QUICKSTART RULES

ATTRIBUTES

Splicer’s are evaluated in four key attributes which define how they interact with the world. When making characters players can distribute attributes points amongst these statistics as they wish.

Physical - The rise of cybernetic implant technologies and robotic assistance has led many to neglect their physical form, leaving the body to increasingly become the domain of corpo-government agents and anti-tech "purist" radicals. Despite its falling popularity, physical fitness governs the amount of physical trauma a Splicers body can sustain. Along with important attributes such as their ability to sneak, carry heavy loads, and wield conventional firearms and melee weapons.

Cyber - The early twenty-first century gave birth to both fully immersive digital interfaces and sentient AI systems leading some to abandon the physical world in favour of cybernetic spaces. Wholly different from the physical creation and modification of machines, these hackers “jack” their mind directly into the digital to bend systems to their will. Knowledge of the cyber world allows Splicers to execute "protocol" programs within a network to gain information, alter the functioning of individual’s augments and take control of artificial intelligences.

Tech - The creation and modification of machinery and computers has a long and proud history both in corporate industry and hacktivist circles. Those who take up this mantle have come to be known as "mechanists" and often look down on cyber “Jockeys” whose “work” exploits theirs. Technical knowledge of machinery allows a Splicer to utilise experimental energy weapons, augment gear, invent new technological marvels, and repair the mechanical components of cyborgs and robots.

Mental - Discussed only on anonymised deep network chat rooms, psionic powers have a myriad of speculated origins and explanations. Alien technology, secret corporate experiments and cerebral mutations are all often discussed in earnest. Whatever its origin, the technology has begun to leak onto the street, closely followed by whispers of individuals who "disappear" any proprietor or buyer engaging in this fledgling market. Stimulating a Splicer’s mind with electricity produces psionic energies which to outsiders look like magic. This allows them to manipulate minds around them, control fundamental physical forces and bend the laws of reality. 

AUGMENTS AND ABILITIES

Augments serve as a replacement for the class features and spells found in traditional TTRPGs. They provide a range of benefits from mechanical abilities, to statistical upgrades, spells, and role-playing tools. (Note, the Augment umbrella term encompasses all player upgrades including Cyber Protocols and Mental Aspects)

A Splicer’s choice of augments define who they are and how they interact with the world. 

For example, the Integrated Thruster Array augment gives a Splicer the freedom of flight, granting a player unparalleled traversal abilities. While the X-ray Emitters allows a Splicer’s vision to penetrate thin walls making them invaluable within an enemy base. 

There is no limit to the amount of Augments a Splicer may have or any statistical prerequisites which lock them out of purchasing an Augment. The only limiting factors are the number of Nanites (currency) a Splicer has, and their ability to find a location which sells and installs them. 

However, each augment is associated with a governing attribute and may call for a corresponding check to facilitate its functioning. For example, shaping the Nano Swarm into specific configurations like stairs requires a corresponding Tech check. As such to get the most out of these augments high attribute scores in the relevant area is recommended. 

For more information about Augments and a complete list see the Augment section.

BATTERY POWER

At the centre of every Splicer is a core battery. This battery powers all of a Splicer's augments and serves as a universal ability resource for the game. After a recharge every Splicer has one hundred Power Units which they can spend as they wish to fuel their augments and abilities. When they run out, a Splicer can still move, use augments which draw no power and fight with their equipment and consumables. They cannot use power reliant augments, Protocols or Aspects.

These Power Units are not easily recoverable. A Splicer cannot simply rest and regain their battery charge overtime. To receive a full recharge they must visit a Recharge Station which will completely replenish their batteries over a short time. However, small amounts of power can be restored through the use of rare consumable batteries or certain augments like the Vamp protocol and the Energy Converter. As such when considering any course of action, a Splicer must carefully weigh the advantages against the opportunity cost of spending their power.

CARRY CAPACITY

A Splicer cannot always carry all of the equipment that they might want for a job. Sometimes they will be forced to choose between a backup energy weapon, a spare battery or an extra EMP grenade. The number of objects a Splicer can carry is equal to PHYS CC. Meaning that if a Splicer has a Physical Attribute of twelve they can carry six (half twelve) objects. This number only counts against the equipment and consumables a Splicer is carrying and not non-gameplay items. Certain Augments like the Body Holster and Extra-Dimensional Space provide players with opportunities to carry more items without increasing a Splicer’s Physical Attribute.

