TFL/House Rules

## Attributes

ST
The cost of Strength has been halved to 5 points per level. Hitpoint cost is still 2 per level.

Sw damage is fixed at Thr+2 for all levels of ST.

SM other than 0
Increased SM is a disadvantage, at -10 per level. Size Modifier still affects the cost of Strength and it's parts as per RAW.

Reduced SM is an advantage, at +10 per level.

## Advantages

Any advantage that can be replaced by TL10 technology (such as Night Vision, Radio Telecommunication, or Damage Resistance) is a lot cheaper. If the advantage can be entirely replaced by a device weighing less than 0.1 lbs, then it is an Accessory perk for 1 CP (and with GM permission, multiple advantages can be replaced with a single perk). Any advantage that can be replaced a larger gadget has its final cost multiplied by 0.2 (this is not an 80% limitation, but is a cost multiplier).

*Example*: A Cosrat robot shell has DR 15 (Cannot Wear Armor -40%; Technology Discount x0.2) [9]. It also has Night Vision 9 (Accessory Perk) [1].

Arm ST
Arm ST costs have been modified. Arm ST for One Arm is 1 pt/level. Arm ST for Two Arms is 2 pts/level. Arm ST for Three Arms is 2.5 pts/lvl.

Extra Attack
Extra Attack comes with Multi-Strike for free; there's no requirement to use a different limb for each attack.

*Requires Different Limbs* is a -20% limitation on Extra Attack.

Gunslinger
Gunslinger includes all the benefits from Gun-Fu p 15, but only costs 20 points.

Languages
Because anyone with Accessory (Implant Computer) already effectively has Accented understanding of any well-known Fringe language, reaching fluency only costs 2 points.

Lifting ST
Lifting ST is 1 pt/lvl.

String ST
Striking ST is 2 pts/lvl.

## Perks

### Combat Perks

These perks are limited: 1 perk per 20 points in combat related skills, plus 1 per 10 points in combat related skills if the perk is from a style that the character has a style perk for.

Burst Fire Training
If you have this perk, you do not have the -2 to Guns or Gun Weapons for firing full-automatic (RoF 4+).

Payload Warhead Training
If you have this perk, you do not have have the -2 to Guns or Gun Weapons for firing payload warheads from shotguns, flare pistols, and the like.

### Non-combat Perks

There are no restrictions on buying these perks.

Accessory (Implant Computer)
Implant computers are incredibly common, and provide the following abilities:

* A tiny Complexity 4 computer hosting a Bradbury SAI, capable of translating well-known languages and performing other routine tasks!
	+ Anyone with an Implant computer can hear, speak, read, and write any known language at the Accented level
* A tiny Radio communicator (2 mile range) with basic encryption
* A direct neural interface to the computer, including AR visual overlays and full VR immersion
* A relatively minuscule amount of data storage (0.75 petabytes!)
* GPS Navigation (in areas with public GPS systems)
* Interface links to other implanted cyberware (e.g. video uplink from cyber eyes) and other owned electronic devices (ie, access to the HUD scope on a gun)
* Just about anything else you'd expect a really sophisticated smart phone hooked up to AR to be able to do.

Fast-Draw Training
If you have this perk, you may treat your skill in a melee weapon as Fast-Draw (that weapon) when attempting to fast-draw or fast-sheathe that weapon. You may also treat your skil in a ranged weapon as Fast-Draw (that weapon) and Fast-Draw (that weapon's ammo) when attempting to fast-draw that weapon or its ammo.

This perk does not allow you to attempt to fast-draw things that are cannot normally be fast-drawn, such as axes or polearms.

Forced Entry Training
If you have this perk, you may treat your skill in a melee weapon skill or striking unarmed skill as Forced Entry when using that skill to attack inanimate objects.

Shotgun Training
If you have this perk, you get +2 to Guns or Gun Weapons when firing shot shells at non-stationary (Move 3+) targets. This does not increase your effective skill when firing slugs.

Studied Culture
You must specialize by culture, which is usually by Star Nation, though sometimes by Star System or by Star Nation/race. You have a +2 on using any of the skills listed under Cultural Familiarity against someone of the specialized culture unless that person also has this perk for your culture. Everyone is assumed to have this perk for their native culture for free.

Vortex Training
If you have this perk, you do not have the -2 to Guns or Guns Weapons for firing vortex ring projectors, and may take a -2 to hit and increase the effective range by 10% to bounce a vortex ring off an obstacle at a shallow angle.

