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Field Guide - Castor and Pollux 2.3
Field Guide - Castor and Pollux 2.3
Field Guide - Castor and Pollux 2.3
Morgan
The Field Guide to Castor and Pollux is not an official Lancer product; it is a third party work,
and is not affiliated with Massif Press. The Field Guide to Castor and Pollux is published via the
Lancer Third Party License.
Lancer is copyright Massif Press
By
Miles Mellott (@cicada king (hellaspooks)#2744 on Discord or @the_cicada_king on Twitter)
Art By
Ernesto Flores (@SkyCrimeDraws on Twitter) (Couatl and Pharos)
GenTrigger (@GenTrigger on Twitter) (Lemongrass and Sicklewing)
Crixler (PI-OF logo)
Cover Art
“Killing an Enemy” - Robert Blyth, 1779
Special Thanks
Reconus, Ru, Delilah, Kojima, Ikiryo, Briar, Crixler, Melon, CYAN, Alaen, and Sasha on PilotNET for your
help, inspiration, and support in making this guide a reality
1
Field Guide:
CASTOR & POLLUX
Compiled For: DoJ/HR - UBM
Reference Name: TIDAL MONUMENT
2
RING 8, SPINDLE STATION
OBSERVATION DECK ‘ROSEWATER’, FILLED WITH NEW ARRIVALS WAITING TO
PASS THROUGH CUSTOMS
“Administrator Altan-Huan?” He turns to see a young woman in a pristine white uniform with
golden trim, a circular gold pin on her lapel. He recognizes the icon from the briefing he received.
She waits expectantly, a cleanly molded smile frozen on her face. He steps forward — between
the subalterns that not-so-subtly interposed themselves between the administrator and his escort
— and extends a hand. She takes it slightly too quickly for comfort.
“My name is Cassidy, and I am honored to be the first to welcome you to Quetzal’s Flight! I’m sure
you’ll be very impressed with our humble home. If you’ll come this way, we’ve prepared a
welcome package for you.” Her voice is like a mirror, polished and perfectly self-effacing. He
takes one last look down at the planet below. Beside him, a man in worker’s clothes calls a family
member from a terminal. Cassidy is already beckoning him to a – he grimaces – velvet carpet
bypassing the customs line. He can see at least two bouquets from here. Somehow, live fire in the
empire-city of Tantamount was easier to navigate. He wonders when he’ll see his Saladin again.
As he rides down to Pollux’s surface, he hopes only that it will stay as beautiful as the view from
above.
3
SECTION 0: SECTION 2:
4
Castor and Pollux
The Wheel Turns Goldilocks Twins
Even in the final days of the Second Committee, Hidden in the Sierra Madre line, twelve
the all-encompassing wave of expansion never lightyears from the nearest blinkgate, is a jewel.
ceased. Union sought not only to broaden its Quetzal’s Flight: a system with two habitable
borders but to deepen them, filling in the gaps planets. Pollux and Castor are goldilocks twins,
that its rapid efforts had left between blinkgates a stellar rarity. Sister colonies were seeded and
as new planets were identified and scouted. The developed on both worlds. While they grew in
Laurel Rush was a final wave of colonization for relative peace, as each became industrially
these inner-ring worlds, a lottery of land rights stable it became strained. The system was also
to mineral-rich worlds for any party with the home to a mineral-rich planet, and a gas giant
capital to take them, scattered across Union ripe to be skimmed; whichever twin came to
space. Theirs was a mad dash to colonize and control them would ensure it’s economic
establish the next lucrative wave of SecComm prosperity and a place in the galactic stage, and
success and ideology – blind to the revolution the resulting gold rush blossomed from a cold
brewing on the Core Worlds. war into active skirmishes as each planet tried
to plant its flag.
Laurel Rush colonies found that mere decades
after settlement, Union went dark. While the In the early days, each planet only sent
Omninet was never silent, their patron was unmanned probes to survey and identify likely
gone, and they had been left with only the landing spots on Tinplate - a rocky, sunward
dream of a gilded future to guide them. Now, as world - and several larger asteroids. As these
the Third Committee reaches out to it’s lost missions became more frequent and
brethren, they have found bastions of the semi-permanent satellites were established, the
anthrochauvinistic, self-centered, and twins began to sabotage each other’s machines
capital-driven ideals they sought to circumvent. - first as deniable ‘accidents’ with colliding
Integration has proven itself a rocky and difficult debris, and eventually escalating into active
proposition.1 The wheel of the galaxy continues defense nets that prohibited any launch.
to turn.
The transition to manned missions created a lull
in the conflict as neither side wanted to make
the first strike. However, when Castor created
the first permanent living quarters in Teapot
Crater, thus claiming it as incorporated territory,
Pollux lashed out at the threat. Threats became
missile bombardments and each planet sent
small fightercraft and dumb kinetics to meet in
the gulf of space between them. Smaller
skirmishes with infantry and chassis spread
across Tinplate and orbital platforms, although
they never reached either twin’s surface. These
forces were a mix of corporate mercenaries and
active military as economic interest merged with
national identity. Before these conflicts could
ignite into outright planetary war, disaster
struck:
1
See reports Redwood Grove, Augusta-4 (BLUE
EXCLUSION), and Westcoat’s Reach (TOWER
GOLD) for previous Laurel Rush contact
conflicts.
5
The Flare in the few bunkers and other underground safe
havens they were able to find before the flare
Castor’s orbitals gave them only a few hours came. The lingering radiation and
notice: a one-in-a-billion event, a massive solar electromagnetic storms destroyed most
flare set to erupt from their host star. On a path technology and made surface travel almost
to engulf the planet in a wave of radiation and impossible, leaving them with no way to call out
heat, Castor’s government scrambled to form a or make their presence known3. Instead they
response. Even with immediate global survived – scrounging in a wasteland and
redirection of resources to evacuation, only a growing embittered by its hardships.
fraction of the population would ever make it
offworld – and of those, even fewer would As the cataclysm slowly wanes, they have finally
escape the coming flare’s radius. Frantic re-established a fledgling nation and reawoken
messages were sent to Pollux – pleas for refuge old machines. Secrecy – once lamented, now
for their citizens, and for desperate recognition inherited – is a weapon for them as they strike
in their final moments. Before sunset, Castor against the planet that abandoned their
was scoured and silent2. still-breathing corpse. Their attacks are growing
in number and intensity, and it’s only a matter of
20,000 survivors arrived on Pollux - 18,000 from time before the source is uncovered, and the
the lifeboats, and a scattered 2,000 from war begins again in earnest. Old wounds are
off-planet combatants and expeditions in the being reopened and the battlelines drawn as
asteroid belt. The last gasp from a colony of 3.7 once again the system seems on the brink of
million. Pollux mourned it’s sister – and claimed war – and to the victor, survival, and a galaxy’s
the riches of their home system. Castor lay worth of wealth.
quarantined and desolate, a radioactive tomb
world.
A Corporate Kingdom
Now, almost 200 years later, Pollux is a hub of
commerce and industry. Made rich by the
exploitation of the system’s natural wealth, it
has garnered the attention of powers
Union-wide, and only continues to grow.
However, all is not well. With money comes
greed, and there are countless actors within the
cutthroat mercantile hegemony that would do
anything to see themselves come out on top.
The populace enjoys wealth and excess, but
behind closed doors their lives become
bargaining chips for the desperate and powerful
alike. Wealth and political power are the new
twins of Pollux, and in 5008u they applied to
become the host system of a new blinkgate - an
act that would skyrocket their galactic
prominence if approved. The request is under
examination while they undergo a probationary
Union review, and the merchant dynasties that
rule Pollux grow restless as each vies for power.
Grimmer still, Castor stirs.
2
Many Polluxite historians theorize that the
Flare prevented what could have become a far
greater conflict leaving both planets barren; the
3
topic is still under debate in academic circles. It is unclear what efforts were made to search
The Orbit’s official stance mourns the Flare as a Castor after the Flare. Surveillance records from
tragedy. the era are highly classified, if they exist at all.
6
A Campaign in Quetzal’s In the dawn hours of the conflict they may aid or
interfere in the machinations of Himiko Arasawa;
Flight defend the Tinplate installations from early
skirmishes; or chase intrigue and their own
One way or another, war is coming to Quetzal’s wealth in the neon streets of Punta Caridad.
Flight. The first strikes have already begun, and
leaders on both sides view the other as an As the skirmishes escalate to war and
existential threat for reasons both past and knowledge spreads to the citizens of Pollux, any
present. Uninterrupted it will drag their planets armed force will either be looked on in suspicion
into a deadly conflict – one that will only end or as a tool by those with an agenda. Who will
with the annihilation of one or both colonies, they fight? Who will they save? Will they side
and untold losses for the survivor. Pollux is with someone, willingly or by force, or will they
driven by a corporate hegemony, ever greedy try to forge a third option? Will the war be a hot
and monopolistic in its attack on competition – and deadly path to destruction, or become a
and supported by generations of exponential brutal siege between planets as each digs its
success. Castor’s council has become an heels in?
authoritarian cult, driven by rage, pain, and the
extremely present threat of dwindling resources The war between Castor and Pollux is centuries
and the instability of their position as they are in the making – but its ending is still unwritten.
backed into the corner. For each twin, fratricide This moment now, when leaders tilt nations to
is preferable to death. war and cast their citizen’s lives like dice, is the
moment when everything can change. The story
So, where do the players come in? They are an of who, and what, remains, is up to you.
unknown variable in the orbital dynamics of
Quetzal’s Flight – even if they cannot prevent
the collision of its major powers, they may be
able to slow it, soften the blow, and manage the
fallout. They could be militia for the Gilded
Orbit, mercenaries from greater occupied
space, or the timely arrival of a Union Navy or
DoJ/HR team to back up the newly appointed
administrator.
7
FACTIONS FOUND IN
QUETZAL’S FLIGHT
Himiko Arasawa, CEO and Head Chairwoman of the Keyhole Geologic Interest, sits beside a plate-glass
window looking out over the lights of Punta Caridad. The warm glow of storefronts is gradually being
replaced by the harsher neon of after-hours entertainment, though it is all softened by the time it reaches
her nearly a mile up the point from the city proper. She is the picture of peace; a loose summer blouse,
wide-legged cotton pants, gently reclined in a custom-made ergonomic office chair with a cup of tea
cooling at the table by her side. A report that would tear the city apart lies idle on the slate on her desk.
Instead, she enjoys her evening in a quiet contemplation.
Ten million twinkling lights. A constellation of her own that illuminated the night. There was so much still
to be done before it would be complete – even in these quiet moments, Himiko mused, she never truly
escaped her work.
Competing companies were an irritation as always; none had the standing to challenge her, but she still
disliked the drain on her focus. There were elections upcoming, and while she was certain of her seat the
rising upstarts seemed to get louder every year. A smear campaign would be clumsy, but perhaps when
candidates were announced she would begin to gather suitable persuasive material for her own personal
conversations. Squawking birds that clawed at their own nest like a cuckoo, endeavoring even impotently
to upset stability. They irked her like the unexpected stink of rotten fish from a formal dinner. Himiko
noticed she was frowning and took a moment to breathe. Tonight was a good night and she wouldn’t
spoil her complexion over reactionaries.
She would plan her steps carefully, of course. The dance was new but the rhythm all the same as the
waltz she’d walked since she could talk. Above the cityscape, the lights washed out the real stars and left
only the thick black veil of space behind. She knew what was waiting out there – but they had no idea
who she was, or that she had already won.
8
POLLUX
The Gilded Orbit Seats of the Syzygy
The ruling body of Pollux, the Orbit is the
consensus body of the merchant dynasties Agriculture Sharuk Ondo,
based on the planet. Membership is historically representing Demeterra
by trade: separate registered companies each
send a single representative, and each field then Health and Maria Quijano,
elects a single representative (ex: one Medical representing BeneCare
spokesperson for all robotics factories, one for Science
all mining companies, one for all agricultural
Mining and Himiko Arasawa,
efforts, etc.), that represents that industry in the
Refining representing Keyhole
Syzygy. The ten-year election cycle of the
Geologic Interest
Syzygy is a matter of intense focus as it
represents a brief opportunity to shift the
Transportation Sloan ‘Ocho’ Ruiz,
balance of power and trade in one’s favor. The
representing Aurora
monopolization of Pollux’s economy has
SkyTram
created a plutocratic system where some
businesses have held power for over a century. Construction Deirdre Rose,
The Syzygy, and by extension the Orbit, decides representing Pinnacle
national and civilian policy, as well as holding a Industries
tight grip on all economic and trade decisions.
Manufacturing Marlon Ferreira,
The Grapevine representing 4th Ward
A worker’s collective of seven spinsat mining Factories
rigs around Jian’s Well - White Orchid,
Entertainment Qadiya Castillo,
Faraday-4, Jian’s Memoriam, Anchor, Jack/Jill,
representing Pollux
Free Faraday, and The Birdsnest. In 4943u, a
Publishing
revolt over working conditions (beginning in the
stations that would become Free Faraday and
Robotics and Weile Kodyne,
White Orchid) led to the partial collapse of
Software representing POLARIS
Faraday Ventures, and the formation of The
Grapevine as an independent enterprise. Defense and Duster Cain, representing
Security Kshatriya Security
Now worker-led and owned, the Grapevine is a Services
theoretically self-sufficient ecosystem; only Free
Faraday and The Birdsnest have the capacity for Finances and Pakne Keshap,
hydroponics, but all stations can draw water Insurance representing The Spring
and fuel as byproducts of their mining. Harbor Treasury
Faraday-4 is technically still a functional office of
Faraday Ventures (and it’s only office). Jian’s
Memoriam is the newest station, completed in
4966u.
9
Keyhole Geologic Interest The Ratpack
The largest mineral mining conglomerate in the The Ratpack is a loose term for the anarchist
system. Their operation is centered on Tinplate movements that have developed in Punto
and spans the length and depth of the planet. Caridad over the last few decades in response
Solidly established ever since the Flare, KGI has to both the Faraday revolt and a widely disliked
had a long time to accumulate wealth and change in KGI benefit policy. The original
political influence. They represent close to 40%4 protests were organized through Omninet
of the trade out of Quetzal’s Flight. The current boards and anonymous manifestos. Nowadays,
CEO Himiko Arasawa is the unofficial leader of the individual spinoff cells/members differ
the Syzygy, and thus the planet as a whole. greatly in message and method, though they all
Most of their operations are focused on agree that the current system is flawed. Some
Tinplate, which has remained under KGI control argue for the dismantling of the plutocratic
since the Flare. Gilded Orbit system, while others say that the
democracy of the current Orbit disrespects the
Kshatriya Security Services meritocracy of economic success; these beliefs
KSS is a ubiquitous sight across Pollux - they are expressed mainly as protests in the public
dominate the paramilitary market and are under eye, but carry links to corporate espionage,
contract by every individual with assets to terrorist attacks, and gang violence in the
protect. Their forces range from night watchmen uninhabited outskirts of the city when cells
to mechanized cavalry squads. As the heavily clash.5
armed enforcers of the highest bidder, many
Polluxites view their officers with suspicion. The lack of cohesion between groups leaves
public opinion poor and has prevented them
Pollux’s lack of a standing military requires that from gaining significant political ground, instead
all armed contractors must be on-call for forming a caustic, self-defeating underground in
circumstances of national defense. Of these, the city. None of the current affiliates are aware
Kshatriya is the largest and most influential, that the original movement was orchestrated by
which has garnered it leeway from the Syzygy in Castor in a metastatically successful attempt to
certain operative discrepancies. They keep destabilize the populace and sow unrest.
Pollux safe; they keep their guns loaded; they
keep themselves needed. Slatestone Lending Co.
SLCo (or ‘Slick’s’) is little more than an
Wicker-Mulligan Corporate organized crime family that bought a business
license to keep their loansharking aboveboard.
Surveyorship While they are an investment firm on paper, in
The runner-up mining corp in the system. KGI’s practice their influence extends into all manner
monopoly on Tinplate has forced them to make of illegal activities that are hidden behind that
their money from the asteroid belt - equally rich veneer. Predatory lending, protection rackets,
in material, but far more difficult and dangerous and trade of illicit contraband are their usual
to mine. WM-CS is comparatively new, being MO, and their debt collectors are more feared
founded in 4970u, but their cutthroat tactics than any KSS officer. KSS will defer to the
have allowed them to rise to the top of Pollux’s highest bidder; Slick’s boys won’t stop until
markets nonetheless. The Orphan’s attacks on blood is spilled.
KGI sites have only served to increase this
momentum.
5
CLEARANCE LEVEL: WHITE WATER ONLY An
increasing number of these clashes have
involved esoteric and/or paracausal methods
4
This record fails to account for Pinnacle tariffs indicating possible infiltration/education by
which, between monetary, mineral, cultural, and known external groups. See Breaking the
labor profits, actually represent a majority share Looking Glass: Civil Subversion by Xeno-State
of all industries. Actors for possible remediation approaches.
