Nothing's better than a fast ship and your trusty blaster at your side in Rebel Galaxy, a recursion created by fictional leakage from action-packed space opera films and books, particularly those popular in the last forty years or so. In Rebel Galaxy, the forces of good face near-impossible odds but struggle on in the name of freedom from oppression. Here, rebels fight to free the galaxy from the tyrannical Imperium one planet at a time. What neither side of this interstellar war realizes, however, is that outsiders seek to stoke the flames of the conflict for their own ends.
“Rebel Galaxy” is the name given to the recursion by members of the Implausible Geographical Society, who were the first people from Earth to discover it. Natives call it the “Grand Imperium” or perhaps simply “the galaxy.”
Rebel Galaxy, it would seem at first, is an enormous recursion, involving an entire galaxy of inhabited planets and the empire that controls it. And to those who live there, and even those who translate there, that seems an accurate description of the place. But it's not true. In this recursion, no one ever explores an entire planet, and the vast gulfs of space between planets are quickly crossed by a “hyperspace drive.” The truth is that each “planet” is really just a few dozen miles across, with the implication that the rest of the world is more of the same. In Rebel Galaxy, there are desert planets, forest planets, swamp planets, frozen planets, and so forth, each an expression of a single environment.
However, it is impossible to get from one planet to the next without a starship that has a hyperspace drive. Such a journey takes a few hours, regardless of the starting point and destination. The starships are in truth less like vehicles and more like conduits between otherwise inaccessible areas of the recursion.
This doesn’t make Rebel Galaxy any less real a place, however. It just has a physical structure that is unlike anything we are used to, and unlike anything the inhabitants believe.
If you have a hard time imagining how Rebel Galaxy works, picture movie sets from a space opera film. The actors move from the set of a jungle planet to the set of the starship interior. Then they move to the set of a spaceport on a water planet. We believe that they travel multiple light-years to accomplish that, but we never actually see it, except as streaks of fast-moving stars on their bridge’s viewscreen. In reality, all recursions could be thought of like movie sets.
Battles between starships of various kinds—from gigantic capital ships to single-pilot fighters—are a frequent occurrence in the galactic war in this recursion. If the PCs are involved in a space battle, here are some quick and easy guidelines for handling the situation.
On this scale, combat between vehicles isn’t like traditional combat. Don’t worry about health, Armor, or anything like that. Instead, just compare the levels of the ships involved. If the PCs’ ship has the higher level, the difference in levels becomes a reduction in the difficulty of attack and defense rolls involved. If the PCs’ ship has the lower level, the difference is an increase in difficulty. If the levels are the same, there is no modification.
In some cases, the GM may wish to use the level of an NPC pilot rather than the level of the ship, but this is only for special circumstances, such as a very skilled or very inept pilot.
These attack and defense rolls are modified by skill and Effort, as usual. Further, if two ships coordinate their attack against one vessel, the difficulty of the attack is reduced by one step. If three or more ships coordinate, the difficulty is reduced by two steps.
The attacker must try to target a specific system on an enemy ship. This modifies the attack in the defender’s favor based on the system targeted:
| Targeting Task | Modification | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Disable weapons | Two steps | One or more of the ship's weapons no longer function |
| Disable defenses | Two steps | Difficulty of attacks against he ship are reduced by one step |
| Disable drive | Three steps | Ship cannot move, or movement is hampered |
| Disable maneuverability | Two steps | Ship cannot alter its present course |
| Strike power core | Five steps | Ship is completely destroyed |
That’s a lot of modifications. But it’s not really that hard. Let’s look at an example. A PC in a small level 2 fighter attacks a level 4 frigate. Since the frigate is level 4, the difficulty of the attack starts at 4. But the attacking craft is weaker than the defender, so the difference in their levels (2) is added to the difficulty. The fighter pilot must make a difficulty 6 attack on the frigate. However, the fighter is trying to swoop in and damage the frigate’s drive, which modifies the attack by another three steps, for a total difficulty of 9. If the fighter pilot is trained in space combat, she reduces the difficulty to 8, but it’s still impossible without help. So let’s say that two other PCs—also in level 2 fighters— join in and coordinate their attack. Three ships coordinating an attack on one target reduces the difficulty by two steps, resulting in a final difficulty of 6. Still, the attacking PC would be wise to use Effort.
Then the frigate retaliates and the PC needs to make a defense roll. The level difference between the ships is a two-step modification in the frigate’s favor, so the difficulty of the defense roll starts out at 6. But the frigate tries to take out the fighter’s weapons, reducing the difficulty of the defense roll by two steps. Thus, the PC needs to succeed at a difficulty 4 task or lose her main weapons systems.
It’s important to remember that a failed attack doesn’t always mean a miss. The target ship might rock and reel from the hit, but the bulk of the damage was absorbed by the shields, so there’s no significant damage.
