TeraCom Security Bootcamp Lesson 3


Alright maggots, you’re just about ready to die. Before we load you into that rocket and fire you off into space, let’s go over a few ground rules so you know what to expect.

Basic Moves
Basic Moves are moves that any character can perform based directly on their skills. Unlike Specialties, Abilities, or Trade-based moves. These moves are universal. This is everything a character does outside of combat or a tense situation. This can range from several things and may not require a roll to achieve based on the difficulty of the desired task, matched with the character’s skills and background. If a move does require a little extra something to accomplish the desired goal, have that character roll a Skill.
All Skill rolls require D12 dice. Kill Points are not needed for basic moves, actions, Trade moves, or Abilities.

Basic Roll Results
1-6 = Fail
7-9 = Unfortunate Success
10-12 = Total Success

When rolling a skill, always round down to the nearest 0.
For example, if a character’s Toughness is 69, round down to 60.
A character’s Skill will help or hinder their roll.
For every 10 digits over 50 add 1 to the roll.
If the character’s skills are below 50, subtract 1 for every 10 digits below 50.
*Example
Sneak: 33 33=30
Any Sneak roll would be –2
Player rolls 8 –2 Sneak. The Player’s roll equals 6 and is a Failed Roll

Likewise
Toughness: 69 69=60
Any Toughness roll would be +1
If a character rolls 9 +1 Toughness. The character’s roll equals 10 and is a total success

Skills

Handling (swift)
Any slick maneuver or high-speed action with a vehicle, mount, or equivalent.

Aim (dexterity)
In combat, Aim is used to determine a hit for any ranged weapon. Outside of combat, Aim is used to determine a shot, toss, or throw that would require pinpoint accuracy.

Awareness (wisdom)
An Awareness check can be used anytime a character needs to gather general information about their surroundings or make an assumption. Awareness can also be used to determine if a character does or does not detect something happening behind the scenes.

Toughness (strength)
In combat, Toughness is used to determine the effectiveness of melee weapons or fists. Outside of combat, a Toughness roll can be used when a player needs to harness their strength lifting heavy objects, arm wrestling, or intimidating a group of kindergarteners; things like that.

Sneak (swift)
Sneak rolls can be used any time a player wants to conceal their movements or actions. A Sneak roll cannot be initiated if the player’s cover has already been blown.

Tinkering (dexterity)
Whenever a player repairs, examines, or fidgets with small or intricate mechanics and electronics roll Tinkering.

Hustle (personality)
Convincing others to take your deals, do your biding, or give up sensitive information requires a Hustle roll.

First Aid (wisdom)
Examining wounds and diagnosing illnesses requires a First Aid roll. First Aid can also be used to heal oneself or another without the use of any other ability or move. The GM may decide if medical supplies are required. When First Aid is rolled successfully, roll another D12 and heal the target for the amount rolled.

Engineering (strength)
Fixing or building large machines requires more than just tech skills, sometimes it takes some brute force. Fixing or crafting large machinery, like vehicles and other equipment, requires Engineering.

Brains (intelligence)
Using your insight or large resources of data to learn about something or a situation requires Brains.

Attraction (personality)
Attraction is your core desirability. People believe what they want to believe. An attractive lifeform is a convincing lifeform.

Reflex (swift)
Reflex is an important skill, any sharp reaction or attempt to dodge, deflect, or respond in an instant requires a Reflex roll.
*A character with a Reflex greater than 70 always attacks first against NPCs, creatures and cretons; even if they are not initiating the attack. They are not limited to fighting and can respond with any of the listed combat moves or their own abilities.

Luck
Some people have all of it, others have too much and it’s only bad. Luck can be used in place of any other skill. Luck rolls have extra consequences and more severe results. Use wisely.

Combat Moves & Dealing Damage
Combat Moves are a basic set of moves that can be performed by any character during combat or when there is an adversary openly willing to do harm or exert authority directly or indirectly. Only 1 move can be performed during a Player’s turn.

Analyze (Brains or Awareness)
Use your intelligence and reasoning to get an idea of how to handle the current situation. Roll Brains or Awareness. 1-6 = learn nothing. 7-9 = get a basic idea or hint from the GM. 10-12 = get a solid answer from the GM of the best way to proceed.

