Languages of the Amir Steppes

Here is a conversion of the standard D&D languages to the world of Althan, or more specifically the Amir Steppes in West Althan.

In addition, a new house rule is in effect: You may take an expertise in language, just as you can in any other proficiency. See the expert effects in the table below. Also the Linguist feat now lets you pick an expertise in one language you know.

Any effects that require a saving throw have a

DC = 8 + double proficiency bonus + Charisma modifier

 

d20	Language		Expert Effect	D&D Equivalent
1	Low Imperial	Various dialects of Old Imperial, spread throughout the fallen Aunian Empire. All mutually intelligible, though with many funny accents.	You can speak High Imperial with no accent. High Imperial is the language of imperial nobility, so people will generally assume that you are either a scholar or a noble.	Common
2	Nymbian	Language used in Nymbia, a great southern empire beyond the Trollish Mountains, and also by the southern barbarian tribes.
3	Taalish	Language used in the Thirty-Three Kingdoms.
4	Khazum	Old dwarven language once used in Khelek Dur, the dwarven realm beneath the Trollish Mountains, and now used by the dwarven clans who fled when Khelek Dur was destroyed. Useful as very few non-dwarves can understand it.		Dwarfish
5	Kanish	Language of the ashen elves from the triplet city of Kani. Related to Substratal.		Elvish
6	Trollish	Language used in Trollamor, the city of trolls. Related to the Dark Speech.		Giant
7	Pflecian	Language used in Pflec, the gnomish dictatorship. Related to the Dark Speech.		Gnomish
8	Skurut Tongues	The many dialects of various goblin tribes, all at least a little bit mutually intelligible. They often incorporate various body sounds.	Gain scent. You also become a little more ugly and green, slowly starting to turn into a goblin.	Goblin
9	Hinnish	Language of Hins, the tiny savages from the Hin Highlands.		Halfling
10	Ugrathish	Language of Ugrathi, the nomadic orcish clans who travel far and wide in their caravan wagons, wheeling and dealing.		Orcish
Rare Languages
11	Golden Gospeltongue	Language of clergy of the Triune Divinity. Said to be also used by the Empyreal Host of the High Heaven.	You can detect lies told in Gospeltongue. No save from the liar, but there must be intention behind the lie.	Celestial
12	Draconic	Also used by the dragonborn races and many sorcerers.	If you know the True Name of a dragon and call it in Draconic, they will always hear you, no matter where they might be. Their reactions may vary.	Draconic
13	Druidic	A secret language, forbidden to the uninitiated.	Animals understand your pleas or demands perfectly, even if you do not understand their replies.	Druidic
14	Dark Speech	Language of the Dark Ones, dead since they exterminated themselves in endless civil wars.	You can speak ancient words of command that still hold sway over the many races created by the Dark Ones. All creatures of such races* in earshot must make a Wisdom Save, or they must choose one of a) kneel immediately (as Prone), or b) cower in fear for [Charisma bonus, min 1] rounds (as Frightened). You may use this ability again after a short rest.	Deep Speech
15	Hereafter Speech	Language used by psychopomps, demons and the dead.	Any demon, undead or psychopomp must answer you one question thruthfully. Mindless undead get no save. Every creature can be affected only once.	Abyssal, Infernal
16	Djinnish	Language of the Elemental Lords. (Not an otherworldly power, they live around Lake Siva to the east and waged a long war against the Aunian Empire.)	The elements understand and try to help you. When you speak Djinnish, wind will blow when you command, fires will dim when you are whispering, earth will shake when you laugh and water will flow according to you will.	Primordial
17	Fey Speech	Language of the fickle Folk.	You can speak in endless riddles and allegories. Only the people you designate (who must know Fey Speech) will understand the true meaning of your speech.	Sylvan
18	Substratal	Dialects used in the various settlements around the Sunless Sea. Contains a lot of clicking sounds.	You can very, very poorly echolocate by clicking your tongue. Handy in the dark.	Undercommon
19	Thieves' Cant	A combination of code words, hand signs and markings used for covert communication. Originally developed by the Insurgency when they were fighting the Dark Ones, but later adopted by thieves all over the Amir Steppes.	You can sign with a single hand at the speed of normal speech. You can place marks that only you will find.	Thieves' Cant
20	Lip Reading	Works for any language you are proficient in.	You can lip-read even in languages you don't know. You will not understand the words, but can perfectly replicate the sounds for someone who does know that language.

*) Dark Ones specialized in biomancy and necromancy, leaving behind many half-human, half-animal races and hybrid monsters.

d10 Armour Mechanics

TL;DR: AC is simple and useable, but it doesn't always feel like armour. Here are some alternatives.

Made by The Dungeoncast.

 
This post is brought to you by two thoughts. The first is: What options do I have when picking an armour mechanic for a new system? Which systems have some cool ideas I can steal?

What if I want a Dark Souls-like system where you can pick from many, many suits of armour and each is different, but ideally without the difference being just ±1 point of defence?

The second is: Weapons tend to be more interesting than armour. Especially mechanically, especially in D&D derivatives and especially when talking about non-magical gear. It's hard to make different suits of armour feel distinct and varied when they only scale to bigger defence numbers and maybe their encumbrance changes from one type to another.

But you can have resistances and buffs and such on your armour!

True, but weapons have damage dice (and even d8 versus 2d4 is quite different), to-hit bonuses, crit ranges and multipliers, bleeding and poison and other special effects - and we're still not in the realm of enchantments. The mechanical side of combat procedures is simply more shifted towards weapons. On the one hand, there's nothing wrong with a simple defence mechanic that gets the work done. On the other hand, it would be nice if the choice of armour mattered more, mechanically, and I don't mean just the choice of leather versus plate.

Why should all armours in a game protect you the same way, anyway? What if we had several protections to choose from, to mix and match?

I will not provide you with such a cool new system, sorry. I only have a list of armour mechanics.
 

From here.

 
1. Hit protection
Known as Armor Class in D&D, but other RPGs will most likely call it Evasion or Dodging. Hit protection makes it harder to hit you rather than decreasing the damage taken.

I think that D&D's AC seems weird and unintuitive at first, but once you have accepted it as an abstraction, it works very well within its rule system. In the absolute majority of RPG systems, though, hit protection will be a separate evasion score, leaving armour with some other type of defence mechanic. It is actually rare not to see one of the defence mechanics below combined with some form of hit protection, as the defence dichotomy of "evade the hit or decrease the damage" is pretty fun and thus ubiquitous. Hit protection might be the most popular defence mechanic.

Hit protection tends to apply against all types of attacks and damage, but does not necessarily need to. Starfinder, for example, differentiates between an Energy AC and a Kinetic AC.

As it is an all-or-nothing defence, hit protection has to be scaled against the accuracy of enemies. There is no fun in combat if you or your foe are impossible to hit, though having a small chance to hit no matter how high the evasion is (criticals, basically) can help with that. But frankly, this applies to all mechanics - don't let your numbers scale out of hand.

2. Flat damage reduction
The most simple damage decreasing defence, just take [amount] less damage from attacks. It might only work against a certain type of damage (slashing, fire, magic), or be bypassed by something (silver, +1 weapons, lawful good attackers).