This bare-bones system should allow the GM and players to flesh out exciting encounters involving the whole group. For example, perhaps while one PC pilots a ship, another mans the guns, and another frantically attempts to repair damage to the maneuvering thrusters before they crash into the space station they’re trying to defend.
During a space battle, there’s a lot of chatter about shields failing, hull integrity, being outmaneuvered, coming in too fast, and whatnot. These sorts of details are great, but they’re all flavor, so they’re represented in the rules generally, rather than specifically.
Since it’s frighteningly easy to die in a space battle if your ship is destroyed, most vessels have escape pods. Even fighter craft have ejection systems that shoot pilots into space in their environment suit. In other words, GMs should try to give PCs a way out of immediately dying if they get on the wrong end of a space battle.
Starship Level Crew Weapon Systems Imperium dagger fighter 1 1 1 Rebel eagle interceptor 2 1 1 Freighter 3 (4 for defense) 4 1 Frigate 4 20 4 Rebel cruiser 4 25 5 Imperium battleship 10 1,000 36
“Crew” indicates the minimum number of people needed to operate the ship. Many ships can carry more passengers. “Weapon Systems” is the maximum number of different enemies the ship can target at once (only one attack per ship in any circumstance). A quick check of the math makes it pretty clear that getting into a fight with a level 10 battleship is a risky proposition.
Rebel Galaxy is filled with aliens of all types. The vast majority of these are humanoid in configuration, but with fur, horns, leathery skin, large or extra eyes, tusks, tendrils, a particularly tall or short stature, and so on. However, these differences are entirely cosmetic.
Essentially, player character recursors translating into Rebel Galaxy can choose to be an alien species of their own design. They should design a name and appearance for their race. Further, a few traits or quirks would be appropriate, such as:
However, PCs should not have traits that would affect the game in a major way, either as advantages or disadvantages. When it comes to fighting, fixing things, talking to NPCs, and so on, a reptilian humanoid with three eyes holding a blaster and a set of tools is basically no different than a human with a blaster and a set of tools.
Most alien races have their own language, but the vast majority of individuals speaks Galactic Standard.
More than a hundred years ago (time relative to the recursion), the Galactic Council was overthrown and the Grand Imperium took power, putting the entire galaxy under the thumb of Empress Tahali. The current empress, Tahali V, has sat upon the throne for nine years and is as ruthless and terrible as all those who came before her. Each Empress of the royal line is so similar, in fact, that some believe them to be a succession of clones rather than natural offspring. But this is not the official story related in historical educational broadcasts.
Tahali V: level 3, all matters of diplomacy, including deceit and seeing through deceit, as level 7; Armor 3 from personal force field generator
The worlds of the Imperium are connected thanks to starships with hyperspace drives. This technology allows travel from any planet in the galaxy to another in just a few hours. Most planets have at least one busy starport.
Hyperspace drive makes it economically feasible to conduct all manner of interplanetary trade and has brought hundreds of intelligent races together, so many that no one seems to be familiar with them all. (The Grand Imperium is very humanocentric, however, and its governors and military commanders are always human.)
The Imperium attempts to control travel and trade, but smugglers and unlicensed ships slip through their fingers on a regular basis. Nevertheless, the Imperium starfleet is feared throughout the galaxy.
Imperium starships come in many varieties, but the most common are the half-mile-long battleships and the swarms of small fighter craft called daggers.
Even more than the ships of the fleet, however, Imperium troopers are the face of the Grand Imperium, ubiquitous on all the galaxy’s worlds. Always clad in glistening silver armor, marked with the griffon symbol of the Imperium military, and carrying blasters and swords, troopers patrol the streets of every city on foot, in large hovercraft, or mounted on indigenous beasts appropriate to the terrain. They serve as keepers of order, but they make for a terrible police force. Troopers are the fist of the Imperium, more interested in maintaining control than in preventing crime or helping citizens.
Imperium trooper: level 2; Armor 2; long-range blaster inflicts 3 points of damage
When troopers need heavy support, wardroids are sometimes brought in. These fearsome robots are ruthless even by trooper standards and are known to kill innocent bystanders as often as foes. It is said that when wardroids are unleashed, wise troopers fall back and take cover.
Imperium wardroid: level 5; Armor 3; long-range blaster inflicts 8 points of damage; can attack up to three foes in one action
Shortly after Rebel Galaxy’s first appearance in the Strange, Rukian explorers from the Zal faction found their way here. Practiced at infiltration, these agents quickly realized that this large, industrial, and warlike recursion offered excellent opportunities. They wormed their way through the Imperium ranks and took up important roles where they could observe and subtly control events.
Almost as soon as the Imperium took control, the Rebellion was born. Originally led by generals still loyal to the Galactic Council, twelve years ago the Rebellion won the sympathy of Prince Narlell of the planet Juruntan. When the Empress learned of Narlell’s secret support, she had Juruntan scoured by devastating weaponry developed by the Imperium fleet. (It is possible that the decision to lay waste to Juruntan may have resulted from manipulation by the Zal, who wished to escalate the war and give more support to the Rebellion.)