10
CASTOR Ultraviolet Dawn
In the wake of the Flare, Castor’s citizens were
The Emergency Council forced to adopt strict discipline and endurance
The Emergency Council is the leading coalition in order to survive. The Ultraviolet Dawn was the
of the surviving habitats of Medallion’s first coalition of disparate shelters that led the
Undercity. Each habitat elects its own reunification of the Medallion Undercity and the
representative to the Council, which then directs formation of the Emergency Council. Their ethos
the labor, rationing, and development plans of was founded on the survival of their people, by
the entire Undercity. Of the 34 seats on the any means – and through grueling work and
council, 22 are currently held by vocal sacrifice, they have seen their home rise from
adherents of the Ultraviolet Dawn. the ashes (for all of them now, the only home
they’ve ever known). As the Undercity stabilized
The greater society of the Undercity is and survival was no longer so tenuous, the UD’s
predicated on labor. The razor-thin margin of thoughts began to turn upward; to their drifting
their survival requires all citizens to contribute twin, oblivious and prosperous.
as much as they are able to the maintenance
and production of the community. The A radical realignment occurred following the
Emergency Council assigns tasks and roles to rediscovery of intact military storage hangars,
population clades, and all development plans casting out the more moderate members. The
must be approved by them as an appropriate UD seeks revenge on the planet that
expenditure of resources. abandoned them, and their control over the
Emergency Council and popular rhetoric has
The Orphans granted them ample support. It is because of
Castor’s military strike force. The Orphans the UD that Castor has not made contact with
command a sizable wing of space-capable Pollux to ask for assistance, as their
chassis and a small number of refurbished self-sufficiency has bloated into a seething mix
fightercraft and intra-system slowboats. In of pride and envy.
attempts to maintain the advantage of their
secrecy, the Orphans have limited their actions Their motives are based in pragmatism too –
to stealth reconnaissance and occasional they fear that exposing themselves to Pollux
live-fire sorties bearing false pirate markings6. without bargaining power will result in them
While they are ostensibly subservient to the becoming a slave-state for the foreseeable
Emergency Council, the difficulty of future, dependent on and beholden to the
communicating to and from Castor means they stronger planet’s whims. There are many in
are usually operating on their own decision Castor’s tunnels that disagree with the UD’s
making. scheme for vengeance – but the UD controls
Castor’s burgeoning industry and military, and
open dissent could lead to a one-way trip to the
radioactive plains of the surface.
6
A pattern has emerged despite the variation
between attacks; Orphan frames tend to be
taupe to bone-white, outfitted for zero-g
combat, and hardened against environmental
hazards. All attempts to capture or salvage
individuals have resulted in manual
self-destruction by the targeted pilot.
11
EXTERNAL FORCES expected to find a quiet, sheltered system
grateful to be found. They would be graceful
IPS-N Quartermaster Office 328 chaperones, reigniting treaties and keeping a
This office handles customs, tariffs, and taxes guiding hand on their continued development.
for all material goods passing in or out of the Instead they found an intensely individualistic
system through Shepherd Station. They also society, and the still fresh scars of disaster.
grant official IPS-N charters and documentation
for outgoing ships. Any ship that doesn’t see a Pollux is an ideal of Pinnacle’s early
Quartermaster before leaving the system runs philosophies; value-driven, self-sustaining, and
the risk of being flagged for potential piracy and eager to expand their influence. This success
seizure7. They have a strong relationship with has become a double-edged sword for the
the Gilded Orbit on Pollux as a middleman company; though their adherence to decorum
between the various megacorps on the planet, and tradition means they have accepted PI back
predicated on a mutual economic benefit. The into vacant colonial administrative roles, the
Quartermasters themselves are sometimes planet’s oligarchs chafe at the thought of
disparagingly referred to as ‘The Lazy 8s’ due to abdicating control. Pinnacle still holds legal
the long periods of bureaucratic processing precedence, as well as the physical and political
some ships face – and how those periods can resources to take them beyond Quetzal’s Flight.
be alleviated through the careful application of This tension has undercut decades of
funding. negotiation as both sides find the current
compromise more and more untenable.
Pinnacle Industries Castor’s fate is a sobering and unmitigated
Pinnacle Industries is a well-established
disaster. When the first colonists set foot on
terraforming and colonial supply corporation
Castor’s soil, Pinnacle had promised them
that was contracted for the initial terraforming,
security and growth. They were promised a
construction, and colonization of Quetzal’s
home that disasters of old would not ever
Flight. In return they hold a portion of all mineral
touch. Millions of souls died behind
rights to the system and exert a significant tithe8
Pinnacle-built walls that were not strong enough
. Every building was made by Pinnacle, every
to save them. How many still believed in old
farm uses their seeds, and the land itself was
promises? How many tombs have been built
shaped by their machines. Pinnacle equipment
where homes once stood? The discovery of
is still widespread - most industrial equipment is
their failure to protect Castor left Pinnacle
from the Pinnacle catalog, and the newer
shaken and embarrassed. This is the result of
Non-Civilian Hardware project is seeing
their negligence and inattention — they will not
popularity as tension grows between factions.
make the same mistake again
Though they usually maintain a laissez-faire
policy in their colonial holdings, a potential
threat to their image – or resource pipeline – The Sargasso Sirens
could engender a more hands-on approach. A small Free Company from the House of Water,
founded and led by Captain Deluge Solomon9.
Destabilization of the blinkgate system and The Sirens have bounced between planets and
central record keeping following the Third jobs as the wind takes them, rarely staying in
Committee Coup, along with extreme one place for long. They are currently hired as
restructuring of Pinnacle corporate structure led private security by Keyhole Geologic Interest at
to many colonies being ‘lost’; buried as both their Pollux headquarters and Tinplate
low-priority assets while the company focused mines after a slew of attacks by an as-of-yet
on more guaranteed profits. When they finally unidentified party. The Sirens are guns-for-hire;
turned back to Quetzal’s Flight the board they have no loyalty beyond who’s writing their
checks, though they do also care about
7 maintaining a reputation of skill and efficiency.
Due to a long-standing contract between
Pinnacle Industries and IPS-Northstar all trade
9
through Shepherd Station must also abide by PI The Sirens - perhaps owing to their ignoble
restrictions. origin - are small for a Free Company, and
8
The deed to the colony is available for mostly operate as mercenaries outside of
re-purchase by its inhabitants beginning at 100 Baronic space. Their full cohort is carried by a
years post-landing. It is continually readjusted single ship and has a total of thirty registered
to match relative local GDP, continued Pinnacle pilots. UDoJ/HR lists them as a Mid
investment, and projected colonial Manna value. Risk/Negligible Priority Tertiary Actor.
12
NOTABLE PEOPLE
It is late at night in Crater City, though that meant little when a day lasted only four hours. Still, Adika Tef
cannot remember the last time sleep came easily. The thick-rimmed screen affixed to her desk blinks
impotently in dusty green: SIGNAL DROPPED. It is the fourth time this week that her communications
have failed. Practical as always she sent teams to check antennae, rerouted her messages through radio
rather than omninet, changed and checked and rechecked every authorization and encryption ID. She ran
a tight ship – too tight for this to be a mistake.
Several of the automated rigs on the far side of the planet had already gone dark. For weeks, shipments
on and offworld had been going missing – and their crews along with them. Now the assailants came in
broad daylight, raiding runs on the outer mines that came and went before her security could respond.
She’d considered pirates at first but it was all too much, too coordinated, and there had been no
extortions or demands like she would expect. Every new report came closer to Crater City and they
showed no signs of slowing down.
She’d already begun to clear out the old caverns below the city – long abandoned for richer seams, now
they may be the only shelter the city’s residents had left. She’d tried to keep the news quiet to prevent a
panic – but they would find out soon enough, and better they hear it from her than from the screaming of
missiles through pressure seals. If Keyhole Geologic would only answer her, their resources could furnish
a fortune in mercenaries. Or, just safe evacuation for her people. Instead she was digging for scraps.
From her office window she could see the silhouette of a frame on the crater rim, matte armor against the
tarnished mirror of Tinplate. It was sheer luck that there were any mercenaries outside of Pollux in the
system that she could contact but she trusted the ‘Sirens’ and their captain as far as she could throw
them. Which would break first? Their line, or the dwindling funds of a city cut off from its umbilical? Adika
didn’t know the answer. She didn’t want to.
13
Adika Tef, Vanguard Shao Altan-Huan, Admin
Biography: Forewoman Tef is the current Biography: Shao is the first Union
representative and administrative head of the Administrator to Pollux. He began his career
Teapot Crater Mining Colony. Born and raised as a UDoJ/HR Liberator, then UBM project
in the Crater, her primary interest is the lead before being selected for
smooth operation of KGI mining across Administratorship. He and his NHP partner
Tinplate – because any interruption puts her Vertigo were assigned to the planet despite
home and family at risk of being replaced by this atypically late start in response to Pollux’s
the board back on Pollux. Her teams have 5008u request for Core World status. The
been on the frontline of the first Orphan position is expected to be temporary while a
attacks, and she is now desperately seeking full-term administrator is trained using his
both answers and protection from a KGI that insights, and he finds the corporate
has suddenly become reticent to answer her backstabbing and high commerce of Pollux a
messages. far cry from the unified clarity of the
Department of Justice/Human Rights.
Motivation: To make Crater City a home for
generations to come. Motivation: To build peace and justice in his
time.
Interactions: Adika needs help, and KGI is
not sending it. Crater City has the Interactions: Shao needs boots on the
independent resources to hire mercenary ground – he does not have the resources to
guards for a short time, but nothing of the face a war, and Union reinforcements will take
quality necessary to stave off pirates or the years to arrive once alerted. He knows he
Orphans for long. She may not like relying on likely can’t trust the corporate militia, so a
outside forces, but she’s pragmatic enough to third party option might be his best chance at
take assistance if she can – or, to stonewall mitigating the conflict and protecting the
anyone that might threaten the city. citizens of both planets. He’s an experienced
enough commander, more comfortable in a
chassis than a desk chair, and in many ways
happier to talk to pilots than politicians.
14
Samara al Altaw’am, Speaker Jura Harlem, Critic
Biography: The Grapevine does not have a Biography: Over his long life Jura has
formal leader, instead resolving policy and watched his hope for Castor wither. When his
disputes through open forum debates. term as a councilmember began the
However, participation in the Gilded Orbit Ultraviolet Dawn was a loose philosophy of
requires a single representative, which has survival and sacrifice. He watched their
since been voted on every 3 standard years. radicalization and thought nothing of it – until
Samara is a firm believer in the communal the Daisy-Chain was found and it was too late
beliefs and anarchic origins of the Grapevine, to save them. Jura’s protests have fallen on
and has been a troublemaker in the Orbit deaf ears as the Dawn seized the council, and
since she was first elected 12 years ago. now he watches in horror as their nation slips
ever closer to all-out war instead of the
Motivation: To find freedom from the gears of escape he envisioned.
profit and power for all. Jura’s hands are tied. Outward rebellion could
lead to him being kicked off the council,
Interactions: Samara is a voice of dissent in removing what little power he had to protect
the Gilded Orbit, and her name carries weight his constituency. As the UV Dawn also
further from Pollux, out in the periphery controls Castor’s limited off-world platforms,
stations. Samara refuses to ratify a he has no easy way of calling for help – but if
declaration of war – with some support or circumstances become desperate he may
new developments, others might join her take that chance.
cause; or, pro-war actors might stifle it.
Motivation: To keep his people safe.
15
Duster Cain, General Kyon Winters, Vengeant
Biography: After his service in the nascent Biography: Kyon was born in the concrete
Tinplate War, Duster Cain left Quetzal’s Flight. tunnels and recycled air of Medallion’s
He hired on with IPS-N Trunk Security for undercity. Their tenacity is matched only by
close to fifteen subjective years, and returned their rage at the struggle of their people. This
to a Pollux forever changed from the world fervor was recognized with an opportunity –
he’d left – war turned to the gilded cage of lead Castor’s first mech pilots in generations.
corporate conflict. KSS was a small time Kyon left their home, now commander of the
security contractor that he joined, Orphans – a name they chose personally.
commandeered, and militarized as it rose in Their history, their home, their hope had been
prominence and popularity among the elite. stripped away, and Kyon will take it back. But
Now the self-styled general of Pollux, Duster they have never seen the green slopes of
stares at most obstacles down the barrel of a Pollux or the gentle ease of life with clean air
gun, as he continues to lead patrols – and despite their fury, a life of peace for
personally. their home is all they truly want.
Motivation: To chase the feeling of his finger Motivation: To fight for Castor’s future.
on the trigger.
Interactions: More likely than not, Kyon will
Interactions: Duster sees himself as the be on the other side of the fight from players,
general of every conflict, and everyone else is and they distrust any non-Castorans. Getting
a soldier beneath him. If they won’t follow through to them would require great effort.
orders, they have to either get out of the way
or get ready for a fight.
16
Bethany Klein, Quartermaster Deluge Solomon, Captain
Biography: For Quartermaster Klein, Biography: Born to a humble farming family
Shepherd Station is just one more step in the on Umara, Deluge grew up in peace and
corporate climb. She’ll serve her term until a solitude. As soon as he was old enough he
promotion presents itself, dutifully managing ran away from his future as a crop-tender -
the station to IPS-N’s exacting regulations. brash and youthful. Determined to finally see
Her motivation is wealth and power with the the exciting galaxy he’d long heard of, he
least possible effort. As long as affairs in the hitchhiked from station to station before
station don’t interfere with her professional finally finding work as a deckhand with a
record, she’ll happily turn a blind eye rather minor mercenary corp.
than get her office involved. In five years he made his way from cabin boy
to captain with an unprecedented talent as a
Motivation: To take one step closer to Lancer and a natural charisma that inspired
executive bliss. his comrades. He rebuilt the crew from the
ground up, returning to his home and
Interactions: Bethany is an intermediary, and
incorporating as a free company of the House
every conversation with her is a transaction.
of Water - The Sargasso Sirens. His
Pay well and she’ll help you accordingly – but
brashness and devil-may-care attitude
she tracks her debts too.
haven’t changed with age, but are now
accompanied by the experience of hundreds
of hours in-chassis and a deadly eye for
detail.
17
Himiko Arasawa, Plutocrat Weile Kodyne, Oracle
Biography: Scion of the Arasawa family, Biography: POLARIS is a new firm for Pollux,
Himiko is the current CEO of KGI and the both in age and purpose. Rather than
representative of all mining and refining focusing on the rich mineral wealth of the
companies as a part of the Syzygy. Her family system, Kodyne built POLARIS across the
made Keyhole what it is today through omninet to leverage their intellect on equal
aggressive business acumen and rumored footing with the other merchant dynasties.
underworld dealings. Pollux’s economic pulse Their focus is on subaltern design and
rests under her finger - a fact that she and collective dynamics, and their work
every other would-be merchant family knows spearheads Pollux’s automated labor force
all too well. despite the relative recency of their rise to
Himiko does not see herself as part of the prominence. Despite this investment in
system – she is above it entirely. KGI reports Pollux’s infrastructure and corporate
have already confirmed activity above Castor, edification, Weile has been implicated in a
and tied it back to the attacks on her multitude of scandals tied to whistleblowing
facilities. Castor’s ancestral claims and new espionage and anti-Orbit sentiment groups.
power represents a threat to her hegemony They have seen how the winds of change are
that she would greatly like to see removed – blowing – their connections through the
but a preemptive war is too likely to end in an omninet revealed a world far beyond Pollux, a
appeasing treaty. Instead, her aim is to world Union-built and clinging to the edge of
engineer a position of victimization where the Utopia. It is not perfect, not yet. But Weile
only solution is an all-out war of annihilation, can see the potential, and is already working
removing Castor’s influence and opening an to shape that future.
entirely new planet for exploitation in one fell
swoop. To this end, she has been using her Motivation: To be ready, when the time
influence to stall, obfuscate, and generally comes.
cripple Pollux’s response until she deems it
appropriate to allow open war. Interaction: Weile is a fairweather friend; they
have been biding their time for years for the
Motivation: To keep her hold at the top of the chance to change Pollux’s future, and while it
food chain is unexpected the chaos of war may provide
that opportunity as much as it risks
Interaction: Everyone Himiko meets is a everything. Players could easily find
potential tool (though she rarely interacts in themselves allied or opposed to the
person). Even if players are staunchly technocrat as Weile assesses which side is
opposed to her, she will use her fortune and most likely to provide the future they want.
web of connections to bribe and manipulate
them to achieve her goals.
18
Citadel Correa, Demagogue
Biography: Citadel took risks long before he
joined the Emergency Council. He was a
runner – one of few – that left the shielding of
Castor’s bunkers to scavenge and scout the
ruins above for necessities and technology
that they were unable to produce. His
success and ease of leadership bought him a
seat on the council, and his hardscrabble
experience and unforgiving attitude saw him
quickly to a charismatic position in the
Ultraviolet Dawn. He organized the expedition
that rediscovered the Daisy-Chain facilities –
one of many popular and successful
hunches. He is the one of the loudest voices
of the Dawn in the council through personality
more than volume, and has instated himself
as the de facto general of their newly fledged
military. Braving the wastes of Castor time
and again, for Correa, the distant dream of
Pollux was always unwelcome. Their brother
had abandoned them – Castor would have to
rise and survive alone, and when the time
came, ensure they would never be at
another’s mercy ever again.
19
LAY OF THE LAND
The tunnel-city of Xibalba is never truly quiet. The passage of day and night is unmarked, with time
measured in shifts such that there are always people busy and awake. The air filters hum and cough, the
layercake of levels echoes with distant footfall and conversation; in the upper levels there is an electric
frisson you can hear from the walls, and in the lower rooms the steady heartbeat of pumps keeps a
neverending rhythm. All along the height of the city, a wind that has never seen the sky whistles through
the axial shaft. Silence would mean death.