It's big weakness is, in my opinion, that it requires a very careful balancing of enemy damage output versus the amount of damage reduction. If it falls behind the average damage, it feels useless. The damage you didn't take might still add up over time, but that doesn't help you feel better when you shave off 2 points from a 23 damage hit. If it's too high (heavens forbid if it can stack), it just makes enemies flail against you impotently and removes danger from combat. Even worse, it can result in a situation like in higher-level Tunnels & Trolls, where you have high damage reduction but still relatively low hit points. The attacks also get more powerful, with big variance in the damage output, where your damage reduction negates the vast majority of attacks, but those that get through might very well one-shot you.

Which is not to say it's a bad mechanic. One just has to make sure to keep both the damage reduction and the damage outputs grounded, and maybe have some armour-piercing criticals. Flat damage reduction is simple and feels like a protective armour, making it a popular mechanic to combine with hit protection. So many games use this dichotomy that it's actually more rare to see a game using only flat damage reduction - Into the Odd comes to mind thanks to its unique take on combat with no to-hit roll.

Some CRPGs derive both hit protection and damage reduction from a single score; in NetHack and POWDER, for example, high AC eventually starts giving you some damage reduction in addition to the hit protection it offers normally (though in POWDER, it is random damage reduction rather than flat one).

3. Random damage reduction
An alternative damage reduction mechanic that works much better with stacking armour. When you take damage, cut it down by a random amount between a minimum and a maximum. No matter how high your armour is, some hits will deal real damage. Note that this can lead to the "rarely hits but one hit kills" effect mentioned above, so keep that in mind, and it will require extra rolling, so it might slow your combat down.

If you are willing to use digital rollers, then you can have a simple but effective system where you roll damage reduction from 0 to [armour value], but even if you only used physical dice, you can have a crappy d2 armour, basic d4 armour, excellent d8 armour, or a heavy 2d4 armour. As with other damage decreasing defences, adding a damage type/source limit (cold, ranged, inflicted by an animal) can spice it up.

Mörk Borg uses this type of defence, but it's much more common in CRPGs, given that you can easily generate random numbers with arbitrary min and max there. For example:

• Sil and Elona have dice-based damage reduction.
• DCSS and POWDER have "zero to armour value" damage reduction.
• IVAN reduces damage by a random amount between half and full armour value.

4. Damage division
A percentage decrease in damage taken. Usually half damage, though a one-third/quarter damage could also be reasonably easy to calculate on the fly for a TTRPG, while a CRPG can go wild with any percentage that strikes their fancy. As with other damage decreasing defences, it can be limited to a damage type/source - and it often is, representing elemental resistances. The big thing here is that this defence will be just as good no matter how much you scale the damage - you always take half damage, whether it's 10 or 10 000 damage hit. This can be good, as your armour will remain relevant, or bad, as you will still take damage from that 2-dmg-per-hit mook even in your sweet power armour.

One way to make a more consistent damage reducing defence is to combine damage division (so you are guaranteed a certain decrease in damage) with some low damage reduction (so you are protected from minor damage). Off the top of my head, City of the Damned combines damage division and flat damage reduction, Elona uses damage division and dice-based random damage reduction, while DCSS combines damage division and the "zero to armour value" random damage reduction.

5. Damage conversion
This type of defence depends on what kinds of damage the system uses.

• Example A: Lets say that a suit of plate decreases the severity of the damage taken, from aggravated to lethal to non-lethal, rather than decreasing the damage numbers.
• Example B: A power armour in a sci-fi game or an invulnerability power in a superhero setting might convert vehicle-scale damage that normally instakills a human to a person-scale damage.
• Example C: The resource targeted by the damage is changed, like a regeneration power that converts attribute damage to hit point damage, or a magic shield that converts hp damage to mana drain.

Overall, damage conversion doesn't decrease the amount of damage taken, but makes it less harmful or easier to deal with. I can't think of a system that uses it exclusively, you're much more likely to see it as a special effect or ability.

6. Damage threshold
Similar to flat damage reduction at a first glance, damage threshold negates any damage lower than (or equal to) the threshold. If the damage exceeds the threshold, though, you take it in full, no reduction. This accentuates the danger of big hits and the "rarely hits but one hit kills" effect, so make sure you like that and plan for it with your damage and hp values.

7. Damage cap
The damage one can take from a single hit is capped at some maximum value, normally either flat or percentage-based (eg. "You may not lose more than 50% of your maximum hp from a single attack."), though I wonder how well would a random damage cap would work. Anyway, this means that multiple small hits become more dangerous that a single big hit, an inversion of a damage threshold.

It might be interesting to differentiate two armour types by one offering a damage threshold while the other offers a damage cap, especially if the attackers can also specialize in either multiple attacks or one massive attack. Another possibly fun mechanic would be if there was no way to get an immunity to certain damage, but you could combine a high enough damage threshold and a low enough cap to fake it.

8. Ablative armour
Armour either directly adds to your hit points, or grants a secondary hit point pool. You only have to work out whether it's:

• Hardcore: The armour needs repairs afterwards and grants no protection until fixed.
• Temporary: The "armour" is not a real armour but temporary hp that doesn't come back once used up.
• Soak: A small hp pool that can soak a certain amount of damage each round, recharging completely at the start of each round.
  
• Abstract: The hit points are abstracted completely and you have a combined pool of flesh and armour hit points that both come back after combat.

The original Tunnels & Trolls had hardcore ablative armour rules where your armour offered an extra hit point pool, but once these were gone, your armour was broken and useless. This was supposedly an intentional design choice to give fighters a money sink, but was dropped in later editions in favour of flat damage reduction. Many games these days go the abstract route or have some abilities that provide temporary ablative armour, but for example Cogmind is designed around various robot parts serving as your hardcore ablative armour, where you need to replace destroyed pieces as you take hits.

I particularly like soak, as it plays out similarly to damage reduction without making weak attacks inconsequential. Enough attacks in a single round can still bring you down, even if you stack soak. It's also relatively easy to keep track of, because you just reset one number each round.

In any case, ablative armour is simple to use and works very well with stacking armour pieces, as it builds on the already existing hit point mechanic. Technically speaking, hit points themselves are a form of abstract ablative armour preventing your character's death, so I guess I was wrong that hit protection is the most popular defence mechanic - ablative armour is, given all the games that have some form of hit points.

9. Immunity
Completely negates damage of a certain type or source. Most often seen as an enchantment that grants affliction or elemental immunity, but could also be an immunity to non-magical weapons (whether from being intangible or invulnerable), normal missiles, summoned creatures, spells, etc. In a sci-fi game, this could be reflective armour that confers immunity to lasers, or Dune-style shields that prevent damage from firearms but don't stop slow-moving melee and thrown weapons. It could be interesting to see an immunity to all melee attacks.

Given that this type of defence completely shuts down a certain kind of threat, it requires some planning around in the rules and shouldn't be too easy to obtain or pile up multiple types of, lest the character becomes untouchable. On the other hand, immunities can lead to some fun strategies, especially with area attacks or environmental threats.

If you want to have an immunity-based defence, consider some further restrictions than just a damage type. I will discuss several types of limitations in just a paragraph or two.

