Author’s Diary: Update for the Week of May 15, 2020

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Got plenty done this week, including the Stealth and Sabotage bids and part of the Tactics bid. Click through for more.

SABOTAGE BID

Break: Damage an item, building, or vehicle

• To Accomplish:
  • Opposed Sabotage bid against the item’s Resistance bid
  • The character must be in the same area as the item or have access to it.
  •  Can only be used on inorganic characters and items like robots, buildings, vehicles, and items, not organic ones
  • Can only be performed on one item per bid
  • For 1 additional disadvantage, the character can set a trigger for xir sabotage. The item will only be damaged when the conditions for this trigger are met.
• Successful Bid: The item takes chapter damage equal to the difference between the character’s Sabotage Bid and the item’s Resistance bid. The type of damage done depends on the sabotage attempt, but is usually physical, electrical, or thermal.
• Unsuccessful Bid:
  • Nothing happens.
  • Nothing happens, and the operator and/or or nearby opponents are alerted to the act of sabotage.
  • Nothing happens, and the character leaves behind something that lets xir opponents know that someone attempted an act of sabotage.
• Suggested Traits: Computers, Crafting, Knowledge, Perception, Sabotage, Stealth, Tactics, Trickery
• Suggested Advantages: 
  • The character designed or built the item or has used and maintained it for a long time.
• Suggested Disadvantages:
  • The item is protected, trapped, or secured against intrusion or sabotage.
  • The character is not using appropriate tools.
  • The item was designed by someone from a different species.
  • The character’s tech level does not match the item’s tech level.

Demolition: Placing explosive charges

• To Accomplish: Fixed Sabotage bid, target set by FM
• Successful Bid: The character successfully sets the explosive charge. It will go off based on its detonator’s settings and inflict full damage to whatever it was attached. Characters and items in the same area will also take damage but gain 1 advantage to their Resistance bids against the it.
• Unsuccessful Bid:
  • The character sets the charge, but it will not explode.
  • The character sets the charge, but it explodes prematurely and does full damage to xir.
• Suggested Traits: Crafting, Knowledge, Sabotage, Stealth, Tactics, Trickery
• Suggested Advantages:
  • The character designed or built the item to which the charge will be attached or has used and maintained it for a long time.
• Suggested Disadvantages:
  • The character is using an improvised explosive.
  • The character is not using appropriate tools.
  • The item was designed by someone from a different species.
  • The character’s tech level does not match the item’s tech level.
  • The character’s tech level does not match the explosive charge’s tech level.
• Suggested Stunts:
  • Increased Damage: Every character and item in the same area as the explosive charge, including the item to which it is attached, suffers 1 disadvantage to Resistance bids against it.
  • Shaped Charge: The item to which the explosive charge is attached suffers 1 disadvantage to Resistance bids against it.
  • Shaped Burst: The charge will harm some characters and items and not others. The character must specify who is protected from the explosive charge when xi sets it.
  • Pyrotechnics: The character can change the color, brightness, and other visual and audible effects of the explosive charge. Xi can’t make the burst invisible or or change its volume, but xi can change anything else about how the burst looks and sounds.
  • Controlled Demolition: The character has some control the burst’s aftermath. For instance, xi can have a building fall in a specific direction so that it misses other structures or tries to hit characters in a specified area.
  • Tamper-Proof: Anyone trying to disarm this explosive charge suffers 1 disadvantage to xir bid.

Disarm: Disarm an explosive charge or a trap

• To Accomplish: Fixed Sabotage bid, set by the FM or by the character who set the explosive charge or trap
• Successful Bid: The character disarms the explosive charge or trap.
• Unsuccessful Bid: 
  • The character does not disarm the explosive charge and trap.
  • The character sets off the explosive charge or trap and takes full damage from it.
• Successful Trait: Crafting, Knowledge, Perception, Sabotage, Stealth, Tactics, Trickery
• Suggested Advantages: 
  • The character designed or built the item to which the explosive charge or trap is attached or has used and maintained it for a long time.
• Suggested Disadvantages: 
  • The character is not using appropriate tools.
  • The item was designed by someone from a different species.
  • The character’s tech level does not match the item’s tech level.
  • The character’s tech level does not match the explosive charge’s tech level.
• Suggested Stunts: 
  • Reset: The character can reset the explosive charge or trap after disarming it by making another Sabotage bid. If it can be moved and is small enough, xi can safely pick it up and reset it later in another place.

STEALTH BID

Hide: Hide a character, a vehicle piloted by a character, or an item

• To Accomplish: 
  • Hiding a Character, Mounted Character, or Vehicle: Fixed Stealth bid against oppoent’s Perception or Tactics bid
  • Hiding an Item: Fixed Stealth bid, which is the target for all opponents’ Perception bids until the item is found. The item can be hidden in a specific location or on the character’s body.
  • You must either be unseen or have someone distract your opponents before you can hide.
• Successful Bid: The character or item escapes detection and cannot be targeted with close or ranged attacks. Area attacks will affect the character, though.
• Unsuccessful Bid:
  • The opponent detects the character or item.
  • The opponent detects the character or item and immediately gets 1 free bid,
• Suggested Trait: Athletics, Agility, Chasing, Evasion, Influence, Knowledge, Movement, Perception, Stealth, Tactics, Trickery
• Suggested Advantages: 
  • The character or item is smaller than the opponent.
  • The character or item is using camouflage or stealth technology.
• Suggested Disadvantages: 
  • The character or item is larger than the opponent.
  • The character or item is moving.
  • The opponent has sensors or equipment that can be used to detect the character.
  • The opponent has keen senses.
• Suggested Stunts: 
  • Smuggle: The character can hide 1 additional character, mounted character, vehicle, or item for every disadvantage she adds to her bid while stunting.
  • Ambush: If the character wins the opposed bid, the opponent suffers 1 disadvantage to Defense bids against the character’s next attack.
  • Assassinate: If the character wins the opposed bid, the opponent suffers 1 disadvantage to Resistance bids against the character’s next attack.

TACTICS BID

Strategize: Gain an advantage over your opponent

• To Accomplish:
  • Opposed Tactics Bid vs. opponent’s tactics bid
  • If encountering a group, the character should make xir bid against the other group’s commander. 
  • Each side can only make this bid once per scene, unless the scene’s tactical situation drastically changes.
• Successful Bid: The character’s side gains 1 advantage all all bids against the opponent side until the end of the scene.
• Unsuccessful Bid: The opponent’s side gains 1 advantage all all bids against the character’s side until the end of the scene.
• Suggested Traits: Chasing, Defense, Evasion, Fighting, Knowledge, Perception, Resistance, Tactics
• Suggested Advantages:
  • The character is in a superior tactical position.
• Suggested Disadvantages:
  • The character is in an inferior tactical position.
  • The opponent is from another species.
• Suggested Stunts:
  • Analyze: The character can look at xir opponent’s actions and behavior or at the surrounding terrain and gain 1 clue about xir opponent’s intentions, including:
    • Whether the opponent is going to spring an ambush and from where
    • Whether the opponent has trapped or mined an area
    • Whether the opponent is trying to delay the character’s side or distract them from something
    • Where the opponent would put snipers

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That’s it for now. More next week.