Thousand Suns GM’s Quick Reference (v1.

3)

A: Using Skills

Skill Test Number = Skill Level + related Ability Rank + modifiers

Roll 2d12.
If the roll is below the Skill Test Number it succeeds.
If the roll is above the Skill Test Number it fails.
Level of success or failure is equal to the difference between the Skill Test and
the dice roll.
Note: Unmodified 2 = critical success (or gain +2 Test Number bonus)
Unmodified 24 = critical failure (or gain –2 Test Number penalty)

Retries: Repeated attempts at the same task will reduce the Skill Test
Number by 1 for each subsequent attempt, but will cost more time!

Untrained: If a character attempts to use a Skill that they have no Skill levels
in and it is NOT listed as untrained (see Table 3); they gain an additional
penalty of –4. (e.g. Attempting a Medical Sciences-First Aid task with no skill
incurs a -4 penalty to the Skill Test Number.)

Table 1: Skill Test modifier table

Situation Modifier
Impossible -4
Difficult -3
Challenging -2
Hard -1
Routine +1
Easy +2
Simple +3
Trivial +4

Table 2: Action Point Spends

Situation Modifier
Bonus to any Skill Test +1
Bonus to any Skill Test relating to a +2
Character Hook
Using a Skill relating to a Character Hook Re-roll a die
Editing Allows a player to modify (within
reason) a scene.

Specialisation Skill Reminder:

1. Always start at Rank 3 or higher
2. Specialisations always start one Rank higher than the parent skill

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Table 3: Skill List

Skill Related Untrained Specialisations
Ability use?
Acrobatics Dexterity Balancing, Falling, Gymnastics, Zero-G
Animal Handling Presence Specific animals
Athletics Body Yes Climbing, Jumping, Specific Sports, Swimming,
Throwing
Bargain Presence Yes Bluff, Bribery, Fast Talk, Seduction
Bureaucracy Perception Yes Academic, Business, Government, Legal, Military
Computers Perception Yes Hacking, Programming, Research, Simulation
Culture Perception Specific Cultures
Defend Body Yes None
Diplomacy Presence Yes Debate, Etiquette, Leadership, Negotiation,
Persuasion
Dodge Dexterity Yes None
Empathy Perception Yes Body Language, Emotions, Intuition, Lies, Motives
Engineering Perception D-Drive, Material, Naval Architecture, Specific
Systems
Gaming Perception Yes Specific Games
Gunnery Perception Direct Fire, Energy weapons, Indirect Fire, Missiles
Heavy Weapons Perception Autocannon, Grenade Launcher, Flamethrower,
Machine Gun, Rail Gun
Intrusion Dexterity Yes Electronic, Mechanical
Intimidation Presence Yes Bluster, Interrogation, Orders, Torture
Investigation Perception Yes Criminal, Interview, Mysteries, Research, Search
Language Perception Specific Language
Life Sciences Perception Biology, Botany, Ecology, Genetics, Zoology
Medical Sciences Perception Diagnosis, First Aid, General Medicine, Pathology,
Surgery
Melee Dexterity Yes Axe. Fencing Long Blade, Short Blade, Traditional
Observe Perception Yes None
Performance Presence Yes Acting, Dancing, Oratory, Singing, Specific Musical
Instrument
Physical Sciences Perception Chemistry, Computer Science, Geology,
Mathematics, Physics
Piloting Dexterity By class of space vehicle
Profession Perception Specific Profession
Resist Will Yes None
Socialize Presence Yes Carousing, Formal Events, State Dinners
Shoot Dexterity Yes Archaic, Energy, Gauss, Handgun, Neural, Rifleman
Social Sciences Perception Anthropology, Archaeology, History, Philosophy,
Theology
Space Sciences Perception Astrogation, Astrography, Astronomy, Astrophysics,
Jump Theory
Stealth Dexterity Yes Camouflage, Disguise, Hiding, Shadowing, Sneaking
Streetwise Presence Yes Contacts, Contraband, Haggling, Scrounging
Subterfuge Perception Forgery, Pick Pocket, Sleight of Hand
Survival Perception Arctic, Desert, Jungle, Ocean, Specific Planet
Tactics Perception Defence, Guerrilla Warfare, Mechanised, Small Unit,
Starship
Technical Sciences Perception Demolitions, Electronics, Mechanics, Robotics,
Specific Technical Systems
Unarmed Combat Dexterity Yes Boxing, Brawling, Martial Arts, Wrestling
Vehicle Operations Dexterity Yes Atmospheric, Close Orbital, Grav, Ground, Water