10. No protection
Mostly relevant to one page RPGs and other super-light systems, or systems that de-emphasise combat to oblivion - there is nothing the defender can do to prevent a hit or reduce damage, therefore armour is by necessity useless. Don't get me wrong, it can work well if combat is the ultimate fail state, it just cannot result in interesting armour mechanics, so I'm including it here only for completeness' sake. If there are any armour mechanics at all, it is no longer this, but one of the above types of defence.

See the Mosaic Strict version of these rules for a TTRPG example of no protection combat, but it is much more common in CRPGs, where combat can more easily be presented as a positioning puzzle (like in HyperRogue or Hoplite). Bonus points if all creatures also die in a single hit - then we can't even object that hit points are a kind of defence.
 

Could be especially relevant in a game
where you build your own humongous mecha
and can decide between multiple defensive systems.
By Hikaru Kanefusa.

 

Sometimes, you might wish to impose an extra limit on one of the defences from above, to curb some of the more powerful ones or the other way around, to let a defence be powerful without unbalancing combat. I think these three options cover most of the commonly seen mechanics:

A. Charges
You have a limited amount of "defence charges" and can decide when to spend them for your protection.

As an example, the shields shall be splintered rule lets you expend a charge (by destroying your shield) to either completely negate a weapon attack (immunity) or decrease damage taken by a die roll (random damage reduction), depending on which rule set are we talking about. In Broken Worlds, you can spend an armour charge to decrease damage taken by 3 (flat damage reduction). You could also spend a charge to reroll/get bonus to hit protection, or for half damage, for damage conversion, etc.

B. Saving throw
Unlike hit protection, which is a passive number your enemies roll against, you roll your saving throws when exposed to damage and apply a linked defence only if the roll succeeds. A saving throw is nearly always limited to a damage type/source (poison, breath attack, weapon attack) or a certain situation.

D&D already has such saves: Fortitude negates (saving throw + immunity), Reflex for half (saving throw + division), or fortification (saving throw + conversion). Mutants & Masterminds have a Toughness save against damage to prevent injury, while Mothership has an armour save for half damage. Encounter Critical also has an armour save, but it adds a little extra brilliance by making the normal save for half damage, but if you roll under half the armour save, you take no damage at all. While the new versions of TGGW use damage division, older versions had an armour save applied point by point; for example if you had Armour 60% and took 3 points of damage, each of those points had a separate 60% chance to be ignored.

C. Cooldown
Your defence is limited by a certain interval before coming back after you use it. There are basically three types:

• A set recharge rate of X rounds (or some other time unit). Probably best when the rate depends on some attribute or skill and thus can be lowered as you get better. Could also be used for a temporary defence buff, as long as the buff duration stays shorter than the recharge time.
  
• A randomized recharge rate, either useable every dX rounds, or with a chance to recharge on each turn. In D&D 4e, you might see some abilities with [recharge on ⚄, ⚅], but it could just as well be a 2-in-6 or 33% chance.
  
• An automatic defence that triggers every X rounds (or some such). For example, a flux field belt that deflects every third attack against you.
  

Note that a 33% chance to deflect every attack is an example of a saving throw, not cooldown, but then again there will always be overlap in these artificial categories I made up here.

Cooldowns are ubiquitous in video games, because they are a simple, effective and scaleable limit, plus the computer can keep track of them for you. In TTRPGs, it might be easier to use the "chance to recharge each turn"-type cooldown, but the automatic defence could prove quite interesting in gameplay, especially if paired with outright immunity. How would your combat decisions change if you knew that you cannot be harmed on every third turn?
 

From Dark Souls.

And how could a selection of armour in this hypothetical system of multiple armour types look like? What about:

• Helmet or gorget can be cracked to reduce a critical hit to normal.
• Shield increases evasion and can be splintered to block a random amount of damage.
• Cloak and boots increase evasion.
• A fighter's skill of parrying gives a saving throw to negate weapon damage.
• A rogue's skill of dodge roll gives a saving throw to negate area damage.
  
• Padded jacket converts bludgeoning damage to non-lethal.
• Leather armour is ablative and needs to be repaired. Better hides give more bonus hp. Hunt for better hides.
• Mage armour is also ablative, but offers soak instead.
• Hauberk grants half slashing and piercing damage.
• Disc armour grants flat damage reduction.
• Battledress grants a damage threshold.
• Flagellant's tunic grants a damage cap.
• Ioun stone of protection intercepts every third attack against you.
  
• Pauldrons offer no protection at all, but they look really cool.
  

Dirt Simple Deterministic Group Initiative

Initiative is seized by the group which

1. has magic that lets them act first,
2. springs an ambush (and they also get a surprise round),
3. can see clearly while the others can't,
4. has already drawn their weapons while the others didn't,
5. has weapons of longer reach.

Resolve in the given order.

If none of the above settles initiative, then it's a matter of luck and circumstances. Both sides roll a die and the higher result wins, with ties going to the PCs.
 

Ambush goes before light, so you don't need to
give away your location with torches.
From here.

 
Ambush is the (second) best for securing initiative and winning the fight before it has even begun, so that should push the players to never fight fair. Good.

Number three mostly applies when only one group has a light source or means of magical vision. Light is vital in the dungeons.

Natural weapons and maybe a dagger hidden in your sleeve can be always considered drawn.

Number four together with five lets you rush archers that are not ready to fire, but otherwise you should take cover. Also spears and polearms get a little buff.

Potioncraft

I'm still here, real life has just been a bit demanding lately. Now that I do have some time again, I've started reading the Dresden Files and immediately, there's a game-able idea in there. The potion-making in the books would make a nice ad hoc alchemy system for player-made potions.

 

If you follow traditional mage-craft, then potions are made with seven ingredients and an alchemical base. If you follow the new trends in magical research, then potions are made of eight parts. Now that this academical debate that changes nothing is out of the way, the following ingredients are needed:

• Five to engage the five senses.
• One for the mind.
• One for the spirit.
• A liquid base to bind them all together.

You also need a cauldron.

The ingredients do not need to be expensive or magical of themselves. They form a symbolic medium that is then filled with magic through the ritualistic alchemical process, influenced by the alchemist's intentions. Except for the alchemical base, they also need not be physical. If you wish to add moonlight, for example, you can brew outside on a clear night, or when you need a child's first cry, get yourself a woman in labour.

Therefore, there are no set recipes for potions. Each part should symbolize the required outcome, but things with similar symbolism are interchangeable. The players should think about the effect they want their potion to accomplish, and then justify the ingredients they are using to the GM. If the ingredients make a lot of sense/are funny or clever/are expensive or rare, the potion will be more potent.

Brewing a potion always takes several hours* of stirring the cauldron, keeping the fire properly lit and mumbling arcane phrases from old books. It's a ritual, the alchemist cannot just let it bubble and go do something else. Afterwards, no matter the ingredients used, everything will have melted and mixed together into a smooth potion. The potion will also be safe to drink, no matter the ingredients used.

Potions do not have a long shelf life, they go bad after a day and a night. Brewing permanently potent potions takes a month, expensive ingredients, an alchemical lab built over a ley line, and in general should be left to the NPCs.