Prince Narlell: level 6, all matters of diplomacy as level 8, tactics as level 7
Reducing the jewel-world of Juruntan to a radioactive wasteland secured more support for the Rebellion than ever before. “For Juruntan!” is now a popular slogan and war cry among the rebels. And perhaps most significantly, Prince Narlell took an active role as the leader of the Rebellion.
The Rebellion has been scattered across the galaxy in small cells at various times, but it is strongest when it can mass its forces to make significant strikes. Thus, whenever possible, the rebels have a single secret base on a planet somewhere on the galactic fringe. Currently, this is the planet Lantiv IV, but the base is the third they have had in the last four years, as Imperium spies, probes, and bounty hunters are always searching for them. If the Imperium ever found the base and caught the rebels unawares, they could likely put an end to the war in a single stroke.
The Rebellion fleet is a motley assortment of ships, best known for its large numbers of eagle interceptors, which are better armed and more maneuverable than the Imperium’s dagger craft. On the other hand, the Imperium mass-produces its fighters, so they outnumber the rebels in most confrontations, sometimes by as much as 5 to 1.
Rebel soldiers are loose knit, often operating more like a gang of terrorists than a military. Almost always outnumbered in any given engagement, they use hit-and-run tactics and are often better saboteurs and seditionists than warriors.
The Zal have infiltrated the Rebellion as well as the Imperium. They use their connections not only to keep tabs on things but also to help ensure that the resistance fighters are never entirely crushed. Many of the best rebel spies are actually Ruk natives who have contacts with other Zal infiltrators in the Imperium.
Rebel soldier: level 3; Armor 1; long-range blaster
There are thousands of worlds in the Grand Imperium, although some may exist only in reference, not in actual fact within the recursion of Rebel Galaxy. In other words, although the recursion is quite large, it does not actually contain thousands of worlds—yet. Various experts have noted that Rebel Galaxy is one of the fastest-growing recursions ever discovered, with whole new worlds appearing on a regular basis.
It’s worth noting that each “planet” is only about the size of a city, or a city and its surrounding environs—probably no more than a dozen miles across at most.
With two glistening suns in the sky, carefully tended gardens and orchards, precisely engineered sparkling waterfalls, crystal towers, and mirrored domes of elegant majesty, Toruntan is a beautiful planet. The Imperium Palace alone covers a full 2 square miles (5 square km) and has a staff of 10,000, not including servant androids.
Servant android: level 2
A level 9 energy shield around the palace protects it from attack, although none has ever been attempted. Hundreds of warships remain in orbit around the planet to defend the Empress.
The city surrounding the palace, which technically sprawls across the continent amid parks and gardens, is simply called Toruntan. Most of the residents are extremely wealthy and use their riches to give themselves lives of utter leisure and comfort. The Toruntan weather is controlled and thus always pleasant.
Rumors speak of an underground network of thieves and smugglers that operates on Toruntan, partially to prey on the wealthy but also secretly sponsored and harbored by certain influential residents of the world.
A name feared throughout the Imperium, Killarus is an inhospitable desert planet that serves as a prison for the worst (apprehended) criminals alive. The planet is surrounded by a natural debris field orbiting the world, making a safe approach to the surface almost impossible unless guided by an extremely complex computer program provided only to a few Imperium starcraft. A black market version of the nav program that allows access to Killarus is said to be available, but the cost is exorbitant.
Once on the surface, prisoners are left to their own devices. Only the extremely well-fortified starport offers any semblance of real civilization, and that is surrounded by huge, blast-proof level 6 walls and towers with level 5 sonic cannons.
The prisoners form nomadic tribes to survive. These tribes raid each other and exist in a constant state of war. Life expectancy on Killarus is very short—for most people, a few months at best.
Probably one of the most infamous prisoners on the planet is Guialla, a former general of the Imperium fleet who left her post to join the Rebellion. She served as a rebel leader for almost two years before her frigate was captured in a huge space battle.
Guialla: level 6, military tactics as level 8, attack and defense as level 7; armed with a stone knife and bow
In secret, the Ruk faction known as Zal has manipulated Killarus for its own ends. First, it used a powerful machine to surround the planet with a translation ward—recursors can translate into Killarus, but not out. Then Zal used its undercover agents in the Imperium’s ranks to ship its own prisoners to the world, forever marooning its enemies in an inhospitable, near-inescapable prison in a far-off corner of a backwater recursion. As many as one-quarter of the Killarus prisoners are not native to this recursion. Most are translated Ruk natives, but some were brought through inapposite gates, and a few are recursors from Earth or other recursions who crossed the Zal.
Typical prisoner: level 3, tasks involving desert survival as level 4; Armor 1; armed with a stone knife
The Imperium controls many factory planets, entire worlds devoted to the mass production of goods needed by the rest of the galaxy. F-B41 is important, however, because its factory androids manufacture weapons. It is the source of most of the blasters, blaster rifles, and blast cannons used by Imperium troopers.