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B: Combat
1. Determine Initiative Rating

Initiative Rating = d12 + (Dexterity + Perception/2) +/- modifiers

2. Actions
Attempting to do more than one Action per round incurs a –2 TN penalty to
every Action.
e.g. Attempting two Actions in one round incurs a –2 TN to both actions.
e.g. Attempting three Actions in one round incurs a –4 TN to all three actions.

3. Determine Range Modifier (Table 4)

Range Modifier
Point Blank +1
(within 3m)
Short +0
Medium -2
Long -4

4. Determine the correct Skill to use (Table 5)

Type of Combat Skill to use

Firing ranged weapons Shoot
Hand-to-hand combat Unarmed Combat
Armed combat Melee

5. Determine the Skills Test Number and any modifiers (see below Table 6),
then roll 2d12. If the result is less than the TN, you have hit!

Situation Modifier
Called shot (Target is size 10 cm to 1 m) -2
Called shot (Target is smaller than 10 cm) -4
Shooting weapon off-handed -2
Shooting while walking -1
Shooting while running -2
Shooting from a moving vehicle -2
Full cover (e.g. in between dense trees, from a building window) -3
Partial Cover (e.g. behind a tree, hiding in tall grass) -2
Prone -1
Immobilized +3

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Situation Modifier
Full darkness -3
Partial darkness -2
Weak light -1
Smoky/ hazy -1
Target is double the attacker’s size +1
Target is half attacker’s size -1

6. To calculate damage:
Type of Combat
Firing ranged weapons
Hand-to-hand combat
Armed combat
Damage
(Weapon base damage x Shoot
Skill Rank) – Armour Value of
target
(0.5 x Attacker’s Unarmed Combat
Skill Rank) – Armour Value of
target
(Weapon base damage x Melee
Combat Skill Rank) – Armour Value
of target

Note: The effectiveness of Ranged attacks can be reduced with a successful

Dodge Test, with the number of success used to reduce the number of
successes in the attack. (However against automatic weapons fire, the
number of successes used to reduce damage is halved.) Dodging counts as
an action in a combat round.
The effectiveness of Melee attacks (armed and unarmed) can likewise
be reduced with a successful Defend Test, with the number of success used
to reduce the number of successes in the attack. Again, Defending counts as
an action in a combat round.

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C: Technology
Table 7a: Armour
Type Armour Value Weight Cost Notes
(AV) [in kg] [in$ols]
Flight Suit 10 1 120
Force Field, Personal* 5 - 1200 Duration 2 hours**
Force Field, Personal* 10 - 3500 Duration 2 hours**
Heavy Combat Armour 50 15 5000
Light Combat Armour 15 3 200
Medium Combat Armour 20 4 350
Militisto Armour 30 20 2000
Projectile Deflector* - - 500 Grants a +2 bonus
to Dodge Tests
against ranged
attacks. Melee
attacks are not
affected.
Steleco Suit 5 0.5 1200 +4 TN stealth
Skolto Armour 10 2 150 +2 TN stealth
Space Combat Armour 45 20 3000
Space Suit 35 20 2000
Survival Suit 5 1.5 650
*These items use the Universal Equipment Mods see Table 9b.
**Use of a power backpack will extend the duration to 8 hours.

