toarurpg wip9.pdf

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Credits

/tg/IRC channel: #acertainroleplayinggame @ xen.thisisnotatrueending.com

http://1d4chan.org/wiki/A_Certain_Role-playing_Game

CastFromHPRailgunagAegelwardTe_Bard

dotanon

lolimasterVaguelyHorrible


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Table of Contents

Welcome to Academy City! 4Basic Mechanics 9

Making Your Character 12

Combat Mechanics 16

Weapons and Equipment 20

Powers Appendix 22GM Aids 29

A Certain Scientific Character Sheet 30


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1. Welcome to Academy City!Te year is 20XX. It has been exactly twenty years rom the current date. Te city o okyo has become atechnological juggernaut leading the world into the uture with the power o scientic achievements andhuman ingenuity with just a little thanks to human evolution.

In this day and age there exists a breed o humans known as ESP (Extrasensory perception) users. Es-pers or Psychics or short, they are an accepted part o society in this brave new world. Tey are how-ever, a very tightly controlled and well trained part o society as every girl and boy with an ounce o psy-chic power is sent to school in the new preecture o Academy City. Here more than two million Espersand all the parts o society needed to support them, come to school under a special curriculum at oneo countless schools where their powers are honed or uture use. Government supported and acceptedthey exist in a contrast to the other anomaly o humanity, magicians who put their aith and abilities inGods and rituals. Tese ancient rites exist side by side with the new Esper talents aided by the wonderso science to create a vibrant world o breathtaking magic and awe inspiring technology.--------------------------

Welcome to the World o o Aru Majutsu no Index!I you ancy yoursel a well read and educated person on the setting as perhaps you enjoyed the animeor the manga, you may eel ree to skip this introduction. However, it doesnt hurt or a reresher as weput it in the context o a Role Playing Game.


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In o Aru Majutsu no Index the world has advanced to a state both easily recognized and easily misunder-stood rom what we know aer the rst decade o the second millennium. Te basics remain the same interms o technology, youll nd all the 21st century conveniences without any issue i you were to go throughan average apartment. Mannerisms and general attitudes o populations are also airly similar with a ewimportant exceptions. o make it short, people are still people and the ridge was happily not replaced by areeze dried ood cabinet. However, what has really changed between our world and the world o AcademyCity has been the unctioning o society in response to the phenomenon o Espers.

Espers and Academy City:Te raising and care o the millions o Espers in Japan alls to special government sections who train, teach,and care or them or the rst two decades o their lives. Te most stunning example o this exists in Acade-my City in western okyo. Here 2.3 million live and study to become better Espers while scientists and teach-ers perorm experiments using psychic power to urther their understanding o numerous elds rom windcurrent studies to cancer research to human cloning. Here is where the students in the Index RPG will livenearly the entirety o their rst eighteen years and where the Player Characters will live as well. It is all in alla unctioning city much like any other with the major caveat that it is dedicated to educating young Espersand teaching what is known as the Power Curriculum or Kaihatsu.

Te Power Curriculum:Tis broad term is used to describe the many physical and mental challenges growing Espers must undergoto awaken their latent talents. Much o it is similar to regular school work and some o it truly is typicalwork or any school age kid. However, through various other exercises and practices by the schools o Acad-emy City the students awaken their talents through small steps using their minds power to bend spoons ormanipulate small objects to nally going through tasks that test the limits o their nally awakened talents.eachers who are oen non-Esper themselves are in charge o administering this curriculum with aid romDoctors and scientists who exist in a plethora within the walls o Academy City. Every student who passesthrough the halls o a school in this district o okyo will participate in Kaihatsu in some shape or orm withvarying degrees o success.

Schools o Academy City:Te essential truth o schooling in Academy city is very simple with just the slightest o twists. Everyone islearning the Power Curriculum. But not everyone is learning the same curriculum.

Every school in Academy City caters to teaching the psychically endowed the methods and means to awakentheir powers. However, while the end o this schooling road is very clear the road that leads there is not al-ways so. At each institution the sta are given a certain amount o leeway as to how they teach their students.While all o them also include a basic education as a normal student might receive outside the preecture,rom there on the methodology tends to be dierent. Some teachers might be given to using techniques likehypnotism and strenuous mind exercises like Columbus Egg. While on the other hand there are many who

stick to a simple set o spoon bending exercises combined with school work geared towards their under-standing o Esper powers. Even environment is considered as some students are aorded to live in the lapo luxury while others live with the bare minimum. As an Esper child your road to psychic awakening andempowerment could take many orms.