## Quirks

Ring Tosser (Prerequisite Vortex Training)
If you have this quirk, you have a -2 to use Guns or Gun Weapons when not using vortex ring projectors. This represents someone who has been exclusively trained to use vortex ring projectors and not normal guns. This Quirk does not count for the normal limit of 5 Quirks.

## New Racial Templates

Kun
The Kun were originally an alliance of Varana, Vraz, and a few Slugs that decided to genetically modify their descendants in superior beings with little genetic resemblance to the parent species. Over the generations, the Kun have continued the process, adding in genes from other species, including humans. Modern Kun are aesthetically unappealing mixes of Vraz and humans, with a little Slug and Varana features remaining.
Quaddies
A human sub-species, deliberately genetically engineered for life in zero-G. Their most prominent characteristic is the replacement of their legs with a second set of arms. Quaddies are insular and generally dislike spending time under gravity.
Slugs
Slugs are an intelligent species of large, worm-like beings. They are notable for having unreliable psionic powers and for being generally cowardly, deceitful, lazy, and selfish, though individual Slugs can have a wide range of temperaments.
Varana
Varana are a species of intelligent lizards that speak through complex scent trails.
Vraz
Vraz a species of highly organized pseudo-insects. Agile and smart, they are also fond of ritual and order. Vraz society can be stifled under the weight of its own bureaucracy.
## Skills

Technique Costs
Each level of a Technique now gives you a +2 bonus, not a +1. All Techniques should be treated as Average Techniques for simplicity.

Fast-Draw and Forced Entry
These skills are largely replaced with the Fast-Draw Training and Forced Entry Training perks. Fast-Draw still exists for Fast-Draw (Potions) and Forced Entry is still valid for non-combatant characters who are skilled in using crowbars, fire axes, and boots against inanimate objects.

Guns specialties
Guns is divided into Guns (LAW), Guns (Longarms), and Guns (Pistol). Guns (Pistol) covers all 1 or 2 handed use of handheld weapons without shoulder stocks. Guns (Longarms) covers all use of handheld weapons with shoulder stocks. Guns (LAW) covers any two-handed weapon that is braced over the shoulder.

Weapon Skill Categories
The Melee Weapon skill categories on Basic 208-209 (Fencing Weapons, Flails, etc) can be taken as skills in their own right, at one difficulty higher than the skills in that category. Weapons in the category default to their category skill at -0.

ie, a character with Impact Weapons-18 can default Axe/Mace and Two-Handed Axe/Mace to 18, also.
*Gun Weapons* is a P/A skill that covers Guns (LAW), Guns (Longarms), and Guns (Pistol).

*Innate Attacks* is a P/A skill that covers all varieties of Innate Attack.

New Skills
*Professional Skill (Security Guard)*: This is the professional skill of being a security specialist in a para-military organization. It is similar to Soldier, but deals with security patrols instead of battlefield situations. It covers basic security regulations, recognizing and responding to threatening people or dangerous situations, foot and vehicle patrols, and similar situations.

*Professional Skill (Troubleshooter)*: This is the professional skill of being an armed problem-solver that expects to fight skirmishes in strange situations with a small but diverse team against a wide variety of threats. It is similar to Soldier, but deals with strange skirmishes instead of battlefield situations. It covers recognizing and responding to threatening people or dangerous situations, coordinating with a small group of people with diverse skills, basic interrogation and counter interrogation techniques, and similar skills.

New Techniques
*Armor Tailor (M/A, default to Armoury (Body Armor) -4, up to default -2)*: This technique is used to remove half the penalty to make new Fine armor or to retailor existing armor to Fine.

*Master Weaponsmith (M/A, default to Armoury (Melee Weapons) -4, up to default -2)*: This technique is used to remove half the penalty to make a new weapon Fine (Damage) or to sharpen and reinforce an existing weapon to Fine (Damage).

*Weapon Balance (M/A, default to Armoury (Melee Weapons or Small Arms) -, up to default-3)*: This technique is used to remove half the penalty to make a new weapon Fine (Balanced) or to balance an existing weapon to Fine (Balanced). It is a separate technique for melee and ranged weapons.

## Equipment

Armor
All armor uses the Easier Armor Design rules.

Making Weapons, Armor, and Other Items
PCs with the Armoury skill can craft weapons and armor. PCs with the Demolitions skill can craft explosives. PCs with other craft skills can craft items appropriate to the skill. Material costs are 50% of the list cost of the item and labor is the other 50% but the PC can choose to absorb the labor cost. Roll against the appropriate skill. Success creates the item; failure by 3 or less creates a Cheap version of the item; failure by 4 or more wastes half the materials and produces nothing; critical failure wastes all the materials and produces nothing. On a success by 6+, the item is one quality level better than normal, and on a critical success, it is two quality levels better than normal (melee weapons become Very Fine (Damage) and Fine (Balanced)).

