Science Fiction Genre Abilities

At tier 3, your science fiction or postapocalypse character gains a mid-tier ability from the following list of Science Fiction Genre Abilities, and at tier 6 you gain a high-tier ability from the same list. In addition, at tier 6, you can replace one of your mid-tier genre abilities with a different mid-tier ability.

However, the following stipulations apply:

• Check with your GM to make sure all the genre abilities fit their campaign—for instance, your GM may decide that in their postapocalypse game, the capacity required to achieve certain technological marvels is long gone. In other words, your character might not be able to choose certain genre abilities like Machine Companion, Mind Reading, or others that grant exceptional effects.
• When it is time to choose a genre ability at tier 3 and tier 6 but you're not finding one below that seems like a natural fit for your character, work with your GM, who might grant you the option to pick an ability from elsewhere—such as from foci.

Mid-Tier Science Fiction Abilities

Black Thumb: When repairing, modifying, or building machines or devices of any kind, your task takes you half as long as normal. Enabler.

Cypher Use: You can bear one additional cypher at a time. You can gain this ability multiple times. Each time you do, you can bear one additional cypher at a time. Enabler.

Disable Mechanism (3+ Intellect): With a successful Intellect attack to hack a machine, robot, or device (intelligent or not) within immediate range, you disrupt it in one of the following ways:

• All the machine's tasks are hindered until you use a ten-minute or longer recovery.
• The machine's speed is halved.
• The machine can take no action for one round.
• The machine deals 2 fewer damage (minimum 1 point) until you use a ten-minute or longer recovery.

You must touch the machine, robot, or device to disrupt it (if you are making an attack, it inflicts no damage).

Effort: Increase the range to as far as you can directly see (through your own eyes, not through a remote camera or other interface). Target a mechanism through a network interface you have unrestricted access to (this requires two levels of Effort). Action.

Enhanced Stat: You gain 4 points in one Pool of your choice. Enabler.

Expert Follower: You gain a level 3 follower. Enabler.

Hands on the Wheel (2+ Intellect): When you pilot or drive a mechanical craft and your roll is less than a 9, treat the roll as a 9. (This means you don't get a GM intrusion if you roll a 1.) This ability's benefit persists until you take a ten-minute or longer recovery.

Effort: Increase the minimum number rolled for this ability by 3. At tier 3, the minimum number rolled for this ability increases to 12. Enabler.

Incredible Health: Due to unusual circumstances—alien physiology, injection of nanobots, exposure to strange radiation, your natural immune system coming into its own, or something else—you are now immune to diseases (and, if you wish, mutations) of any kind. Enabler.

Machine Companion: A level 3 robot of your size or smaller (purchased or built by you) accompanies you and follows your instructions as an intelligent follower. You and your GM must work out the details of your robot. If the robot is destroyed, they can be restored using your resources and a few days of tinkering. If you already have a robot assistant, machine companion, or similar device, you either gain a new one or upgrade the previous one by 1 level, whichever you choose. Enabler.

Mind Reading (2 Intellect): You can read the surface thoughts of a creature you can see within short range. If the creature is unwilling, you must make an Intellect attack against them to read their thoughts. Once you have established contact, you can read the target's thoughts until you use a ten-minute or longer recovery. Action.

Snipe (2 Speed): You spend one action aiming at a foe. If you attack that foe on your next turn, your attack is eased, and if you hit you inflict an additional 5 damage. First action.

Spray (2 Speed): If a weapon has the ability to fire rapid shots without reloading (usually called a rapid-fire weapon, such as a crank crossbow or submachine gun), you can spray multiple shots around your target to increase the chance of hitting, gaining an asset to the attack. This ability uses 1d6 + 1 attacks' worth of ammunition or power (or all of the weapon's stores, if it has less ammo or power than the number rolled). If the attack is successful, it deals 1 less damage than normal. You can also use this ability on multiple thrown weapons (such as stones, shuriken, daggers, and so on) if you're carrying them on your person or they are all within reach. Action.

High-Tier Science Fiction Abilities

Arc Spray (3 Speed): If a weapon has the ability to fire rapid shots without reloading (usually called a rapid-fire weapon, such as a crank crossbow or submachine gun), you can fire your weapon at three targets (all next to one another) at once. Make a separate hindered attack roll against each target. Action.

Improved Machine Companion: You create, find, or otherwise acquire a level 5 intelligent machine companion follower that accompanies you and acts as you direct. If it's destroyed, it can be restored using your resources after a few days of labor. If you already have a lower-level machine companion, you choose whether it is upgraded to level 5 or you retain the level 3 companion and gain a new level 5 companion. Enabler.

Inspire Action (4 Intellect): If one ally can see and easily understand you, you can instruct that ally to take an action. If the ally chooses to take that exact action, they can do so as an additional action immediately. Doing so doesn't interfere with the ally taking a normal action on their turn. Action.

Knowledge Expert: You are trained as an expert in two broad science and/or knowledge tasks (such as mathematics, physics, engineering, geology, history, hacking, and the like) that you are already specialized in. Alternatively, you can increase your skill in two science or knowledge tasks (from no skill to trained, or from trained to specialized). Enabler.

Lethal Capability: You've mastered how to kill with a particular attack. You inflict an additional 5 damage with attacks of one specific type, such as a thrown knife, a shot with a firearm, a swing of an axe, unarmed attacks, or some other specific attack you prefer. You can gain this ability more than once. Each time you do, choose a different specific attack. Enabler.

Severe Machine Disruption (5 Intellect): With a successful Intellect attack to hack a machine, robot, mechanism, or device (intelligent or not) within immediate range, you disrupt it in all the following ways simultaneously:

• All the machine's tasks are hindered until you use a ten-minute or longer recovery.
• The machine's speed is halved.
• The machine can take no action for one round.
• The machine deals 2 fewer damage (minimum 1) until you use a ten-minute or longer recovery.

You must touch the machine to disrupt it (if you are making an attack, it inflicts no damage).

Effort: Increase the range to as far as you can directly see (through your own eyes, not through a remote camera or other interface). Target a machine through a network interface you have unrestricted access to (this requires two levels of Effort). Action.

Technology Expert: When you roll to use any kind of mechanical device (other than a weapon) and your roll is less than a 9, treat the roll as a 9. (This means you don't get a GM intrusion if you roll a 1.)

Effort: Increase the minimum number rolled for this ability by 3. At tier 3, the minimum number rolled for this ability increases to 12. Enabler.

Telepathic Network: You create a telepathic network between yourself and ten willing creatures you know, no matter where they are. All creatures in the network are linked and can communicate telepathically with one another. They can also "overhear" anything said in the network. Activating or using this ability doesn't require an action and doesn't cost Intellect points; to you, it's as easy as speaking out loud. The network lasts until you choose to end it.

Effort: Increase the base number of people in the network to twenty (5 Intellect), lasting until you use a ten-minute or longer recovery; each additional ten people costs 1 Intellect. Enabler to create a network; action to create an expanded network (twenty or more people).