Table 7b: Armour Mods

Type Restrictions Cost Modifier Notes
Environment Only armor with sealed +20% Provides a stable artificial
helmet, body glove & air environment for 8 hours.
Seal tanks
Integrated Item to be incorporated +10% Allows the integration of a
must be purchased first. separate item into the
Equipment armor. Decide whether
the item can be physically
separated or not.
Integrated Weapon to be incorporated +10% Decide whether the item
must be purchased first. can be physically
Weapon separated or not.
Storage None +5% Allows the wearer to store
two small items.
Comparment
Also see Table 9b: Universal Equipment Mods.

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Table 8a: Weapons

Type Damage Range RoF Cost Notes
Value [in m] [in $ols]
.50 Caliber 5(75) 30 A 3500 Designed for use with two
Machine Gun operators – gunner and an
aide to feed ammunition.
18mm Shotgun 4(60) 9 S 500
9mm Automatic 4(60) 12 S 450
Pistol
9mm Revolver 3(60) 9 S 350
9mm 4(75) 12 S, A 450
Submachine Gun
5.56mm Assault 5(75) 12 S, A 1200 Also includes a 20mm
Rifle grenade launcher. Can be
plugged into Militisto armour.
Blaster Pistol 5(75) 12 S 900
Blaster Rifle 7(90) 25 S, A 1500
Gravity Gun 7(90) 6 S 3500 Target is also pushed back
1.5m per degree of success.
Target must also pass a
Body Test or else be
knocked prone.
Grenade, Acidic 2(40) 1.5 1 350/ box 2m burst radius that persists
for 10 rounds.
Grenade, 3(40) 3 1 1200/ box 3m burst radius of chemical
Chemical fire. All targets in blast
radius suffer 2d12 damage.
Grenade, EMP Special 6 1 500/ box 5m burst radius that
destroys all electronic
equipment.
Grenade, 6(75) 6 1 1200/ box
Fragmentation
Grenade, 7(75) 3 1 2000/ box 0.5m burst radius.
Gravitic Successful Dodge Test
halves damage.
Grenade, Sonic 3(40) 5 1 500/ box All creatures must make a
Body Test at TN –2 or be
unable to act next round.
Grenade, Stun Special 3 1 900/ box 5m burst radius. All
creatures must make a
Dodge Test at TN –2. If they
fail they must then succeed
at a Body Test or be stunned
for 2 rounds.
Grenade, Tangler Special 1.5 1 350/ box Each hit imposes a –2
penalty to Dexterity.
Laser Pistol 4(75) 12 S 900
Laser Rifle 6(90) 25 S, A 1500
Laser Sniper 6(80) 35 S 2750
Rifle
Monoblade 4(60) - - 650
Personal Varies 20 1 2000
Grenade
Launcher
Pulse Rifle 7(90) 5 S, A 2750 A fully automatic laser
assault rifle.

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Type Damage Range RoF Cost Notes

Value [in m] [in $ols]
Sniper Rifle 5(75) 35 S 2750 Can be plugged into Militisto
armour. Has a flash and
sound suppressor.
Sonic Blaster 3(40) 12 S 1200 Any damaged creature must
make a Body Test at TN –2
or be unable to act next
round.
Tangler Gun Special 6 S, A 650 Each hit imposes a –2
penalty to Dexterity.
Vibroblade 3(50) - - 500
Damage Value: The number in the parentheses is the weapon’s maximum
damage
Range: Each doubling of the stated range defines the range category (short,
medium, etc) Point blank range is within 3m.
RoF: S = single shot capability, A = automatic capability