Gadgeteers can improvise materials and only spend 25% on materials; they also craft faster. Quick Gadgeteers can improvise a great deal of material and only spend 10% on materials.

TL10 melee weapons normally have the very fine (damage and breakage) quality. Successful use of the Master Weaponsmith technique results in a Super Fine weapon or improves the quality of a lower quality weapon by one level. Successful use of the Weapon Balance technique results in a weapon that is Fine (Balanced). Master Weaponsmith and Weapon Balance can be used together to create Super Fine, Balanced weapons. These techniques get a +2 bonus when used when initial crafting a weapon.

Success on the Armor Tailor technique improves armor quality to Fine, and success by 6+ improves armor quality to Very Fine. This is technique is roll at +2 if used when first crafting the armor.

Modifying Weapons and Armor
A successful roll on Armor Tailor improves the quality of an existing armor one level. Using it requires materials equal to 1/4 the difference between the current cost of the armor and the new cost of the armor and has a labor cost equal to the material cost. Failure on the roll changes the armor quality to cheap or destroy cheap armor.

A successful roll on Weapon Balance adds the Fine (Balance) quality to an existing weapon. Using it requires materials equal to 1/4 the difference between the current cost of the weapon and the new cost of the weapon and has a labor cost equal to the material cost. Failure on the roll changes the Balance quality to to cheap or destroys weapons that are already cheap.

A successful roll on Master Weaponsmith improves the damage and breakage quality to an existing weapon. Using it requires materials equal to 1/4 the difference between the current cost of the weapon nd the new cost of the weapon and has a labor cost equal to the material cost. Failure on the roll changes the quality to to cheap or destroys weapons that are already cheap.

Converting Labor Cost to Time
Every $200 in labor costs translates to 8 hours of effort. Gadgeteers convert $500 in labor to 8 hours of effort, and Quick Gadgeteers produce $1000 in labor costs per 8 hours.

Anyone can spend up to 60 hours/week on useful tasks (training, jobs, crafting armor in the spare time) with no difficulty. Spending up to 80 hours/week requires an unmodified Will roll. Spending up to 100 hours/week requires a Will at -1. Spending up to 120 hours/week (or 17 hours/day) requires a Will roll at -1 every day. Spending up to 20 hours/day requires a Will roll at -2, cumulative per day.

A typical TL8 job is assume to take 40 hours/week, and completely covers Cost of Living without producing a surplus. Anyone can choose to not work at a job for 1 week/year without penalty (cashing in vacation, comp time, etc.) but any additional time spent away from the job requires that other funds go into paying Cost of Living. For simplicity, Cost of Living is $750/week or $3000/month.

Repairing Equipment
Damaged equipment can be repaired at 2% of the base cost per 1% of functionality restored, so it's always cheaper to replace anything that has suffered more than 50% damage. This cost can be reduced normally by buying materials and doing the labor.

## Success Rolls

Fright Checks
Outside of combat situations, use Fright Checks and the Fright Check Table as written on B360.

In combat situations, there is no +5 bonus to Fright Checks for "heat of battle." Instead, failing a Fright Check creates a fear penalty on all die rolls for interacting with the object of the fright check, equal to the 1+MoF of the fright check. Halve the fear penalty when making defense rolls against the subject of the fright check, or when dealing with any allies of the source of the fright check. In the case of multiple sources (ie, a horde of zombies), take the worst MoF and apply it to all sources equally.

This penalty can be modified by several ways:

* If an ally takes the Do Nothing action to shout encouragement and makes a successful **Leadership** test, reduce the penalty by 1.
* The first time an ally attacks the source of the fright check and does damage, reduce the penalty by 1.
* The first time the victim of the fright check defends against an attack from the source of the fright check (or is undamaged by an attack that slips through defenses), reduce the penalty by 1. Increase the penalty by 1 the first time the source of the fright check lands a damaging attack.
* Each time the victim of the fright check attacks the source of the fright check and does damage, reduce the penalty by 1. But increase the penalty by 1 if the attack fails to hit, is defended against, or fails to do any damage.
* Each turn the victim of the fright check takes a Do Nothing maneuver, reduce the penalty by 1, or by 3 if the victim voluntarily chooses to be Mentally Stunned. Roll to recover from Mental Stun as normal.