Drinking a stale potion is a VERY BAD IDEA. Drinking a potion while still under the influence of another is slightly less bad idea.

d6 Oops! I Drank a Stale Potion

1. Vomit for d4 minutes.
   
2. Gain a horrific mutation, or one based on the potion's effect. Equal chances.
   
3. Drop to 0 hp and Save vs poison.
4. The potion has a random effect instead.
   
5. Nothing happens, at first. The potion's effect will kick in at the worst possible time in the next 24 hours.
   
6. You didn't get to drinking the potion. As soon as you uncorked the bottle, it started to boil and overflow. Everyone nearby has to Save or get scalded.
   

d6 Oops! I Drank Multiple Potions

1. Save or immediately vomit for d4 rounds. On success, vomit only after the effects wear off. The potions work normally, though.
   
2. Gain a mutation for d6 hours. Save afterwards, or it's permanent.
   
3. One of the potion's effect is inverted.
   
4. One of the potion's power is increased hundredfold, dangerously so.
5. The potions' effects combine in an inconvenient manner and quadruple in duration.
6. The potions' effects suddenly stop. No potions will work for you for d6 days.

 

 

Here are several example recipes from the Dresden Files:

Escape Potion
Base	Energy drink
Sight	Flickering of shadows
Sound	Running
Smell	Motor oil
Touch	Bird feathers
Taste	Coffee beans
Mind	Bus ticket
Spirit	Broken chain

Love Lust Potion
Base	Tequila
Sight	Candlelight
Sound	Aroused sigh
Smell	Perfume
Touch	Lace
Taste	Dark chocolate
Mind	Diamond**
Spirit	Love letter

Stimulant Potion
Base	Coffee
Sight	Sunshine at dawn
Sound	Cock's crow
Smell	Fresh soap
Touch	Wash cloth
Taste	Doughnut***
Mind	A to-do list
Spirit	Cheerful music

Inconspicuousness Potion
Base	Water
Sight	Clear plastic
Sound	Light wind
Smell	Deodorant
Touch	White cotton
Taste	Lettuce leaf
Mind	Blank paper
Spirit	Elevator music

  

A potion can be made only with water,
meat, vegetables and spices.
From Charmed.

  
*) One watch, just like foraging for food or setting up a camp would take. The time doesn't change if you're making more than one dose, you just need a bigger cauldron and more of the ingredients.

**) Though apparently enough cash also works.

***) If you like something else for breakfast, you would use that instead.

d100 Checks against 3d6 Stats

1
I like d100 rolls, even though I mostly ever play with d20 systems. You encounter percentages every day in your life and thus can gauge your chances at a glance, while a d20 roll can be trickier. I mean, what's easier to immediately grasp - a plain d20 against DC 16, or a percentage roll against 25% odds?

Then you add bonuses to the mix

• Roll against DC 17 with +3 bonus.
• Roll against base 65% skill with -30% difficulty adjustment.

and d100 is much easier to understand.

2
I like 3d6 stats, probably because I mostly ever play with d20 systems. They are so deeply ingrained in my mind that when I see something like Strength 58%, I just don't know what to do with that. It doesn't look right, I want my attributes in the 3-18 range. And yes, that is nothing but personal preference, but so is any other discussion of a gaming system.

3
I like attribute checks. Skill systems and all are great, but what if you suddenly get a corner case that doesn't fit under any of your carefully defined skills and you don't want to pluck a DC out of the thin air? Plus you can use them in place of specialized Saves, where they make a lot of sense - rather than some nebulously defined Save vs Magical Devices, roll against Dexterity to dodge the ray, or against Endurance to tank it.
 

 
And here's the conundrum - how to make my flights of fancy fit together into a coherent system? They are pretty disparate bunch, after all. Yet I might have a possible solution (aside from telling myself to go and do something more productive).

Use your normal 3d6 attributes, but when you wish to attempt a stat check, multiply the attribute score by a number corresponding to the difficulty of the task from the table below. This gives you a percentage chance of your success, and also gets rid of any further adjustments, as they should already be taken into consideration when deciding the difficulty.

We are still somewhat "plucking a DC out of the thin air", but I believe it's easier to say that a task is challenging than coming up with a DC 14 to beat. So guesstimate the difficulty, multiply the attribute and you have a percentage chance of your success:
 

Difficulty	Multiplier	With 8 in Stat	With Average Stat	With 16 in Stat
Easy	x7	56%	73.5%	112%
Normal	x5	40%	52.5%	80%
Challenging	x4	32%	42%	64%
Hard	x3	24%	31.5%	48%
Heroic	x1	8%	10.5%	16%

 
Easy: An average person can do this reliably and somebody skilled shouldn't even need to roll in the first place.

Normal: A toss-up for normal people.

Challenging: This is where the inadequate will start to really struggle.

Hard: A toss-up for talented people.

Heroic: This is a d100 roll under the basic attribute score. At the very, very best, you will have a 1-in-5 chance, and that's only with game-breaking stats. An average person can cross their fingers and pray, yet even those truly gifted will most likely fail.

Your average 3d6 attribute will have a score of 10.5, so a normal task will have a 52.5% chance of success. I can live with that little extra bonus over equal odds.
  

by Mateusz Mańka

Q: Hey, you claimed this will be easy and intuitive, then suddenly you want us to solve math?!

A: Well yes, but it's simple math!

Q: Aren't the chances a little low? For an average character, a normal task is 50/50 and an easy task has just under 75% chance of success?

A: Let's take for example Lamentations of the Flame Princess for comparison, shall we? A 1st level Fighter will have +1 to hit, and attacking an unarmoured opponent (AC 12) should be a normal task for them. They will have exactly 50% chance of a successful hit, so I'd say my percentages are not that far off.

Funny how the chances don't look so good, yet nobody bats an eye to roll a d20 against such odds.

Variant Chess

Chess is a multiversal constant. Everywhere there is an intelligent life form capable of crafting a chequered board of two alternating colours and a set of playing pieces, a variant of chess will sooner or later arise. Scholars might mark this phenomenon a case of convergent evolution, but it could as well be a mathematical inevitability, or a silly joke of some obscure godling.

 

This is one of the many variants of chess displayed in the Black and White Hall of the Magpie Museum in Tam Ruat.
 

  
This variant of chess is played on a board of 12x12 black and white squares:

C	P	X	k	c	Q	K	c	k	X	P	C
W	b	w	b	w	b	w	b	w	b	w	W
_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
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C	P	X	k	c	Q	K	c	k	X	P	C

Pieces

Pieces that "jump" can move over other pieces rather than being blocked by them. In normal chess, the only jumping piece is a knight, but there are several more in Tam Ruat variant.

Barbarian (b)
Barbarian moves one square diagonally forward to the right or left, but captures by advancing one square; like an inverted pawn. Similarly to a pawn, a barbarian cannot move backwards, can move two squares on its first move, can capture en passant, and can be promoted if it reaches the opposite side of the board.

Chariot (C)
Chariot is the same as a rook in normal chess.

Cleric (c)
Cleric is the same as a bishop in normal chess.

Ghost (g)
Ghost does not start on the board, but instead can be summoned whenever a warlock (see below) captures a piece. The ghost then appears on the square of the captured piece. Each player has two ghost pieces, but if a ghost is captured, it can be re-summoned again.

Ghost moves similarly to a grasshopper, so it can jump any distance orthogonally or diagonally, but only over another piece, landing in the square immediately after that piece. It may jump over pieces of either colour, but only captures if the square beyond the jumped-over piece is occupied by a piece of the opposing colour. Ghost cannot move if there is no piece to jump over.