Pacify (Hustle or Attraction)
Attempt to calm or lull a would-be attacker. Roll Hustle or Attraction. 1-6 = Enrage enemy. Your turn ends immediately, and the enraged enemy immediately acts. 7-9 = Turn ends with zero effect. 10 –12 = Pacify the threat. This move only works per-player and can be reverted if combat persists. If a player wants to continue their turn and attempt to roll for other players, that is acceptable but one failed roll will botch the entire turn. One successful roll most be rolled for each player to completely pacify an active threat.

Fight! (Aim, Toughness, or Power)
If you are using any type of ranged weapon, attack by Rolling Aim. If you are attacking using fists or a melee weapon, Roll Toughness.
1-6= Miss. 7-11= Hit. 12= Critical.
*All weapons have a basic KP cost.
*Unarmed attacks cost 3KP and Damage is equal to the character’s total Strength.
*Multiple attacks can be rolled at once if the player’s Kill Points allow it. A miss does not prevent further attacks. A roll is required for each attack to determine hit, miss, or critical.

Flee (Reflex, Sneak, Handling or Speed)
If Player Characters are unrestricted and able to escape from a situation, they can try to flee. Flee cannot be rolled if the Player Characters are in a situation where they have already been detained or an immediate escape route is not present.
Roll Reflex, Sneak, Handling or Speed. 1-6 The party does not escape and is left vulnerable. 7-9 the party successfully flees but the threat can pursue. 10-12 clean getaway, the party successfully escapes without a trace. Each player must perform their own Flee rolls, if the majority of the party succeeds those who fail may be captured or escape and face other consequences at the discretion of the GM. If the party is in a vehicle, only one flee roll is necessary but it must be rolled by the driver. Multiple rolls are required for multiple vehicles.

Critical Rolls
If a 12 is rolled naturally, meaning by the dice and not achieved by bonuses or buff. Apply a critical effect. In combat, a critical can be used to increase damage to a target by 25% of the base attack damage. If an attack is not divisible by 1/4 equally, the GM may round up or down depending on what would suit the situation best. Alternatively, a Player can choose to hold the critical to add +1 to any future roll during combat.

Outside of combat, Critical Rolls are used to increase favor or disposition as well as offer greater benefits than expected from any roll. Alternatively, a player may also choose to forgo the direct benefit of the critical in place of holding it to be used to add +1 to any future roll outside of combat. 1 critical can only enhance 1 roll. The benefit is spent after a single use.

NPC Damage & Attacks
When an NPC attacks, the GM will roll a D12 for each attack. 1-6=Miss, 7-12=Hit.
NPCs (Creatures or Cretins) do not have kill Points. They all attack once per turn unless a move or ability allows them to attack multiple times.
Some NPCs will have abilities, attacks, or moves that can deal specific types of damage or effects. Go to the Creatures and Cretins section for detailed lists of NPCs that can be encountered.

For example, if an NPC with Scramble misses an attack, the GM can roll a second D12 giving the creature another chance to land the attack. Another move, Full Consumption allows a creature to swallow an unconscious victim during combat. If the creature is not destroyed within 3 turns, the unconscious victim is “consumed”. After digestion, the creature is healed for the victim’s total HP.

During combat, whoever initiates combat attacks first.
If an NPC has Scramble, they will attack first unless the attacking player has a Reflex greater than 70.

Plaver VS Player
PvP combat works the same as Player Vs NPC aside from a few small differences. When a Player Character attacks a Player Character, whoever initiates the attack always attacks first. The attacking PC rolls to see if they hit or miss, same as before.
If a Player Character is receiving damage from another Player Character, they can roll to deflect damage, unless the attacker rolls a critical. After the attacking player rolls their attack, the defending player rolls a D12 to dodge or deflect damage.
If the defending Player’s roll is equal or greater than the attack roll, they only receive half the damage. If the defender rolls a critical, they receive no damage. Critical Rolls have no other effect and cannot be held further during PvP combat.



Vehicular Assault & Vehicle Rolls

Speed
Speed rolls replace Reflex and Sneak rolls when a Player Character or party is in a vehicle
Roll +the vehicle’s Speed.