Example: Evan sees a bunch of zombies, and rolls an 18 against his Fear of 10. His MoF is 8, and he has a -9 on all rolls to interact with the zombies, and a -4 on all defenses. He tries taking a shot with his trusty shotgun, but with a -9 penalty on the hit roll, he fails to connect and increases his penalty to -10. Since the zombies are slow shamblers, Evan's player decides to be stunned and hope that he can recover from stun before the zombies reach him. After 3 seconds, Evan has reduced his penalty to only -1, but he fails to recover from stun, and the zombies are on him. A zombie bites him while he is still stunned, and Evan's fear penalty increases to -2.
### Researching

With access to a tiny computer, it is possible to do summary research. Summary research takes an hour and gets the equivalent of several wiki articles about whatever is publicly available about whatever topic the researcher is researching.

With full-speed access to a planetary data network or a microframe computer, it is possible to do deep research on a topic and uncover secret or non-public information. Each research attempt takes eight hours and requires a secret roll against an appropriate skill. On a success, the researcher receives 1 + MoS pieces of true information and 1d-3 pieces of false information. On a failure, the researcher receives 1 + MoF pieces of false information and 1d-3 pieces of true information. On a critical failure, the researcher receives 2 + MoF pieces of false information. The researcher doesn't know which pieces of received information are true or false.

Casting Widely and Cross-Referencing
A researcher may choose to cast widely when researching, giving a +2 bonus to skill. However, on a success, the researcher receives 1d pieces of false information.

Alternately, a researcher may choose to cross-reference when researching, taking a -2 penalty to skill. When cross-referencing, any potential pieces of false information are canceled on a 1:1 basis by true information, and the researcher only receives the remaining true or false information.

*Example*: Jamie is researching vampires and cross-referencing. He succeeds with MoS 1 and rolls poorly for false information, so he would normally receive three pieces of false information. The two pieces of true information he would normally receive cancel out two pieces of false information, and he receives one piece of false information. If he hadn't cross-referenced, he would have received four pieces of true and three pieces of false information.
Topics and Skills
* A type of alien: Roll against an alien identification skill at no penalty or Research -2 to discover information about alien species' hidden strengths and weaknesses.
* A major location: Roll against Research -4 or an appropriate Area Knowledge to discover information about a specific space station, planet, star system, star nation, or hyperspace region.
* A particular person or organizaiton: Roll against Research -4, Current Affairs (People), Streetwise (for criminals), or an appropriate Area Knowledge to discover information about a specific person or organization. Rolls to research a person that has a senior position in an organization are at +2 if the organization has been researched. Rolls to research an organization are at +2 if a person in an senior position in that organization has been researched.

## Combat

Knockback
Knockback should be based on the static friction of the object and be relative to weight and the amount of of surface in contact with the ground. So a standing human is relatively easy to knock around, while the same human lying on the ground is very difficult to move.

Basic knockback value is weight in lbs raised to 2/3rds and divided by 10, or BL/2 for living things, BL/8 for unliving things, and BL/32 for homogeneous things. Halve that value for people who standing on two legs, flying, levitating, or for objects held in one hand. Use the base value for people or creatures standing on four legs (or their arms and legs), or for objects with 4 points of contact with the ground or objects held in two hands. Double the value for prone people or objects lying on the ground or tracked vehicles. A person or object moves 1 yard for every full multiple of its adjusted knockback value.

Hitting the Wrong Target with Ranged Attacks
Potential wrong targets are not just the targets in the line of fire, but in the cone of fire. The cone of fire is a 30 degree cone of infinite length centered on the target of the attack.

Automatic Fire Penalty
Anyone making an automatic fire attack (base RoF 4+, not including multishot attacks like shotguns at 2x9) without the Burst Fire Training has a -2 penalty on the attack. The penalty applies to Ranged Rapid Strike or Ranged Rapid Fire if the total RoF used is 4 or more.

Ranged Rapid Strike
A ranged rapid strike is a ranged attack with a weapon with RoF 2+, used to attack two separate attacks. You must take the Attack or All-Out Attack maneuver, and you must target two separate opponents. Make two attacks, both at -6 to skill. Gunslinger or Weapon Master halves the penalty. You may not attempt a Ranged Dual Strike with the same maneuver, but you may use Ranged Rapid Fire. If you use Ranged Rapid Fire, you must split your RoF equally between both targets.