TURN COMPOSITION

No matter if it's through an augment, a bullet or the use of a consumable, influencing the world during combat is broken up into actions, free actions and movement. During their turns a Splicer can perform two actions, an unlimited number of free actions and utilise their movement. However, non-Splicer characters such as robots or turrets can only perform one action per turn on their turn along with free actions and movements. 

Actions allow a Splicer to utilise their equipment, activate their augments (should it require an action to use) or use a consumable like a medical hypo or grenade. Note, that a combatant can also elect to “dash”, converting an action into another allotment of their movement (as outlined below).

Free Actions allow a Splicer to engage in simple object interactions like flipping a switch, drawing a weapon or utilising specific augment interactions as outlined in their description. 

Movement refers to the amount a Splicer can travel in a turn and is governed by their Physical attribute. Movement is calculated with the formula; Movement (per turn) = 2 + Physical EC. For example, if a Splicer has a Physical Attribute of eight they will be able to move four (two plus two) metres each turn. 

DAMAGE CLASS

Getting shot, stabbed or compressed into an infinitely small amount of space all deal differing amounts of damage and Splicer differentiates through the Damage Class system. All damage rolls are made with a d6 however the amount of d6’s scales with the severity of the attack. 

Damage Classes:

Minor Damage 1d6

Major Damage 2d6

Extreme Damage 3d6

Excessive Damage 4d6

For example, conventional firearms deal Minor Damage while laser guns deal Major Damage. However, these damage classes are always malleable and left to GM discretion, especially when considering the amount of damage Mental Aspects deal.

Regardless of the Damage Class, attacking combatants add their relevant EC to the damage rolls for their attacks. For example, a Splicer attacking with a melee weapon strikes an enemy and deals Major Damage. They roll 2d6 and add their Physical EC, in this case four. The dice show a three and a four and so the Splicer deals a total of eleven (seven plus four) damage. 

BUILDING A SPLICER

Splicers have four key statistics that players can assign skill points to. Physical determines a Splicer's hit points, speed, ability to attack with most weapons and other attributes associated with the physical body. Cyber indicates how good a Splicer is at interfacing with, and hacking, computer systems. Tech represents a Splicer's knowledge of machines and hardware, allowing them to build and repair gadgets. Finally, Mental relates to a Splicer's ability to perceive, socialise with people, and engage with psionic abilities. 

When making a character, players can choose to assign values to their statistics in two ways: standard array OR rolling. Standard Array grants 4 pre-generated values: (6, 8, 14, 16) to assign amongst the four statistics as you see fit. Rolling entails rolling 4d6 and removing the lowest dice. Add the remaining dice together, with that total becoming a value you can align to any statistic. Repeat this process 3 additional times so you end up with 4 values which can be distributed to statistics as you see fit. 

Values assigned to statistics are known as Regular Check Numbers, or RC for short. If a player is required to roll a regular check, they will roll a d20. A roll equal to, or below the RC is considered a success. A roll above the RC is considered a failure. Depending on what a player is attempting to do, the GM may determine a check to be regular, challenging or extreme. These are referred to as difficulty classes. Challenging checks require players to roll against their Challenging Check Numbers (CC) which is half of their statistic value rounded down. Extreme checks require players to roll against their Extreme Check Numbers (EC) which is one quarter of their statistic value rounded down. Example: RC = 16, CC = 8, EC = 4.

Augments determine what a Splicer can do in the world. Each Augment is associated with a statistic, which dictates the type of check should one be required. Before assigning values to statistics, players should consider what Augments they are interested in using. For example if they are drawn to Cyber Augments, they are more likely to be successful if they have a high value in the Cyber statistic. 

The Augment section is a list of all Augs a Splicer can purchase for their first gig, divided into groups that represent which type of check would be required to utilise the Aug. New Splicers are given 500K Nanites to buy as many Augs as they can afford. Any leftover nanites become the Splicer’s currency. Once bought, Augs are owned by the Splicer to be kept or sold as they wish. Additionally, in character creation, Splicers can spend their currency on equipment.