CHARACTER CREATION
Q: Section 3.2.2.1 says “Mass scores 2, 3, 7, and 8 are also available to PCs.” Is this meant to suggest that a PC’s Mass cannot exceed 8, even with a Peculiarity like “PW: Density, High”?
A: Yes. Absent special permission from the GM, a PC’s normal Mass (i.e., not modified by a spell, potion, etc.) cannot exceed 8. Thus, in order for a PC to take 5 levels of “PW: Density, High,” his Size (and Size-based Mass) would have to be 3 or lower. GMs are strongly encouraged to adhere to this limitation.
COMBAT ROUNDS AND ACTIONS
Q: If the designated leader of a force is incapacitated, the leader of the opposing force gets to designate which character in the leaderless force must activate. What happens if both designated leaders are incapacitated?
A: Chaos will reign! Each force should designate a leader solely for the purpose of designating members of the opposing force to activate (i.e., both sides will lose control over the order of their activations).
Q: Can a character change facing when performing a Recover from Stun action?
A: Yes. As stated in Section 7.2, a character may change facing “When designated to activate (not simply react) but before beginning his chosen Action or any associated Move.” Since the “Stunned” condition only prevents a character from performing any “Action or Reaction” until he successfully performs a “Recover from Stun” Action, the standard rule for changing facing at the beginning of an Action applies.
Q: How does Trample (Section 6.5.10.1) work against a small flying creature that is blocking a character’s path?
A: The flying creature will not suffer Trample damage or become prone, but the moving character will automatically claim the space and the flying creature must move into an adjacent unoccupied space of its choosing, without changing facing.
Q: Are there any circumstances under which a force can use Coordinated Fire or Mob without its designated leader performing a Coordinate action?
A: Yes. If a force’s opponents have no Ready Tokens (or Motivation Tokens) remaining, the force may use Coordinate Fire and/or Mob without its designated leader performing a Coordinate action. This is true even if the force’s designated leader is no longer active (stunned, incapacitated, etc.) Thus, where one force greatly outnumbers another, the larger force will almost always be able to use Coordinated Fire or Mob to expend its remaining Ready Tokens.
SORCERY
Q: The description of “The Silver Thread” (Section 12.21) says “If the zombie transformation is prevented . . ..” How is this possible?
A: Because the zombie transformation occurs over time, suspending the virus’ progress will suspend the transformation. Thus, cryogenically freezing the victim in a sleeper pod (Section 2.7.7) or with a “System Freeze” Ritual will halt the progress of the transformation until the victim is unfrozen. Note, however, that neither “Raise Dead” nor “Restore Fallen” can be performed upon a cryogenically frozen character; thus, it will be necessary to unfreeze the character before attempting any such Ritual.
SPELLS
Q: What can a caster do while maintaining a “Continuous” or “Ongoing” spell effect?
A: The confusion has been resolved in the 2023 Edition. A caster maintaining a “Continuous” or “Ongoing” spell must perform the “Concentrate” Action on each of his activations. This will allow the caster to move (at x1) but not do anything else (except concentrate and manipulate the effects of the Continuous or Ongoing spell). For example: A caster in Gaseous Form cannot attempt any spell or perform any Action other than “Concentrate.”
SPELL GROUPS
Q: If a Spell Group limits the caster to a certain number of predesigned forms (e.g., Animal Form, Conjure Creature, etc.), how can the caster swap out his forms?
A: Each time a caster learns a new level of such a Spell Group, he can completely revise all of his predesigned forms. So, if a caster wishes to “reset” his predesigned forms, he either needs to learn another level of the Spell Group or forget a level and then relearn it (at the normal rate).
Q: If a spell limits the caster to a certain number of predesigned forms (e.g., Animal Form, Conjure Creature, etc.), can the caster take the spell twice (or more) to increase the number of forms he is allowed? For example: If a caster assigned two Spell Slots to “Conjure Creature (2),” could he assign another two Spell Slots to “Conjure Creature (2)” and have four predesigned forms?
A: Yes. But the predesigned forms would be limited by the level of each instance of the Spell Group. For example: If a caster were to assign five Spell Slots to “Conjure Creature (5)” and one Spell Slot to “Conjure Creature (1)” he could not predesign six PL 5 creatures. Rather, he would be able to predesign five creatures up to PL 5 and one creature at PL 1.
Q: If a caster learns “Conjure Creature” or “Animal Form” as a Specific Spell at a specific PL, how many predesigned forms can he have?