Table 8b: Weapons Mods

Type Restrictions Cost Notes
Modifier
Alternate Weapon to be +20% Allows the integration of two weapons into
incorporated must one – usually of the same type. Decide
weapon be purchased first. whether the weapon can be physically
separated or not.
Autofire Ranged weapons +10% Allows ranged weapons to autofire.
without autofire.
Module
Collapsible None. +10% The weapon is easy to disassemble and
reassemble.
Genetic Tags Ranged ballistic +10% Ammunition from the weapon has a
weapons only. unique (genetic) tag corresponding to
whom the weapon is assigned to.
Integrated Item to be +5% Decide whether the item can be physically
incorporated must separated or not.
Equipment be purchased first.
Scope, Ranged weapons +5% Increases range increment of weapon by
Range-finding only. 1.5. A computer link to another weapon
with a scope, trained on the same target
Laser gains a +1 bonus on the first attack.
Sensor None. +10% +4 bonus on any checks to conceal the
weapon from sensors and other detection
Baffling devices.
Variable Ranged energy +30% Allows the weapon to be “primed” as an
weapons only Action allowing an extra degree of
Charge success. A weapon can only be primed up
to three rounds only. On the fourth round
the weapon must be discharged or else it
will explode (normal weapon damage, +4
degrees) to the user!
Voice None +5% Requires the user to speak a command
word to unlock the weapon.
Recognition
Also see Table 9b: Universal Equipment Mods.

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Table 9a: Equipment

Item Cost Notes
[in
$ols]
Aquaconverter 275 Worn as a backpack with a breather tube, these
mechanical gills allow a person to breathe water.
Biosculp Kit, Personal 150 A single use personal plastic surgery kit that permanently
alters the features of a person’s face physically over the
course of an hour whilst the user is unconscious.
Chemical, Akcel 40 A single injection grants a character +4 bonus to
Strength, +2 bonus to Dexterity related Tests and
increases movement by 5m, lasting 10 rounds. The drug
is addictive and there is a 10% chance of suffering -2
penalty to Dexterity and -1 penalty to Body related Tests
for 24 hours.
Chemical, Antitox 40 Found in most first aid kits. Used to neutralise poisons
afflicting a patient.
Chemical, Biocort 40 Used to boost a patient’s natural ability to heal. Any
character injected with biocort heals at twice the normal
rate for 24 hours.
Chemical, Mortinta 20 A.k.a. slow.
Places a patient into suspended animation for up to six
months. Users can be prematurely awoken by use of an
antidote. There is however a slight risk that a patient will
die when using Mortinta. On a roll of 24 on 2d12, a
character must make a Body+Will Test or die.
Chemical, Neutrad 40 Found in most first aid kits. Used to neutralise the effects
of radiation poisoning afflicting a patient in about an hour.
Chemical, Plastiflesh 40 Provides an artificial skin to seal wounds. The recipient
recovers (1d12)/2 Vitality. No Medical Sciences Test
required.
Chemical, Rapide 120 A.k.a. wake.
Each dose lasts 24 hours, during which the character
who has ingested the drug experiences the day as if it
only lasted 6 hours. No known side effects unlike its
cheaper counterpart Mortina.
Chemical, Solvaway 30 A special spray on chemical designed to break the
restricting material fired by tangler grenades and tangler
guns.
Chemical, Sporekill 40 Found in most first aid kits. Used to neutralise the effects
of diseases afflicting a patient. The patient will be cured
of all symptoms and the disease in about 1d12 hours.
Some genetically engineered diseases however cannot
be treated with this chemical and have no effect.
Chemical, Psi-Stam 40 per Psi-Stam is a drug used by psions to temporarily boost
+10 their Vitality points for the purposes of using psionic
powers to a maximum +50 Vitality. Effects last for 10
Vitality minutes. A Body Test at -1 per 10 points of Vitality
gained or suffer the Vitality lost using the drug to be
applied to his permanent Vitality.
Chemical, Truthtell 70 A truth drug. The subject must make a Will Test to resist
its effects. A failed Test results in the character having to
tell the truth for 3d12 minutes. A subject is aware of the
effects and may refuse to answer questions.
Disguise Kit, Morphic 200 Used by people who have to work undercover for
extensive periods. Features contact lenses that can
change colour, hair prosthetic, paint on LCD injector of
tattoos and vocoder. Grants a +4 bonus on all Stealth
(Disguise) Test while in use.