Ranged Dual Strike
A ranged dual strike is a ranged attack with two separate ranged weapons (usually one-handed weapons such as pistols). You must take the Attack or All-Out Attack maneuver, and you may target two separate opponents. If you target two opponents, make two attacks, both at -4 to skill (off-hand weapon penalties apply). If you target a single opponent, make two single attacks at -4 to skill (off-hand weapon penalties apply), and combine the number of shots hit when the foe has to defend. You may not attempt a Ranged Rapid Strike with the same maneuver, but you may use Ranged Rapid Fire. Absent an advantage such as Enhanced Tracking, you do not get the Aim bonus for more than one weapon, even if you are firing both weapons at the same target.

Ranged Rapid Fire
Firing a large number of shots per attacks gives a bonus to hit. Look up the number of shots fired on the Size and Speed/Range table, and use the half the Size modifier (rounded up) for that number of shots in yards as bonus to the attack roll. You must success by at least 0 in order to hit your target, and if you do, calculate your Margin of Success normally.

If the target defends successfully, subtract the defender's Margin of Success from your Margin of Success. If your net Margin of Success is less than 0, the target has successfully defended against the attack. If your net Margin of Success is 0 or greater, you have hit the target. Subtract 2 from your Margin of Success and look up that value in the Size column of the Size and Speed/Range table. The resulting Linear Measurement in yards is the number of shots that actually hit. If your weapon has a Rcl of 2+, divide the number of shots hit by Rcl, rounding down but never less than one or more than the number of shots fired. If the target defended successfully, reduce the final number of hits by 1.

*Table of Maximum Hits by net margin of success (Attack MoS - Dodge MoS)*

You can't hit with more bullets than you fired. Subtract 1 from these results if the target makes their Dodge roll at all.
Example: Corporal Martin unloads his trusty M14 at a charging Soviet super-soldier at 10 yds. Martin has Guns-14 and is firing 12 shots after aiming for 1 second, so he is rolling against 14 - 4 (for range) + 5 (for Acc) + 2 (for RoF 10+). He rolls a 9, and succeeds by 8. The Soviet super-soldier rolls his Dodge of 11, and gets a 9, succeeding by 2. Martin's MoS is reduced by 2 to a 6. Subtracting 2 more and looking up on the SSR, Martin potentially hits with 10 shots, but after dividing by the Rcl of 3 and subtracting 1 for the successfully defense, he only hits with 2. If he'd fired a single round of 3" buckshot from his M500 trench gun, the Rcl would have been 1 and he would have hit with 6 of the 7 pellets.
Leadership, Tactics, Soldier, and Professional Skill (Troubleshooter)
One character (the leader) per side with Tactics may attempt a skill roll at the start of combat, with a +1 bonus per combatant on his side with at least 1 point in the Tactics, Soldier, or Professional Skill (Troubleshooter) skills. Success grants 1 Tactics reroll, +1 per MoS.

A Tactics reroll can be used to reroll a failed combat skill, active defense, or Fear check. This is a free action by the leader, who rolls against the Leadership skill or the highest skill of Tactics, Soldier, or Professional Skill (Troubleshooter) of the character receiving the reroll, whichever skill is lowest. There is a +1 bonus if the leader has at least a point in Leadership when rolling against Tactics, Soldier, or Professional Skill (Troubleshooter) and a +1 bonus when rolling against Leadership if the character receiving the reroll has Tactics, Soldier, or Professional Skill (Troubleshooter). If the roll is failed, the reroll is wasted and lost.

A Tactics reroll can also be used to cancel another side's reroll, as a free action that succeeds automatically. The decision to cancel the reroll is made when the reroll is declared, before any other rolls.

If a side's leader is killed or knocked unconscious, all remaining Tactics rerolls are lost but a new leader may step into her place. The new leader makes a Tactics roll at -2 and a further penalty equal to the number of rerolls already used, and gets 1+MoS Tactics reroll on success. The rolls made to use those Tactics rerolls are made at -1 for each leader that has been replaced this way.

*Example*: Corporal Martin has stepped up to replace Sergeant Brent and Sir Miles in leading a scratch squad made of three soldiers, a professional delving scout, and civilian priest. Sergeant Brent and Sir Miles had used three Tactics rerolls, so Corporal Martin rolls Tactics at -5 and critically succeeds, giving him more rerolls to use. If he attempts to give a Tactics reroll to the priest, he rolls against the priest's Soldier default of 9 with a +1 bonus for his Leadership training and a -2 for being the squad's third leader.
For all uses of this rule, Professional Skill (Security Guard) can replace Professional Skill (Troubleshooter).

Combat Hacking
Computer hackers can use libraries of exploits to attack computer systems fast enough to be useful in real time, though the effects of such hacking are fairly limited.

## Spaceship House Rules

These add some additional options for space combat and add some detail to Hyperspace operations.