Citadel Correa stands at the height of the shaft, a well that bores to the bones of the planet and carries
up whispers of a hundred thousand living souls. Beneath his thick, asymmetrical poncho sits the
anodized star of the Ultraviolet Dawn. The careful regalia of the Emergency Council has been set aside
for the working-clothes of Castor – today he is a man, not a message. Or, he is both. The line is thin for
him. He steadies his hands on the railing and carries the intent to the rest of his body. This is not the first
long day that he has lived in his long life, nor will it be the last. The keening void beckons, challenges,
whispers and goads. “Step forward” it says “see where your foot falls. Come learn what it is like to land.”
He’s heard it his whole life, the omnipresent threat of survival at life’s edge. It is not special to him – every
citizen of Castor can hear it, keeps it in their heart like the pit rests in Xibalba’s center. Today, they step
back from the edge.
Dawdling loses its appeal. He sets himself to his task. The city busies itself with existing as one shift
returns wearily, and another begins to trickle from hab-rooms bleary-eyed. People part for him without a
word; recognition, not fear. His path takes him down ring after ring in a conscious tour. Watching,
surveying, retreading a rote pattern of review. It is an exercise in presence; both present for himself, and
for those whose lives he cradles. Each step is counted and remembered.
He reaches his destination: an olive-gray door in an olive-gray wall. 7-Bravo-23. It opens at the third
knock to reveal a middle-aged woman in a plain smock, black hair tied back in a plait with an
incongruously bright ribbon. Her tired glance gives way to a wide stare as she registers his presence.
“Mrs. Vanderhelt? I apologize for the intrusion, but do you have a moment to talk?” A nod, and an
invitation inside. As a mug is placed into his hands, he finally breaks the silence. His news is an affront to
her hospitality but there is little else to be done.
“This must stay between us, you understand. Your family has a right to this information. Several hours
ago, your daughter and over a hundred other brave soldiers began a very dangerous mission…”
When he finally leaves, the hallways outside are still lit the same. There is no night to rest in Xibalba, and
there are many more doors to visit.
20
Pollux Emerald Bay Day Harbor: The only
publicly maintained access point to Pollux’s
Walk the Azure Boulevard, where the finest and grand oceans, the Day Harbor sees constant
most exciting imports from Union space come traffic of pleasurecraft and small fishing vessels,
to rest on pretty porcelain shelves. Bury your and is a lifeline for a small but significant
toes in the warm white sand while the sun kisses population of Punta Caridad that lives
the sea. Tour Orion’s Rest and CieloNuevo; permanently out on the water.
tower-arcologies, cities unto themselves with Caliph: The finest drinks and dining in Punta
their boutiques and floating parks. Dive into the Caridad. Here, politicians, organizers, artists and
evening rush of Cassius Plaza – a new party CEOs brush shoulders, sequestered in a private
every night, a new delight to tickle the senses, a garden.
new whisper to lead you further. From the height Quetzal Hall: Biweekly meetings of the
of the Aurora Circuit you can watch the lights Gilded Orbit are held in this sprawling
dim in the distance, the factories disgorge, the administrative hall. On these and all other days it
outer rings grow tired, but here the splendor is vibrates with the constant of aides, attaches,
unending. Pollux shines eternal in the night; clerks, scribes, secretaries and actuaries that
eager and hungry. keep Pollux’s careful system running.
25
Extra-Planetary Bodies Shepherd Station
Tracing a wide orbit at the edge of the system,
A wide assortment of temporary and permanent
Shepherd Station (IPS-N Crossroads
satellites, ships and stations dot the empty
Habitat-328) is the last stop for any ship leaving
space of Quetzal’s Flight. Merchant havens,
the system - the next stop for most of them is
research outposts, pirate lairs, all in an
twelve light years away at Orizaba Station, the
ever-shifting orbit, provide plenty of opportunity
nearest blinkgate in the Sierra Madre line. A
for new ideas and secret agendas outside the
combination of rest stop and traffic terminal, the
watchful eyes of the Syzygy.
station is a neutral party in the system. All
industries that wish to participate in the galaxy
Asteroid Belt beyond the Quetzal’s Flight need to stay in their
The WMCS holds the majority mineral rights to good graces, making it a meeting point for
the asteroid belt of Quetzal’s Flight that sits just otherwise contentious parties - and making
outside the orbit of Jian’s Well, but many other them all subject to the navigational and cargo
minor mining corps also find their home here. tariffs the station’s management might levy.
Some of the larger asteroids have actual
habitats built on them, but the majority are
transiently mined by ships and automated
drones. The isolation of the belt leaves it ripe for
piracy and crime, with no official law
enforcement present to prevent it. Instead, the
belt’s population has developed a rugged sense
of frontier justice that maintains a relative, if at
times brutal, order.
Unable to regularly return to Castor’s surface,
the Orphans have made a temporary base
somewhere within the belt. It is sustained with
pillaged supplies and frequently moved to avoid
detection.
26
MISSION HOOKS
COLLISION COURSE ANTIQUES ROADSHOW
Castoran forces have redirected an ancient Descendants of the survivors of Castor on
derelict from its orbit to a killcourse straight Pollux have hired you to find an old family
towards Pollux – If you can gain control of its heirloom left behind on the planet. Radioactive
engines you might be able to stop it, but it's sandstorms aside, it’s a simple mission - until
Orphan guard won’t make the job easy. a mysterious military force opens fire as you
invade their airspace.
RATS IN THE STREETS
BREATH OF FRESH AIR
A terrorist offshoot of the Ratpack has
emerged on Pollux, claiming descendancy You grew up in the tunnels of the Undercity –
from the survivors of Castor. They are all your life you were told that this is all there
attacking government buildings as part of a was. One day, that changed, when the
separatist attempt, and the Orbit needs boots Emergency Council told you and your squad
on the ground to protect civilians – and just that there is a world beyond, and that they
how did they get their hands on such stole your future. You will leave your home for
advanced hardware…. the first time, and take it back – by any means
necessary.
CLEAN-UP CREW
GOLD RUSH
One of the Grapevine stations has been
attacked by saboteurs – unless someone The dying head of a merchant clade has
stops them, it will fall into the gas giant below. unleashed chaos with his will - all of his
fortunes and titles have been withheld from his
descendants. A week later, a system wide
CORPORATE RETREAT scavenger hunt was announced through a
An important trade deal is being negotiated series of anonymous Omninet posts. The rules
through the Gilded Orbit, with whoever comes are simple: the first team to reach each post
out on top of the weeklong affair defining the and complete the task set to them gets
next decade of Castor’s market. You’ve been everything. Fame and fortune to the bold,
hired as security as rumors of corporate pilot.
espionage – or worse – threaten to unsettle
the conference.
JUDAS STATION
Wicker-Mulligan needs security on one of their
distal mining rigs – the asteroid belts are ripe
targets for enterprising pirates because of how
far they are from any other occupied area.
Something about this job seems off though –
you can’t shake the feeling the rig is hiding
something – or someone.
27
QUETZAL’S FLIGHT NARRATIVE
ACTIONS
EARN YOUR WINGS Every ship starts with:
This is a new downtime action that opens ● A basic nearlight drive capable of
opportunities for narrative development. When system-to-system travel and sublight
you Earn Your Wings, you become the brand travel between planets
new owner of a space-capable ship. ● Basic accommodations – 4 bunks to a
room minimum, and probably not
Getting a ship doesn’t need a roll. It uses your comfortable ones.
downtime action, but you’ll always get one. ● Basic medical supplies and repair tools
When you do, work out how you got it, who or for the ship.
where it came from, and what its name is. Every ● A basic canteen with limited storage,
ship comes with 2 Complications and 1 Quirk designed to handle pre-formulated
(either choose them with your GM or roll on the high-density nutrient blends that last far
tables below). You may take 1 extra beyond the point you’re willing to eat
Complication to start with an additional them.
upgraded Module, or offset 1 Complication by ● A basic management comp/con; they
paying a sufficient narrative cost upfront after can’t pilot the ship, but they keep the
determining the Complications. For example, if lights on and the doors opening.
you roll the Complications ‘Owe Some Money’ ● Basic communications gear; you can
and ‘Bad Reputation’ and your character comes send and receive signals within a
from a wealthy family, you could remove ‘Owe system, and connect to a local
Some Money’ immediately by paying off your omninode.
debt from the family account – but now you ● A small cargo hold. Most ships you’ll
won’t have that cash later. find are running cargo, and will have
room for mechs or other objects with a
Once you have a ship, you can improve it by combined Size of 4.
GETTING AN UPGRADE with future downtime
actions.
28
GET AN UPGRADE Name the Module you want, how you’re
When you GET AN UPGRADE, you are given, getting it, and roll:
make, barter, or steal better equipment and
facilities for a ship you obtained by EARNING On a 9 or less you get the Module, but choose
YOUR WINGS. Each upgrade is an individual one:
Module as listed below. A ship can hold up to 8 ● You have to make a sacrifice right now
Modules. Some modules have a Rank. To to get it.
acquire a Rank II or higher module, you must ● Your ship gains a new Complication.
first acquire it’s Rank I equivalent. For example, ● It’s broken, malfunctioning, or otherwise
you must first obtain a Schedule 1 Printer (Rank damaged.
I) before you can obtain a Schedule 2 Printer
(Rank II). When you replace a Module this way, On a 10-19 you get the Module but choose
it does not count against your total number of one:
Modules - the Schedule 2 Printer replaces the ● Your ship gains a new Quirk.
Schedule 1 Printer entirely, and having both ● You swap one Complication for a
only counts as 1 module. different one.
Modules
When you Get An Upgrade, choose from one of the Modules below. You can also come up with a new
Module that isn’t on the list with your GM. Modules are rooms or specialized subsystems that help to
improve your ship in some specialized capacity, and provide new narrative opportunities or benefits.
29
MODULES
Atmospheric For maneuvering in-atmosphere or downwell without difficulty.
Thrusters
Brig For holding prisoners and rowdy guests more securely, or for extended stays.
Commercial For the enterprising merchant (or Barbarossa pilot), this supersized cargo hold can
Cargo Hold carry a combined Size of 10.
Comp/Con Can steer the ship in a pinch, NHP As good as a human pilot – if not
Co-Pilot though they struggle with Co-Pilot better – an NHP also opens up a
Rank I unexpected variables. Rank II new frontier of E-war.
Drop Pods One-way orbital insertion pods for chassis and infantry.
Improved This high-end sensor array lets you detect, analyze, map, and intrusively scan ships
Scanners and planetary surfaces – although some may take offense to the invasion of privacy.
Full Mess For storing, preparing, and comfortably consuming real food.
Hall/Kitchen
Omninode With your own omninode you always have a connection to the omninet (barring
unexpected circumstances), and have FTL communications to any other node.
Personal Gives every crewmember their own modestly sized room, with a few spare for
Rooms guests.
Schedule 1 Can print a Size 1 mech in Schedule Taking up several rooms of space,
Printer approximately 8 hours, with 2 Printer this can print a Size 2 mech in 10
Rank I the appropriate feedstock. Rank II hours or less.
Smuggler’s This hidden compartment is shielded from most handheld scanners and visual
Hold inspection, with enough room and internal air supply for several people.
Stasis These tubes can hold a person in suspended animation for up to 100 years
Chambers (although serious rehabilitation is required after 50+).
Stealth Drive True stealth is impossible in space – any heat is visible from thousands of miles
away. Still, through clever signal jammers and waste-heat shrouds, you can disguise
your position for a short time, and a temporary cloak protects you from visual
targeting.
Subaltern Immune to cold and vacuum, these subalterns can diagnose and repair nearly any
Technicians mechanical issue or damage given time.
Weapons For basic self-defense (or Spinal These tera- to petajoule weapons
Battery offense). These could be Spool Gun can take hours to charge on a ship
Rank I kinetic turrets, laser projectors, Rank II your size – make it count.
missile silos, or more esoteric
measures.
30
Complications
Complications are exactly that – dangers, burdens, and risks that are tied to your ship. You can gain or
lose Complications when you Get An Upgrade, as well as through other narrative actions as
appropriate. When you gain a Complication, you can roll on this table, choose a specific one, or make
up a new Complication that best fits your situation. If you roll or pick the same Complication multiple
times, you can reroll on the table for something new, or you could worsen that Complication, doubling
down to make it more serious. For example, ‘Owe Some Money’ could become ‘Owe a Fortune’ as you
blow your savings, or ‘Stolen’ might become ‘Wanted’ as law enforcement or the previous owner hunts
you down.
COMPLICATIONS
1-2 Owe Some Some things don’t come cheap – however you got this ship, it cost you
Money more than you had, and eventually someone will come to collect.
3-4 Hunk of Junk There’s no nice way to say it – this ship is a piece of garbage. Systems
glitch, pipes leak, and panels fall off the walls.
5-6 Company You got this ship at a great rate – because it isn’t yours. You just have it
Property under contract, and whoever owns it gets final say in all matters.
7-8 Bad Maybe it’s the paint job, the prior owner, or the communication ID you
Reputation can’t seem to change; whatever the reason, ports eye your ship with
distaste, and lawmen tend not to trust you.
9-10 Stolen It might not have been you that did it, but this ship didn’t change hands
willingly.
11-12 Unwanted Maybe it was the terms of the trade, or you found a stowaway after your
Guest first flight, but you have a passenger with their own agenda you can’t
seem to shake.
13-14 No-Fly List Maybe whoever owned this ship before you got on the wrong side of the
law – whatever the reason, it’s banned from blink travel unless you make
an appeal.
15-16 Hangar Queen Experimental tech or just fancy licensing, this ship requires custom parts
and trained technicians to repair or upgrade.
17-18 Unlivable Life support is broken, the reactor is unshielded, the hull leaks, or any
other mechanical threat makes it unsafe for human life that isn’t
constantly wearing protective gear.
19-20 Haunted There is someone, or something else on this ship with you – maybe you
haven’t seen it, but you’ve noticed it’s presence with unease. Tread
lightly in the engine room.
31
Quirks
Quirks are the little idiosyncrasies and irritations that take a ship from a pile of metal to a living thing that
grows and changes with you. Quirks may be gained or lost through narrative actions, using either the
table below or by inventing your own to add texture and character to your ship.
QUIRKS
1 Your spingrav is locked at 0.3g. 11 Someone has hooked a distillery into the
ship’s boiler.
2 No matter how often you replace it, the 12 A persistent leak has created a small but
coffee machine adds a shot of blueberry hardy floral/fungal ecosystem between decks
syrup to everything.
4 It always runs at least ten degrees hotter 14 The ship’s augmented reality overlay is stuck
or colder than you want. on the ‘Alpine Birthday’ theme.
5 You have a ship cat! Or krait, or any 15 You have acquired a very aggressive cleaning
other xenofauna mascot. drone.
6 A ship wide alarm sounds every day at 16 There is a corridor in the ship that is much,
0327 Cradle Standard Time. much longer than it should be.
7 A hacker collective has decided to use 17 Your ship keeps showing up as a non-existent
your IP to host their weekly meetings. HA subline vessel on scanners.
9 You can never find an open docking bay 19 Whenever you use a blinkgate it takes
in less than three hours. minutes to an hour to re-enter realspace.
10 Whenever and wherever you dock, you 20 Through some misfiled paperwork, your ship
always run into the same ship. is now your legally adopted child.
32
TALENTS
The following talents can be chosen by players
when spending talent points.
CYBORG
BRICKLAYER Some mechanics claim they can talk to their
machines - but you take it literally. More than
You are the wall. Behind you: a nation, an just cosmetic changes, your augments mean
ideal, a home. Ahead: everything that would your mech is like an extension of your body.
tear it down. You engineer your own Was it a back-alley surgeon or a blacksite
schematics, tune your own printers, build a engineer? Did you pay in manna or blood?
citadel on the battlefield. Stay tall, pilot Was it your decision, or someone else’s?
– you’ve weathered far greater storms. Either way, there’s no going back now.
33
SAPPER III EXPERT DEMOLITIONIST
At the end of a scene, you regain 1 Limited
You’re like a gardener planting seeds – only charge for any mine system you deployed
yours bloom into brilliant explosions. Even that has not detonated, and 1 charge for any
when it makes your hands reek of accelerant Saboteur’s Toolbox options attached to it.
or singes off your eyebrows, you’re never This does not stack with other effects that
happier than when you’re sealing your new allow you to regain lost charges at the end of
mix…. as much as your shipmates might wish the scene. You also gain the following options
otherwise. for your Saboteur’s Toolbox:
● Limpet (2 charges): You do not deploy the
mine, instead priming it with an adhesive.
I SMART TRIGGER The next time you hit a character with a
You and your allies cannot trigger your own
melee attack the mine sticks to them,
mines unless you choose to, and have +1
sharing their position. They cannot cause it
Accuracy on saves to avoid their effects.
to detonate, but it otherwise acts as a
Hostile characters have +1 Difficulty on
normal mine. If it detonates they
checks to disarm your mines.
automatically fail any save it forces.
● Wandering (2 charges): When you deploy
II CUSTOM CASING this mine, pick a character. The mine moves
You have a supply of custom-designed mine three spaces towards them at the end of
casings that can be used with all of your mine each of your turns by the most direct path,
systems. Gain the following system: though it will avoid obvious hazards. If it
moves into their space, it detonates, but
Saboteur’s Toolbox otherwise acts like a normal mine. If that
0 SP, Limited 4 character is destroyed the mine stops
moving.
1/turn when you deploy a mine you may
also expend a charge from this system for
the listed effect.
● Remote (1 charge): This mine does not
detonate by adjacency. Instead, you may
detonate it as a quick action after it has
armed. Saves to avoid a mine detonated
this way gain +1 Difficulty.
● Sparrow (1 charge): This mine floats in
the air and ignores height when
calculating adjacency. When it explodes,
all characters above it are considered to
be in the blast radius.
