed to define the adventure areas.

Theme
When choosing a theme for your adventure, you should consider these three things:

• What has happened before that led to this adventure?
• What must the characters do to complete their job?
• What sorts of obstacles do you want the players to face during the adventure?

Some suggestions beginning referees can use to
create simple adventures are listed below:

• Explore a New World: The player characters are hired to explore an undeveloped planet. This theme can be used many times by creating new planets with new challenges.
• Obtain Information: The player characters must search for special information about a place, group or thing and return to their employer with the information.
• Retrieve a Stolen Item: The player characters are hired to locate and bring back to their employer something that has been stolen perhaps secret plans or an invention.
• Catch Criminals: The player characters must find and capture space pirates, thieves or other criminals.
• Rescue Someone: The player characters must locate and rescue someone who is being held prisoner -- a hostage, kidnap victim or a person in prison.
• Mad Scientist: The player characters must prevent an evil scientist from taking over a planet, setting loose terrible robots or performing some other evil.

These are only a few examples of possible adventures. You could even combine several of these themes into one adventure. You could also create an adventure based on something discovered by the player characters in an earlier game. This adds excitement as players use information they have found in earlier adventures to solve the riddles of another.


Settings
The settings or locations of an adventure determine the events that can take place and what animals and events can be encountered; guards and robots can be encountered while searching a secret outpost, but wild creatures and dangerous terrains are more likely if characters are exploring a new planet. Your settings can be as big or small as you want to make them. An entire adventure could take place in a single building, or it could require the characters to travel halfway around a planet.

The settings you select should have a purpose in the adventure. The players should be able to complete some part of their objective at each place. For example, when searching for someone lost in the wilderness, searchers can find important clues at the spot where the lost person was last seen, at the site of an old campfire, at a spot where they find a dead beast with a trail of blood leading away, etc. At each setting, players can discover the direction the person traveled, how long ago he was there and what has happened to him.

When designing a setting, you should try to answer these questions:

• What is the setting's purpose? When during the adventure will the characters arrive there? Whatinformation are the characters supposed to findthere?
• What does the setting look like? What are the most important features: where are trees and streams, doors and furniture?
• What types of creatures, characters and events will the characters meet there? Are there any important plants or weather conditions, alarms or robots? These are not necessarily challenges to the players. They can be used to identify the area.
• Are there any other important features about this setting? Does it limit movement in some way or hide things from sight? Does it have obstacles the characters must overcome?

As you decide on each setting, write it down, including all special information about the setting.



Events
Once you have chosen the theme and settings for an adventure, you must design the adventure itself. An adventure is divided into several smaller challenges that the players must overcome. Each of the challenges must be placed in a specific setting. When designing an adventure, first determine what events or challenges you want. Each event should provide an obstacle to overcome, a lesson to be learned or an opportunity to gain something that will aid the characters in reaching their goal. Events should always be exciting or provide a puzzle that the players must overcome with their wits. Follow each of these four steps when designing events.

• Decide what purpose the event will fulfill. Is it an obstacle to fight or overcome? A puzzle to solve? A chance to gain something helpful? Or an event just to add excitement?
• Determine all the elements needed in the event. Will the player characters encounter NPCs, creatures, robots, foul weather, physical obstacles or security systems?
• Decide how NPCs, creatures or robots will react to the player characters, and what actions they will take.

Random Events.
Sometimes, referees may want to set up encounters or events that occur randomly, instead of being pre-planned. Usually, random encounters are tied to die rolls that are made at certain time intervals or when characters enter an area. For example, the referee could decide the
characters have a 20% chance of being attacked by wild animals every night they spend in the
mountains, or a 30% chance of meeting a criminal in a seedy part of town.
Random events should be created when the adventure is designed. If you have only one random
event, you can simply give it a percentage chance of happening. If you have more than one random event, you can arrange them on a table and assign a percentage chance that one will happen. Then, if there is a random event, you roll a second time to see which specific event happens. If you have more than one event, you can let each one happen only once, or let an event happen whenever it is rolled up.

[ to be continued ]