King (K)
King is the same as in normal chess. Additionally, a king who reaches the opposite side of the board is promoted to an emperor, who moves similarly to a queen except it still cannot check.

Knight (k)
Knight is the same as in normal chess.

Paladin (P)
Paladin moves as a combination of wazir and alfil. Thus, it either moves one square orthogonally, or jumps two squares diagonally.

Queen (Q)
Queen is the same as in normal chess.

Warrior (w)
Warrior is the same as a pawn in normal chess.

Warlock (W)
Similarly to a king, warlock can move one square in any direction. However, unlike all other pieces, it captures by jumping over an adjacent enemy piece in any direction. If the player has a spare ghost piece, it is summoned on the square of the captured piece. A warlock cannot land on an occupied square, even if it's occupied by an enemy piece.

Wizard (X)
Wizard can use the moves of ferz, camel and dabbaba. It can jump either one square diagonally, or two squares orthogonally, or in an elongated knight's move - one, then three squares (aka "1-3 leaper" move). It is, however, colour-locked.
 

Knight by Stephen-0akley

 

Rules

All rules of normal chess apply, excepting the few changes below.

Castling does not exist, as the bigger board would make it harder to execute yet very powerful for moving the king to safety.

Promotion of barbarians and warriors can only be done into pieces that their player has lost - ie. when promoting, you select one of your captured pieces to resurrect in place of the barbarian or warrior, not any piece you would like. This prevents the player from getting several queens, but thanks to the number of new pieces with unique move sets also brings some nice tactical decisions.

The player that bares the opponent's king wins without the need for a checkmate. Given the existence of the emperor piece, too many games could end with tedious chasing after the highly mobile emperor.

Augmentations, Bionics, Bodymods, Cybernetic Implants

When delving through a zombie-infested underground lab in the post-apocalyptic wasteland, you might come upon still-operational auto-doc bodymod station. Or you could kill a gang leader in the cyberpunk ghetto and butcher their body for implants. Or maybe your space ship was hijacked by transhumans who wish to augment you beyond your obsolete baseline humanity.
  

Monocle by yvanquinet

 

These are simple, minimalistic bionics, so each implant is assumed to have an internal power source, barring any special limits noted in their description. There are also no prices listed, as I like games with randomized, scavenged resources more than ones where you can buy your way to min-maxing. Everything should be more or less compatible with any sci-fi OSR, though you might find some GLOG-specific terms.

In any case, two checks are required when installing a bodymod. A surgery check vs Int by the surgeon (there's hope you won't be operating on yourself), getting bonuses from proper skills, tools, or access to an auto-doc. If this check fails, roll on the Failed Implants table instead of the main table of bionics. The recipient then rolls a Con Save to prevent post-surgery complications, taking -1 penalty for each bodymod they already have installed. If this check fails, the augmentation works normally but the body does not properly recover. The recipient takes 1d6 Con damage that can only be healed with another surgery or permanent drug regime.
  

Clone World by OmeN2501

 
d12 Failed Implants

1. Bugged augmentation: It's not working and it's spreading! Save every day, or another implant of yours will stop working until repaired.
2. Visual debilitator: At least it wasn't an IQ enhancement that got this badly botched. You cannot see beyond 10 m.
3. Bionic deformity: A combination of poor surgical installation and unpleasant scarring has lead to the catastrophe you now call your face. Take -2 to Reaction rolls unless covered.
4. Electrical drain: A malfunctioning implant that doesn't perform any useful function, but still draws on your energy reserves. When you use any other implant, it has a 1-in-6 chance of failing due to insufficient power. Tough luck if you have bionic limbs.
5. Overstimulator: One implant backwards, two crossed wires and four burned-out capacitors later you started falling on your face and writhing around at the least convenient times. Every time you take damage, Save or loose your next action.
6. Self-locking thumbs: They hold tight and don't let go (even when you'd rather they did). It takes you a full round to drop anything or release your grip. On the other hand, you cannot be disarmed.
7. Squeaky joints: Your movements are annoyingly loud. Grants -4 Stealth.
8. Voice disruptor: Something went wrong with your throat implants and now you only screech and make robotic noises instead of speaking.
9. Endocrine enervator: A failing pharmaceutical implant makes you constantly fatigued. You don't recover Fatigue during daily rest, only stimulants or extended rest will help.
10. Leaky implant: Whatever was this bionic supposed to do, it's instead leaking toxic fluids into your bloodstream. Unsurprisingly, that's not good for your health. Take -4 to Save vs poisons and diseases.
11. Expired sealant: Bionics should be waterproof, but this one is pretty obviously not. When you are exposed to water (even rain will do) take 1 damage per round as the implant short-circuits and electrocutes you.
12. Self-destruct system: Either you're mad, or you didn't know. Now there's a bomb in you head. You can be careful not to trigger it, but what if a hacker shows up?

 

Dermal plating.