34
WASTEBORN
What was left, after the Flare? Howling wastes
and scorching dust, and the invisible needles
of radiation that drilled into the soil to sow a
slower death. How many thousands died in
those first days? The count has long been
lost. But you know that you survived. You
never knew the land before the wastes. The
danger is an old partner, one you’ve learned
to hold at bay – and when the softskins come,
fumbling and ignorant – how to let it loose.
I LEAD COFFIN
When you Stabilize you clear all Burn. If your
line of sight or Sensors would be reduced
below Range 5 by a hostile effect, they are
instead reduced to Range 5.
II LIGHTNING ROD
You have resistance to all damage or Heat
you take from an environmental effect
(dangerous terrain, dangerous storms,
extreme sun, etc). When you clear Burn, you
can take 1d3+1 Heat to force a character in
Range 3 to make an Engineering save or
take Burn equal to the amount you cleared.
35
QUETZAL’S FLIGHT MECHS
The wheel of the galaxy turns inexorable.
Quetzal’s Flight is one grain of sand amidst millions; one spark of humanity in the great bonfire of Union.
It teeters at the edge of oblivion, of washing away into the great rushing darkness. There is no certain fate
– only the unknown, the moment, the weight of one foot on the scales before the collapse.
36
HORUS
COUATL
Defender
Unlike most HORUS pattern-groups, COUATL p-gs are universally and
deliberately recognizable. Coated in a shimmering multi-layer polymer,
they are constantly projecting a hypnotic memetic pattern across their
surface to draw the eye of combatants. Once they draw a target under
their thrall, they unleash wild bursts of energy and plasma to tear them
down. COUATL frames are designed to draw attention, and have been seen
to deliberately call both the public and private eye to various criminal
enterprises and abuses of power across Union space, just as often as
they’ve been used to run decoy missions to protect covert paramilitary
infiltrations.
37
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1 Save Target: 11 PSEUDO-STELLAR
Armor: 2 Sensors: 10
HULL SYSTEMS MEMETIC ENGRAM
HP: 8 E-Defense: 8 The pseudo-skin of the COUATL consists
Repair Cap: 5 Tech Attack: +1 of an undefined number of layers of tiny
synthetic scales. Each scale has
AGILITY SP: 6
integrated circuitry linked to the
Evasion: 6 ENGINEERING onboard computer, which synchronizes
Speed: 3 Heat Cap: 6 them to project a unified pattern. In
extreme scenarios, several layers can be
TRAITS shed at once to create an incandescent
I RISE cloud, greatly amplifying the memetic
power as each scale burns through its
The Couatl may fly when it moves or boosts. internal batteries in a rush of heat and
light.
LOOK AT ME I AM AS THE BRILLIANT SUN
The Couatl cannot become Hidden. Active (1 CP), Full Action
You erupt into empyrean pseudo-flame and
MY PLUMAGE IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL blinding memetic radiance. Hostile characters
within a Burst 2 cannot draw line of sight
1/Round when a hostile character ends their beyond that area, and if they end their turn in
turn within Sensors and line of sight, the Couatl the area they take 2 Heat and must pass a
may use its reaction to force them to make a Systems save or become Jammed until the
Systems save. On a failure, they cannot draw end of their next turn. A character may only be
line of sight to any character other than the Jammed this way 1/scene. If a hostile
Couatl until the end of their next turn. The character outside this area ends their turn
Couatl always counts as being in their line of within your Sensors and line of sight they must
sight for the same duration, regardless of pass a Systems save or immediately move up
obstructions. to 3 spaces directly towards you. This aura
lasts until the end of the scene, you are
destroyed, or you dispel it as a quick action.
MOUNTS
38
39
LICENSE I: OBSESS.RECURSE(T), LICENSE II: COUATL FRAME, DEMISOLAR
RADIANT PLUMES LENS, PALADIN DEFRAGMENTATION
SUBROUTINE
40
LICENSE III: CORONA PURGE, IRIDESCENT HOLO-SCALES
41
IPS-N
PHAROS
Artillery/Support
The IPS-N catalog offers a wide range of chassis for every tactical
layer of mech-based ship combat - the Caliban and Blackbeard to lead the
charge, the Tortuga to guard their advance, and the Drake to hold the
hull breach they enter through. Floating beyond is the Pharos; where a
breach team can only see the next hallway, the Pharos watches the entire
ship and delivers pinpoint guidance and support fire. The Pharos’ are
truly the first chassis on the battlefield - they direct the first
charge, breaching hulls and aiming the electromagnetic sling rails that
launch insertion teams. Once the initial clash is finished, they orbit
in the gulf of space between warring ships to offer tactical support and
eye-in-the-sky live intelligence reports. A highly developed sensor
suite more akin to a ship’s than other chassis gives them an edge in
coordination at a distance, beyond the reach of onboard defenses.
42
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 2 Save Target: 10 DAEDALUS OPTICAL SUITE
Armor: 2 Sensors: 20 A combination of direct sensor clusters
HULL SYSTEMS and live-feed tactical uplink drones,
HP: 8 E-Defense:8 the Daedalus is a comprehensive
Repair Cap: 5 Tech Attack: +1 information gathering system both in and
AGILITY SP: 6 out of atmosphere. The key component is
Evasion: 6 ENGINEERING a lossless open feed to allied targeting
Speed: 3 Heat Cap: 4 infrastructure, that keeps a constant
stream of all-angles data flowing
between each linked frame.
TRAITS
SPACEWALK Palisade Orbit
Active (1 CP), Protocol
The Pharos has an integrated EVA system,
allowing it to fly in zero-g environments without Your mech’s EVA system kicks into overdrive,
being Slowed. allowing you to Hover whenever you move.
You do not fall when Immobilized or Stunned.
You and all allies in your Sensors count as
EYE IN THE SKY Eyes for your Eye In The Sky trait.
As a quick action the Pharos can designate an
allied character in Sensors as an Eye. The Additionally, you gain the Backseat Spotter
Pharos and its allies may trace line of sight reaction as long as this core is active.
from the Eye's position for the purpose of You may deactivate this core as a protocol,
determining cover for Ranged attacks they otherwise it lasts until the end of the scene.
make as long as they are both within your
Sensors. You may only choose one Eye at a
Backseat Spotter
time. A character ceases being your Eye if you
Reaction, 1/Round
choose a new character or if you become
Jammed or Stunned. Trigger: An allied character attacks a target in
your Sensors and line of sight and misses.
Effect: Roll 1d6; on a 4+, the attack hits
PAYLOAD GUIDANCE instead, dealing half damage. On a 1-3 it still
When the Pharos hits a character that does not misses, but you may apply Lock-On to the
have cover from it with a Ranged weapon, that target.
character gains Lock-On.
MOUNTS
43
44
LICENSE I: BLOODHOUNDMK3.3 PACKET-SNIFFER, THRESHER DRONE
45
LICENSE II: PHAROS FRAME, ‘RIPTIDE’ LICENSE III: BULKHEAD AUGER, INGRESS
BALLISTIC HARPOON, SKIP DRIVE RAIL
46
SSC
SICKLEWING
Controller/Support
Only scheduled for internal release, the Sicklewing is an honorary, if
unofficial, member of the LUX-Iconic line of bespoke chassis. These
frames are veiled in secrecy, intended for covert deniable operations
both within Constellar space and beyond, and have never been publicly
registered as Smith-Shimano chassis, instead being assigned to various
shell corporations. As fully deniable assets licensing is frequently
accompanied by a thorough expunge of public records that both protect
handlers and reduce options for an operative to go rogue.
47
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1 Save Target: 12 ‘BLACK CAT’
Armor: 0 Sensors: 10 INTERFERENCE DRONE
HULL SYSTEMS The Sicklewing OS comes standard with a
HP: 6 E-Defense: 8 paired ‘Black Cat’
Repair Cap: 3 Tech Attack: +1 Interference/Interdiction/Infiltration
AGILITY SP: 8 Drone. These drones are further
Evasion: 12 ENGINEERING customized to imprint on individual
Speed: 6 Heat Cap: 5 pilots, creating a predictive
partnership that allows them to work in
TRAITS concert either as an individual
operative, or members of a larger team.
SPRING-HEELED
The Sicklewing treats all solid surfaces as flat BLACK CAT
ground for the purposes of movement; it can BLACK CAT DRONE (Size ½, [10 + Grit] HP,
move across them normally instead of Eva/E-Def [see below], Tags: Drone, Hover,
climbing, although it begins to fall if it is Invisible)
knocked Prone. It is immune to fall damage, Your mech has a companion drone with
and when making a standard move, can jump Evasion, E-Defence, and Speed equal to
horizontally up to its full Speed and upwards yours that can move and act independently on
up to half its Speed (in any combination). your turn. If it is within Sensors, you may recall
it as a quick action, integrating it into your
EYE SPY mech’s body where it cannot be targeted. You
may redeploy it to a space within Sensors as a
When the Sicklewing Scans a character, it quick action. When you rest or perform a Full
gains all three pieces of information instead of Repair, your drone regains all HP and is
choosing one. Information gathered this way is automatically repaired if it was destroyed.
scraped from public records, intercepted
transmissions, and anoriginary Codex archives. Hostile characters adjacent to the Black Cat
It is always true, even if it may be limited. have +1 Difficulty on all checks and saves, and
1/Round the Sicklewing can Scan a character take 2 AP Kinetic damage on a failed check or
adjacent to the Black Cat as a free action. save. As a quick tech action you can force a
character adjacent to the Black Cat to pass a
Systems save or suffer an Invade option
FRAGILE available to you.
The Sicklewing has +1 Difficulty on Hull
checks and saves. Targeted Harassment
Active (1 CP), Protocol
MOUNTS The Black Cat is restored to full HP, and
repaired if it was destroyed. Until the end of the
scene, hostile characters adjacent to it roll
twice whenever they make a check or save,
taking the lower result. Additionally, if they fail
you may choose one of the following options in
addition to dealing damage:
● They are pushed 3 spaces in any direction.
● They take 2 Heat.
● They become Slowed and Impaired until
the end of their next turn.
48
Sicklewing Art by @GenTrigger on Twitter
49
LICENSE I: LENSMAKER CODEX V.08, SONIC CHARGE
50
LICENSE II: SICKLEWING FRAME, POINT-FLICK MANIFOLD, SHRIEK RIFLE
l
Point-Flick Manifold Shriek Rifle
2 SP, Quick Action Main Rifle, Accurate, Loading, 1
Choose up to 3 free non-adjacent spaces in Heat(self)
Sensors. For each space, choose a direction; [12 Range] [1d3+2 Explosive Damage]
the first character that passes over one of
On Hit: Your target must pass a Hull save or
these spaces is pushed 3 spaces in the
become Shredded until the end of their next
direction you chose. An unwilling character
turn. If your target is Shredded this weapon
may attempt a Hull save to avoid this effect. A
deals maximum damage instead of rolling.
given character can only activate one space
per round.
Rather than firing a projectile, the
Grenades, deployables, or other loose objects
Caracara Mk.2 Sonic Rifle creates a
size 1 or smaller that are thrown or deployed
thin beam of hyper-pressurized
into a space are pushed in the same way
atmosphere shaped by intense sonic
before activating or detonating (they activate
emitters, visible only as a faint
or detonate early if they are forced to stop by
distortion to the air accompanied by
another character or object). Once a space is
a flash of sonoluminescence. The beam
activated it disappears, and all spaces
is incredibly short-lived but the
disappear at the end of your next turn.
pinpoint force it exerts can bypass
An early-term development from the typical defenses to pulverize fragile
Exotic Materials branch developing internals.
the Black Witch, the Point-Flick
Magnetic Manifold was dropped from
official dissemination due to the
inherent instability of the
short-lived magnetic distortions it
created. It was revived with the
Sicklewing program, serving as a
combined tool of position control,
maneuverability, and objective
acquisition.
51
LICENSE III: INSIGHT PARA-MIND, JUDAS EXPLOIT
Cosmic Eye
Quick Tech, Limited 3
Gain the following Quick Tech options:
Alcubierre Needle: Choose yourself or a
character in Sensors and line of sight. They
teleport to any free space adjacent to a
character allied to them within your Sensors.
An unwilling character must pass a Systems
save to avoid this effect.
52
HA
TAMETOMO
Striker
Hell’s Angel, The Tower, Harrison’s Last Dance, The Temperate Summer –
the Tametomo is known by many names. Its near-mythical status is
bolstered by its very real scarcity: Tametomo licenses are not granted
except in exceptional circumstances. The tales tell of a towering figure
wreathed in flame, of the hiss and crackle as the air dries and sparks
fly, the bitter ozone coating the battlefield. They tell of arrows of
raging plasma that burst and scream through the air from a titan’s bow
– and of the scorched field that remains after, bereft of life
forevermore.
This is the legend of the Tametomo: they are the ace in the hole, a
martyr’s bargain. When all hope is lost and the Legion is overrun, when
the Shermans falter and the Saladin’s shields fail, before the final
bastion falls the printcodes are sent. It is a beacon to the damned —
those destined to die — a candle that burns at both ends. Without hope
of retreat or escape, the Tametomo offers a choice: die with your back
to the wall, huddling and scared, or die with your reactor in your heart
and fire in your hands. The lucky few who survive these last stands are
lauded as heroes of the Armory – with the Social standing to prove it.
53
CORE STATS These channel’s outlets are capped with
a magnetic containment field across the
brachial armature that stretches the
Size: 1 Save Target: 11 plasma into a high-tensile fluid loop.
Armor: 1 Sensors: 8 The loop builds elastic tension as more
HULL SYSTEMS and more energy is poured into it, until
HP: 10 E-Defense: 6 the field snaps out as a directed bolt.
Repair Cap: 4 Tech Attack: -2
AGILITY SP: 6 The Tametomo thrives on fire, on anger,
on pain — fuel for the last and only
Evasion: 8 ENGINEERING
war, to burn forevermore.
Speed: 3 Heat Cap: 10
PT3 Flare Bow
TRAITS Main Rifle, Overkill
HIGH-PERFORMANCE [10 Range] [1d3/charge Energy Damage]
Ship-Sinking Shot
MOUNTS Active (1 CP), Protocol
Your PT3 Flare Bow immediately gains 4
charges. Until the end of the scene, If you
expend 3 or more charges on an attack with
CORE SYSTEM the bow and hit, your target begins to suffer a
critical reactor leak; they become Impaired
and take 2 Burn and 2 Heat at the start of
MK3 PLASMATIC FLARE each of their turns. They can end this effect by
BOW Stabilizing.
The Tametomo chassis is distinguished by
If they are destroyed while it is active, they
a unique VESUVIUS class reactor core –
explode in a Burst 2, forcing all characters in
an experimental design that circulates
the area to pass an Agility save or take 2d6
superheated plasma through hardened
Energy damage (half as much on a success),
channels that permeate the entire body
and leaving a blast cloud until the end of your
of the mech.
next turn that grants soft cover and causes
any character that starts their turn in the area
or enters it for the first time in their turn to take
2 Burn.
54
LICENSE I: EXTINGUISHING CELLS, LICENSE II: TAMETOMO FRAME,
IONIZER CHARGE INDUCTION WELDER, TYPHOON-PATTERN
ION CHANNEL
Extinguishing Cells
1 SP, Unique, Limited 2 Induction Welder
You may expend a charge from this system 2 SP, Quick Action, 3 Heat(self)
when you Stabilize to clear all Burn currently Choose two characters within Range 5 no
affecting you. When you do, you may fly a more than 3 spaces apart that have a clear
number of spaces equal to ½ the Burn cleared path between them. The smaller character (or
this way. This movement ignores engagement character of your choice if they’re the same
and does not provoke reactions. Size) must pass a Hull save or be pulled
directly towards the other until adjacent. They
These highly pressurized canisters
then become fused together; they can no
provide a stable-state containment
longer move relative to each other or leave
for a proprietary HA blend of
adjacency. If one character is larger than the
insulators and extinguishing
other, the smaller character is Immobilized
compounds, pre-portioned to quickly
while they are attached; otherwise each
coat a frame when punctured.
character is pulled with the other character
whenever they move. This effect ends if either
Ionizer Charge character is destroyed, or if either of them
2 SP, Unique, Limited 2 passes a Hull save as a quick action.
You may expend a charge from this system for ”Combat-Grade Atmo-Agnostic Arc
one of the following: Welder Safety Manual:
● Polarizer Grenade (grenade, range 5, blast 1. Leave prong caps on AT ALL TIMES
2): All characters in the affected area must when not in use.
pass a Hull save or take 2 Energy damage 2. INSULATION IS INEFFECTIVE:
and be pulled as close to the center of the Triple-A welders induce a voltage
blast as possible. channel REGARDLESS of medium or
● Discharge Mine (Mine, burst 2): The intervening shielding.
affected area becomes difficult terrain until 3. DO NOT DIRECT AT SOFT TARGETS:
the end of the scene, and mechs and Electromagnetic shearing can
characters made mostly of metal that start result in both acute and chronic
their turn in the area must pass an injury.”
Engineering save or be Slowed until the
end of their turn. Additionally, the first time
each turn a character in the area takes Typhoon-Pattern Ion Channel
Energy damage or Burn, all characters in Main Cannon, 5 Heat(self), Arcing
the area take 1 AP Energy damage. [10 Range] [3 Energy Damage + 4 Burn]
The Armory’s forward bases have very On Attack: If you or your target are suffering
clear directives should they from Burn, reduce the Heat cost for attacking
experience catastrophic control loss; by 2, or by 4 if you both are.
salt the earth, burn all records and
equipment, and time charges for a ”Lo! How the clouds themselves part
maximal retaliatory strike. Any for Harrison! By His will we are made
aggressor facing the Legion will pay stewards of the Natural Law! His is
in blood for every inch of burning the name Fearkiller, and by His works
ground they take. even death holds no terrors! Ride
Valkyrie, Ajax, Beowulf, and strike
your name to His legend!”
