Basic Rules

# Checks

Actions in the game are represented by rolling a check. To perform a check, roll 1d20, add the relevant skill bonus, and compare the result to the difficulty class (DC) of the governing ability for that skill. Should you roll equal to or over the DC, you succeed at your task. If you roll under the DC, you fail the task. A roll of a 20 on the die is always a success (called critical success), and a roll of a 1 on the die is always a failure (called critical failure). Should a roll score 10 or more over the DC, it is considered a greater success.

## Difficulty Class

The difficulty class (DC) for the check is determined by subtracting the ability score from 22. Note each DC next to all six ability scores on your character sheet for easy reference.

## Circumstance Modifiers

Certain scenarios may make skill checks easier or more difficult. These **modifiers** are listed as intervals of + or – 2. Apply these modifiers to the d20 roll alongside the skill bonus.

Sometimes a check or die will have **advantage** or **disadvantage**. When a check or die has advantage, add another die of the same type to the roll but choose the higher roll when determining the final result. Disadvantage is the opposite, add the additional die but instead of choosing the higher result, choose the lower result. A check or die can only have one instance of advantage or disadvantage at a time, and advantage and disadvantage will cancel each other out.

## Extended Checks and Trying Again

Many checks can be attempted repeatedly until a character finally succeeds. Instead, a GM may take the score of the check as a means to determine *how long* until the character succeeds rather than *if* they succeed. Other tasks can have consequences for failure. Some checks can only be attempted once with no going back.

Some tasks instead require an **extended check**. This means several rolls are necessary to eventually succeed. An extended test is appropriate generally when the test requires at least multiple hours, and as such the character should roll at a minimum rate of one hour. However, the rate can be any amount of time beyond that, including days, weeks, or months.

# Ability Scores

Ability scores are a character’s natural proficiency with actions that relate to that ability. As the character gains more power through levels and ranks, they will be able to increase their ability scores to reflect their experiences through play.

Ability scores range from 6 to 16. An average score for a character would be considered a 9 or 10. 16, the highest an ability can reach, is considered all but perfection.

## The Six Abilities

**Agility** is swiftness and accuracy with the character’s actions, Used for attacks with ranged weapons and blades. Agility is also used in calculating a character’s evasion.

**Body** covers the character’s constitution, strength, and overall athletic ability. Body score is used with melee weapon attacks, body defense, and its added directly to maximum vitality.

**Charisma** is the sense of personality and understanding of the inner workings of social cues and patterns. Charisma bonus is added directly to RAM. It also expresses your level of resonance with Nitis and therefore power with programs.

**Intellect** represents the intelligence and knowledge of the character. It is used for attacks using tech programs.

**Sense** is the character’s intuition, awareness, and wisdom of circumstances. Sense is used to calculate evasion and sense defenses.

**Tenacity** represents the fortitude of the character’s sense of self and will. Tenacity is used primarily in tenacity defense and its bonus is added to maximum vitality.

## Ability Bonus

Each ability score has an ability bonus connected to it. The higher the ability score, the higher the ability bonus. Calculating the bonus for an ability is done by taking the score and subtracting 10. In other words, every point the ability has above 10 grants a +1 bonus. An ability score bonus cannot naturally go above +5 or below -4.

## Inhuman Ability Scores

Some effects or gear options such as implants will grant an inhuman ability score. The value of an inhuman ability score is added to the natural bonus of a character’s ability. It does not, however, increase the DC for that ability.

# Encounters

Most of play is done in a free-flowing discussion of narrative encounters. Narrative encounters do not require the specifics of a combat encounter but still can require skill checks. Narrative play can also include downtime activities, detailed later in this book.

## Combat Rounds

At the start of every combat encounter, each participant rolls **initiative** by rolling 1d10 and adding the better of their agility or sense bonuses. The character with the highest initiative roll acts first, then the next highest, continuing onward until the lowest rolled character.

### Rounds, Turns, and Actions

Combat is made up of **rounds**, which is the time between the start of the fastest character’s turn and the end of the slowest character’s turn. **Turns** are made up of three **actions**, which can be used for actions such as attacking, moving, casting programs, launching programs, and many more. Once all characters participating have acted, the round ends and restarts with the character with the highest initiative.

### Free Actions and Reactions

**Free actions** are certain actions that can be taken that are not counted towards a character’s normal three actions on their turn. Only one free action may be taken per round, and may be used on other character’s turns as a **reaction**. Examples of reactions include evading an attack, attacking a vulnerable opponent, casting certain programs, and launching some programs.

## **Defenses**

Defenses are used to see if an effect actually is applied to a character. All defenses are calculated similarly but are used for different kinds of effect.

**Defense** is calculated by subtracting the better of the two ability bonuses listed in the defense type from 10. When an effect calls for a character to defend, roll a check with the DC as the defense score for that defense.

### Evasion Defense

Evasion Defense is used when avoiding damage from attacks, explosions, snares, roots, and other effects that could be reasonably dodged or avoided. Evasion defense can be rolled as a reaction when a character is attacked. On a success, the attack is negated. **Evasion:** 10 – Agility or Sense bonuses.

