First Edition

All information within it has been certified by the creators of the setting to reflect their initial intent. For more information, please read the Getting Started page's section on canonicity.

Welcome to the First Edition rules of Stormburst: Ark/Enclave.

Stormburst was designed using the first edition of the "Low-Star" system, which was created for a variety of potential role playing game scenarios.

## Glossary

In this guide to the First Edition rules for Stormburst there are many terms that may confuse those new to TRPG gaming or who haven't played in a while.

* ***GM***- The Game Master (GM). This is the person who usually runs the setting, controlling NPCs, Events, and Monsters. The GM has the final say on all rules as they affect the game currently. The GM's job is to make sure that the world is ready for the players to interact and play through their stories. If there is no GM, then any GM decisions must be made by a majority agreement of players.
* ***Player***- The Players are usually the majority of people sitting at the table. Unlike the GM, the Players have control of only certain allowed characters. If the GM is the writer and director, the Player is the actor.
* ***d#***- A single die with a number of sides dictated by the number afterwards. For example, a "d6" is a single six sided die. If there is a number before the d, that refers to the number of dice you roll, so "2d6" means roll two six-sided dice.
* ***Check***- A check is called by the GM when you attempt to do something particularly difficult. There's a whole section on these later on, titled "Checks and Balances".
* ***IC***- In Character (IC) speech and actions are things you are doing while playing your character. It is important to try not to let real life feelings influence your IC talk too much. If you have problems separating the two, please check "Staying In Character".
* ***OOC***- Out Of Character (OOC) is the opposite of IC speech, it's descriptions and conversations that you have with the GM and other players. It's important to not let IC events affect you OOC- Yes, Terra the Thief may have just stabbed you IC, but OOC Tina is still your friend.
* ***Character Sheet***- This is where you write down important details about your character, such as their stats and capabilities.
* ***Party***- This is the group of Player Characters collectively.

## The Setting

Stormburst is set in the distant future, where a strange psychic phenomena has led to the people of our homeworld to take to the air and seas in huge shielded cityships called "Enclaves".

In this world, society has separated into multiple groups-

* Echelons, raised within the Enclaves, they live the most "privileged" lives. Enclaves are divided into five decks including the command deck, and each deck has a corresponding echelon. From Echelon 1 who live in the poor slums in the underbelly of the ship to Echelon Five who make up the commanders. Echelons have a low rate of mutation compared to others.
* Nomads, Wandering from place to place on the surface, they live a bleak, transient existence. Nomads live in wandering caravans that seek shelter in caves and rarely stay in place. Each tribe has it's own customs, laws, and traditions, but they all take on a worship and reverence for their transports.
* Ravagers, Living on the harsh world, they are humans who have given in to the darkest of human's needs. Feral and mutated, they respect only power and will tear brutalize in the worst way all they find.

You can read more about each group on it's own page.

### Lifeforms

Life takes many forms in the world of Stormburst. Long ago, humans were the only sentient lifeforms, but there lust for an easy life led to the creation of machines that could take their burdens, and the Stormburst led to mutations becoming increasingly abundant.

* Human, who remained genetically pure after seeking shelter or within Enclaves.
* Mutant, humans who have become mutated by the Stormburst or the Miasmaflow. Looked upon with scorn by some and often considered subhuman.
* Bioroid, Human-like machines designed with a positronic brain that allows them to feel, think, and create. They can do the jobs humans can't, and they can do them safely. Aboard enclaves, they are treated as second-class, but Nomads value them as wise elders.

## What You Need

To play Stormburst, you need somewhere to write down (or memorize) your character abilities, and some way of picking a number from 1-100 randomly.

The easiest way to do this is with a pencil and paper to record your character, and two notably different ten-sided dice, one for tens and another for units. However, there are other options for those skilled in programming, origami, or with enough patience.

Once you have these things, as a Player you need to...

## Create Your Character

Your "Player Character" or "PC" is your avatar in the world of Stormburst. They are the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth that you will experience and interact with the world and the other characters through.

Once you've familiarized yourself with the setting, creating your character is simple. You need a Concept, a Sheet, Core, and Skills.

### Concept

1. First, listen to your GM. They will tell you the general limitations on characters. For example, they may say that you're all going to be citizens of a Cityship, or that you're all a biker gang in the wastes. Or they may have a more free-for-all approach.
2. Now, think about who your character is within those limits. Try and design an interesting character, but make sure they have a motivation for joining the party.
3. Confirm with your GM that you're good to play this character! Take on their advice or critiques, but don't be afraid to explain why you've chosen the story you have. Find a way to fit your character into the GM's campaign plot with their help. Once the GM gives you the OK, it's time to build your Character Sheet.