- Creed of Legion Platoon 514
“Storm Kings”
55
LICENSE III: EVAPORATIVE COOLING PLATES, IMMOLATION BOLT
56
PINNACLE INDUSTRIES – ORION
FACTION
Give no ground.
Pinnacle Industries is well known in the fields of You must have at least three license levels in
terraforming and colonial development, with PI-OF licenses to take a bonus from this list,
products ranging from building materials to and another three levels for each additional
seed banks to agricultural equipment. Their first bonus. For example, with six points in PI-OF
foray into mech design was intended for this licenses, you can have up to two bonuses.
same purpose, building frames that could carve
out forests and mountains, shaping the land for
BUILT TO LAST
new settlement.
Pinnacle Industries takes pride in their work;
Colonies can be ripe targets for piracy however,
they build homes, grow food, expand the
and it became increasingly clear that they
dream of humanity to distant stars. Pinnacle
needed new methods of self-defense, without
hardware must withstand every test the
relying on expensive or unreliable third parties.
universe can offer, as life itself rests on their
The development of their Non-Civilian Hardware
shoulders. Against the everpresent demons of
branch signaled a new era for Pinnacle, with a
time and disaster, Pinnacle only has this to
sudden and unexpected increase in profits as
say: Give No Ground.
they broke into a new market: warfare.
Your Drones and Deployables have
The rampant growth of this new branch led to resistance to all damage originating outside
several disparate development branches from Range 5.
troop munitions to vehicles and ship design.
The Orion Faction development shell was
tasked specifically with updating their existing ”CURVEBALL” BRACHIAL TUNING
civilian mech designs to combat ready models,
a task they’ve taken to with extreme zeal. Wide-vector microexplosives are Pinnacle
Industries' first tactic for clearing rough terrain
PI-OF FRAMES are a mix of simple, sturdy in order to begin construction - and when
designs that reflect their blue-collar time is money, the faster you throw, the more
background, and more experimental military you get paid. Many legacy PI frames contain
hardware developed de novo by the Orion belt-fed seeder modules, with a variable
Faction. Licensing contracts are all managed random-scatter nozzle, for greater efficiency
through Pinnacle Industries’ main branch, with and terrain saturation, which the Orion Faction
most of their sales coming from colonial easily adapted to accept military grade
administrators and regional governments munitions.
looking to protect their assets from instability
and assault. Your systems that grant grenades gain 2
additional charges and the Range of all your
PI-OF CORE BONUSES grenades increases by 3. 1/round when you
throw a grenade you may throw one
PI-OF bonuses increase your destructive additional grenade from the same or a
potential, resource longevity, and survivability. separate system as a free action. They may
not target the same character, and their areas
may not overlap.
57
EXPLORATION/EXCAVATION RUGGEDIZING SLOW-CYCLE SHIELD CANOPY
58
PI-OF
BASIL
Striker/Support
The Basil was the first frame adapted by the Orion Faction project. It
had a long evolution - first a hardsuit sized logging frame, then
upscaled for planetary-level work, then upgraded with a symbiotic OS to
link and manage entire teams for improved safety and workplace
efficiency. It was Pinnacle Industries’ most widespread and well-known
frame, and the obvious choice to be turned to warfare. Armor built for
on-site accidents was toughened for high-caliber fire. Logging tools
were repurposed to cut through ceramic and metal. It is a builder turned
soldier; overseer turned general. It’s release saw immediate popularity
in colonies without the capital for higher-end frames, and they are now
a common sight in the cities they set the foundations for.
59
LICENSE I: OVERGROWTH CHARGE, TT.7 LICENSE II: BASIL FRAME, DISPERSAL
SNOWBLIND BOW, ‘HEALING HANDS’ GREENWASH
SUITE
Overgrowth Charge
2 SP, Limited 2, Unique Dispersal Bow
Expend a charge for one of the following Main Launcher, Arcing, Knockback 1
effects: [10 Range] [1d3+2 Explosive Damage]
● Bramble Grenade (Grenade, range 5): Your On Attack: You can expend 1 Repair to
target must pass a Hull save. On a failed attack a Blast 2 area instead, and knock
save they become Immobilized until the targets Prone on hit.
end of their next turn, and take 1d6 Kinetic
damage at the end of each of their turns Keeping in line with their standards
until they make a successful Engineering of high-efficiency/low-cost supply
save as a quick action. On a successful paradigms, many PI-OF munition
save they are Slowed instead. schematics can be easily supplemented
● Overgrowth Mine (Mine, burst 1): with available low-grade materials
Characters in the area when the mine for increased impact and effective
detonates must pass a Hull save or be spread.
Immobilized until the end of their next turn.
The area remains difficult terrain until the
end of the scene. ‘Healing Hands’ Greenwash Suite
2 SP, Unique, Shield
The Basil represents growth: the
beginning of a colony, a home, a When you Stabilize you may expend a Repair
city, a nation. Taking the wild and to grant yourself or an adjacent ally 8 + Grit
the unformed and shaping it into Overshield.
safety and society. To a Basil pilot, Field repairs can be extremely time
the battlefield is a garden, and they consuming when there’s a quota to
are tender gardeners who prune and meet for the day. To maintain maximum
guide. Power and responsibility, in efficacy and minimal recovery time,
equal measures. Pinnacle Industries provides work
teams with short-stage single-use
TT.7 SNOWBLIND ‘greenwash’ nanite hives that repair
2 SP, Full Action, 1 Heat(self) damage using a limited stock of raw
Until the start of your next turn you emit a materials.
Burst 2 field of obfuscating transmissions.
Characters at least partially within the affected
area gain Immunity to all tech actions, and
cannot make tech actions. Existing conditions
and effects caused by tech actions are not
cleared but characters have Immunity to them
while they are in the area, and they can be
saved against normally.
Upon entering the field of military
supply, Pinnacle Industries found
that they were already on the losing
side of an electronic arms race.
Rather than exorbitant spending on
new information security R&D, they
sidestepped the problem completely.
SNOWBLIND transmitters flood every
available network and channel with
random noise, deafening even
cutting-edge incursion systems.
60
LICENSE III: DAGGER AUTO-MISSILES, ‘GRIM HARVEST’ PLASMA SCYTHE
61
PI-OF
CORIANDER
Artillery
The center of a heavy publicity campaign, the CORIANDER-doctrine
Reclamation Chassis was designed to solve the problems of crowded urban
combat with high friend/foe overlap. This issue had come to a head
during a mediation-breakdown conflict in a fledgling colony, during
which pirate-insurgent elements barricaded themselves within
high-density residential infrastructure - infrastructure that Pinnacle
itself had built and reinforced during the colony’s seeding. The
resulting siege was both highly televised and harshly criticized, and
demanded innovation within PI’s response portfolio from all departments.
The Orion Faction’s answer was the CORIANDER, a frame purpose-built for
disruption and damage in equal measure, capable of the precision fire
support deemed necessary to protect the holdings of Pinnacle and their
clients. Its resounding success at reducing blue-on-blue and
blue-on-white incidents has awarded the Orion Faction high accolade
within Pinnacle, and corresponding weight in future resolution
development.
62
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1
Armor: 1
Save Target: 11
Sensors: 10
WILDCAT-450 ROTARY
HULL SYSTEMS PAYLOAD SILOS
HP: 8 E-Defense: 10 The WC-450 RPS is designed with minimal
Repair Cap: 5 Tech Attack: +0 collateral as its foremost concern. A
AGILITY SP: 6 steady progression from less-than-lethal
Evasion: 8 ENGINEERING defilade rounds to as-needed warheads
Speed: 3 Heat Cap: 5 ensure proper response protocol. All
explosive components are confirmed
TRAITS stable at a broad range of standard
SCATTER TARGETING conditions, requiring ignition from a
separate and autonomous mute-linked IFF
The Coriander may choose for allied characters monitor attached to each launch event.
and objects to be immune to all damage and Finally, all compounds react fully on
effects from Blasts, Bursts, Lines, and Cones proper firing and leave only natural and
from grenades, mines, or weapon attacks it near-natural breakdown residue to ensure
makes. that no environmental damage is accrued.
Pinnacle: Building Better – Growing
Together.
BLINDSIDE
The Coriander’s Ranged attacks do not SHROUD SILOS
provoke hostile reactions while it is Hidden, in 1/Round on a critical hit with a Cannon or
an area of soft cover, or with hard cover from Launcher you may launch a Shroud Missile,
its target. creating a Line 5 cloud of smoke with at least
one space adjacent to your target. This area
MOUNTS grants soft cover to allied characters, and
hostile characters at least partially within it
have +1 Difficulty on ranged and melee
attacks. 1/Round as a reaction to a hostile
character entering this area you may deal 2
Explosive damage to them and force them to
make a Hull save, falling Prone on a failed
save. This area lasts until the end of your next
turn.
FLASHFIRE Payload
Active (1 CP), Efficient, Quick Action
You launch a FLASHFIRE Missile which
explodes in a Blast 1 in Range 15. Hostile
characters in the affected area take 2 Burn.
Until they clear all Burn, attacks against them
have +1 Accuracy, and they cannot benefit
from cover. If this area overlaps with any area
of soft cover, its effect includes that area as
well, igniting and destroying the cover after it
resolves.
This core power has the Efficient tag and
refunds 1 CP at the end of any scene in which it
is used.
63
LICENSE I: GHILLIE CLOAK, MICRO-MASS LICENSE II: CORIANDER FRAME, SCRAMBLE
DRIVER CHARGE, SMOKE GENERATOR
Misdirect
Reaction, X/round
Trigger: You or an allied character in the Smoke
Generator’s Burst is targeted by a hostile attack.
Effect: Your ally is treated as Invisible for the
triggering attack, and can teleport 2 spaces after
it resolves. Decrease the size of the Burst by 1.
This cannot reduce it below 0. This reaction can
be used as many times as it is triggered in a
round.
64
LICENSE III: SPLINTER AMMO, WILDFIRE Ignition
MISSILES Protocol, 2 Heat(self)
All lingering smoke created by the Wildfire Missiles
Splinter Ammo detonates. Hostile characters in the affected areas
3 SP, Mod, Unique must pass an Agility save or take 4 Burn and be
Choose a ranged weapon. 1/Turn it deals +X knocked Prone, or half as much on a success.
bonus Kinetic damage on hit, where X is the Allied characters gain soft cover until the end of
number of characters adjacent to your target (max their next turn and can move 2 spaces. This
+4), and gains On Crit: adjacent hostile characters movement ignores engagement and does not
take X Kinetic damage. provoke reactions.
Wildfire Missiles
Superheavy Launcher, Arcing
[15 Range, Blast 1] [1d6+2 Explosive
Damage]
This weapon can target two separate Blast 1
areas when fired. After attacking, a cloud of
smoke lingers in the targeted area that grants soft
cover to allied characters, and +1 Difficulty to
ranged and melee attacks made by hostile
characters within them. Gain the Ignition
protocol.
65
PI-OF
FENNEL
Controller/Striker
Pinnacle Industries has long maintained several proprietary lines of
personal, industrial, and commercial drones – from minuscule
swarm-patterns to the towering terraforming giants that accompanied
their pre-colonial missions. A collaborative effort between the
Cassiopeia and Orion Faction development branches resulted in the
Fennel-pattern chassis line as a manned companion to a new line of
militarized drones under the Pinnacle name. The Fennel takes the rugged,
flexible survivorship ethos of Pinnacle expeditions and pairs it to the
savage high-impact Behemoth-Class drone patterns to create a synergistic
hunting team; the Fennel scouts targets and seeds traps across the
battlefield, while their drone partners rush in to wreak havoc.
66
Saber Drone LICENSE I: FLINTLOCK PISTOL, SNARE
Passive, Drone CHARGE
Saber Drone (Size 2, [10 + Grit] HP,
Eva/E-Def [see below], 2 Armor, Tags: Flintlock Pistol
Drone) Auxiliary Rifle, Inaccurate
Your mech is accompanied by a powerful [8 Range] [1d3+1 Damage]
Saber Drone that shares your Evasion,
On Attack: You are pushed one space in any
E-Defense, Speed, and can move
direction.
independently on your turn. When you rest
or perform a Full Repair, it regains all HP
Despite the ever increasing pace of
and is automatically repaired if it was
technological advancement, sometimes
destroyed. You may command it to take
simpler solutions are still better.
one of the following actions as a quick
Many pieces of Pinnacle Industries
action 1/turn:
equipment rely on solely mechanical
● Strike: Make a melee attack using your
action, with easily replaceable parts
Grit against an adjacent character. On hit
and no digital interface to increase
they take 1d6+4 Kinetic Damage and
the ease of repair and upkeep in
become Grappled by the drone. It uses
isolated environments. This ethos is
your Grit to maintain grapples.
reflected in the lightweight and
● Maul: A character Grappled by the
interchangeable design of the Fennel,
Saber Drone must pass a Hull save or
making it a perfect pair for more
take 6 AP Kinetic Damage and become
archaic weaponry.
Shredded until the end of their next turn,
or take half as much damage on a
success
● Leap: The Saber Drone flies up to its Snare Charge
Speed horizontally and half as much 2 SP, Unique, Limited 3
vertically. It must end the movement on a Expend a charge for one of the following
surface or begin to fall. This movement effects:
ignores engagement and does not ● Bola (Grenade, range 8): Your target must
provoke reactions. pass an Agility save or be knocked Prone,
As a reaction to a character starting and additionally become Slowed until they
movement adjacent to the Saber Drone remove it by passing a Hull save as a quick
you can force them to pass a Hull save or action. On a successful save they are
take 1d6 Kinetic damage and become instead Slowed until the end of their next
Slowed until the end of their next turn. turn.
● Razor Mine (Mine, burst 2): All surfaces in
Apex Predator the affected area become filled with
Active (1 CP), Protocol razorwire until the end of the scene. Any
non-flying character that moves through or
Your Saber Drone is immediately restored is pushed through the area takes 1 AP
to full HP and repaired if it was destroyed. Kinetic damage for each space they move.
Until the end of the scene its actions are A character that is knocked Prone in the
upgraded: area takes 1d6 AP Kinetic damage.
● Stunning Strike: On hit, your target is
Tools passed down by hunters for
also knocked Prone.
centuries; simple loops of leather or
● Vicious Maul: The grappled character is
beaten metal spikes reincarnated in
also Jammed for as long as they are
military polymer and coreforged
Shredded.
alloy. Time has yet to dull their
● Seismic Leap: Your drone creates a
elegant efficacy. Hostile chassis are
Burst 1 of soft cover where it lands
prey of a different sort, but they
that lasts until the end of your next turn.
fall all the same.
67
LICENSE II: FENNEL FRAME, TT.6 LICENSE III: ‘APOTHECARY’ MARKSMAN
‘STRONGMAN’ SUPPORT DRONES, VIPER RIFLE, PARVATI-CLASS NHP
DRONE
’Apothecary’ Marksman Rifle
TT.6 ‘Strongman’ Support Drones Main Rifle, 1 SP
2 SP, Quick Tech, Limited 4 [12 Range] [4 Kinetic Damage]
Gain the following Quick Tech options:
On Hit: 1/Round, this weapon deals +1
bonus damage for every condition
Helping Hand: Choose an allied character in (Impaired, Slowed, Immobilized, Jammed,
Range 8 currently in a grapple. Until the Shredded, or Stunned) affecting your target,
grapple ends they count as one size larger (½ to a maximum of +6.
to 1, 1 to 2, etc.) for Rams and controlling the
grapple. Weighted ‘Apothecary’ rounds see
suboptimal penetration against most
Iron Fist: Choose a hostile character in Range
targets – until they hit a stressed
8. They have +1 Difficulty on attack rolls for
plate that they shred like paper.
Rams and Grapples, and on Hull checks to
control grapples, until they pass a Hull save
as a quick action.
Viper Drone
2 SP, Quick Action, Reaction, Drone
VIPER DRONE (Size ½, HP 5, Evasion 10,
E-Defense 10, Tags: Drone)
You can deploy this drone into any free space
in Sensors and line of sight. While it is
deployed you gain the Viper Strike reaction.
You can recall or redeploy it as a quick action.
Viper drones use a two-pronged
assault tactic of high-volume
systemic disruption and a precision
focal laser barrage to pinpoint and
capitalize moments of high
vulnerability in their targets.
Viper Strike
Reaction, 1/round
Trigger: A hostile character in Range 10 and
line of sight of the drone makes a check or a
save.
Effect: They have +1 Difficulty on the check
or save. If they fail it, they take 4 Energy
damage.
68
PARVATI clones excel at path
PARVATI-CLASS NHP optimization and resource efficiency
3 SP, AI, Mod, Unique, Limited 3 – many PI offices employ PARVATI
Your mech gains the AI tag and you must clones transiently to plan and
choose a Ranged weapon. That weapon enforce seasonal right-sizing. This
gains the Nexus typing in addition to other same tendency to micromanage has
weapon types as well as Smart and Seeking. proven exceptionally useful in
Additionally, 1/Round on a hit you may high-stress situations, where
expend a charge to infect your target with one PARVATI’s ‘mothering’ instinct and
of the following toxic nanite hive options: improvement doctrine create
● Plague: They treat all spaces as difficult high-yield results with autonomous
terrain and take 1 AP kinetic damage for systems. They take great pride in
each space they voluntarily move (max cultivating drone hives, and exhibit
5/round). If your target is destroyed while (within acceptable parameters)
the hive is active, they create a Burst 1 area extreme vindictiveness at any
of dangerous terrain (kinetic). interference.
