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Cortex System RPG - Prerelease Edition
C r e d i t s
Written and Designed by
Jamie C hambers
Cortex System Writing & Development Team
Cam Banks, Jennifer Brozek,
James davenport, digger Hayes,
Nathan rockwood, Floyd C. Wese
l
Editing: Cam Banks
Cover Art and Interior Graphic Design: Digger Hayes
Art Direction: Digger Hayes
Illustrations: Lindsay Archer, Michael Bielaczyc, Nick Kremenek, Ron Lemen
Special Thanks: Jessica Banks, Renae Chambers, Christie Everette,
Sean Everette, Lester Smith, Liz Wilhelm
Dedication: This book is dedicated to the memory of my friend, Richard Wilhite. He was
there for me with an easy smile, a contagious laugh, and he had my back when I needed
it. I know that you’re playing out there somewhere, and when the time is right
I’ll be joining you.
Cortex System, the Cortex logo, Margaret Weis Productions and the MW Logo are trademarks owned by
Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd. © 2008 Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
CONTENTS
introduction
Gear .............................................. 21
Plot Points.................................... 22
C hapter 4:
Gear
Cortex Rules .............................. 5
Character Development........ 22
Dealing with Assets and
Complications ......................... 22
Advancement Points .................. 23
Characters & Setting ................ 6
Game Economics ................... 55
Equipment ................................... 55
Equipping a Character ............... 55
Starting Wealth ........................... 56
Availability................................... 56
Gear ............................................ 6
Adventures & Campaigns ....... 6
C hapter 3:
traits and skills
What’s In This Book? ............... 6
General Gear ........................... 57
C hapter 1:
Game Basics
Traits......................................... 24
Assets............................................ 24
Complications ............................ 25
Trait Levels and Scaling ............. 25
Unusual Traits ............................. 26
Clothing & Armor ................... 61
Specialized Suits.......................... 61
Armor........................................... 62
What’s a Role Playing Game?..7
What You Need ............................. 7
he Players..................................... 7
he Game Master.......................... 7
he Dice ......................................... 7
he Rules & the Story................... 8
Weapons .................................. 64
Weapon Descriptions................. 64
Firearm Ammunition................. 69
Arrows, Bolts, & Darts ............... 69
Unique Ammunition.................. 69
Weapon Accessories ................... 69
Explosives & Incendiary
Weapons................................... 70
Trait Descriptions................... 26
Assets............................................ 26
Complications ............................. 38
Bundles .................................... 46
Sample Bundles........................... 47
Your Character Sheet............... 9
Attributes ....................................... 9
Skills ............................................. 10
Traits............................................. 10
Plot Points.................................... 10
Skills.......................................... 49
Using Skills .................................. 49
Specialties .................................... 49
Benchmarks of Proiciency ....... 50
Transportation.........................71
Mounts ......................................... 71
Vehicles & Ships.......................... 71
Air Vehicles ................................. 72
Land Vehicles .............................. 74
Sea Vehicles ................................. 76
Space Vehicles ............................. 77
Vehicle & Ship Weapons............ 78
Actions ......................................11
Simple Actions ............................ 11
Complex Actions ........................ 11
Unskilled Rolls ............................ 11
Opposed Actions ........................ 12
Botches and Extraordinary
Successes .................................. 12
Skill Descriptions.................... 50
Animals........................................ 50
Artistry......................................... 50
Athletics ....................................... 50
Covert........................................... 51
Crat.............................................. 51
Discipline..................................... 51
Drive............................................. 51
Guns ............................................. 51
Heavy Weapons........................... 51
Inluence ...................................... 51
Knowledge ................................... 52
Mechanic (Skilled Use Only) .... 52
Medicine (Skilled Use Only) ..... 52
Melee Weapons .......................... 52
Perception.................................... 52
Performance ................................ 52
Pilot (Skilled Use Only) ............. 53
Ranged Weapons ........................ 53
Science (Skilled Use Only) ........ 53
Survival ........................................ 53
Tech (Skilled Use Only) ............. 54
Unarmed Combat....................... 54
Extraordinary Items ............... 78
Magic & Superscience ................ 78
Robotic Devices .......................... 78
Drones.......................................... 79
Robots .......................................... 79
Androids & Synthetics ............... 80
Toxins & Antidotes..................... 81
Combat .................................... 12
Combat Turn—Initiative,
Movement, & Action.............. 12
Life Points & Damage ................ 12
Attacking & Defending .............. 12
Magic Shop.............................. 82
Armor........................................... 82
Potions & Draughts .................... 82
Rings............................................. 82
Miscellaneous Items ................... 83
Rods & Staves .............................. 83
Weapons....................................... 83
Advancement.......................... 14
C hapter 2:
C haracters
Creating Characters............... 15
Starting Level............................... 16
Concept........................................ 17
Origin ........................................... 17
Attributes ..................................... 17
Traits............................................. 19
Skills ............................................. 20
Upgrading Gear ...................... 83
Build It Yourself .......................... 83
Improved Quality ....................... 84
Sub-Par Quality .......................... 84
table
of
contents
C hapter 5:
rules
Magical Gear .............................106
Running the Cortex
System .................................... 129
Using Traits in the Game .........129
Managing Plot Points ...............129
Action Scenes ............................129
Playing the Parts .......................130
Where the Rules End................130
Meta-Talents ......................... 106
he Meta-Talent Trait ..............107
Meta-Talent Stunts ...................107
Meta-Talent Gear......................108
Actions Revisited.................... 85
Complex Actions ........................ 85
Change of Circumstance ........... 86
Personal Edge .............................. 86
Assistance .................................... 86