Thus, the Zal took particular interest in this planet when they first came to the recursion. Their agents have infiltrated F-B41 at all levels, slowly skimming weapons from the production lines and transporting them through temporary inapposite gates back to Ruk. The laws that govern Ruk allow the weapons to function there, where the resources for creating such weaponry are limited. Not only do the Zal use the weapons to arm their security forces back home, but they also sell the weapons to other factions in Ruk and to other recursions where they will operate.
The leaders of Zal believe that one day soon, the sales of these weapons expanding throughout the far reaches of the Strange will be their greatest revenue driver. Because of these projections, the Zal also secretly support he Rebellion to ensure that the war in Rebel Galaxy never ends.
Factory android: level 2; Armor 2
Mostly uncivilized, the jungle planet of Aranolis is notable for the hidden spaceport of Haranbar, a hideout for smugglers and criminals looking to lay low from the eye of the Imperium. This, of course, makes it a convenient place for the Rebellion as well. There are about 10,000 people in Haranbar at any given time, although half of them are temporary residents or just passing through.
As a smuggler’s haven, Haranbar is known for seedy bars, flophouses, and no-questions.asked businesses catering to spacers on the edge of the law: starship supplies and repair, stolen goods fencing, weapon sales, mercenaries for hire, identity changers, and so forth. Although there’s said to be a camaraderie among those who frequent Haranbar, the truth is, a smart traveler watches her back at all times. Press gangs, pickpockets, and bandits are common, and there isn’t a soul in the spaceport who wouldn’t cheat his own grandmother if he thought he could get away with it.
Of particular interest to recursors is Korji’s Spacer Bar, a cantina near the hangar bays. This is a den of thieves, pirates, and smugglers, but it’s also frequented by Var Norillic, a space pilot whose real name is Phil Rogers. A native of Earth, Phil is a recursor who decided to live permanently in Rebel Galaxy. Here, as Var, he owns a starship and will take newly arrived recursors anywhere they want to go—once—in exchange for news from Earth. He’s friendly and a good source of information on the recursion. He’s also on good terms with most major Earth organizations interested in the Strange and remains neutral in any conflicts between those groups.
Var Norillic: level 5, space piloting and space battles as level 6; long-range blaster
Aranolis extends about 10 miles (16 km) beyond the edges of Haranbar. Outside of Haranbar, the inhabitants of the planet are dinosaurlike saurians of all types, as well as muscular, shaggy humanoids called Kren, who build wooden homes high in the trees.
Kren: level 3, climb as level 5; long-range bow
A mountainous world of crags, spires, and deep canyons riddled with caves, Lantiv IV is mostly lifeless except for giant batlike creatures and serpents of all sizes. Far from any well-charted areas of the galaxy, the rocky planet makes an excellent hiding place for the heart of the Rebellion. The rebel base is located in the caves and canyons, its starship hangars and defensive batteries well camouflaged as normal crags and peaks. This is where one will find Prince Narlell, all the military commanders, and the majority of rebel personnel.
The base boasts about 12,000 people at any given time. About 7,000 of these rebels are soldiers or pilots, and the rest serve in support roles.
Some of the rebels have captured and trained the batlike creatures, which they call flitats. They use the beasts as mounts while on patrol or to get from one part of the sprawling base to the other
Flitat: level 3; Armor 1; flies a long distance in a round.
Not a planet, the Great Wheel is a massive space station 10 miles (16 km) across, shaped, not surprisingly, like a giant, ever-turning wheel. The Great Wheel orbits a red giant star and serves as a trading port for goods of all kinds. A surprising percentage of Imperium goods transported from one planet to another passes through the station.
Administrator Kelia Turnage runs the Great Wheel. Her position is equal in many respects to that of an Imperium governor, who normally controls a planet. Considering the importance of the Great Wheel, in other respects the administrator job is far more influential.
Kelia Turnage: level 5
Kelia maintains an elite police force on the space station. These fearsome interrogators and enforcers are members of a scaled reptilian race called the Zaalish. They ensure that commerce on the station proceeds without interruption or incident. They do not work with Imperium troopers, who are also prevalent on the Great Wheel (and are also technically under Kelia’s command), and the two forces resent each other. Rebel agents use this division to their advantage. By playing the two groups off each other, rebels have stolen entire shipments of much-needed supplies for their base on Lantiv IV.
Zaalish: level 3; interrogation, intimidation, and stealth as level 4; Armor 1; long-range blaster; level 4 poison gas grenades induce unconsciousness for ten minutes in a cloud with an immediate radius
Despite these actions, Kelia is not entirely unsympathetic to the Rebellion. In fact, she would like to see many of her Imperium rivals taken down a peg or two by the rebel forces. She would be willing to secretly negotiate with the Rebellion, sharing valuable information about targets far away from her operation on the Great Wheel.