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Item Cost Notes

[in
$ols]
Display Contacts 200 Like display glasses in function, these contact lenses fit
perfectly over the eye and provide a discrete heads-up
display system for any computer the contacts are
connected to.
Display Glasses 200 Provides on-the-go monitors computers in the form of
dark glasses with earpieces. The glasses are
semitransparent to allow the wearer to view the display
and their surroundings at the same time.
Duracable 20 Strong as steel but flexible as rubber (but not elastic)
rope. Can support about 10 tonnes.
Flash-Seal 70 A small brick sized block of metal designed to weld a
door shut instantly. Once sealed, the door must be
destroyed or cut through as though it were a wall.
Fusion Torch 120 A device for cutting through objects – dealing 3d12
damage per round on objects. If used as an improvised
weapon, it deals only 1d12 damage.
Explorer Outfit 40 A suit of cargo pants and a utility vest - each covered
with numerous pockets and pouches, a pair of boots, a
cap and sunglasses.
Grappler Tag 30 A small disc about 15cm in diameter, which can attach
itself to a surface using magnetism or an array of
microscopic barbs, either of which can be released by a
button at the top of the disc. Often used in conjunction
with duracable.
Heads-Up Display 55 A contact lens or optical nerve interface device for
displaying visual data for the user alone. Can be used to
automatically highlight a target on voice command
granting a +1 bonus for Observe Tests.
Hologram Player 40 A small disc with several light projectors around the
edge. It can generate 3D images from 5cm to 180cm
tall.
Hologram Recorder 90 About the size of a pen with bulbous transparent cap at
one end. It can record up to 1 hour of 3D imagery of
anything within its cone shaped field of view.
Hologuise 500 A headband that acts as a combination hologram
projector and digital image computer system. It can
project a 3D image that completely masks the face. An
active hologuise grants a +4 bonus to Stealth (Disguise)
Tests.
Intellipicks 275 These are clusters of tiny machines designed to pick
mechanical or magnetic locks. They give a +10 Intrusion
modifier on these types of locks. They cannot however
open electronic or computerised locks.
Karto 350 A standard computer no bigger than a credit card or a
kodumulo. Can be hooked up to any computer interface
or display (including spray on LCDs).
Kodumulo 350 A single use card which allows non-computer experts to
perform computer related tasks or bypass computer
barriers. Each Kodumulo carries a single program to
carry out specific task and grants a +4 bonus in place of
the character’s Computers Skill. After use the card self-
destructs leaving no trace of tampering.
Medikit, Advanced 60 Functions as a Fast Use Medkit, except it grants a +2
bonus on all Medical Science Tests.
Medikit, Fast Use 55 May be used as an action in a combat round. Make a
Medical Sciences Test - if you pass, the patient has
Vitality points equal to their Body + Will restored.