Cybernetics ........................... 109
he Cyber-Enhancement
Trait ........................................109
Other Cybernetic Traits ...........110
C hapter 8:
example Campaigns
Plot Points ............................... 86
Gaining Plot Points .................... 87
Plot Point Rewards ..................... 87
Complications in Play ................ 87
Spending Plot Points .................. 88
Psi Abilities ............................ 110
Psi Traits.....................................111
Keeping Psi in Check ...............112
Psi Combat ................................113
Star of the Guardians............131
Summary ...................................131
Genre & Concept......................132
Tone & Mood ............................132
Races & Species.........................132
Tech & Magic ............................133
Skill & Traits ..............................133
Unique Elements ......................134
Lady Maigrey Morianna ..........134
Bloodsword ...............................135
Combat .................................... 89
he Turn ...................................... 89
Initiative ....................................... 89
Actions in Combat .................... 90
Multiple Actions ......................... 90
Movement.................................... 91
Attacking a Target....................... 91
Ranged Attacks ........................... 92
Defending Yourself..................... 92
Special Factors: Ofense ............. 92
Special Factors: Defense ............ 95
Special Situations ........................ 96
Credibility and
the Courtroom Trial..............113
Crucial Skills .............................114
Pretrial........................................114
Jury Selection ............................114
Courtroom ................................115
C hapter 7:
Building worlds and
telling tales
Trace....................................... 136
Genre & Concept......................136
Tone & Mood ............................137
Cortez City Locations ..............137
TRACE Team Organization ....138
Skills & Traits ............................140
Campaign &
Adventure Ideas ....................140
Suggested Media .......................141
Taking Damage .......................97
Damage Types ............................. 97
Efects of Damage ....................... 97
Other Injuries.............................. 98
Conditions ................................... 98
The Role of the
Game Master ..........................116
Setting up a Campaign
Concept..................................116
Understanding Genre ..............117
Portraying the
World/Universe.....................117
Arcady .................................... 142
Lands of Arcady ........................142
Genre & Concept......................143
Tone & Mood ............................143
Cultures & Backgrounds..........144
Tech & Magic ............................144
Technology ................................144
Magic..........................................144
Skills & Traits ............................145
Campaign &
Adventure Ideas ....................146
Campaign Concepts .................146
Adventure Hooks......................146
Suggested Reading....................147
Recovery .................................. 99
Recovering Stun Damage .......... 99
Recovering Wound Damage ..... 99
Medical Assistance ...................100
Creating Characters............. 118
Finding the Concept.................118
Traits and Motivations .............118
Character Background.............120
Handling the Numbers ............120
Character Generation Example:
Working with the Players ....120
Scale ....................................... 101
Vehicles.................................. 101
Hazardous Conditions .............101
Damage & Injury ......................102
Crashes & Collisions ................102
Vehicle Weapons.......................102
Chase Scenes ............................102
Creating Adventures............ 122
Campaign Structure .................122
Creating Momentum &
Tension...................................124
Playing Out Scenes ...................125
Act Versus Tell...........................125
hey Are Not Alone .................125
Running a Fantasy Genre
Campaign ..............................126
Running a Crime Drama Genre
Campaign ..............................127
Running a Galactic Fantasy
Genre Campaign...................127
C hapter 6:
Window dressing
C hapter 9:
Allies and Adversaries
Channeling Magic................ 103
Magic Traits ...............................103
Casting Actions.........................103
Strain ..........................................104
Resisting Magic .........................104
Disrupting Casting Actions.....104
Sample Spells .............................104
Animals .................................. 148
Monsters ................................ 150
Ordinary People........................153
Extraordinary Personalities.....155
Afterword
table
of
contents
3
P r e FA C e
On page 10 of the 1st edition
AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide
is a graph mapping the bell curve generated by a 3d6
roll. hat chart gave me something of a start the irst time I saw it, back in 1979 or 1980. here I was, a ledgling Dungeon
Master, opening the pages of the
DMG
for my irst time, expecting arcane secrets and coming face to face almost
immediately with a math table. It was something like discovering the telephone number of a doughnut shop hidden
within the text of the
Necronomicon.
It lent to the
DMG
the faint aroma of a cookbook. Still, something about that chart
stuck with me.
Shortly thereater, my game group abandoned
AD&D
to adopt
he Fantasy Trip,
which almost entirely involved 3d6
rolls, I found myself calculating the way a +1 bonus changed dramatically in signiicance from the middle of that curve
to either end, as well as the way rolling 4d6 bunched results into a steeper, more predicable curve, and 5d6 into an even
steeper one.
At the same time, I couldn’t help but notice how much fun it was to clatter multiple dice together in your hand before
rolling—something
AD&D
missed. Still, those polyhedral dice of
AD&D
were awfully sexy.
Let those ideas simmer for a dozen plus years, from my irst days as a game
master
to a full-time position as a game
designer
at TSR, and early discussions with Bill Slavicsek about the direction for a future 3
rd
edition
AD&D
. I argued
for adding skill rolls to the game, based on the standard d20 THAC0 roll, but adding other-sized dice to increase the
diiculty. You can see a result of those discussions on page 48 of the
Alternity Player’s Handbook.
Stir in a few more years of playing and writing games, and along came the opening discussions of Larry Elmore’s
Sovereign Stone
RPG. I’d been invited to take part in the system design (thank you Margaret and Larry) and made a
suggestion based on gamers’ love of polyhedral dice, and of clacking dice together in their hands before rolling. Designate
one die to represent a character attribute and the other to represent a related skill, and you have the beginnings of the
game now in your hands. It has, of course, beneited greatly from the insightful development skills of Jamie Chambers
since that inception.
And there you have the recipe for one role playing game design. Feel free to add your own garnish before serving to
your game group.
—Lester Smith
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