House Rules

[Marullus]

The Pitch
This will be a Stars Without Number campaign set in the immediate aftermath of the Scream and the societal collapse that followed. It will be grittier, with a more post-apocolyptic feel, as you strive to maintain what is most important to you while everything else around you collapses. We are centuries before societies eventually rebuild.

Expectations
If we can all post twice a week, that's great. Let's do what we can. I value this community, as it provides most of my virtual socialization and creative outlet, especially for the last year of lockdown. Let's tell a good story together.

I want players to embellish and create Lore as they make their characters. I will work this into the setting unless it contradicts something explicitly (in which case I will let you know and weave it together with you).

I want all characters to establish Values and Goals. Playing to your value statement or achieving your goals will impact XP awards.

Setting Details
I am aiming for a Space Western, beginning with a gritty, post-apocolyptic feel and broad options for players to innovate with their character and stories. Psychic Power is unstable, being both more available and more dangerous. Dark Powers whisper in the ear in a porous multiverse for anyone who will listen. Knowledge of the technology that used to make life easy is still fresh enough to sting as technologists try to to stave off its inevitable end.

Game play will begin on a Post-Scream apocolyptic world which collapsed from TL4+ to TL3 (cities)/TL2 (rural/wilderness). PCs can be from that world or have arrived from off-world. Play will proceed in a very player-directed fashion. The option of a ship will be available to give the option of expanding beyond the start-world if desired, but not at game-start.

I will use the core Stars Without Number Revised - Deluxe Edition book and also allow all classes from the Codex of the Black Sun suppliment. I want to explicitly open a wide array of options to encourage creativity and be open to exploring parts of the SWN setting that don't get used enough.

Attributes should be rolled in the die roller with these strings:
STR [3d6] DEX [3d6] CON [3d6]
INT [3d6] WIS [3d6] CHA [3d6]

I will allow all PCs three points, adapted from the rules in the Other Dust suppliment. These can be used in the following ways:

• add a +1 modifier to an attribute (to a max of +2) for superior genetics
• be used to roll on the Mutation tables in the Other Dust book
• Purchase 15,000 in installed cyberware (installed off-world, or installed during the Succession Wars if your character is 50+) [Page 83 of SWN Revised]

Psychics: The Scream was recent and raw and the universe is not yet stable.

• Societal fear of psychics is the norm, largely due to the reasons below. Any display of psychic powers in the chaotic Post-Scream world risks stigma.
• All instititutions of psychic training were destroyed in the Scream, even as training is more needed than ever. If training is acquired, it is from an individual mentor who somehow survived or you are old enough to be a survivor yourself.
• Stable use of psychic powers requires either a miniscule, non-threatening talent (investment in the Wild Psychic Talent focus) or real, dedicated discipline to overcome the unstable state of the universe (investment in the Psychic Training focus). A Psychic with the Psychic Training focus uses their Effort score normally.
• Someone with a Psychic or Partial Psychic class but not the Psychic Traning focus rolls on the Torching table for every use of their abilities, but uses a 1d10 and considers the final number to be 6+. (This risk does mean they don't concern themselves with tracking effort, per normal Torching.)
• Unstable MES potential niggles at the minds of many people, tempting them to accept it. Any PC that wants to purchase a single psychic skill with skill points may do so, powering it under the normal Torching rules.

Technology: The collapse of the complex Mandate economic systems is truly fresh.

• Most worlds are TL3 with some TL2. The ability to manufacture new TL4 goods (include starships) is essentially lost.
• TL4 technology is almost universally pre-existing, fighting the forces of entropy and time as skilled technicians try to keep it running. TL5 technology is regarded with wonder and awe if it is ever witnessed. "TL4 Spare Parts" are a true commodity and scavenging is legitimate business. All TL4 gear is regarded 10x the book value on fallen worlds.
• There is no interstellar banking and no such thing as credits. "Credits" should be tracked in "trade goods" and "trade metals" listing the value appropriately.
• Level 2 of the Ironhide focus will not be allowed.

Space Magic With the keenly-felt loss of technology, the whispering of Dark Powers offering alternative options for power are real.

• The setting will be closest to the Street Magic feel: "more of a gritty noir flavor." It might be mistrusted like Psychics or more trustworthy, depending on personal experience of the NPC.
• The use of Shadows will have seen a definite upsurge after the scream - those with time to still philosophise might worry about the reason otherworldly intelligences find access to our world so porous.
• Arcanist and Magister classes can be justified to an arcane tradition from Pre-Scream, or new knowledge shared from an otherworldly Shadow patron, depending on desired idiom.
• Godhunters and Sunblades (particularly gunslinging ones) are very in-theme.
• I will incorporate Sanctums and mystical finds along with TL4 parts and Pre-Scream ruins based on what class-options are used.
• Magic, Psychics, and Technology all exist equally as different "sciences" and reasons the Pre-Scream universe was a utopia.