● Miasma: Your target is surrounded by a
Burst 1 cloud of nanites. Hostile characters Hives monitored by a PARVATI persona
at least partially in the area treat targets operate with sufficient oversight as
outside as being Invisible, and it counts as to not mandate ‘wash nomenclature -
soft cover for allied characters. If your target each individual nanite is directed by
is destroyed while it is active the area microshards of the NHP, such that
remains around their wreck. their gestalt behavior is entirely
● Venom: Your target takes all bonus damage dependent on the intact existence of
as Burn, and has +1 Difficulty on all checks the casket mother-node. Anomalous
and saves except to clear this hive. If they behavior is easily rectified by
are destroyed while this hive is active, the severing the source and equipment
last character that hit them with a ranged or reissue.
melee attack gains Overshield equal to 4 +
your Grit.
69
PI-OF
LEMONGRASS
Defender/Controller
Unlike many other PI-OF frames, the Lemongrass was only ever intended
for combat, rather than being an adaptation of an existing civilian
model. Pinnacle Industry’s military engineers realized that their
conversion of old civilian frames still required intensive field-testing
to ensure combat efficacy, but this put their test pilots – and profit
margins – at great risk. The Lemongrass saw an extremely accelerated
development period while all other projects were put on hold, and was
expressly designed to protect other PI-OF frames. Once work on other
frames recommenced, Lemongrass frames were partnered alongside all other
PI-OF deployments to provide an extra layer of defense until all obvious
design flaws were ironed out. Utilizing potent electromagnetic
manipulation, the Lemongrass darts among allied frames to divert attacks
and punish opponents.
70
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1/2
Armor: 1
Save Target: 12
Sensors: 10
ZENITH ELECTROSTATIC
HULL SYSTEMS SHIELD TETHER
HP: 8 E-Defense: 8 The ZEST is the only part of the
Repair Cap: 2 Tech Attack: +0 Lemongrass that made use of Pinnacle
AGILITY SP: 6 Industry’s roots as a colony-builder,
Evasion: 10 ENGINEERING adapted from a preventative lightning
Speed: 5 Heat Cap: 4 rod used on planets with extreme
weather. The original equipment would
TRAITS send calculated electrical pulses
INTEGRATED HOVER FLIGHT directly along the path of a lightning
strike, evening out polarity between the
The Lemongrass can hover when it moves or ground and clouds. The combat-ready ZEST
boosts (it can fly, doesn’t need to move, it can instead follows the path of projectiles
move without going in a straight line, and and energy weapons, tracking their wake
doesn’t need to land). back to the source with an arc of
electricity. A portable module is
incorporated into the Lemongrass frame,
ION FIELD
granting a small radius of protection,
1/Round each at the start of its turn, when it but a full size module can also be
gets a critical hit, and when it ends its turn deployed.
adjacent to an allied character, the Lemongrass
gains an Ion Charge, to a maximum of 4 Storm Pylon
charges. When a character makes an attack Active (1 CP), Quick Action
against the Lemongrass or an adjacent ally As a quick action, you deploy the Storm Pylon
they first take AP Energy damage equal to its (size ½, 10 + Grit HP, 10 Eva/E-Def,
current Ion Charges and subtract that value resistance to all damage, Tags: Deployable)
from the attack roll. The Lemongrass then loses to a free adjacent space. It has 4 Ion Charges,
1 Ion Charge. and gains 2 charges at the start of your turn.
Allied characters within a Burst 3 of it benefit
MOUNTS from your Ion Field trait as if they were
adjacent to you, though they cannot benefit
from the pylon and your mech simultaneously.
The pylon deactivates at the end of the scene.
71
LICENSE I: CARRIER CLAMPS, DAZZLER LICENSE II: LEMONGRASS FRAME,
CHERENKOV MANIFOLD, CICADA
CHATTERBOX
Carrier Clamps
2 SP, Quick Action
Cherenkov Manifold
Flexible hardpoints and manipulators allow
2 SP, Protocol, 2 Heat(self), Unique,
you to cling to other characters. While
Shield
adjacent and non-Immobilized you may
attach yourself to an adjacent ally that is at You twist air and force around your mech into
least one Size larger than you. While clinging a shifting, bending lens. The first attack made
you occupy their space and move when they against you or an adjacent ally before the
move (even while Slowed). If you or your start of your next turn treats the target as
mount are knocked Prone, Stunned, Invisible. If the attack misses, the attacker
Immobilized, or destroyed, you fall Prone in must reroll it against themselves, dealing half
an adjacent space. You may detach yourself damage on a hit.
as part of any movement. The air around the Lemongrass
Powered electromagnet chains allow shimmers like a heat haze, shifting
smaller frames to cling on to heavier densities mixing and swirling from
mechs and transport vehicles in order the constant energetic outflow - both
to divert all their attention to in realspace and deeper, thanks to
supporting them. Once active, the quantum quirks of the chassis. Light
flexible chains wrap around any passes through the warped air like a
nearby metal and hold fast until dusty lens, emerging twisted and
powered down. changed.
Cicada Chatterbox
Dazzler 2 SP, Protocol, Quick Action
Auxiliary CQB When you activate this protocol you gain the
[3 Range, 3 Threat] [1 Energy Damage] Lock-On condition. While it is active, hostile
characters in Range 3 are Impaired and may
On Hit: The target has +1 Difficulty on the
not use the Seeking property on any of their
next attack roll they make. This effect can
weapons. This protocol ends if you are hit by a
stack.
melee or ranged attack.
‘Dazzler’ capacitor plates use a
Additionally, while it is active, you may use a
powerful burst of charge to induce
quick action and take 2 Heat to focus the
temporary opposing charges in their
noise on a single target in the affected area,
target. Once established, a flood of
forcing them to make a Hull save. On a failed
conductive ferro-chaff is released to
save they become Jammed until the end of
complete the circuit, resulting in a
their next turn or this protocol ends. A
flash of glittering light and signal
character can only be Jammed this way
noise as charge arcs across the gap.
1/scene.
The buzz can be heard for miles, but
it’s only dangerous up close. Banned
near population centers, Cicada
modules can shake apart loose
mechanical components and leave ears
ringing for days after deployment.
72
LICENSE III: VOLTAIC SWARM, SHOCK CHARGE
73
PI-OF
PEPPERCORN
Striker
Louder than god’s revolver and twice as shiny, the Peppercorn straddles
a unique line between mech and vehicle. Some have been adapted to almost
resemble armored civilian motorcycles, but the official pattern is a
pilot-sized monowheel. Combining incredibly high speeds with a wide
assortment of plasma weaponry and force-multiplying deployables, the
Peppercorn excels at hit-and-run skirmishing, softening targets for the
final blow. While they were originally scouting vehicles, Pinnacle
Industries expansion into the military sector has seen drastic changes
in their design philosophy.
MOUNTS
74
LICENSE I: ‘GRINDER’ COMBAT UZI, LICENSE II: PEPPERCORN FRAME,
B.M.X. AUTOPRINT PAD PLASMA CASTER, PLASMATIC TREADS
75
LICENSE III: GREASE CHARGE, MERCURY-CLASS NHP
76
PI-OF
ROSEMARY
Striker
The Rosemary was designed as a heavy duty terraformer/demolition frame,
intended to arrive before colonists to clear land for building.
High-pressure hydraulics and integrated pilebunker armature make the
Rosemary capable of shattering solid rock with ease, even without the
wide variety of destructive tools made available to their pilots. In the
event of colony dissolution, they are just as capable of turning those
tools on the structures they paved the way for, pounding buildings and
machines into rubble and scrap.
77
LICENSE I: ALL-TERRAIN SYNTH-MUSCLE, LICENSE II: ROSEMARY FRAME, PITON
FURNACE HAMMER DRIVER, SNAP-CRUSH MINING JAWS
78
LICENSE III: GEOFORM WRECKING BALL, SEISMIC CHARGE
79
PI-OF
SPEARMINT
Defender/Support
The SP-01 ‘Snowflake’ was the headliner of the colony starter-package
offered by Pinnacle Industries. Offered alongside a variety of modular
terraforming systems, the Spearmint’s civilian origin was the first
boot-on-the-ground for many a barren rock turned verdant. Their civilian
popularity made for late adaption to military purposes due to image
concerns raised by sub-departments outside of the Non-Civilian Hardware
teams. The success of other Orion Faction frames drowned out these
complaints however, resulting in a frame that could use its atmospheric
manipulators to great local effect as a stalwart mobile fortress. The
SP-04 ‘Polar Vortex’ now headlines the ‘Tried and True’ line of
new-grade military materiel on offer from PI-OF.
MOUNTS
80
Ice Rink
Active (1 CP), Full Action
Your mech projects a Burst 3 of freezing cold,
solidifying atmospheric vapor into ice. Hostile
characters treat this area as difficult terrain,
and if they start their turn in the area or enter it
for the first time on their turn they must pass an
Agility save or fall Prone. Allied characters
gain +2 Speed until the end of their turn if they
start their turn in the area, and their movements
in the area ignore engagement and do not
provoke reactions.
81
LICENSE II: SPEARMINT FRAME, TT.8 ‘ALPINE SPRING’ CARBINE, AVALANCHE RUSH
82
LICENSE III: TT.32 ‘GLACIER LAKE’ COOLANT HOSE, SKADI-CLASS NHP
83
PI-OF
STAR ANISE
Defender/Support
To their sustained consternation, the development and licensing for the
Star Anise line of mechanized chassis do not belong to the Orion
Faction, and are instead on a limited-contract loan to them through the
Lyra Faction, a Pinnacle subsidiary focused on colonial construction and
expansion. Anises are builder-frames; after the atmosphere is tempered
and land is laid flat, they are the final workforce that takes a colony
from bare earth to a vibrant metropolis. They build homes and streets
and retaining walls, shaping the shell that will be filled with hopeful
colonists and their new neighbors. They are well-loved, both by the
citizens they tend and the institution that maintains them.
This love is what has protected them from the OF – that, and major
public and internal outcry at attempts to transfer patent ownership. The
Star Anise is the expression of an idea as much as a machine: to build,
to protect, to find family in warm earth and craft a seat for newcomers
beside the fire. It is not meant to bear weapons. It is not meant to
destroy. Each Anise is the heart of her community – to defend, to grow,
and to cherish. Even after the work is done, they are left behind as the
other PI loan-frames leave, tended in warehouses and left gentle
offerings of spare parts and fresh mortar. Her pilots may change, but
each Anise is a member of the community all her own, housing
generations.
Her skills lie in brick and mortar, pilot, building fountains and
clocktowers and broad market squares. She can fill bullet holes and
carve a trench just the same, if she must. Treat her well, pilot, and
she’ll take care of you too.
84
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1
Armor: 2
Save Target: 10
Sensors: 8
‘HEARTHSTONE’
HULL SYSTEMS ARCHITECTURAL SUITE
HP: 8 E-Defense: 6 “I was born here.” “The first place I
Repair Cap: 8 Tech Attack: +0 made baklava.” “My first kiss.” “I met
AGILITY SP: 10 my husband here.” “My wife’s first
Evasion:8 ENGINEERING daughter.” “We’d play out back after
Speed: 4 Heat Cap: 5 school.” “My mom’s funeral.” “I would
always climb out on the roof when I was
TRAITS mad. Silly kid things.” “My brother
SUBALTERN DELIVERY carved our names on the kitchen door.”
“The rain on the windowsill.” “It’s
When the Star Anise uses a Drone or still her room, even now.” “My
Deployable, it can place it within Range 3 of grandmother’s birthday.” “The garden.”
itself or any allied mech character within “A building.”
Sensors. “A family.”
“A home.”
Pinnacle.
CITY PLANNER
Homestead
At the start of any combat, before the first Active (1 CP), Quick Action
round begins and any characters are placed on
Until the end of the scene or until it is
the battlefield, the Star Anise can place up to
destroyed, your mech projects a Burst 3 zone
three size 1 pieces of hard cover, or one size 3
of Homeland. Objects, terrain, deployables,
area of soft cover in free spaces anywhere on
and drones within Homeland are immune to all
the battlefield.
damage, conditions, and other effects unless
you allow otherwise. When you take this action,
PERSEVERANCE and as a Quick Action on subsequent turns you
can destroy up to 30 HP of objects or terrain
When the Star Anise stabilizes, in addition to
entirely within Homeland, and place hard cover
the normal benefits it may expend a repair to
with an HP equal to the amount destroyed,
repair a single destroyed system or weapon on
split between multiple size 1 pieces with a
itself or an adjacent ally.
maximum of 10 HP each.
MOUNTS
85
LICENSE I: CARGO WALKER, DAMPENING
Architect Production Module AMALGAM
Passive, Quick Action, Limited 4
Cargo Walker
Architect Project (Size ???, 10 HP, 5
1 SP, Quick Action, Deployable
Evasion, 8 E-Defense, Tags: Deployable)
Expend a charge from this system to Cargo Walker (Size 2, 10 HP, 8 Evasion, 8
deploy one of the following projects in a E-Defense, Tags: Deployable)
free adjacent space. You can place the Cargo Walker in a free
● Groundcover (1-4 Charges) - Create a adjacent space. An adjacent non-Immobilized
flat Size X area, where X is the number ally can mount it as a quick action. While
of charges expended. Allied characters riding it, they occupy the same space as it.
completely within the area have hard The Cargo Walker can carry characters of
cover from all attacks originating combined size equal to its size. Characters
outside of it, and hostile characters can dismount it as part of any movement. If it
treat it as difficult terrain. It gains +10 is destroyed while they are riding it, they fall
HP for every charge expended after the Prone in its space. If they are knocked Prone
first. or knocked back, they fall off it.
● Hedgerow (1 Charge) - Create a Line 4 A Cargo Walker can move 2 spaces on your
4 spaces tall of soft cover with at least turn. Otherwise it cannot move or be moved in
one space adjacent to you. Characters any way. Characters riding it move with it, and
that start their turn in the area or enter do not count as moving for the purpose of any
it for the first time on their turn take 2 system, trait, talent, etc.
AP Kinetic damage. Big, heavy, powerful, enduring
● Creeping Vine (1 Charge) - Deploy two – whatever you need carried, Pinnacle
Size 1 Vines within Range 5 of each can handle it.
other, with one adjacent to you. Each
tracks HP separately. Vines do not Dampening Amalgam
obstruct movement or line of sight. You 2 SP, Quick Action, Reaction, Shield
and allied characters sharing space
with a Vine can teleport to any other You can charge this system as a quick action.
Vine’s space as a free action as long as It starts a scene uncharged, and can only hold
it is within Range 5 and line of sight. one charge. While it is charged, you gain the
You can destroy a project as a quick Slurry Shield reaction.
action, regaining all charges spent on it. PI branded ‘Ozymandias’ construction
You regain the charges from any project amalgams incorporate a diverse
remaining at the end of the scene. portfolio of architectural substrates
for any conceivable atmospheric or
structural condition.
Emergency-repair blends are
pre-packaged in high pressure
nozzles, ready to eject and harden on
contact with atmosphere to seal
cracks – or catch ordnance.
Slurry Shield
Reaction, 1/round
Trigger: An allied character in Range 5 and
line of sight takes half damage from a
successful save, or Reliable damage from a
missed attack.
Effect: They instead take no damage. This
system loses its charge.
86
LICENSE II: STAR ANISE FRAME, AMPHORA DRONE, DEPOT CHARGE
87
will not lose these precious things.
LICENSE III: EARTHENWARE OVERCOAT, We will not lose you.
NANO-CERAMITE VESSEL
Sculpt
Earthenware Overcoat Quick Tech, 1 Heat(self)
3 SP, Quick Tech, Limited 3,
Sculpt options may only target areas and
Overshield, Shield
characters within your nano-ceramite field.
You or an allied character in Sensors gains
Overshield equal to 4 + your Grit. As long as Raise Wall: Create up to three size 1 pieces of
they have this Overshield they cannot be hard cover with 10 HP in free spaces.
pushed, pulled, knocked back or knocked
Entomb: A character of your choice must
Prone by other characters.
pass a Hull save or become Immobilized and
“When the rain fell and the Prone until they pass a Hull save as a quick
floodwaters came, I took my family action.
and we climbed for the roof. Up
there, we watched our lives about to Pave: Remove all mines, difficult terrain and
be washed away – saw our neighbors on dangerous terrain from up to 5 contiguous
their homes, and the bare roofs too. spaces in the field. Ongoing areas (such as
Then she came – Anise – waist deep in smoke or fire) are also removed. Hostile
the water, pushing forward. She held environmental conditions and indefinitely
that dam for three days and three lasting areas (such as bursts produced by
nights without sleep. She saved us.” drones) are suppressed in the area until this
system deactivates.
Nano-Ceramite Vessel Flood: Push up to 2 characters up to 4 spaces
4 SP, Quick Action each as long as the destination is within the
After activating this system, create a Burst 3 field. An unwilling character can resist this
field of nano-ceramite around your mech. effect by passing an Agility save.
While it is active you are Immobilized and
gain the Sculpt Quick Tech options. You may
deactivate it as a free action. When it
deactivates, all effects or terrain it has created
are removed.