A: For “Conjure Creature,” one form. For “Animal Form,” two forms. In other words, the caster should be treated as knowing only one level of the Spell Group (regardless of which level that may be).
Q: Are Sense Magic, Detect Magic, and See the Invisible blocked by obstructions?
A: Yes. Most substantial objects or barriers that would block normal vision will also block Sense Magic, Detect Magic, and See the Invisible, which are simply enhancements to normal vision. Sense Magic and Detect Magic, however, will not be blocked by clothing, armor, backpacks, or load systems. In other words, Sense Magic and Detect Magic with reveal active spell effects, even if the subject is wearing full armor, and will highlight potions and enchanted items, even if such items are in pockets, belt pouches, backpacks, etc.
RITUALS
Q: Why is a “Lasting Illusion Animated” vulnerable to “Dispel Magic,” when most Strong Magic effects are not?
A: Depending upon the circumstances, It could be virtually impossible to get an animated illusion to stay still long enough to perform a “Disenchant” Ritual. Thus, the vulnerability to “Dispel Magic” provides a necessary method for disposing of animated illusions.
Q: Is a weapon subject to “Object Link” considered magical for purposes of “Damage Vulnerability (Magic)“?
A: Yes.
COMMON PERILS
Q: At Section 15.8.1, Ward of Faith says “Additionally, any Unholy character whose declared Action would cause him to enter the radius of a Ward of Faith must make a successful Will Power attempt to resist Fear, immediately before entering, or his Action immediately ends just outside the ward’s perimeter.” How does this work if the Unholy character is performing a Ram?
A: Section 6.5.10 says “After the character’s final ram . . . he must continue to move a number of meters equal to half his remaining movement.” In the case described above, the perimeter of the Ward of Faith would constitute the character’s “final ram,” and the character will continue moving through the Ward of Faith until he has moved “half his remaining movement,” which may result in a ram at reduced speed (determined by the GM, but not more than half the character’s intended ram speed). When executing this mandatory move, the ramming character must turn as much and as soon as he can to avoid the source of the Ward of Faith (see “Restricted Movement,” Section 7.2.2).
PECULIARITIES
Q: If I’m designing a “normal” dog, why do Peculiarities like “Runner” count as “mutations”? And, if the dog isn’t actually a mutant, can it take the Disadvantage “No Mutations”?
A: As explained in the rules, “Mutations represent Advantages and Disadvantages a ‘normal’ human would never possess. As a result, any character with any such Peculiarity is either a member of a non-human race or species or a ‘mutant.'” So, while the dog’s various Peculiarities may count as “mutations,” the dog will not actually be considered a “mutant” by other characters; it will be considered a normal dog and face whatever prejudices apply to dogs (e.g., it may be barred from certain establishments, etc.) Adding the free Peculiarity “Race” will make this distinction even more clear. Nonetheless, because the character (dog) has Peculiarities that are technically designated as “mutations,” it cannot have the Disadvantage “No Mutations.” The same would be true for members of any non-human race or species that possess “mutation” Peculiarities. Such characters will only be considered “mutants” if their mutation Peculiarities differ from those of other members of their race/species (e.g., all Morlocks have “Night Vision”; but a Morlock with “Night Vision” and “Regeneration” would be considered a mutant Morlock).
Q: If a creature has “Beast (2)” (which includes “Cannot Grab or Wrestle”) can it also have “Special Grab“?
A: Yes. The creature would be unable to attempt normal Wrestling maneuvers but could attempt the “free” Wrestling maneuvers afforded by Special Grab. This would be a good way to design an attack dog or something similar.
Q: Why are Peculiarities such as “Runner” and “Swimmer” considered “mutations“?
A: The difference in normal human running and swimming speeds is reflected by the Athletics attribute. For example: A character with Athletics 5 could run a 40-meter dash in approximately 6.5 seconds (which is fairly slow), while a character with Athletics 8 could run a 40-meter dash in approximately 4.16 seconds (which is amazingly fast). With “Runner” at Level 1, the Athletics 5 character would improve his time to 4.44 seconds (remarkably fast) and the Athletics 8 character would improve his time to 2.77 seconds (inhumanly fast). Thus, the “Runner” Peculiarity only applies to characters that are specially designed to run at inhuman speeds (e.g., a dog, a horse, an ostrich, etc.) and whose legs are configured very differently from those of a normal human (barring “Deceptive Appearance”). The same is true of “Swimmer.”