### Fortitude Defense

Fortitude Defense is the stability, resilience, and endurance of a character’s entire body. Stuns, shock waves, toxins, and radiation effects can all cause a fortitude defense check. **Fortitude:** 10 – Body or Tenacity bonuses.

### Willpower Defense

Willpower Defense represents the sense of self and determination of the character. Fear effects are the most common that trigger willpower defense rolls, but other effects such as mind control and Intimidation skill checks can cause willpower defense checks as well. **Willpower:** 10 – Intellect or Tenacity bonuses.

### Awareness Defense

Awareness Defense is used for when a character is not actively attempting to detect something, but rather passively notice something of note. For best results, awareness defense for a character should be rolled by the GM instead of the player so that the player is not made aware of what triggered the defense roll should it fail. **Awareness:** 10 – Intellect or Sense bonuses.

## Vitality and Damage

Many effects in New Elysium will deal damage to a character of varying kinds. Damage lowers a character’s **vitality** by its value. Vitality is the nebulous endurance and minor injury that a character can take before serious harm is done. Should a character reach 0 vitality, they begin to accrue serious injury and eventually death.

Damage is mitigated by **armor**. Armor reduces the damage a character takes by its value, or double its value if the armor has the **barrier** trait that matches the damage type incoming.

**Shield** is a field of nanites projected from a character’s armor or implants to block incoming attacks. Shield is reduced before vitality, but does not gain the benefit of armor. Shield can be increased by many different sources, but only one of any kind of source can increase a character’s shield value. During combat, a character can **recharge** their shields by spending actions. For each action a character spends recharging their shields, they recharge shields equal to their Intellect bonus or 1, whichever is higher.

## Opposed Checks

Certain skills, features, and actions may call for a character to **oppose** with a skill or defense. In this case, both characters roll the relevant skill check. The attacker must succeed, and if so, the defender wins if they also succeed.

If the attacker succeeds and the defender does not, the attacker wins. If either side scores a critical success, they automatically win regardless of the other’s roll. If both parties score a critical success, whichever character rolled above their DC by a greater amount wins.

# Stunt Points

Stunt points are used to enhance your character’s abilities and activate certain effects. Every character has a base stunt score determined during character creation. Each character begins a session with a number of stunt points equal to their stunt score. All stunt points are lost at the end of each session and reset to the base stunt score at the start of the next session.

## Gaining Stunt Points

When any die rolls maximum, or a critical success occurs, the character that rolled that die gains an stunt point. Only one stunt point can be gained for each roll, and there is no upper limit to the amount of stunt points a character can have at one time.

## Spending Stunt Points

You do not need to use stunt points immediately when generated but you can spend the point immediately to apply effects to the check that generated the point. Stunt points are also used in activating talent actions. Only one stunt point may be used per roll and only one type of stunt point expenditure can be used in one instance. Using an stunt point is a free action unless otherwise stated.

One stunt point can be spent to: **regain** 2 vitality, **re-roll** a check at -2, **modify** a check by +1 before rolling, **remove** a level of fatigue, or count your **initiative** as having rolled 5 on the die instead of rolling.

# Tag Notation

Each effect has a listing of **tags** in its description listed under the effect’s name. Tags are listed in a format such as ***tag, tag, tag***. Tags are used to identify what effects can interact with each other and how effects are resolved. Should an effect have a tag that matches the requirement of another effect, then the interaction is possible.

## Activation Tags

***A; AA; AAA -*** The effect requires the listed number of actions, ***A*** being one action.

***F*:** The effect is a free action to activate.

***R*:** The effect is a reaction to activate.

***Net:*** The program can be launched to targets within your network.

***X stunt -*** The action requires the listed amount of stunt points to be spent to activate its effect.

***X RAM -*** Requires the listed number of open RAM to run. The talent/perk is considered a program.

***X ft –*** The effective range or range interval of the effect.

### Effect Tags

***Area:*** The effect targets a listed area.

***Attack:*** The effect uses a weapon to attack an enemy. The enemy is assumed to check evasion defense if there is no other defense tag listed.

***Evasion/Fortitude/Willpower/Awareness:*** This effect requires the target to oppose with the listed defense to negate the effect.

***Creation/Destruction/Metamorphosis:*** The set that the program is a part of.

***Multi-Strike X:*** The effect can score multiple hits. For every 5 points above the DC score on the attack roll, the attack scores another hit. The attack cannot score a direct hit. Critical effects are only applied to the first hit. X is the maximum number of hits that can be scored.

***Sustain:*** The program’s effect continues by spending its RAM cost (no action cost) at the start of your turn.

# Rounding Down and Minimums

When you divide a value, always round down to a minimum of 1. Some values will have a number in parentheses such as 1d10(2). The number in the parentheses is the minimum number that can be rolled by the die value. This means that any number less than the minimum number rolled is instead considered to be the minimum number.