 
d130 Bionics

1. Prosthetic limb: A simple replacement limb capable of full range of motions and sensations. To think that in the not-so-distant past of the 21st century, this would seem like a small miracle!
2. Cosmetic bodymod: Video-tattoos, reskins or body reconfiguration, even pseudo-animal features for the really weird fads.
3. Optical array: Your corneas have been enhanced with an Advanced Visual Aids display. Roll for 2 settings (d10): 1) infrared vision, 2) ultraviolet vision, 3) night vision, 4) powerful zoom, 5) microscope magnification, 6) light-adaptive (protects from flashes and bright light), 7) polarised (removes reflections from glass or water), 8) x-ray vision, 9) augmented reality (including navigation, digital clock, etc.), 10) targeting cross-hair (+2 to hit).
4. Holo-eye: One of your eyes has been replaced with a holographic projector. The projection field covers one cubic meter and cannot project farther than about 10 m.
5. Eye-cam: One of your eyes has been replaced with a camera linked to the datasphere. Everything you see is stored in the Cloud.
6. Finger camera: Less overt than the eye-cam and lets you see around a corner.
7. Finger knives: Self-sharpening surgical scalpels slide out of your fingertips. You can perform a back-alley surgery at any time, or attack for d6 damage.
8. Finger injector: A syringe under your fingernail can deliver all sorts of fun chemicals. The ampoule in your palm must be replaced after each use.
9. Finger laser: Not of the damaging kind. It can be used as a pointer, or to measure distance.
10. Finger hack: It used to be necessary to smuggle a flash drive through security. Now you just stick your finger into a port and start uploading malware or downloading data.
11. Security multi-tool: Everything you could need to jimmy a lock or jam a camera, hidden in your wrist and fingers.
12. Detachable hand: Your cybernetic hand can be detached and remote-controlled. Even better with some more augmentations packed into it.
13. Monofilament garotte: A nanofibre wire is hidden in one of your fingers. A creature you choke in a grapple must Save each round to avoid decapitation.
14. Palm paralyser: A creature you touch must Save or be paralysed for d4 minutes. The device will then slowly charge up over the next short rest.
15. Electroshock emitter: Your touch can deal d12 electric damage, or short-circuit most electronics. The device will then slowly charge up over the next short rest.
16. Force emitter: Release a kinetic blast from your palm. The target must Save or be knocked back 10 m. The device will then slowly charge up over the next short rest.
17. EMP discharger: Release a short-range, directed EMP blast from your palm. The device will then slowly charge up over the next short rest.
18. EMP shielding: Subdermal shielding lattice protects your implants from electromagnetic pulses.
19. Subdermal mesh: Thin wires of plasteel were woven under you skin. Reduce physical damage taken by 1 point.
20. Dermal plating: Skin-coloured plates of implanted plasteel make you look less human than many androids, but offer excellent protection. Grants Def as plate mail.
21. Bionic arms: A whole limb of metal and synthetic flesh. Grants +2 Strength.
22. Bionic legs: A whole limb of metal and synthetic flesh. Grants +2 Dexterity.
23. Bionic heart: It never falters. Grants +2 Constitution.
24. Cerebral booster: A cocktail of drugs constantly drips into your brain, making your synapses faster than ever. The side effects are better not even mentioned. Grants +2 Intelligence.
25. Synaptic reinforcement: An implant monitoring your brain activity will release hormonal countermeasures whenever your determination might be compromised. Grants +2 Will.
26. Penile erector: No more embarrassing failures or unwanted wood. Now you're in control. Grants +2 Charisma.
27. Breast implants: Bigger, firmer, shapely, or even more of them. Grants +2 Charisma.
28. Adrenaline pump: Intravenous injector hidden in your chest can deliver a dose of pure adrenaline when you need it. Treat your Str and Dex as 18 for a round at the cost of 1 Fatigue.
29. Battle module: Bionic processors and databanks loaded with martial arts combat programs are integrated into your nervous system. Grants +2 to hit and Def.
30. Matrix backdoor: Implanted into the base of your skull, this receiver lets you easily link yourself directly to the datasphere, no VR set or other interface necessary. Note that while your brain is immune to malware, your bionics might not be, and there are also memetic hazards to avoid.
31. Kinetic shock absorber: The bones of your legs were reinforced and equipped with inertia dampers. Take no damage from falls, if you can land on your feet.
32. Electromagnetic sensor: A simple passive EM sensor will alert you to all unshielded electronics within 10 m.
33. Polygraphic sensor: Complex physiological sensors in the tips of your fingers allow you to detect lies of anyone you're touching.
34. Air current sensor: Multiple microsensors in your skin grant you a +4 bonus to sense invisible creatures, secret doors and other sources of movement or draught within 10 m, but only when you skin is exposed.
35. Tremor sensor: Implants in your feet locate the sources of tremors as faint as light steps or silenced machinery within 10 m. Double the range in water.
36. Hyper-elastic ankle tendons: Bands of synthetic flesh reinforce your feet. Increases Movement by 50%.
37. Visage module: Malleable synth-flesh allows for quick reformation of facial structure. Also includes polymorphic synth-hair and an iris shifter. Gain advantage on disguise checks.
38. Twitch-mask: Neural impulses firing through your facial muscles cause constant twitching that is specially designed to befuddle face recognition software. It's also illegal as hell and makes you look unhinged.
39. Poker face: Impulse barriers on your nerves allow you to turn off your facial expressions. Gain +4 to bluffing and against interrogation, but others will quickly figure out that something is wrong with your (e)motionless face.
40. Aim stabilizer: Chrome clasps lock your joints in place for steady aim. Gain +4 to hit with ranged weapons if you take a round to aim and lock. Can stay completely still indefinitely.
41. Pentaceps: The quartet of knee joint extensors gain the assistance of a synthetic fifth. Gain +4 to jump checks and double your jump range.
42. Dopamine pump: Intravenous injector hidden in your head can deliver a dose of pure dopamine when you need it. Gain +4 to any Stress-related check at the cost of 1 Fatigue.
43. Integrated commlink: Implanted earphone, subvocal microphone and a corneal screen linked to the datasphere allow you to always stay in touch.
44. Integrated radio: A tiny receiver with a frequency selection is installed in your skull, the antenna interwoven into the spine. Archaic, but still useful to listen in on retro-gangs and under-equipped survivors.
45. Intravenous port: Standardized ampoules can be prepared for later free use of medication or drugs.
46. Motorized treads: This rather extravagant augmentation replaces your legs below the knee with a pair of tiny tank treads. You can move as fast as a car, but lack all of the normal protections and safety features of driving a vehicle.
47. Gun rack: A special platform was fused to your shoulder bones and connected to your spine. You can use it to carry a shoulder-mounted heavy ranged weapon of your choice (rocket launchers, machine guns or laser cannons are common).
48. Implanted weapon: One of your forearms has a light or medium weapon of your choice hidden inside (mostly duralloy claws or a ray gun).
49. Prosthetic weapon: One of your arms was replaced with a heavy weapon of your choice (current favourites are a chainsaw, a flamethrower, or a grenade launcher).
50. Force modulator: Microemitters in your skin synchronize your phase frequencies with the standardized band for force emissions. Walk through force fields unimpeded.
51. Voice modulator: Your vocal cords were partially replaced with cybernetics, allowing you to mimic voices or replay other sounds.
52. Voice amplifier: Empower your voice to boom loud enough to be heard over a noisy town square or a quiet mountain valley. You may also scream, taking 1d6 damage from the strain, but brittle object within 10 m cone will be shattered, and affected creatures must Save vs being deafened and stunned for the same number of rounds.
53. Subsonic box: A pair of subwoofers installed in your back xx
54. Cortical node: A small medical implant used for synchronization of other augmentations. Halve the penalty to the post-augmentation recovery check for all subsequent bodymods.
55. Biomonitor: All your medical signs are constantly monitored. Any medical or surgical intervention on your body is done with an advantage.
56. Databank port: A tiny socket in your skull lets you insert a miniaturized databank. One slot in your Memory becomes unavailable for knowledge learned normally, instead accessing the information on your currently installed databank. Alternately, you may save your sensory input on the databank, simulating an eidetic memory.
57. Skillsoft port: A tiny socket in your skull lets you insert a neurocognitive chip. One slot in your Memory becomes unavailable for knowledge learned normally, instead accessing the skill on your easily swappable chip. The really fun chips are not easy to come by, though.
58. Drone control unit: With a transmitter stuck in your brain, you can control a single drone as a free action, or multiple drones if you do nothing else.
59. Rearwatch: Several covert cameras in your skull grant you a 360° vision without alerting others that you can see them.
60. Spiked heel: You have a retractable plasteel spike hidden in your heel. It is strong enough to sink itself into concrete, or deal d10 damage to a creature you step on.
61. Spring heel: Flexiweave cords in your legs thrum with tension. You can discharge them to jump 10x further than normal, and they will tense up again over the next a short rest. You should be careful about the landing, though.
62. Camo-pseudoskin: Reactive camouflage will render you nigh-invisible as long as you remain still. Unless you cover your skin, that is.
63. Reflec-pseudoskin: Scintillating replacement skin will turn away lasers and other ray-based attacks with a 4-in-6 chance.
64. Enviro-pseudoskin: Durable skin replacement lets you ignore hot, cold, noxious or slightly caustic environments, and even vacuum. Extreme heat or strong acid will get through, though, and you should probably secure an oxygen supply if you wish to expose yourself to such places.
65. Air filtration: Fine tracheal filters purify your air to prevent toxic atmosphere, dust storms, combat gases or nanite swarms from harming your lungs.