Nano-ceramite is a proprietary
Ozymandias blend of high-silica
polymer with whitewash nanotechnology
to create a versatile and precise
structural/scaffold material, all
directed and changed in realtime
through frameside tactile direction.
The nanites rely on a constant
low-intensity survival signal to
maintain activity, atavistically
flooding back to their containment
housing within seconds of signal loss
in order to mitigate risks of an
unplanned lithopolis/lithoma
scenario.
88
QUETZAL’S FLIGHT NPCS
ARCHITECT
Defender
Architects represent a tried and true staple of mechanized combat
– active conversion of civilian chassis into a militarized
standard. Mainly upfitted from terraforming or construction
patterns, Architects turn the tools of colony-building and repair
to combat fortifications and entrenchment, building fortresses
wherever they are deployed.
TACTICS
CITADEL Combat Terraformer
Architects can dynamically reshape the
System, Quick Action
battlefield using their CITADEL Combat
Terraformer – use this to create a fortified The Architect can use the following actions:
position for their allies to fall back to, while ● Print (Recharge 4+): Place up to 3 blocks of
denying players their own. Their lack of size 1 hard cover within Range 3, or one
damaging systems means that a player that block of Size 2 cover.
does breach their defenses can still threaten ● Rift: The Architect chooses a Line 5 area in
them easily. Range 5. At the start of its next turn the
area collapses. Objects and terrain in the
area are destroyed. Characters must pass
BASE SYSTEMS an Agility save or become Immobilized and
PROTECTOR Trait gain soft cover until they pass a Hull save
as a quick action.
Adjacent allied characters can use the
● Sharpen: A Blast 1 area in Sensors
Architect for hard cover. The Architect
becomes difficult terrain until the end of the
ignores difficult and dangerous terrain.
scene or you use this action again.
Characters that fall Prone in the area take
Slurry Cannon 3/5/7 kinetic damage.
Heavy CQB, Knockback 5, +1/+2/+3, ● Tremor: All characters in a Blast 1 area in
[Cone 5] Sensors must pass a Hull save or be
knocked Prone. Objects and terrain in the
On Attack: Place a size 1 piece of hard
area take 10 AP Kinetic damage.
cover in a free space in the area. Spaces
adjacent to it become difficult terrain until
the start of the Architect’s next turn.
89
OPTIONAL SYSTEMS
SEALANT BLEND Trait
GUNGNIR Laser Emplacement
System, Full Action, Limited 1 The Slurry Cannon gains On Hit: Targets
must pass a Hull save or become
GUNGNIR Laser (Size 1, 20 HP, 5 Eva, 5 Immobilized until they spend a quick action
E-Def, Tags: Deployable, Resistance to all to break free.
damage)
As a full action, the Architect places a
GUNGNIR Laser in a free adjacent space and TRENCH WARRIOR
marks a Line 20 area from it. They can choose Quick Action, Trait, Recharge 4+
a new Line as a quick action while adjacent, While the Architect has cover they gain +2
replacing the previous area. It primes at the Armor. As a quick action it can dig a Line 4
end of the round and becomes Charged. trench 2 spaces wide with at least one space
adjacent to it. Characters fully within the
They or any allied character adjacent to the trench gain soft cover. This trench lasts until
GUNGNIR Laser may take 4 Heat to fire it as the Architect uses this action again, or an
a quick action. The GUNGNIR must be adjacent character destroys it by passing a
Charged to be fired. When fired, all characters Hull check as a Full Action.
in or adjacent to the Line traced by the laser
must pass a Hull save or take 16/20/24 AP SANDBLAST Quick Action, Trait
Energy Damage. It then becomes uncharged. The Architect creates an eruption of
It becomes Charged again at the end of the particulate in a free Blast 2 area within
next round. Sensors and line of sight that lasts until the
end of their next turn. Characters at least
Civil-Class Terrain Printer partially in the area have soft cover and treat
System, Quick Action, Recharge 5+ all characters as being Invisible. If they end
The Architect marks two free spaces in line of their turn in the area they take 3 AP Kinetic
sight and Range 5 of each other. At least one damage.
must be within Range 3 of it. Allied characters
on one space may use one space of
movement to immediately travel to the other
space in a straight line, ignoring engagement,
other characters, mines and without provoking
reactions. They stop the movement early if an
obstruction or terrain blocks their path.
Insertion Catapult
System, Protocol, Quick Action
The Architect becomes Immobilized until the
start of its next turn. As a quick action it can
throw an adjacent ally that is the same size or
smaller than it to any space within Range 10.
This movement ignores engagement and does
not provoke reactions, and ends early if they
hit an obstruction or character. If they hit a
character, that character must pass a Hull
save or be knocked Prone.
90
GRENADIER
Striker
Where the Seeder creates chokepoints and defensive perimeters,
the Grenadier charges headlong into hostile formations to
actively disrupt their advance. They present a very real threat
by bypassing expected weapon defenses and leveraging a versatile
explosive toolbox to force hostile resource consumption.
TACTICS
Throw Grenade
The aim of the Grenadier is to harass and
System, Grenade, Quick Action, 1/Turn
disrupt – the Taiko GL-16 can scatter or gather
players, while Throw Grenade gives them The Grenadier throws one of the following
bespoke options to interfere with their plans. grenades at a space in Range 5, creating a
Sweeper Armor allows them to sidestep more Blast 1 explosion.
permanent defenses as well. Their short range ● Concussion: Characters in the area that fail
requires them to stay in close – a long-range a Hull save are knocked back 3 spaces and
defense can prevent their advance. if they hit an obstruction, become Impaired
until the end of their next turn and Prone.
● Incendiary: Characters in the area that fail
BASE SYSTEMS an Agility save take 1/2/3 Burn and cool
Taiko GL-16 half as much Heat the next time they clear
Main Launcher, Arcing, +1/+2/+3, [5 heat before the end of their next turn.
Range] [5 Explosive Damage] ● Shock: Characters in the area that fail an
Engineering save take 2/3/4 Heat and have
This weapon attacks twice at T2 and three +2 Difficulty on tech attacks and attacks
times at T3. with smart and seeking weapons until the
On Hit: The target is knocked back 1 space in end of their next turn.
a direction of the Grenadier’s choice. ● Smoke: This grenade explodes in a Blast 2.
Until the end of the Grenadier’s next turn,
SWEEPER ARMOR Trait characters and objects in the blast area
have soft cover.
The Grenadier has resistance to Explosive
damage, and immunity to damage from
drones, deployables, grenades, and mines.
This trait does not affect weapons with the
Drone tag.
91
OPTIONAL SYSTEMS
DEATH KNELL Trait
When the Grenadier is destroyed it can
immediately throw one grenade.
Sabot Spike
System, Quick Action, Recharge 5+
The Grenadier attaches an explosive spike to
an adjacent Drone, object, or terrain. It can
detonate all Sabot Spikes as a protocol. All
affected drones or objects are each pushed 3
spaces in any direction before they explode in
a Burst 1 area. Characters in the area must
pass an Agility save or take 8/12/16
Explosive damage, or half as much on a
success.
Short Fuses
System, Quick Tech, +1/+2/+3, +1
Accuracy, Recharge 5+
The Grenadier makes a tech attack against a
character in Sensors. On a hit they unload all
loading weapons and a system with the
grenade or mine tag immediately loses one
charge. They then take 2/3/4 AP Explosive
damage if a weapon was unloaded, and 2/3/4
AP Explosive damage if they lost a charge.
Smart Munitions
System
The Grenadier’s grenades do not require line
of sight as long as it’s possible to trace a path
to the target, and allied characters
automatically succeed on saves to avoid their
effects.
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INTERCEPTOR
Defender
Interceptors are a translation of traditional dogfight/aerial
tactics to chassis-level interaction. Their superior speed and
response time interrupts, harasses, and punishes slower frames
despite their small size. The combination of predictive suites
and hard-g maneuvers can require extensive training to handle
without serious injury, keeping Interceptors a rare and valuable
asset for any force.
BASE SYSTEMS
SSC Total Suite
System
The Interceptor can hover when they move or
boost.
Interdiction SMG
Auxiliary Cannon, Reliable 1/2/3,
+2/+4/+6, [3 Range] [3 Threat] [3/5/7
Kinetic Damage]
This weapon can be fired as a reaction
whenever a character with an Interception
Mark makes an attack against an allied
character, targeting the attacker.
93
OPTIONAL SYSTEMS
CHAFF PACKET
ITCHY TRIGGER Trait System, Limited 2
Reaction attacks with the Interdiction SMG When the Interceptor Boosts it may create a
resolve before the triggering action. It gains Burst 2 explosion in the space it started
On Hit: the target gains +1 Difficulty on the movement in. Characters in the area must
next attack roll they make this turn. pass a Systems save or be unable to take
reactions or draw line of sight except to
Point-Defense Screen adjacent spaces until the end of their next
Reaction, 1/round, Recharge 5+ turn.
Trigger: A character in Range 3 makes an
attack.
Effect: The Interceptor makes a contested
attack roll. If they win, the attack automatically
misses.
Shard Projector
System, Protocol, Recharge 4+
Until the end of the Interceptor’s next turn,
hostile characters treat spaces in Range 3 of
the Interceptor as difficult terrain. They can
ignore this by taking 1 AP Kinetic damage for
each space they move in the area.
REFLEX/DIVE Trait
The Interceptor’s movement does not provoke
reactions and ignores engagement.
SUPERSONIC INSERTION
Full Action, Trait
The Interceptor does not start the scene on
the battlefield. Instead, at the start of a hostile
character’s turn you may place it in Range 3
of them. As a full action it can remove itself
from the battlefield, returning at the start of its
next turn anywhere within Range 50. If
multiple characters have this trait, only one
can activate it per turn.
STUNCROWN
System, Quick Action, Limited 1
The Interceptor creates a Burst 3 flash.
Characters in the affected area must pass a
Systems save or become Jammed until the
end of their next turn, or Impaired on a
success.
94
PACKMASTER
Controller
Unlike the multitudinous legion of a Hive, Packmaster frames
cultivate a strong and solitary bond to a single, powerful
drone-mind. Guiding it from afar, the Packmaster can stay at a
safer distance while still experiencing the rush of combat
through a neurosubjective link – they reshape warfare into the
raw, bestial relation of predator and prey.
TACTICS
Primal Reflex
The Packmaster works in tandem with its
Trait, Reaction, 1/round
Behemoth Drone – guiding it from a distance
while the drone rushes into melee range to Trigger: A character starts movement
aggress and immobilize targets. Use the Tracer adjacent to the Behemoth Drone.
Rifle to mark more evasive targets. The Effect: They must pass an Agility save or be
Packmaster itself is fragile however, and without knocked Prone.
its command the Behemoth’s bulk is powerless.
Tracer Rifle
BASE SYSTEMS Main Rifle, Smart, +2/+4/+6, [10
Range] [2/3/5 Energy Damage + 1 Heat]
Behemoth Drone
System, Quick Action, 1/Turn On Hit: The Behemoth Drone can move 3
spaces directly towards the Packmaster’s
Behemoth Drone (Size 2, 15/20/25 HP, 8
target. The next attack any character makes
Eva, 8 E-Def, 4 Speed, 2 Armor, Tags:
against the target before the end of the
Drone)
Packmaster’s next turn gains +1 Accuracy.
The Packmaster starts each scene with a
powerful companion drone deployed in Range
3 that can move independently. It can STALKER CLOAK Trait
command the drone to take one of the Characters more than Range 5 from the
following actions as a quick action: Packmaster treat it as being Invisible.
● Lunge: Make a melee attack at +2/+4/+6
against an adjacent character. On hit, they
take 6/9/12 Kinetic damage and become OVERCHARGE LINK
Grappled by the drone, which has a Hull Full Action, Recharge 5+, Trait
score of +2/tier. The Behemoth Drone regains all HP (even if it
● Maim: A character grappled by the drone was destroyed) and moves up to its Speed.
takes 4/6/8 AP Kinetic damage and The Packmaster becomes Stunned until the
becomes Jammed and Impaired until they start of their next turn.
escape the grapple.
95
OPTIONAL SYSTEMS
Hex Drone
System, Recharge 5+, Quick Tech,
+1/+2/+3, +1 Accuracy
The Packmaster makes a tech attack against
a character in Sensors. On a hit they have +1
Difficulty on all checks and saves and take 2
AP Kinetic damage at the end of each of their
turns. They can remove the drone by passing
a Systems save at the end of their turn, or an
adjacent ally can attempt the save as a quick
action.
Snare Drone
System, Quick Action, Limited 2
Snare Drone (Size 2, 5/10/15 HP, 10 Eva, 10
E-Def, Tags: Drone)
The Packmaster deploys a Snare Drone into a
free space in Sensors and line of sight. When
a character starts their turn adjacent to a
Snare Drone or moves adjacent to it for the
first time in a round they must pass a Hull
save or become Immobilized and Prone until
the drone is destroyed.
96
destroyed or lose Structure, it instead only
Killshot deals its Reliable damage.
Heavy Rifle, Loading, Reliable 2/3/4,
+1/+2/+3, [10 Range] [10/15/20
Kinetic Damage]
If this weapon does not cause its target to be
VECTOR
Artillery
Vectors are an atypical design – developed by Castor for its
nascent war, but never deployed in time – and now reawoken as
they’ve been found in abandoned silos. Intended for zero-g
combat, Vectors aim to pen in opponents with a storm of dumbfire
lances. They have become the favored frame of Castor’s Orphans;
they are simple, deadly, and excel in small teams.
OPTIONAL SYSTEMS
Burst Silos
Main Launcher, +1/+2/+3, [10 Range]
[Blast 1] [3 Explosive Damage]
Objects and terrain in the affected area take
10 AP Explosive Damage.
At T2 this weapon can attack two targets at a
time, or three at T3. The targeted areas
cannot overlap.
REVENANT NAIL
System, Quick Action
The Vector chooses a character with
Lock-On. When they take this action and at
the end of each of that character’s turns as
long as they have Lock-On from any source,
place a Microjet Lance that includes them in
its area. A character can end this effect by
passing a Systems save as a quick action.
The Vector can only target one character with
this ability at a time.
Radar Hound
System, Reaction, 1/round
Trigger: A character in Range 20 targets the
Vector with a tech action.
Effect: The Vector boosts before the action
resolves, and places a Microjet Lance
targeting the triggering character’s location
either before or after they finish the
movement.
OPTIONAL SYSTEMS
IMPULSE BARRIER Trait
The Virtue and its linked Particle Barrier
target have immunity to being knocked back,
pushed, or pulled as long as the Virtue has
Overshield.
Blinding Shield
System, Reaction, 1/turn
Trigger: A hostile character hits the Virtue with
an attack.
Effect: That character treats all other
characters as being Invisible until the end of
their next turn.
Data-Censer Node
System, Quick Tech, 1 Heat(self,
Recharge 5+
The Virtue creates a Censer construct (Size 1,
5 HP, 10 Eva/E-Def) in a free space in
Sensors. Allied characters can use the
construct as hard cover, and an adjacent ally
can consume it as a quick action to end one
condition that was not self-inflicted and gain
4/6/8 Overshield.
Excommunicate
System, Quick Tech, +2/+4/+6
The Virtue makes a tech attack against a
target within Sensors. On a hit, they are
pushed 3 spaces directly away from the
Virtue and take 1/2/3 Heat. The knockback
and the Heat increase by +3 if the target has
any Overshield.
SYMPATHETIC METAHOOK
Trait
Either the Virtue or its Particle Barrier target
can end their link as a free action. When they
do, all conditions on the target that were not
self-inflicted are transferred to the Virtue.
ENERGIZED BARRIER
Trait
Particle Barrier lets its target fly when they
move or Boost. When the link ends its target
can move up to its speed as a reaction.
100
PYRE Redundant Systems
System, Limited 1, Quick Action
‘Pyre’ is a catch-all term for pilots The Pyre can activate this system to stabilize
with more aggression than sense – they as a quick action.
burn hot, and the body inside may as
well already be dead. A Pyre’s reactor UNSTABLE SYSTEM Trait
is tuned to the breaking point,
When the Pyre is destroyed it explodes as per
allowing unprecedented output at the a Self-Destruct.
cost of basic safety and structural
integrity.
Fuel Rod Sling
Main CQB, Limited 2, +1/+2/+3, [5
TEMPLATE FEATURES Range] [4/6/8 Energy Damage + 2 Heat]
UNLICENSED MODIFICATIONS On Attack: The Pyre cools 2/4/6 Heat.
Template Feature
The Pyre has +1 Accuracy on Engineering
checks and saves, and rolls twice on Stress WALKING DISASTER Trait
checks (if applicable), taking the higher result. The Pyre emits a Burst 3 environmental field.
This space counts as one of the following
CAUTERIZE Template Feature environmental hazards (p278 of the Lancer
core book): Extreme Heat, Extreme Sun,
1/Round when the Pyre Boosts it may take
Particulate Storms, Electrical Storms,
1d6 Heat to move that many extra spaces.
Disruptive Storms, Dangerous Storms, or
Molten World. The Pyre is immune to this
CORE CHANNEL Template Feature environment.
The first attack the Pyre makes on its turn
while in the danger zone deals either +1d6 Degradation Field
bonus damage or +2 Heat (their choice). This System, 1/Round
increases to +2d6 bonus damage/4 Heat if
1/Round on a critical hit with any weapon,
they are Exposed.
the Pyre imbues its target with a disintegrating
aura. They cannot benefit from Accuracy on
PYRE SYSTEMS AND TRAITS the final roll for any attack, only regain ½ as
Template Feature much HP whenever they gain HP, and cannot
When choosing optional systems, the Pyre gain new Overshield. They can end this effect
can also choose from the Pyre Systems and by passing an Engineering save as a full
Traits list. action, or by ending their turn within Range 3
of the Pyre. It also ends if the Pyre is
destroyed.