The third planet in the Thyrul system, this is a water-covered world. However, the sea beds are rich in a variety of important minerals, so Imperium-sponsored companies operate complex mining operations here. Most underwater facilities reach the surface via long elevators connected to floating platforms where starship freighters wait to carry ore to other worlds (usually factory planets like F-B41).
The deep waters of the planet are home to all manner of marine life, including colossal predatory fish. Some of these creatures are more than willing to attack the surface and submersible craft used to get around.
Colossal predatory fish: level 6; health 35; Armor 1
Thyrul III has seen some conflict in the galactic war; the Rebellion would love to take control of the mines or at least keep the Imperium from getting the ore. Of even more interest, however, is a small base of operations here established by the Estate. The base is mobile—essentially, it’s a large submersible craft. There are a dozen or so operatives on the base at any given time, using sophisticated monitoring devices to keep tabs on developments in the war and the activities of known Rukian agents in particular.
Although the Estate doesn’t necessarily want to interfere with the war, it does want to minimize the Zal influence. And in truth, most operatives feel sympathy for the Rebellion’s efforts and occasionally attempt to help in ways that don’t usually draw them directly into the fighting. The lead field agent here is Isadora Delgado, who runs a tight ship (literally) and demands that Estate operatives in the recursion report to her upon arrival.
Isadora Delgado: level 6, submersible craft piloting and administrative duties as level 7
Terrath Nuar, a rebel commander, has a plan: recruit and train the Kren of Aranolis to serve as shock troops for the Rebellion. First, however, someone has to go into the jungles and establish relations with the savage tribes. To make things more complicated, not everyone in the Rebellion agrees that this is a good idea for either the rebels or the Kren.
None of the select few who are privy to the information understand it, but apparently a strange gathering will soon be held in a private section of the Great Wheel. It involves high-ranking members of the Imperium military and government from throughout the galaxy as well as important rebels and a few independent individuals. The truth? The agents of the Zal are gathering, even at the risk of their cover identities. But why?
Blistering Bral, the leader of a fleet of pirate ships infamous throughout the galaxy, has recently declared allegiance with the Rebellion. With his support, the rebels significantly increase their numbers (and more important, their number of war-ready starcraft), even if most of the pirates are less than savory. Perhaps even more interesting, Bral has made it known that he’s not from this galaxy. He’s from someplace called “Massachusetts.” The Estate and the Zal would like to find out who this apparent recursor from Earth is really working for. Unfortunately, he has recently been captured and sent to the prison planet, Killarus.
Blistering Bral: level 6, all attacks as level 7; health 20; Armor 2; usually has a blaster in each hand and can fire both as a single action
Level: 1d6+2
Origin: Rebel Galaxy (fictional)
Law: Weird Science
Form: Similar to submachine gun with sight
Effect: This one-handed weapon fires a blast of energized particles at a creature or object within long range, or if a round is taken to set up a shot through the sight, at a target within 500 feet (152 m). Damage inflicted is equal to the artifact level; however, a manufacturing defect in many of these artifacts means the wielder must use two hands to fire or the difficulty of her attack is increased by one step.
Alternate models of blasters can be found; roll a d100 to determine blaster type.
| 01–10 | Electricity |
| 11–30 | Spikes |
| 31–40 | Spores |
| 41–50 | Flechettes |
| 51–75 | Laser |
| 76–00 | Energized particles |
This device is a rapid-fire weapon, and thus can be used with the Spray or Arc Spray abilities that some characters have, but each additional target selected requires an additional depletion roll.
Depletion: 1 in 1d100
Level: 1d6+2
Origin: Rebel Galaxy (fictional)
Law: Weird Science
Form: Complex goggles with red-tinted lenses
Effect: A wearer can tap the side of the goggles and cause them to emit a blaster pulse that travels a long distance. The pulse inflicts damage equal to the artifact level. If the user gets a major effect on an attack roll using this device, in lieu of extra damage, another major effect, or anything else, the pulse inflicts 6 additional points of damage to the target, and it inflicts 4 points of damage to all creatures and objects within immediate range of the target.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20
Level: 1d6+1
Origin: Rebel Galaxy (fictional)
Law: Weird Science
Form: Mechanical hand
Effect: Serves as a fully functional prosthetic mechanical hand. In addition, the hand provides its owner with several abilities, including the ability to crush objects whose level is less than the hand's level, a short-range laser attack that inflicts damage equal to the artifact level, and +1 to Might Edge that applies only when the user is using the prosthesis directly to accomplish a task (such as making a melee attack, climbing, or holding onto something).
Depletion: —
Level: 1d6+2
Origin: Rebel Galaxy (fictional)
Law: Weird Science
Form: Pistol with two rotating barrels
Effect: This weapon fires a beam to suppress the charge of the electrons that make up a creature or object within long range, inflicting damage equal to the artifact level for three rounds. If the attack reduces the target's combined Pools to below the level of the artifact, the target is disintegrated and instantly falls to dust. (A PC who would be disintegrated can spend 1 XP and instead descend one step on the damage track.)