Power
Power is used to replace Toughness when a vehicle is in use.
Roll +the vehicle’s Power.

Vehicular Assault
If a vehicle is being used as a melee weapon, roll Power to determine a hit.
The Damage dealt is equal to 10% the vehicle’s total HP.
If the vehicle has a mounted weapon that is being used, roll Aim.
Firearms can be fired from a vehicle. Roll Aim and calculate Damage.
A vehicle’s speed can be added to a weapons RNG but when DMG is dealt to a target, the Player Character occupied vehicle will be within the base RNG of their weapon for the player’s and the target’s responding turn.
*You can do a drive-by, but the targets can shoot back.

Receiving Damage
By default, all vehicles have “some armor”. Unless specified, all incoming damage to riders inside a vehicle will be semi-absorbed by their vehicle. Split incoming damage between riders and their vehicle’s HP equally.
A vehicle with NO armor cannot protect riders from any damage.
If a vehicle with no armor receives damage, the riders and the vehicle’s HP all receive the full and equal amount of the damage.
A vehicle WITH armor will absorb all incoming damage. Riders inside an Armored Vehicle receive no damage during combat unless the vehicle is compromised. If an armored vehicle’s HP is reduced to 0, the vehicle will become inoperable and the riders will be exposed to harm.

Range & Area of Attack
All weapons have a specific Range or RNG. By default, all unarmed attacks are RNG 1. If an attack has no RNG listed, it’s RNG is 1. Range falls on a scale of 1 to 10+. 1 being described as arm’s length and 10+ can be many miles away.

1- Arm’s length.
2- Close, arm’s length with a step or two between.
3- Shooting distance. Across the street.
4- The size of a lot or small field. 1 acre.
5- Large open space. A sprawling field or prairie.
6- Sniper distance.
7- Far, would be an hour or two by foot.
8- Farther, would take about a full day to walk this length on foot.
9- Farthest, not a walking distance. Across states.
10- Very distant. Cross country.

Area of Effect
Some weapons, moves, and abilities, will have an Area of Effect or AOE. Weapons like explosives will need to be handled from a distance, otherwise players will risk damaging themselves and allies within the Area of Effect. Damage is dispersed equally to everything within the AOE.

Attack Types, Modifiers, & Effects

Spread or SPR – When a weapon has SPR, the attack damage must be divided and dispersed between the minimum number of targets and can be applied up to the maximum number of targets. Example (Damage 30. SPR 1-3.) A single attack could be applied to two targets for 15 Damage each, three targets for 10 Damage each, or 1 target for 30 Damage.

Stunned – Temporarily stunned. When a character fails a roll or suffers serious harm, they may become stunned. Skip their next turn.

Unconscious – When a character receives 50% of their current HP in Damage or their total HP drops below 4, they become unconscious. An unconscious character will remain unconscious for a minimum of three turns, or they are revived. After three turns, an unconscious character can roll to regain consciousness once per turn. Roll Toughness to regain consciousness.

Disabled Vehicle – When a vehicle’s HP drops to 0, it becomes inoperable and must repaired.

Psychic – Psychic abilities and Psychic damage cannot be blocked or resisted physically. Vehicles offer no defense. Armor has no effect. Inanimate objects and lifeforms like Auts are NOT immune to psychic Damage.

Poison Damage/ Bleed Damage – A Poisoned or Bleeding victim loses 1HP at the end of each of their turns until the wound or infection subsides. Auts do bleed. Some creatures bleed blood; others bleed coolant fluids and oil. Auts and Dweller are immune to poison.

Burn Damage/ Frost Bite – Burn Damage and Frost Bite works like Bleed and Poison Damage but typically more severe. Victims lose 1-3 HP at the end of their turns.
All lifeforms can be burned or frozen equally.

Hyper/Hypothermia – If characters are left exposed to extreme conditions for extended periods of time without proper gear they will suffer and eventually die. Once one of these conditions sets in, reduce a players HP -3 at the end of their turn until they can find relief from the extreme conditions. Reduce all Reflex, Aim, Tinkering and Brains rolls by -1. Auts cannot suffer from hypothermia but are more susceptible to Hyperthermia. Dwellers, Indigo, and some Kin are more resilient to both conditions than average Humans. Orgs suffer the same as Humans.