[Marullus]

Mutations
I'm adopting a less extreme version of the Post-Scream world of Other Dust, aiming for more of a Space Western feel. I want to give the option to play with the mutations there, but I am concerned that the mutations can be so dramatic that it overwhelms and diminishes the Western motif rather than enhancing it. I don't want everyone to be a crazy-looking mutant - I'm going to extrapolate on the mutation rules (including the optional ones) here to be explicit.

Social stigmas
Mutants are particular to Earth-9, more frequent outside of cities, and treated with social stigma by space pilots and off-worlders who are not accostomed to their existence. (Off-world PCs do not start with the mutation option.) In cities, mutants are often second-class citizens. With off-worlders, PCs may suffer a penalty to the reaction table.

Why are there mutants?
The succession wars on Earth-9 resulted in both radiation-causing weapons of mass distruction as well as the mass deployment of atmospheric nanites which were meant to protect and heal the population in the event of those kinds of weapons. The untested cocktail results in both radiological damage and uncontrolled nanites trying to repair it. This creates strange-but-stable oddities in those who spend their time in the Badlands (or in-vitro for their children, as many of this generation learned to their dismay); it also affects flora and fauna to make the Badlands a dangerous, unpredictable, and mysterious place. That sense of danger and unpredictability applies to how mutants are viewed socially in cities and by off-worlders, putting them in the same category as psychics and shadow cultists but less able to hide their shames.

Mutation mechanics
Mutations consist of a Stigmata, a Benefit, and a Flaw.
House rule: Our world of more mild mutants will dispense with the Stigmata. If it enhances your character and roleplay, you may roll or choose a Stigmata at your option.

By spending 1 point, you can roll these as a randomized set together.
By spending 2 points, you can roll a random Benefit without a significant drawback. (Don't roll the flaw, choose before you roll.)
By spending all 3 points, you can choose your rolls from the tables, picking both the benefit of your choice and a flaw of your choice.

All rolls must be made on a character linked to the game. If you want to experiment with a mutation, I suggest you roll your mutation first after choosing the points and rolling method above. If the mutation is unplayable or highly detracting, nothing stops you from deleting the character and starting over. However, once you continue on, I would like the full set of character rolls intact on the character -- mutation (if desired), attributes, growth/learning rolls, hit points, etc. -- to keep with the OSR nature of the game. Playing-forward with a non-ideal character can add depth.

Rolls:

You can generate mutations with these rolls:
Stigmata [1d10][1d6][1d8]
Flaw [1d12] Benefit [1d12]
Subtables [1d6][1d6][1d8][1d8][1d10][1d10]
(Subtables vary in die-size and are determined by flaw/benefit rolled. You shouldn't need more than two of any die.)

There are four pages of tables to read, so I won't insert them all here. Feel free to post rolls in Character Creation and I (or another book-holder) can help interpret them.

[Marullus]

Starting Gear
If you select a package that includes TL4 items, you may keep those items, knowing they will be 10x as expensive to repair or replace.
You may also swap them out for TL3 or below items of equal or lesser value (like a laser pistol for a pair of revolvers and some ammo).

If you are buying TL4 gear with credits, even at game start, purchase them at 10x the cost. All prices for TL3 or less gear are normal.

Dual Wielding
(Since it is emblematic for a gunslinger...)
By the book, if you wield two weapons (like a pair of revolvers) you take a -1 to hit and a +2 damage. You don't make two attack rolls. If the weapons are unequal damage dice, you can choose which weapon's damage roll you are using and adding the +2 to.

Hit Points
House rule: Re-roll the first 1 rolled on each hit point die. (If the second roll is a 1, keep it.)

House rule: Each level, re-roll all hit dice. If the result is lower than your current total, just add 1+bonuses.
Example: At 1st level, you rolled a 6 +1 Con +2 Warrior for a total of 9. At 2nd level you reroll both dice, getting a 2 and a 3. This is total hit points less than at first level, so you instead keep the total 9 +1 + 1 Con +2 Warrior for a new total of 13.

If hit points are critical to your character, consider taking a Warrior or Partial Warrior class (+2hp/level), the Die Hard focus (+2hp/level), or both.

Dying and being Wounded
You are dying when you hit 0 hit points. You are only wounded if you lost hit points but aren't at 0.

Dying:

A mortally-wounded creature at zero hit points will die in no more than six rounds. They may be unconscious, screaming for their mother, trying to press vital organs back into place, or begging for mercy, but they can perform no useful action and their fate is sealed if no immediate aid is provided. Creatures dropped by Heavy weapons, explosives, or other dramatic injury may be instantly killed at the GM’s discretion. Additional damage inflicted on a mortally-wounded target will always kill them immediately.