Depletion: 1 in 1d20
Level: 1d6
Origin: Rebel Galaxy (fictional)
Law: Weird Science
Form: Metallic frame
Effect: Anyone wearing the metallic frame functions normally in areas of high gravity, low gravity, and zero gravity. The exoskeleton allows the user to walk normally in every gravity condition (including adhering to or walking on a surface in a zero-gravity or lowgravity environment). She can make attacks and attempt other tasks normally with no increases in difficulty due to extreme gravity conditions. The exoskeleton fails in the especially extreme gravity on the edge of a singularity.
Depletion: —
Level: 1d6
Origin: Rebel Galaxy (fictional)
Law: Weird Science
Form: Metallic frame
Effect: The melee exoskeleton offers protection that other exoskeleton models do not offer, providing +1 to Armor. In addition, the wearer becomes practiced with using the exoskeleton manipulators, which can function as heavy melee weapons. If he hits a foe with a manipulator, the manipulators latch on and automatically deal crushing damage in subsequent rounds until the caught foe can break free with a Might defense roll.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (check per minute of use)
Level: 1d6
Origin: Rebel Galaxy (fictional)
Law: Weird Science
Form: Metallic frame
Effect: The wearer can make one attack using the long-range blaster turret mounted on the exoskeleton as part of any other action. The blaster is a heavy weapon and deals 6 points of energy damage.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (check per minute of use)
Level: 1d6+3
Origin: Rebel Galaxy (fictional)
Law: Weird Science
Form: Device similar to a flashlight
Effect: The user can move this device through three settings. The first setting provides bright light in a cone reaching a long distance.
The middle setting allows the device to be used as a weapon, firing a laser burst at a target in long range that inflicts 4 points of damage.
The last setting creates a continuous laser beam with an effective range of 3 miles (5 km). The user can make attacks with the beam by adjusting the line of light so it comes in contact with a target he can see. Treat such an attack as a light long-range weapon that inflicts an additional 2 points of damage (4 points total). However, in continuous firing mode, each round a user keeps the laser pointed at the same spot without drifting, it inflicts 1 more point of damage than in the previous round, up to a maximum of 10 additional points of damage (12 points of damage total).
Depletion: 1 in 1d100 (check per laser blast use and per round of continuous laser use)
Level: 1d6
Origin: Rebel Galaxy (fictional)
Law: Weird Science
Form: Belt
Effect: Upon activation, an almost transparent force field surrounds the user in blocky planes for one hour, giving her +2 to Armor. The user can tune the field so that it’s translucent, hiding her identity, or make it fully dark so that it emits no light (though she can see through the field normally).
Depletion: 1 in 1d20
Level: 1d6+4
Origin: Rebel Galaxy (fictional)
Law: Weird Science
Form: Bulky metallic suit featuring an integrated weapon of prodigious size
Effect: This heavy armor grants +2 to Armor in addition to the +3 that heavy armor usually provides. Further, the armor features a massive integrated weapon that fires plasma; treat as a heavy weapon able to target a creature within long range, inflicting damage equal to the artifact level.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (check for each day of use)
Effect: This robotic entity is not free-thinking, but rather commanded by a user (typically, a designated leader with the appropriate command module). It fights as part of a squad, using its head-mounted eye laser to make long-range laser attacks as an entity equal to the artifact level.
Depletion: 1 in 1d100 (check each day; on depletion, robot powers down until repaired)
Effect: This robotic entity is not free-thinking, but rather commanded by a user (typically, a designated leader with the appropriate command module). It can fly a long distance each round and fights as part of a squad, using its integrated laser firearm to make long-range laser attacks as an entity equal to the artifact level.
Depletion: 1 in 1d100 (check each day; on depletion, robot powers down until repaired)
Level: 1d6+3
Origin: Rebel Galaxy (fictional)
Law: Weird Science
Form: Spherical when moving; unfolds into gunarmed robot when attacking
Effect: This robotic entity is not free-thinking, but rather commanded by a user (typically, a designated leader with the appropriate command module). It can roll a long distance each round when moving and fights as part of a squad, using its integrated laser firearm to make two long-range laser attacks as one action as an entity equal to the artifact level.
Depletion: 1 in 1d100 (check each day; on depletion, robot powers down until repaired)
Level: 1d6+1
Form: Handheld device with a screen, controls, and a long antenna
Effect: This device comes in two varieties. Analyzer: You scan an area in short range that is equal in size to a 10-foot (3 m) cube, including all objects or creatures in that area. Scanning a creature or object always reveals its level. You also learn whatever facts the GM feels are pertinent about the matter and energy in the area. Many materials and energy fields prevent or resist scanning.