Radiation – Radiation has two categories. Acute Radiation & Chronic Radiation. Acute radiation poisoning is caused by exposure to high levels of radiation and toxicity.
Acute Radiation – Reduce a character’s total Health Points by -5 every turn the character remains within the irradiated area. If a character is exposed to radiation frequently or is exposed to an extremely high amount of radiation they will suffer from Chronic Radiation poisoning. Acute Radiation cannot be healed with food and requires medical attention, rest, or iodine.
Chronic Radiation – For three sessions, nothing happens. If applicable any acute radiation poisoning is calculated separately. On the third session, after a character receives Chronic Radiation poisoning, their total HP is reduced by -10. Every following session, the characters HP is reduced by -2 until they receive treatment. Chronic Radiation cannot be healed with food or rest and requires treatment.
Dwellers and Auts are completely immune to radiation. Orgs are immune to Acute Radiation but can still suffer from Chronic Radiation.

Toxic – Noxious gasses, acid clouds, and various inhospitable environments can reduce rolls and cause lasting damage on occasions. Toxic damage can not be deflected or absorbed by armor. Dwellers are immune to Toxic damage.

Inebriation – Outside of combat, an Inebriated player is required to act as such. In states of extreme Inebriation, the GM may make moves on the Player Character’s behalf. In combat, a drunk PC gains an additional 5 HP. After a PC is drunk, likely during a Relaxtion period, the Player Character is hung over and loses 5 HP.

Stoned – When a character imbibes in herb or pharmaceuticals, they become Stoned. These substances relieve pain and restore HP, but a Stoned player may also have decreased Awareness, Brains, and Reflex. Minimum -1 to these rolls while Stoned.

Scramble – Creatures or Cretons with Scramble can re-roll missed attacks (up to 2 rolls) and always attack first regardless of who initiates combat, unless the attacking player has a Reflex greater than 70.

Omniscient – This being knows everything (or has greater understanding) and cannot be lied too.

Transcendent – This being can be anywhere at any time.

Translucent – This being cannot be harmed by physical attacks.

GM Moves
Once the world has its own energy and the game is developing a natural flow, introduce chaos. As the GM, feel free to turn the world upside down when things get too normal. Here are a few things you can do that can take a pleasant, happy, potentially boring player party and turn it into something that’s …not that.

-Separate Players. This should be introduced at the start of a session. Remember, if players decide to take shelter in unsafe locations there are downsides. One of the benefits to having a safehouse for a PC is security. Sleeping out can result in waking up in less than desirable conditions. Try not to use this strictly as punishment but as a way of introducing new challenges, places, or people to the Player Characters.

-Traps. There are various devices that can be set as traps. Improvised explosives, trip wire shotguns, and other mechanical type traps work the same as ambushes or natural calamities. As the GM, if an area or object is designated as a Trap, roll one D12 for each PC within range of the trap, when it’s triggered. 1-5 The trap does not go off or has no effect. 6-11 The trap goes off and the PCs in range take damage or are engaged at a disadvantage. 12 PCs receive critical damage or are left completely vulnerable.

-Capture or Detain. At the beginning of a session or after a Relaxtion period, characters may find themselves being held responsible for their crimes. Being captured or detained can be an option for Player Characters that are overwhelmed in combat or unable to fight, to avoid death. Captured or Detained characters lose their weapons and most gear unless it is concealed by an ability or move. Captured or Detained characters do NOT lose their turns and still have access to a range of moves. A captured or detained character is typically bound to an NPC or facility (prison in the worst cases) and will not have free range of movement until released.

-Hostile Environments. Radiation exists for a reason and isn’t limited to enriched or depleted sources. Airborne toxicity, heavily polluted swamps, and rivers of carcinogenic waste all have the potential to leave characters a withering husk. Apply to the world liberally.

-Boss Fight. Once everyone has a good understanding of how combat works and you, the GM, think it’s a good time for Player Characters to die, it might just be time for a Boss Fight. Boss Fights works the same as combat with any Creature or Cretin except Bosses also have moves and abilities similar in strength to Player Characters. Bosses also have significantly more HP than an average hostile encounter. Player Characters that survive encounters with a Boss should receive extra experience.