66. Internal oxygen supply: An oxygen tank linked to your lungs can hold up to 30 minutes worth of air. A ventilation subsystem will refill it over a short rest.
67. Internal storage: A cavity hidden in your body grants you 2 extra inventory slots.
68. Utility toolset: Hammer, pliers, screwdriver and more are stored in an artificial arm.
69. Pedal mufflers: Silencer implants in your feet let you walk without a sound. Grants +4 Stealth.
70. Wireless eyes: Your eyes can be taken out of their sockets without loosing visual feed.
71. Ethanol burner: With this handy stomach extension, a shot of hard liquor will serve as a ration. You also can't get drunk unless you turn this augmentation off.
72. Rapid fire finger flexors: Your synthetic finger tendons twitch with anticipation. Make +1 ranged attack per round and type like a madman.
73. Thermal dissipation: Internal cooling system linked to an aluminium heat sink on your back makes you immune to hot weather and halves fire damage taken.
74. Sensory dulling: A simple neural control unit lets you switch off any of your senses at will.
75. Smoke generator: Open your mouth and fill a 10 m radius with thick smoke from the exhaust installed under your tongue. A new cartridge must be inserted after use.
76. Toxin exhaler: With a spray hidden under your tongue, a selection of substances can be delivered to your foes with just a breath. Remember not to breathe in. A new cartridge must be inserted after use.
77. Blood filtration: A set of microfilters in your aorta quickly removes most toxic substances from your bloodstream. Gain +4 to Save vs poisons and intoxication.
78. Platelet cloning system: Replacing your bone marrow with bioengineered stem cells, your blood is now oversupplied with platelets. Grants immunity to bleeding.
79. Leukocyte breeding system: Replacing your bone marrow with bioengineered stem cells, your blood is now oversupplied with leukocytes. Gain +4 to Save vs viral and bacterial diseases.
80. Counter-nanites: A cloud of defensive nanites makes it easier to survive in environments contaminated with cyber-plagues. Gain +4 to Save vs nanite-based diseases.
81. Cranial flashlight: When you want night vision but cannot afford it.
82. Integrated dosimeter: Lets you know the exact dosage of radiation you are currently exposed to. It's good to know when you're already dead.
83. Radiation purger: A system of advanced piezomechanical filters implanted throughout your body allows you to partially purge yourself of absorbed radiation. Gain +4 to Save vs radiation.
84. Olfactory enhancement: Why would someone enhance their nose when bioscans and drones with face recognition exist is a good question, yet this bodymod is still quite popular. Grants scent.
85. Power armour interface: A thought-link interface allows for much finer control over the good old full metal jacket than a basic HUD. Gain advantage on all rolls while in power armour.
86. Telescoping arms: Extendable replacements for your arm bones covered in elastic synth-flesh increase your reach to 3 m.
87. Goo shooter: A dispenser hidden in your forearm can spray a so-called "pink goo". The goo quickly expands into a sticky containment foam and takes hours to degrade on its own. A new cartridge must be inserted after use.
88. Grapple shooter: A miniaturized grappling hook along with 10 m of monofilament rope and a winch are concealed in your forearm.
89. Cyber-tentacles: Four 3 m long cybernetic tentacles were welded to your spine. They are not dextrous enough to wield weapons, but are strong enough to support your weight.
90. Remote controller: Compatible with anything from garage doors and holovision to hovercars and hacked battledroids.
91. Stasis field generator: A fist-sized supertech capsule welded to the inside of your ribcage lets you lock your body in a nulltime field. You are immobile and inviolable for exactly 57 minutes, after which the generator needs an hour on a cable charger.
92. Force field generator: Microemitters in your skin can cover your body in a thin sheet of protective energy. Once activated, it will completely negate the next attack to connect with you, and then slowly recharge over the next short rest.
93. Digestive assistance: You have been outfitted with three synthetic stomachs and industrial-grade intestines. Any organic matter is digestible to you.
94. Recycler unit: Careful re-routing of sweat glands and an upgrade to your urinary bladder allow you to survive without water for as long as without food.
95. Nutrient tank: Intravenous feeder with a week of liquefied rations stored for emergency situations.
96. Alarm system: A motion-detecting alarm system will notice any and all movement within a 20 m radius, and will silently alert you. Mostly useful when alone or sleeping.
97. Electromagnetic manipulators: Powerful electromagnets in your palms allow you to attract metal items, or to stick to metallic surfaces.
98. Integrated defibrillator: When reduced to 0 or less hp, get back to your feet with 1 hp on your next turn. Cannot be used more than once per day without electrocuting yourself.
99. Wired reflexes: A series of independent microcontrollers implanted in each of your main muscle groups lets you react before your brain is even aware of any danger. Gain +4 to initiative and never loose your Dex bonus to Def.
100. Black brain-box: Your skull has been converted into a duralloy safebox for your brain, including a cryo module that will keep it viable should the blood supply be cut. Unless you are completely disintegrated, you can live again once someone plugs your brain-box into a replacement body.
101. Pain editor: A simple switch in your brain lets you turn pain on and off at will.
102. Hydraulic legs: Ugly but strong. You never take Fatigue from long marching and gain +2 Inventory slots.
103. Anti-psi lattice: A carefully laid out pattern of hyperfolded wiring in your skull prevents any thoughts from getting in or out. You are immune to psionics, but also cannot use thought-link interfaces or any psychic powers of your own.
104. Pheromone repellent: Your sweat has been biochemically altered. Insects and most animals now need a successful Save to approach you.
105. LDV audio receiver: A laser in your fingertip is used for non-contact vibration measurements of distant surfaces. Basically, you can hear what you point at. Neat!
106. Implanted microcomputer: Everything you would want from a computer, directly in your brain. Be really, really careful about malware.
107. Repair nanites: Unless you outright die, the nanites in your bloodstream will quickly patch you up. Minor injuries or missing fingers will be repaired in a day, while a whole limb might take a week.
108. Locator matrix: A forearm display that offers not only geographical information, but also a compass, maps, tracking, coordinates of your present location, your velocity and altitude, the time of the day and more.
109. Audio analyser: Record and replay what you hear, filter out background noise, amplify quiet sounds and muffle loud ones, even interpret ultrasound. Plus you get sweet robo-ears in chromed retro design.
110. Emergency life support: Internal medical systems will keep your body going even through mortal injuries. You only die at -10 hp.
111. Sleep regulator: You no longer experience the negative effects of sleep deprivation, but must still sleep is you want the benefits of a daily rest.
112. Signal jammer: Interference resonator causes all tech communications within 10 m fail. This includes commlinks, remote controllers and more.
113. Scanner scrambler: Interference resonator prevents scanners from probing your body. Useful for hiding illegal implants, except it's obvious you have something to hide.
114. Adaptive fingerprints: Small-scale skin replacement will allow you to change your fingerprints to any of the templates stored in its database.
115. Fortified feet: People wanted to be cool and walk barefoot like their ancestors. People were too used to their comfort to just walk barefoot. Now those people have hardened pseudoskin feet that are immune to scrapes, sores, wetness, cold, fire, electricity, blades, bullets and nanite-based disintegration.
116. Anti-emotion implant: Who needs them, anyway? You are immune to both negative and beneficial emotional effects.
117. Gyroscopic stabilizer: A whirling gyro in your chest keeps you from falling over. You cannot loose balance.
118. Parabolic audio: Your ears may now look funny, but you can hear clearly from great distances.
119. Skeletal bracing: Coating your bone structure in duralloy makes you heavy and hard to destroy. Halves all bludgeoning damage taken and prevents loosing a limb or having a bone broken due to an injury.
120. Redundant organs: Several spare synth-flesh systems have been added to your body. Gain +1 HD to maximum hp.
121. Phase engine: Excitation of your biodynamic field causes a dimensional leap, momentarily placing you out of phase with this universe. You will be translucent and intangible for 1d6 rounds, and then need an hour on a cable charger.
122. Flux relocator: A quantum computer in your brain floods the local subspace with calculations complex enough to collapse your probability field, teleporting you to a random empty space within 10 m. The sudden space-folding is however very taxing on your bodily integrity, causing d6 damage on use.
123. Gravity normalizer: Subdermal grav-mesh equalizes the effects of increased gravity or inertia on your body. High g will cause no damage or discomfort.
124. Gravity harness: Subdermal grav-mesh adjusts your personal gravity field to your preferences. Walk on walls, fall like a feather.
125. Antigrav array: Strong subdermal grav-mesh allows for a controlled flight, even if slow and clumsy.
126. Rocket legs: They are clunky and more bulky than your natural legs. They need refuelling after about 10 minutes of use. The flight is hazardously fast and very loud. It's still very cool, though.
127. Helping hands: A harness bearing two extra cybernetic arms. Linked directly to your neural cortex, they can be operated as easily as your own hands.
128. Mnemonic enhancement: Nanogrowths reinforce your neural patterns into unalterable rigidity. Gain perfect recall and immunity to memory-altering effects (both amnestic drugs and psionic powers).
129. Cybersymbiont: Integrated AI offers witty remarks and takes over when you cannot act (unconscious, paralysed, frozen with fear, etc). You can use all your implants and linked tech even while helpless.
130. Full body conversion: Nothing but your brain remains from your old organic body. Change your race to a cyborg race-as-class, which I have yet to write.