PYRE SYSTEMS AND TRAITS
OVERCLOCKED BATTERIES
Trait
When the Pyre rolls to Recharge, it can reroll
after seeing the result. It must take the second
result, and then takes Heat equal to the
second result.
101
MISSION PLANNING
Using This Guide better or worse. Merchant families hire their own
mercenaries and strike against their opponents;
The goal of this supplement is to provide piracy becomes widespread as security is
interesting details and support for an exciting, spread thin; social unrest blossoms to open
open-ended adventure in the Lancer universe. It conflict. Parties on both planets support and
does not provide strict campaign structure, and oppose the conflict on matters of justice, faith,
some tables may prefer to only use some of the greed, fear, prejudice, and pride.
guide, or alter details to match their preferred
story. This section presents quick suggestions War is fresh and new to the system and its
and guidelines for how to implement the people, and it struggles to adjust. All of these
factions, characters, and history of the Quetzal’s complications present opportunities for the
Flight system. At the end of this document is a PCs to act in attempts to shape events. They
sample mission that can be used to introduce cannot be everywhere, so they must choose
players to the setting. their battles.
103
The Characters ON TONE
Himiko Arasawa and Citadel Correa are the This guide presents a setting focused on large
most powerful people on their respective military conflict that puts civilian lives at risk by
planets. They are the faces of the war, and the engines of war beyond their control. As mech
guiding voices of their side of the offensive. pilots, the PCs are part of that engine, even
Meetings with them are rare, dramatic, and when they oppose it. Groups should always
should present PCs with crucial information or a discuss their level of comfort with topics of
shift in the direction of the story. PCs will rarely, violence, harm, and humanitarian impact.
if ever, encounter them on equal footing or be in Consider the use of safety tools such as the
a situation where they could threaten them X-Card or Lines and Veils if they help to
without a great deal of effort. They are driven, maintain a comfortable game environment.
intelligent, and practical despite their ambitious
goals; mirrored leaders on mirrored worlds. The
war will continue even if both of them die – and
who knows what inflexibilities their successors
might bring.
104
SAMPLE MISSION:
COLLISION COURSE
Overview Collision Course includes several Sitreps and
This is an introductory mission plan for GMs to NPC classes that were written for the Field
use to onboard players into the setting of the Guide to Castor and Pollux. The Sabotage and
Field Guide to Castor & Pollux, or to insert into Secure sitreps are detailed at the end of the
an existing campaign. The PCs could be local mission. For groups that may not want to use
security; offworld mercenaries; Union relief force these rules, consider the following substitutions:
Auxiliaries; corprostate-sponsored asset ● Secure sitreps become a Holdout
protection teams; or another background. ● Sabotage sitreps become Control
● Architects can be represented with
PCs begin the mission with a relatively quiet job Barricades
guarding a mining city from intermittent pirate ● Grenadiers can be represented with
attacks, hired by forewoman Adika Tef. From Assaults or Breachers
there, an unexpected assault by a mysterious ● Interceptors can be represented with
group – Castor’s elite strike force, the Orphans – Hornets or Sentinels
quickly spirals into an apocalyptic threat: an ● Packmasters can be represented with
abandoned colony ship , it’s engines reignited, Operators and Berserkers or
now set to impact a heavily populated and Cataphracts
unprepared world. It introduces the surface of ● Vectors can be represented with Snipers
the conflict between Castor and Pollux’s sister or Archers
colonies, though there is still much for them to ● Virtues can be represented with Priests or
uncover and resolve. Aegises
105
Combat 1: Trouble on Tinplate OUTCOME
Sitrep: Secure (Castor & Pollux pXX)
PC VICTORY
The Orphans are driven off or called back,
Objective: 6x Crater City Power Stations (Size 2) leaving Crater City’s power safe for the time
being. This buys Adika more time to reinforce
Enemy Forces: their defenses so that another assault doesn’t
catch them by surprise
For 3 PCs: 1x Commander Rainmaker
(Hound Missiles, Quick March) PC DEFEAT
2x Grenadiers (Guerilla Defilade) The Orphans leave, their mission complete.
1x Scout (Spotter) With most of its infrastructure damaged or
destroyed, Crater City is forced to rely on
For 4 PCs: +1x Sentinel (Rapid Response) emergency power. Its population is moved to
+1x Grenadier (Guerilla Defilade) the sheltered caves beneath the city, and all
resources are diverted to repairs and
For 5 PCs: +1x Demolisher (Concussion maintaining basic functions. People are still safe
Missiles) for now, but the city has nothing to spare and
could be easily plundered or annexed by a
Reinforcements: larger force. Without external support they’ll be
unable to play a strong role in the growing
For 3-4 PCs: +2x Grunt Breachers (Superior conflict, and Adika may accept a one-sided deal
Ram) if it means keeping her people safe.
+1x Demolisher (Concussion
Missiles)
REWARDS
For 5 PCs: +2x Sentinels (Rapid Response) If the PCs are successful, Adika is grateful and
+1x Grenadier (Guerilla Defilade) along with her goodwill can spare some of her
supplies and mechanics to help the PCs. If the
PCs are taking the Adika’s Locksmith mission
DETAILS she can provide each of them a special EVA
Suite system that costs 0 SP to allow flight in
In this combat, the PCs are defending Crater zero-g. Even if not, the next time they return to
City’s power substation from an unexpected Crater City after this mission she can provide
Orphan assault (though they may not know the them with a Core Battery reserve, or access to
assailant’s identities). To win, they must protect a single piece of licensed gear from Rank 1 of
the majority of the Power Stations from any license as Exotic gear.
destruction.
106
Combat 2A: Eye For An Eye this caliber on Tinplate until they return to
Castor to restock, giving Crater City time to
fortify and evacuate.
Sitrep: Sabotage (Castor & Pollux, p???)
OUTCOME
PC VICTORY
The PCs can vanish back into the jagged
landscape of Tinplate, leaving the Orphan
operation floundering. Without their supplies,
they won’t be able to stage another assault of
107
Combat 2B: How’s My Driving? REWARDS
The Rover’s driver, Damien Henly, is both
Sitrep: Extraction (Lancer, p270) mightily impressed and highly grateful to the
PCs for picking him up. Most of the fuel he’s
Objective: A Fuel Rover (Size 2, 15 HP) carrying a delivering is going straight to Crater City, but he
valuable fuel supply - and its trapped driver. has a private reserve of hand-mixed fuel he’s
happy to offer up as Exotic Gear for 1 PC. It
Enemy Forces: can be installed immediately for 0 SP this
mission, but afterwards costs SP as usual.
For 3 PCs: +1x Veteran Packmaster (Skilled
Hunter, Slippery)
Damien’s Pick-Me-Up
+1x Architect (Insertion Catapult)
2 SP, Exotic Gear, Unique
+1x Cataphract (Electrified Bola)
Gain +2 Speed. When you take any structure
For 4 PCs: +2x Hornets damage, this system is destroyed and you
(Adapt/Evade/Disengage) take 1d6 AP explosive damage from the
explosion. This damage can’t be prevented or
For 5 PCs: +1x Cataphract (Electrified Bola) reduced in any way.
+1x Architect (Insertion Catapult)
Reinforcements: FOLLOWING UP
The road back to Crater City is uneventful, if not
For 3-4 PCs: +1x Witch (Chain)
quiet – Damien makes for chatty company.
+1x Mirage (Manifest False Idols)
Adika Tef meets the PCs in person in the
loading bay. Her thanks is earnest and
For 5 PCs: +2x Assaults (Rank Discipline)
professional – but before she can finish, a
panting communications tech runs into the
room. Something terrible is about to happen.
DETAILS Proceed to BEAT: BAD MOON RISING.
To win this fight, the PCs must safely recover
the Fuel Rover from the valley where it has been
cornered, and extract it before the end of the
sixth round. The Orphans do not want to
intentionally damage the Rover and will focus
on delaying the PCs.
OUTCOME
PC VICTORY
As the PCs direct the rover back towards the
city, the Orphans cut their losses and leave
rather than risk a prolonged fight. With this fuel
supply Adika will be able to start evacuating
civilians to Pollux where she hopes they’ll be
safer.
PC DEFEAT
If the Rover is destroyed, the encounter ends. It
detonates in a Blast 2 area, dealing 2d6 AP
Explosive damage to all characters caught in
the blast, or half as much on a successful
Agility save. Otherwise, if the PCs cannot
extract the Rover in time, the Orphan forces rally
further reinforcements including several small
spacecraft, forcing the PCs back while they
secure the Rover.
108
BEAT: BAD MOON RISING days, weeks, and years. The shape is War, and
“Time’s something we don’t have a lot it is swallowing the system one atom at a time.
of, so I won’t mince words. I have very little
room in my heart for those bastards on Pollux – Repairs have been made as best they can be.
the City is my home, and these are my people, Anything larger will take a dedicated team
and we’ve been jerked around as many times as without a printer. A new star is burning in the
I have hairs on my head. But even if every single sky, cold, dark, hungry and blind.
one of them is a bastard, and I’m not the fool to
say they are, they are still god damned people. Launch: T-minus 60 minutes.
Today, they are my people.
And today they are yours, too. There is,
simply, nobody else.”
Crater City was not today’s only target. From
somewhere out in space, a derelict colony ship
from the early days of Quetzal’s Flight has
begun to move, pinging Tinplate’s outer satellite
scans. On its current accelerating trajectory, it
will impact somewhere on Pollux within the next
8 hours. Her report shows similar radar
signatures to the combatants on Tinplate. This
is no accident.
109
Combat 3: Adika’s Locksmith then seal it behind the PCs. No PC can Extract
until a Doorknocker is in the extraction zone.
Sitrep: Escort (Lancer, p269)
OUTCOME
Objective: 2x ‘Doorknocker’ Drones (size ½, 10
HP).
PC VICTORY
Sealing the hangar behind them, the PCs have
Enemy Forces: entered the derelict. Adika’s map points them
towards the bridge access tunnel. A moment to
For 3 PCs: 1x Veteran Vector (Colossus rest, and only hours to save a planet.
Quiver, Lightning Reflexes)
1x Spacer Barricade (Drag Down, PC DEFEAT
Thumper Grenades) If both of the Doorknockers are destroyed or the
1x Spacer Archer (Rapid PCs are unable to reach the hangar, Adika
Response) activates her contingency plan. One of the
Doorknockers detonates an improvised
For 4 PCs: +1x Interceptor (Supersonic explosive, blasting a hole into the derelict’s hull.
Insertion, Stuncrown) The PCs can enter but have no way of sealing
+1 Spacer Priest (Sanctuary, the breach behind them. In Combat 4: 5
Concussion Gun) Minutes to Midnight, at the end of each round
after the first, separately from normal
For 5 PCs: Both Vectors gain the Elite reinforcements, 1 Grunt Vector, Interceptor,
template Berserker, Sentinel or Cataphract can enter
the map at the PC Deployment Zone (2 for 5+
Reinforcements: PCs).
DETAILS
From afar it seems motionless; up close, the
derelict is rushing at hundreds of kilometers an
hour; it’s ancient engines are still accelerating.
Before they can stop it, the PCs must breach its
hull and evade its Orphan honor guard. Adika
has identified a hangar bay that should access
the interior near the bridge, and she’s provided
a pair of modified construction drones to
perform the breach.
The map is described below; modify and With this survival came a cost: Spindle Station
embellish as needed. is destroyed. Most ground-based launch
platforms were used up in the defense screen,
and the materiel left behind must be used to
OUTCOME repair immediate damage, and fortify the city
PC VICTORY from future attacks as well as the ecological
The great beast shudders, and with the roar of shockwaves of the impact. There is no way out,
ancient engines she begins, slowly, to turn and no guarantee of rescue. This is the darkest
away. The controls are locked and she will sail day in Pollux’s history, and when the sun sets,
into the endless void, her deadly landing there are none who can see it behind the
averted. With their mission thwarted the plumes of ash.
Orphans disappear back into the depths of the
system, and the PCs are able to themselves
111
REWARDS Unstable Charge
The PCs have accrued the material and social 3 SP, Unique, Limited 1, 1/Round, 2
capital to gain one License Level; the resources Heat(self)
could come from Adika’s personal reserves, a
You may expend a charge from this system for
grateful veteran living in Crater City, a corporate
one of the following effects:
sponsor from Pollux, or old military tech
● Fusion Grenade (Grenade, Range 5, Blast 2):
squirreled aboard the derelict.
Characters in the affected area must pass a
Hull save or take 2d6 Energy damage, and
Additionally, 1 PC gains the following system as
half as much Burn, or half as much damage
Exotic gear, recovered or reverse engineered
and Burn on a success. Objects and terrain
from the Orphan Lieutenants’ heavily modified
take 20 AP Energy damage automatically.
reactor designs.
The area becomes soft cover until the start of
your next turn.
FOLLOWING UP ● Criticality Cell (Mine, Burst 2): This mine does
This event marks the beginning of open war not detonate normally; when you place it,
between Castor and Pollux. Pollux’s citizens are choose a number of rounds between 2 and 4.
outraged and terrified, and ready to lash out at It explodes at the end of the round after the
the shadowy enemies that appeared from chosen number of rounds has passed
nowhere to shatter their paradise; Castor has (including the round it was placed), which is
shown their hand, and will only become more the only way it can detonate. Characters in the
aggressive now that they can operate in the affected area must pass a Hull save or take
open; they know that speed is still their Xd6 Energy damage and half as much Burn,
advantage. From here, the PCs may stay on where X is 2+ the number of rounds chosen,
Tinplate to continue its defense, move to or half as much damage and Burn on a
Pollux’s shining towers for further missions, success. Objects and terrain take 30 AP
investigate rumors on Castor, or explore Energy damage automatically. The area
anywhere else in the Quetzal’s Flight system, or becomes soft cover until the start of your next
beyond if they so choose. turn, and characters at least partially within
this cover cannot draw line of sight except to
adjacent spaces.
● Catalytic Pyre (1 CP): You may expend Core
Power when you activate this system. If you
do, increase all Burst and Blast sizes by +1;
damage from this system cannot be reduced
in any way; characters in the affected area are
knocked Prone, and the area becomes
difficult and dangerous terrain (energy) until
the end of the scene.
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The Derelict Bridge
PCs deploy on the center platform of an ancient gantry, suspended over the yawning spinal column of
the ship. The control zones (red) are each a massive server tower, one of which contains the Orphan’s
jury-rigged uplink. Dark gray sections represent hard cover, some of which may be tall enough to block
line of sight; more cover should be placed on the map to represent debris, cargo, and other ship
architecture.
The space between the platforms falls away into the ship; if a character ends their movement in this
space, they fall into the jumbled debris and cluttered support columns; they are removed from the
battlefield until the end of the current turn. They then return at the nearest available free space, take
2/3/4 AP Kinetic damage, and become Slowed until the end of their next turn.
The service elevators (orange-banded) can be used to transit between bridge sections; any player on or
adjacent to an elevator may activate it with a quick action, causing it to move to its other location along
with anything onboard. Characters may also activate an elevator by making a successful tech attack
against E-Defense 8 if it is within their Sensors.
The Orphan Captains (Elite Pyre Scourer, Elite Pyre Pyro) begin the fight at opposite corners of the
map
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SABOTAGE
OBJECTIVE
Clara Delgado was running through the halls 4-8 objects of Size 1-3 spaced evenly around
towards her hangar seconds before the first the battlefield. Each Objective must be at least
alarms started to blare. A rumbling explosion 2 spaces away from every other Objective.
shook the building and she caught herself on a Objectives cannot be targeted or destroyed
wall with one hand, the other to her earpiece as normally. If an NPC is adjacent to an Objective
she redoubled her pace. that no PC is adjacent to, they can plant an
explosive on it as a quick action. At the end of
“All hands, this is Diamond-Leader! We have the next round, it explodes in a Burst 1 area,
multiple bogeys on-site, all personnel report to destroying that Objective and forcing
combat positions! Repeat, get off your damn characters in the affected area to pass an
asses and move before we’re blown to kingdom Agility save or take 2d6 Explosive damage, or
come!” half as much on a success. A PC can disarm an
explosive before it detonates by passing a
A staccato succession of blasts echoed as she Systems check as a free action while adjacent
sped through an abridged boot up sequence, to the Objective if no NPC is adjacent to it.
weapons spinning hot and nervejacks still
tingling. They were closer this time — but that
was as close as they would get. ENEMY FORCES
The GM should prepare enemy forces of a
Secure missions prove that the best offense is a similar size to a normal encounter. They can
good defense. PCs must protect vital objectives hold some as Reinforcements if desired.
(supply caches, radio towers, generators, etc)
from hostile saboteurs — in turn assuring the DEPLOYMENT
survival of a vital supply line, or the armaments The PCs deploy first, choosing positions for
for a final strike. their characters within the ADZ; next, the GM
deploys enemy forces in the EDZ.
VICTORY CONDITIONS
● PC Victory: At the end of the 6th round, REINFORCEMENTS
at least ½ of the Objectives (rounded At the start of any round, the GM may deploy 1
up) are not destroyed. NPC (or up to 4 grunts) in the IZ.
● NPC Victory: At any point when more
than ½ of the Objectives are destroyed,
NPCs win and withdraw.
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