Detector: You specify a general material, quality, or essence that can be measured (such as iron, energy weapons, humans, heat, and so on), and the device reveals how many instances of it are within 200 feet (61 m), along with the distance and direction to each.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20
Level: 1d6+1
Origin: Rebel Galaxy (fictional)
Law: Weird Science
Form: Cloak with attached hood
Effect: Under normal circumstances, the hood and cloak are as flexible and fashionable as a normal garment of this type, without any penalties associated with wearing regular armor. However, if the wearer is subjected to a physical or energy attack, the garment immediately stiffens, redirecting the energy of the attack and protecting him as if he was wearing heavy armor for that instant.
Depletion: 1 in 1d100 (check per attack)
Level: 1d6+1
Origin: Rebel Galaxy (fictional)
Law: Weird Science
Form: Cloak with attached hood
Effect: This artifact functions as an impact cloak, except that it has a 50% chance to reflect energy attacks back on the attacker.
Depletion: 1 in 1d100 (check per attack)
Level: 1d6+1
Origin: Rebel Galaxy (fictional)
Law: Weird Science
Form: Cloak with attached hood
Effect: This artifact functions as an impact cloak, except the user can activate the cloak’s stealth field as an action. The stealth field creates a camouflage bubble around the user that dampens sound and decreases the difficulty of stealth tasks by two steps.
Depletion: 1 in 1d100 (check per attack)
Level: 1d6
Origin: Rebel Galaxy (fictional)
Law: Weird Science
Form: Hovering robot with a variety of manipulator arms and data-gathering tools
Effect: This robotic entity typically takes commands from a designated leader. The bot can be deployed to other “planets” in the recursion to gather environmental and tactical information, which is transmitted back. Most probe droids do not fight, but if threatened or discovered, they detonate in a short-range blast inflicting damage equal to the artifact level on all creatures and objects in the area.
Depletion: 1 in 1d100 (check each day; on depletion, robot explodes as if threatened)
Level: 1d6
Origin: Rebel Galaxy (fictional)
Law: Weird Science
Form: Humanoid form but obviously robotic
Effect: This robotic entity emulates sentience and a pleasant personality, though it isn’t actually free-thinking, but rather commanded by its user. It accompanies its designated user and provides language translation, knowledge on a variety of Weird Science topics, and something akin to companionship.
Depletion: 1 in 1d100 (check each day; on depletion, robot powers down until repaired)
Level: 1d6
Origin: Rebel Galaxy (fictional)
Law: Weird Science
Form: Skeletal-frame robot with integrated medical tools
Effect: This robotic entity can restore points to the Pools (or health) of a creature that has taken damage at a rate of up to 10 points per hour. Creatures in the robodoc’s care are usually rendered unconscious for the duration of the care provided.
Depletion: 1 in 1d100 (check each day; on depletion, robot ceases functioning until repaired)
Level: 1d6
Origin: Rebel Galaxy (fictional)
Law: Weird Science
Form: Skeletal-frame robot with integrated medical tools
Effect: This robotic entity can reverse all signs of aging in a creature. Creatures in the robodoc’s care are usually rendered unconscious for three days until the procedure is complete. Afterward, the creature appears as a young adult of its species, and then it begins to age normally again.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (check each day; on depletion, robot mistakenly ages target and ceases functioning until repaired with a difficulty 7 Intellect roll)
Level: 1d6
Form: Robot half the size of a human that comes in various shapes, from humanoid to cylindrical to hemispherical, and has wheels or legs for movement
Effect: Provides an asset for three different tasks (roll three times):
| 01-10 | Diplomacy |
| 11-16 | Interrogation |
| 17-30 | Repair |
| 31-40 | History |
| 41-50 | Biology |
| 51-60 | Physics |
| 61-68 | Piloting |
| 69-75 | Navigation |
| 76-85 | Healing |
| 86-90 | Searching |
| 91-96 | Computer use |
| 97-99 | Robot interaction/interface |
| 00 | Translation (speaks virtually all languages in Rebel Galaxy) |
Depletion: 1 in 1d100 (roll once each day)
Level: 1d6
Origin: Rebel Galaxy (emergent)
Law: Weird Science
Form: Bracelet
Effect: The wearer immediately drops into sleep, and sleeps soundly and comfortably for eight hours (or up to the number of hours set by the wearer) in nearly any setting. Upon waking, she is refreshed and doesn't suffer from a stiff back, neck, or other issues that might afflict someone who sleeps in a less-than-ideal location (such as on a bench or on the floor). If she sleeps at least six hours, she adds 1 to the next recovery roll she makes. While sleeping, she wakes instantly if danger threatens, thanks to sensors built into the artifact.
Sleep bands can be modified to keep prisoners secure by switching off the sensors that wake a sleeper if danger threatens. A sleeper snoozing in a modified band can be woken before the program ends only by removing the band.