### Sheet

Your Sheet is where you will keep all aspects of your character recorded for you and your GM to see. This section has an example of a First Edition character sheet which you can print off and use.

First, you have six Roleplay Bases. These are things that effect how you play and roleplay your character. They can be anything allowed in the rules of the setting, or even things not, as long as your GM gives the okay.

* ***Name***- You can be a mononym if that's easiest, but this is the name your avatar will go by in-game.
* ***Form-*** Human, Mutant, or Bioroid. This can change your origin story, so make sure to check each page carefully before deciding.
* ***Age-*** Your age. You can put it approximately (Middle-Aged, Late Teens, etc.) or put in a more precise number. Check your form's Aging to help you decide what fits best with your plan.
* ***Features-*** A physical description of your character. Can be vague or more detailed. If you are a non-human, this may include non-human features. Check the Form page for more information.
* ***Backstory-*** A section to explain, in brief terms, where your character is coming from and why they are who they are.
* ***Motivation-*** Your character's driving cause. This may change as you play the game, but having a starting motivation will keep you in character easier. We suggest you keep it secret from other players and reveal it in-character as the game progresses for extra storytelling points.

Next, you have your Gameplay Considerations. these are the two parts that will impact how you handle challenges that come your way. Gameplay considerations

* ***Core-*** Your Core are the main abilities that dictate how you interact with the world. See the section below for detail on your starting Core.
* ***Skills-*** Things you've learned how to do. You only need to keep track of skills that you've put points into or taken points from, so don't worry about most of them.

### Core

Body, Instinct, Grit, Acuity, Discipline, and Nuance. These are your cores.

Cores are central to how you play your character. When you don't have a Skill to use, you fall back on one of these six Cores. Think of your Cores as your raw untrained potential.

* ***Body-*** Build and body. Musculature, weight, height. You keep yourself in shape and ready for go time, you can be intimidating.
* ***Instinct***- Flexibility and grace. In active scenes, determines how far you can move. Your instincts guide you when you have to feel, and not think.
* ***Grit***- Ability to push through injury and resist sickness. You can look at (and cause) scenes of carnage and brutality without flinching.
* ***Acuity***- Senses and mental sharpness. You can hear, see, smell, and notice things others can't.
* ***Discipline***- Self control and mental fortitude. In active scenes, determines turn order. You can study and learn practices and martial arts.
* ***Nuance***- Subtlety and social skills. You can guess someone's motives, and lie to others like it's the easiest thing in the world.

Now that you understand your Cores, it's time to put them to work.

There are four "Structures" to choose from. When you choose a Structure you put each number into one of the cores until there are none left. Remember that you can increase these with free points in the next section, but in game it is up to the GM if they are raised or lowered. Ideally, you want your highest number assigned to the Core you think your character is best in.

### Structures

* ***Average-*** 60, 60, 50, 50, 40, 40
* ***Talented-*** 70, 60, 50, 50, 40, 30
* ***Savant-*** 75, 70, 55, 45, 30, 20,
* ***Jack of All Trades***- 50, 50, 50, 50, 50, 50

No core can exceed 75.

### Skills

Skills are areas that your character has attempted and noted a distinct ability or lack thereof. If you've never been taught how to rebuild a robot then you would roll using the Core your GM thinks is appropriate, but if you have a *Robotics* skill you would instead use that. If you attempt to perform a tricky act using a core (or undedicated skill) instead of a skill that is dedicated to that purpose, this will add a ★ to the difficulty. Attempting surgery by your gut is a much more dangerous prospect than using what you've already been taught.

Skills are linked to Cores. Each skill starts off at the same level as that Core and increases as you choose to add points to it.

The list below has many suggested Skills. If you want to use a Skill that is not on the list, negotiate with your GM to decide what it's linked Core would be.

*If you do not have a positive or negative score in a Skill, you do not need to write it down. To keep your Character Sheet simple, only add scores that you've either put points in or taken points from.*

### Backstory

Your "Backstory" allocates you extra rewards, depending on what you choose to play. Think of this as where your character is "coming from" before the story begins. Consider it a general guideline- for example, a Settler could be a farmer

Once you've chosen, you can allocate the Free Points into your Cores and Skills, and you can spend the money in the Equipment section.

Credits
 Raider
 Resident

### HP

HP (Health Points) is how much punishment your character can take before falling unconscious. Every character has a max HP, which is the highest it can reach. Characters start off with their HP full.

Your starting max HP is determined simply. Add your Grit and Body scores together, and divide the result by two. After this point, HP is modified using Free Points as described in the Character Growth section.

### Inventory

Inventory is key to your survival. Running around unarmed and buck naked is likely to get you killed by the nearest monster, raider, ravager, or giant rogue mecha. Inventory covers weapons, armor, clothing, and additional items that can be used to navigate your way across the world, and solve the many puzzles and problems you will face within it.