Any character can attempt a Main Action to stabilize a dying character with either Int or Dex and the Heal skill. Difficulty is 10, 8 with a medical kit, or 6 with a lazarus patch (TL4). (House Rule: Medical kits per the book are available at TL3, with TL4 kits costing 10x and affecting recovery time per below. Laz Patches remain TL4, waive the penalty per-round.) After 10 minutes they return to 1 hit point and can resume action but any further damage kills them (no chance to stabilize). They require one week of bedrest before they shake off this fragility and can begin regaining additional hit points normally.

Someone with the Healer focus can stabilize an ally as an On Turn action instead of a Main Action, and rolls 3d6, keeping the best two, for succeeding at the check.

This assumes that TL4 medical care is available. If only TL3 tech is on hand, the recovery time is a month. If TL2 or lower medical care is provided, the recovery time is a month, and the target must make a Physical saving throw at the end of it, with a bonus equal to the Heal skill of whoever is tending them. On a success, they’ll recover within 1d4 more weeks. On a failure, the primitive technology ensures they’ll die of their
wounds at some point in that time.

Characters healed by magical or psionic means waive this fragility, returning to action with the hit points provided. This usually costs a System Strain (per the power's description).

Our house rules for Psionics work with Biopsions as follows: Any PC can buy Biopsion like a normal skill. They can use this at will with a 5-in-6 chance of permenently reducing an attribute for each use. A Partial Psychic class can purchase Biopsion and use it at will with a 5-in-10 chance of permenently reducing an attribute for each use. A Full Psychic is the same as a partial psychic, but they can learn more than one psychic discipline where others cannot. A Full or Partial Psychic can also take the Psychic Training focus to stabilize their powers and allow them uses-per-day without any risk to attributes (determined by their effort score instead). A Full or Partial Psychic who learns Biopsion-1 can choose Mastered Succor as their advanced technique and heal others without risk (not spending effort / not torching). A Wild Psychic Talent in biopsionics can use it to stabilize allies in 1 scene/day with no risk to attributes.

Someone using at least biopsion-0 can stabilize allies for the cost of 1 system strain to the patient with a main action. They must reach them in time but success is then automatic. They recover with 1hp in 10 minutes, but are not fragile. Activating this ability (torching or spending effort) allows it to remain active to get mutiple allies stabilized within the same scene. At biopsion-1 or better, they recover with additional hit points and can act the next round. (House Rule: a biopsion may torch [only torch] instinctively to self-stabilize at 0 hit points, waking up in 10 minutes per normal.)

The Rectifer spell "Font of Persistent Life" expends one spell slot as a main action and revives all mortally-wounded targets within 20 meters at once, costing the caster 1 system strain per target. All targets revive with 1hp five minutes later.

Wounded:
If you're down hit points but not currently fragile from nearly dying, you recover when you get a full night's rest. For each night's rest, you regain your level in hit points (1 per hit die) and recover 1 system strain.

Pharmaceuticals (see the Lift drug, page 73) are available (House Rule: available as TL3) but can only be administered by someone with medical training (Heal-0). These restore 1d8+Heal Skill in hit points after 5 minutes rest but cost a system strain. Someone with the Healer focus doubles the amount of healing received.

Someone with the Healer focus and a medical kit (either TL3 or TL4, per above) can spend 10 minutes and give 1d6+Heal hit points to everyone in the group once per day.

Biopsion-1 allows spending a main action to heal 1d6+1 damage by touch at the cost of one system strain to the target. Torching/effort covers multiple uses within one scene.

The Rectifer spell "Reinforce Tissue" expends one spell slot as a main action and heals a target within line of sight for 2d6 hp, inflicting 1 system strain on the target.

[Marullus]

Electronics use on Earth-9
There are two major forms of electronics in SWN: The Compad, meant to be a tablet-like personal device that operates on wifi, or the Dataslab which is a full laptop with robust capability (including for coding or hacking). In our setting, you can be a TL2 transistor radio, a TL3 (real world) tablet, or a TL4 hi-tech holo display, at your option. While out here, it is a receive-only device no matter its parameters. You can describe it playing music from radio stations and if it has a data screen, you can avail yourself of plot information broadcast from the city that I provide, like below.
If you need to get a communication from an outlying area back to the city, it requires a major radio broadcast rig to transmit it, which is often available in towns (think a Wild West telegraph office). This is true for the judge reporting rulings, bounty hunters certifying a claim on a bounty, or administration checks to requisition goods/favors from allies, etc.
If you purchase a Dataslab instead of a compad, then you have the extra advantages of computing power and data storage - if you want a portable database that can operate outside of a city (a law library, star charts and ship registries, blueprints for fixing things, etc) that requires a Dataslab that and a reasonable expectation that you downloaded the repository while in a city, ship, or place where such a thing would have been available.