Depletion: —
Level: 1d6+1
Origin: Rebel Galaxy (fictional)
Law: Weird Science
Form: Lightweight full-body suit with helmet
Effect: Serves as light armor and offers complete protection from environmental temperature and pressure dangers, providing breathable air, food pellets, and waste recycling services. Each day of use requires a depletion roll.
Depletion: 1 in 1d100
Level: 1d6+4
Origin: Rebel Galaxy (fictional)
Law: Weird Science
Form: Cannon turret, mountable on solid ground, a vehicle, or a spacecraft
Effect: By emitting a prodigious amount of terahertz light and long-range infrared light, this device can target a structure (or part of a city-sized or larger structure) up to 5 miles (8 km) away and inflict damage equal to the artifact level on all living targets inside, unless the structure was built to shield out terahertz radiation. The cannon works by generating resonant effects that unzip double-stranded DNA. In addition, when the cannon fires, the user can see the interior of the structure on a screen, which usually shows enemies falling left and right in the invisible glare of the terahertz beam.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20
Level: 1d6+2
Origin: Rebel Galaxy (fictional)
Law: Weird Science
Form: Thin metallic blade on a hilt like a gun grip
Effect: This long one-handed sword inflicts damage equal to the artifact level. In addition, the target takes 1 point of damage each round until 1 or more points of damage inflicted by the weapon are restored.
Depletion: 1 in 1d00
Descriptors: Any of the Descriptors offered in the Cypher System Rulebook could find their way into a Star Wars campaign. Keep in mind that some may fit a Light Side campaign better than others.
?Cruel, Dishonorable, and Vengeful would most certainly fit characters following the path of the Dark Side. Should anyone take these and choose a Force-Sensitive, there should be a discussion of the player character's motives within the game.
?Empathic, Honorable, Kind, and Virtuous are perfect for Light Side characters. When coming up with Force-centric GM Intrusions, the GM should constantly challenge these players to their adherence to the Light Side of the Force.
Types: Any GM who wants to run a Star Wars adventure should already have a working idea of what level of technology, science, and Force powers exist. When players are choosing their Special Abilities for their Types, try to steer clear of any powers that don't fit within the Star Wars Universe.
?Warriors, Speakers, and Explorers, require very little editing and re-skinning.
?Adepts obviously would need the most consideration. In Star Wars, Adepts are Force Adepts, Force Witches, and Jedi. Direct attack powers such as Onslaught don't fit the Star Wars canon for Light Side Force Users, although a Dark Side Adept could have a low-level Force Lightning using the same rules.
?Flavors: The Stealth, Technology, and Knowledge Flavors can all be ported "rules as written." The same considerations for the Adept Type come into play for the Magic Flavor.
?Re-skin the Magic Flavor into the Force Flavor: Many of these powers make a lot of sense, especially for the Jedi Knight built as a Warrior, who wants some additional Force Powers like Closed-Mind and Premonition. Work with your players to make sure that everyone is in agreement with the types of abilities chosen.
Foci: When I went through the many Foci available for players characters in a Cypher System/Star Wars game, I sorted them based on their possible connections to The Force.
?General Foci: Abides in "Metal: (Droid), Battles "Droids", Builds "Droids", Crafts Unique Objects, Dies (Translation Codex), Doesn't Do Much, Entertains, Explores Dark Places, Fights With Panache, Fires All Weapons (Translation Codex), Hunts With Great Skill, Infiltrates, Leads, Lives in the Wilderness, Looks For Trouble, Masters Defense, Masters Weaponry, Moves Like a Cat, Moves Like the Wind, Needs No Weapon, Never Says Die, Operates Undercover, Performs Feats of Strength (Wookie!), Pilots Starcraft, Stands Like a Bastion, Wields Two Weapons at Once, Works the Back Alleys, Works the System (Slicer), Would Rather be Reading,
?Force Sensitive Foci: Commands Mental Powers, Crafts Illusions, Focuses Mind Over Matter, Sees Beyond
?Light Side Foci: Defends the Weak, Works Miracle (Force Healer)
?Dark Side Foci: Fights Dirty, Murders, Rages, Rides the Lightning
Droids:
?There is the Artificially Intelligent descriptor in the Cypher System Rulebook.
?Abides in Stone, a focus for "golems" in the Cypher System Rulebook could be re-skinned as "Abides in Metal" or something similar. This would fit better for assassin and battle droids, since most of the benefits are combative in nature.
?There is always the non-mechanical option, and just letting the player create their own Descriptor/Type/Focus with a GM's approval.
WEG DCs
| Simple 1 (3) | 1-5 (Very Easy) |
| Standard 2 (6) | 6-10 (Easy) |
| Demanding 3 (9) | 11-15 (Moderate) |
| Difficult 4 (12) | 16-20 (Difficult) |
| Challenging 5 (15) or
Intimidating 6 (18) |
21-30 (Very Difficult) |
| Formidable (7) 21 | 31+ (Heroic) |