Your character has a starting number of Credits depending on their origin, and before the game begins you can spend as many as you want on different things from the Equipment list. This is the last step of creating your character.

## Ready To Play

Now that you've settled your character, it's time to bring them into the world of the game.

Your starting location/scene will be narrated by the GM, who will set the stage for you to play. After a fashion, player characters will be introduced- either in an order decided beforehand, as the GM feels they fit into the scene, or in order of lowest to highest d100 rolls.

The game takes place in a variety of Scenes established by the GM. As you play, you'll use your Cores and Skills to pass through various challenges that are posed during these moments. For more information check the Scenes section.

### Character Growth

Characters earn Free Points for accomplishing tasks and goals, as well as quest rewards and as rewards for good RP. Free Points allow you to grow your character's abilities, becoming stronger and more adept.

The best way to learn is by doing. When you pass a check in passive mode, you can add up to five of your Free Points to that check's ability, provided you don't exceed the limit (75 for Cores, 95 for Skills). Reading a book on the subject (If you own one) allows you to perform a check related to it. You can also go to shooting ranges or other locations to avoid attracting attention while practicing fighting skills.

You can add any number of Free Points to your total HP when you sleep. This is a good way to spend points you have no other way of using right now.

## Playing Scenes

A "Scene" is a moment in the game where you can interact with the setting. The GM creates a scene by describing what is going on, the location, who is present, and any other details they feel are important. Scenes come in two types, Passive and Active.

### Passive Scene

A passive scene is a scene that has no time constrictions. Exploring a ruin or hanging around at your home base are examples of Passive Scenes. In one of these scenes, you can do almost anything you want to, as long as the GM gives a green light.

### Active Scene

An active scene is a tense moment- maybe a firefight, disarming a trap, or any time-pressured event. In an Active Scene, characters take turns in order according to Discipline checks that are rolled at the start.

1. Determine Action Order. Each character in the scene rolls Discipline and are placed in order.
	* The GM decides which NPCs roll and which are played in the World Events turn.
2. All those who passed the check are placed in order first, from lowest result to highest.
	* If people have the same result (Are matching pass/fail with the same number), they roll again.
3. Next comes World Events, where the GM changes things (Such as timers, or moving platforms)
4. Finally, those who failed the check play in order of lowest roll to highest.
5. When your turn comes up, you can perform two Actions- a Minor and a Major- and move up to your (Instinct/10) in meters (rounded down). You can perform these in any order.
6. Unless the GM declares the scene over, the Action Order returns to the top. This is called the Return phase.

A Major action is an action that would take more than five seconds to perform, such as attacking or starting up a vehicle. A Minor action is anything that would take less than that to perform. If you do not move on your turn or take a minor action, you can instead take two Major actions.

If a skill, ability, or other action is not pre-determined as a Minor or Major, use the above guide or GM's discretion to figure it out between you.

### Entering A Scene

If your character is not part of a scene to start with, but you feel you want to join in, simply tell the GM that you wish to join, and come up with a reason or a method. Similarly, the GM may decide for your character to arrive in a scene at a pre-determined or pre-discussed point.

If you choose to enter into an Active scene, you must wait until the Return phase and roll your character's Action order. You are then put into the order, but on your first turn upon arriving you cannot take a movement action.

## Attempt and Balance

Once you've chosen to perform a particular action, your GM will likely ask you to make an Attempt. Attempts are an action that are used for plot-advancing actions such as shooting at an enemy, fixing a machine, or following tracks. Performing an Attempt is a simple process.

### Perform An Endeavour

First, figure out what Skill or Core you are going to use.

1. Look for a specific Skill that applies to the situation.
2. If you do not have a Skill that suits, think about which Core would work best.
3. If all else fails, ask the GM to decide.

Now that you have the Core or Skill, it's time to use it.

1. State your intention, i.e. "I attempt to use my Lockpick skill to open the door."
2. Roll percentile dice to get a result from 1-100.
3. If the Result is under your chosen Core or Skill, it passes.
4. Repeat as many times as the GM says you need to complete the task.

### Balance

The "Balance" is how hard, or how long, an Attempt will take. This is how many successful checks in a row you need to succeed at the task. The balance is indicated by the number of ★ symbols. Each ★ means you have to successfully roll the appropriate skill or core that many times. Most tasks have a 1(★) rating, but 2(★★), 3(★★★), and more can occur.

The ★ rating is based on the difficulty of the task to perform, the complexity of the task, and the duration it will take. Fortunately, some Items may help lower this rating. ★ Difficulty can be lowered through the use of Items, but only to a minimum of 1 (Unless the item says otherwise).

In a passive scene, you can keep trying until something stops you, however it is good manners to allow other players to attempt things if you fail an attempt.