Q: Can a character with “Object-Based Mutations” or “Non-Mutant Augmentation” have the Disadvantage “No Mutations“?
A: No. As explained above, regardless of whether a character is actually considered a “mutant,” he cannot have the “No Mutations” Disadvantage if any of his Peculiarities are technically designated as “mutations.” The “Object-Based Mutations” or “Non-Mutant Augmentation” Peculiarities will simply mitigate the prejudice the character may face as a result of his “mutation” Peculiarities.
Q: If a character has both a “Damage Vulnerability” and a “Lethal Reaction” to the same thing (e.g., “Damage Vulnerability (Holy)” and “Lethal Reaction (Holy Things)”), will the character suffer both effects if he is struck with an object that satisfies the Vulnerability/Reaction.
A: No. The attacker must choose whether he is using the object (e.g., a Holy Symbol) as a weapon (in which case “Damage Vulnerability” applies) or as a Lethal Reaction object (in which case “Lethal Reaction” applies).
Q: Divisible states: “If the character is subject to a spell effect (other than a “Hostile” spell effect) that is supported by maintenance mana . . . prior to splitting, the spell effect will remain active on only one duplicate.” What happens when a character gains Divisible as a result of Shape Change or Animal Form? The character would have the Peculiarity because of the spell, but, as soon the character divides, one duplicate would lose the spell and thus lose Divisible.
A: At the moment the character attempts to divide, all but one of the duplicates will instantly lose Divisible and will instantly recombine. In other words, the separation would never take place. This effectively removes Divisible from the Peculiarities that can be gained using Shape Change or Animal Form.
Q: What are the limitations of Olfactory Targeting and Sonar (other than those described in the rules)?
A: This has been largely clarified in the 2023 Edition. Like normal vision, Olfactory Targeting and Sonar cannot “see” through objects or barriers (walls, forests, ruins, etc.) that would block “line of sight” to the target. Thus, while a character’s enhanced smell or hearing may allow him to generally detect the presence of a target beyond such an obstruction, he will not be able to “see” the target (for combat purposes) or determine its exact location or movements. So, while high level Sonar or Olfactory Targeting may have a very long range, this is only true in open spaces where nothing obstructs the target’s sound or scent from directly reaching the character. Additionally, unlike normal vision, Olfactory Targeting and Sonar will be blocked by any solid or liquid surface (such as a window, the surface of a pond, etc.), which can provide significant impediments to characters dependent upon such senses.
Q: When a victim is required to make more than one successful attempt to resist poison, venom, toxin, etc., do the successful attempts need to be consecutive?
A: No. The victim may add up his successful resistance attempts, regardless of how far apart they are spaced.
Q: Do various “magic resistance” bonuses “stack”?
A: Yes. For example, if a character has “Magic Resistance (3)” and “Hard to Harm,” he will enjoy a +10 bonus to resist Harm spells (in addition to whatever attribute score he chooses to use for the resistance attempt).
Q: The “Resistance to Fear” Peculiarity (formerly called “Courage“) says is does not apply to “Fear” Peculiarities. If a character gains the “Resistance to Fear” Peculiarity from a spell, chemical, or potion, does this limitation still apply?
A: No. If a character effectively gains the “Resistance to Fear” Peculiarity from a chemical, potion, spell, or other non-permanent effect, the temporary Resistance to Fear will allow the character to better resist (or even ignore) “Fear” Peculiarities. For example: Emer has “Fear: Subterranean Places” and “Resistance to Fear (2)” as Peculiarities. While this means Emer isn’t afraid of much, her Resistance to Fear will not provide any benefit when she finds herself in a subterranean place. On the other hand, if Emer were to take a dose of the chemical “Madman” (which grants “Resistance to Fear (2)”), Emer could ignore the effects of her Fear Peculiarity for the duration of the Madman.
THE WORLD
Q: What can a Pocket Computer do?
A: A Pocket Computer is a keyboard and screen that folds into a package small enough to be kept in one’s pocket. Despite its small size, a Pocket Computer has impressive computing power and is able to run a variety of applications and can serve as a movie/music player, an audio recorder, and a communicator. Moreover, a Pocket Computer has dimensional internet capability, potentially granting access to an infinite number of contemporary sites hosted on other active computers–including other Pocket Computers. Finally, each Pocket Computer has a built-in detailed encyclopedia of pre-Destruction information. Pocket Computers are particularly useful for hacking into computer networks and bypassing security on other computers (provided the user has the requisite skill).
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