One way to interpret full body conversion.
Cyborg by disse86

 

Giantslayer

Giantslayer is a board game popular in Haloglan and Hardakan. Its origins, according to a legend, lie in the ancient war between frost giants and the first settlers who came to the lands around Deron (the capital of Haloglan). Many epic ballads are sung about the heroic fights of halogai warriors against the mighty giants, and Giantslayer players can be found in nearly every tavern.
 

From here.

  

The Rules

The game is for two players, each of whom controls one colour of stones. White stones represent the halogai - numerous and swift, but unable to bring down a giant without help from their peers; black stones the giants - horrifically powerful in attack, but scant and slow. The game is played on a hexagonal board, white stones starting on the outer edge, while black stones start surrounding the middle hex. The middle hex cannot be passed by any stone.

Initial setup: 24 white stones and 6 black stones.

  

The game represents an ambush set by halogai, the giants surrounded and outnumbered, yet still extremely dangerous. White player starts, then players alternate turns. Every turn, the player moves one of their stones. Making a move is required; it is not legal to skip a move, even when having to move is detrimental.

The game can end in two ways. Either when all black stones are captured (the giants were all killed), or when all black stones currently in play are on one of the edge hexes of the board (some of the giants escaped). The white player gets a point for each captured black stone, while the black player gets a points for each "escaped" black stone. The game is normally played in several rounds, the player switching sides after each round and keeping a running tally of points.

Examples of basic moves for the two colours.
These could be the first three turns taken by the players.

 

Each player moves and captures in a different way.

White stones can move any number of vacant hexes in a row, in any direction. They capture by flanking a black stone - at the start of the white player's turn, if any black stone has two or more white stones adjacent to it, the black stone is automatically captured before the white player proceeds with her turn.

Note that if the white player flanks a black stone, the black player can still manage to move her stone away from the endangered position on her turn. Only if she cannot do that and the stone is still flanked at the start of the white player's turn will the stone be captured.

Black stones can move only a single hex in any direction onto a vacant hex. They capture by trampling a white stone - the black player can "jump" her stone over any adjacent white stone onto a vacant hex, capturing the white stone. If capturing a white stone brings the black stone to a position where it could capture another white stone, it may do so and continue capturing until there are no more valid trampling moves to do. Only then will the black player's turn end.

Note that the black player is not required to trample when the opportunity arises and she can stop trampling even when more trampling moves would be possible.

Examples of capturing: Two white stones are flanking
a black stone and will automatically capture it,
then the white player will move. The black stone can move
to trample a white stone, but there are no additional
trampling targets, so his turn will end there. However,
because the trampling would end with the black stone
adjacent to three white stones, the black stone would be
immediately captured at the start of the white player's turn.

Thus the basic goal for the white player is to outflank the black player without allowing her to move her stones into trampling positions, or allowing her to get all the black stones on the edge of the board.

Note that the game only ends when all the remaining black stones are on the edge of the board at the same time, so it's not a problem if only one or so gets there. It's actually rather easy to flank them when their moves are limited by the edge of the board.

The black player must prevent being adjacent to multiple white stones and find a way to capture multiple white stones in one trampling, to level the playing field where the white player has massively superior numbers. She should then take advantage of any opening on the edge of the board and try to get all her stones safely to these openings, escaping.

An example of a game that ended with the black stones
escaping; both players gained three points. The uppermost
black stone is in a position where it would be captured, but as
its move resulted in all black stones being on the edge of
the board, the game ended immediately, before it could
be captured.

Discussion

This game was inspired by idle thoughts about how most classic board games have the players on equal footing, with the same amount of stones/pieces, the same rules and strategies, and the same goal. However, could there be a game where the sides are very much unequal, without loosing game balance?

This is my attempt at such a game. Each side has a different goal and must use very different strategies to achieve it. And because each side even moves and captures differently, they feel very unlike the other in play.

From the get-go, the white player seems to have a massive advantage. They have four times the number of stones than the black player, they can move any number of hexes and they get to start. However, flanking the black stones can be rather tricky, as hexes allow for very easy chained tramplings if you're not careful. When playing with my friends, some variation on a fork proved quite successful in preventing the black player from escaping unscathed.

Mainly, the white player cannot worry about loosing a few stones, they start with so many partly because they cannot beat the black player without sacrifices and baiting some rash trampling. They should also remember that they can move over the whole board, so using the white stones nearest to the place where you're trying to flank a black stone is often suboptimal.

While it may seem that the black player must loose very quickly, their form of capturing makes them very powerful. Jumping over enemy stones on a hex board is very flexible and allows one to get out of many situations where you'd be otherwise flanked, plus if the white player places their stones carelessly, you can continue jumping and massacre their army.

On the other hand, the goal of escaping the board is quite hard unless you build your strategy around it, cleaning a space on the edge of the board from the white stones that block it, then getting all your stones on the edge quickly before the white player (who can move much further than you can) can react.

I haven't yet managed to escape with all six black stones, but I did escape with four stones several times.

You should also always play at least two rounds of this game, as it is at least in part about the necessity of very different strategies for each colour of stones, and the players should prove they can use either stones effectively.

Finally, here is a (admittedly not very good) hex board for Giantslayer that we used, if you would be interested. The second board is for Tides of War.