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Item Cost Notes

[in
$ols]
Micro-Aural 40 A.k.a. microcom.
Made up of three parts – a tiny earpiece transmits
Communicator directly into the ear, a small broadcast node inside the lip
and a wristband to control and co-ordinate the other two
devices and interface with outside devices. Using a
microcom cannot normally be heard.
Nanobeacon 70 A tiny chip that is implanted on a body or object which
sends out a pulse every second which has a range of
800km. Used to co-ordinate troop movements, find lost
people or track criminals.
Neural Computer Link 5000 This device creates a direct interface between the user’s
brain and his computer. This does not allow a person to
gain skill ranks, but it does reduce the time required for
Computer and Investigate Tests.
Neural Network Jack, 200 In conjunction with a Neural Computer Link, this allows a
remote interface between the user’s brain and local
Wireless computer networks. Often used with the satellite datalink
mod to connect to global networks.
Neural Scrambler 120 A six pronged device serves as a restraining device that
when placed over the head interrupts brain activity. A
wearer may not take any actions, but may move at
normal speed commanded by another. When removes
the wearer has no memory of event while he was
restrained.
Polyvox 120 Translates languages of different known cultures and
species.
Portable Environment 275 A tall 60cm cylinder that can project at 10m radius
spherical energy bubble of customable environment.
Generator
Portable Glow-Lamp 20 Can be adjusted to provide light up to 15m in radius.
Power Backpack 70 A man portable electric generator.
Puritizer 90 A small 30cm semitransparent cylinder that removes
impurities from food and water.
Regen Wand 1200 A tubular device 40cm long. It emits a wave of energy to
promote cellular growth and healing. When used,
Medical Sciences Tests have a +2 bonus.
Ŝafisto Chip 200 A tiny microchip implanted under the wrist containing the
bearer’s identification information. Also may include
banking and credit details.
Sensor, Armacomp 1200 A hand held or gauntlet computer designed to detect and
locate weapons. Grants +3 bonus on Investigate
(Search) Tests when searching for weapons of all types.
Grants +2 bonus on all Technical Science Tests made on
weapons. This does not however cover explosives and
other demolitions devices.
Sensor, Chemicomp 1200 A hand held or gauntlet computer designed to find
individual chemical compounds. Grants +4 bonus on
Investigate (Search) Tests when trying to find specific
chemicals.
Sensor, Democomp 1200 A hand held or gauntlet computer designed to detect and
locate explosives of all types. Grants +3 bonus on
Investigate(Search) Tests when trying to locate
explosives and +2 bonus on all Technical Science Tests
made regarding explosives.

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Item Cost Notes

[in
$ols]
Sensor, Electricomp 1200 A hand held or gauntlet computer designed to detect and
locate all types of electronic devices. Grants +3 bonus
on Investigate(Search) Tests when searching for specific
electronic devices. Grants +2 bonus on all Technical
Science Tests made to repair electronic devices.
Sensor, Geocomp 1200 A hand held or gauntlet computer designed to find
individual minerals. Grants +4 bonus on
Investigate(Search) Tests when trying to locate minerals.
Sensor, Mechanicomp 1200 A hand held or gauntlet computer designed to assist in
the evaluation and repair of mechanical devices. Grants
+2 bonus on all Technical Science Tests made to
vehicles, starships or other mechanical devices.
Sensor, Medicomp 1200 A hand held or gauntlet computer designed to assist in
the evaluation and healing of humans and other common
physiologies. Grants +2 bonus on all Medical Science
Tests.
Sensor, Robocomp 1200 A hand held or gauntlet computer designed to assist in
the evaluation and repair of robots. Grants +2 bonus on
all Technical Science Tests made to robots.
Sensor, Motion 350 Can detect and display motion relative to other objects
based on its own position within a 30m radius. It can
sense motion through walls and solid surfaces.
Spray LCD Paint on LCDs in a spray can. The LCDs lasts for 1
hour, after which the LCDs dissolve. Each canister
produces one working LCD.
Standard Rations 30 per An entire meal in pill form.
week
Universal 40 A.k.a. unicom.
A single person communicator. More advanced models
Communicator incorporate hologram recorder and projectors (via
multiple use item mod).
Viziero 500 Allows a person to see through solid objects up to 30m
away to create a computer-generated image using
multiple sensors. The viziero can be blocked by 15cm of
metal and 30cm of other materials. It cannot see
through dense metals such as lead at all.

Table 9b: Universal Equipment Mods.

Type Restrictions Cost Notes
Modifier
Multiple Use Item to be incorporated +5% Allows the integration of two separate
must be purchased items into a single device. Decide
Item first. whether the item can be physically
separated or not.
Paint-On LCD None +10% Can be used as a display for
computers or communications.
Satellite May only be used with +5% Allows equipment to connect up to a
gear containing global satellite network.
Datalink computerized
communications
equipment.
Storage None +5% Allows the wearer to store two small
items.
Compartment

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