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Organizations:Within and outside o the schools there are many organizations, mostly scientic and benevolent in nature,working within the connes o Academy City. Tese organizations set up above and below ground to workon the many projects that give the city its lieblood and its purpose undertaking such grand projects as creat-ing small clone armies or developing new convenience products or its citizens. However, as a ully unction-ing city at all levels it has its own private and public organizations not directly dedicated to the ocus o thecity. A great example o one such group is a common sight amongst the throngs o students is the pan-school

disciplinary committee known as Judgment. Tey are entirely student age enorcers o school rules or theEspers in Academy City and handle disciplinary actions in all sorts o situations while not being true police.Tere are a number o other school related organizations that exist alongside ocial government organi-zations and all these are known to the inhabitants. However, what happens inside supposedly abandonedresearch complexes or under the old transport rails is only whispered in secret with many speculating as towhat could possibly be lurking in the shadows o the underground or lurking on the Outside. Its an opensecret that no one seems to pursue but here is where much o the darker and more secretive organizationstake to doing their work.

See the City!

In Academy City there are a ew unmistakable landmarks and certain geographical eatures that everyone

native to the preecture can point out on a map [Reerence page here once map is included?]. A ew includethe Central Bridge (Note or Editor: No known name or this as Ive searched the manga. But it appears a lotin the background or in various scenes.) that spans the waterway dividing the city, the city gates where allnew arrivals enter rom okyo, and the central waterway (Note to Editor: No known name once more.).


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Te o Aru universe loves to invent terminology oreverything. Tis should help newcomers settle intothe game better or give veterans a reresher course.

Glossary

Academy City/Gakuen oshi - Special economic areaon the western edge o okyo. Its 2.3 million inhab-itants are almost entirely composed o students orsta at special schools that teach children how toharness latent psychic powers. Much o the develop-ment is solely dedicated or schools and expansiveapartment complexes that serve as dormitories orthe schools. Other sections are well known or hous-ing research laboratories government run or other-wise which makes or tight security in the city.

Anti-Skill - Academy Citys police and securityorces. Unlike Judgment, members o Anti-Skill areordinary adults who work in the city. One is essen-tially a volunteer when one joins Anti-Skill

Columbus Egg Sometimes included by particularlycruel or harsh teachers in Kaihatsu, this practicerequires one to psychically balance an egg withoutbreaking it. Harsh punishments are said to awaitthose unable to complete it.

Espers/Psychics Tose born with an innate humanability to control extraordinary powers. Tey are theprime inhabitants o Academy City who have beencordoned o with the purpose o training to honetheir powers aided the state and their peers. Tesehumans have one minor downside to their gis,they are unable to perorm sorceries and magics orreasons unknown.

Judgement - Academy Citys student-based disciplin-

ary committee. Tey are composed o students ovarying grade levels and power, and along with Anti-Skill, are tasked to maintain peace-and-order withinthe school system.

Power Curriculum Proram Tis is the deningword or a wide set o mental and physical programsthat are meant to stimulate the human mind ingrasping innate psychic power. Kaihatsu includes awide variety o methods rom normal school work tohypnotism and drugs.

Kougyou Daigaku Research university thatoperates the security satellites watching overAcademy City.

Level Reers to the general mastery and powerover the Espers given domain. Tis analysis alsoincludes thought towards general useulness in

combat or other areas. Te range resides betweenzero and ve with each level higher rom zerohaving less and less membership due to the sheermastery or power it takes to join the ranks as oneclimbs higher.Ex. Level Five students only number sevenknown members in Academy City and all exhibitan extraordinary talent or their psychic power.

Magic Chapel Sub-arm o the Puritan Churchwhich works on storing and keeping magical

knowledge.

Magic Name A similar concept to a nom-de-guerre this name is used by magicians duringtheir ocial or personal use o magic or onepurpose or another. Te method behind choos-ing such a name varies.

Magician One who can manipulate seeminglyhidden orces to perorm various eats by ol-

lowing certain rituals and methods o creatingit. Te users o magic are widespread and oendedicated to one God or another rom Aztecanpantheons to the Judeo-Christian God. Tosewho take on the mantle o magician are devoido psychic ability or reasons unknown.

Necessarius Vatican organization involved withmagical experimentation and psychic powers.Unknown to the general public.Ex. Creators and keepers o the Magical Index.

Power Curriculum Proram Tis is the den-ing word or a wide set o mental and physicalprograms that are meant to stimulate the humanmind in grasping innate psychic power. Kaihatsuincludes a wide variety o methods rom normalschool work to hypnotism and drugs.

Puritan A religious and magical order basedout o the United Kingdom.


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Runes A language developed by the Galmanribe o England in the Second Century o thecommon era specically to aid in magical ritualsand processes.

Skill-out Skill-Out reers to the largest armedLevel 0s group in Academy City, which have

numbers up to thousands. Teir goal is to ght orrights in a city where those without abilities arepicked on by those who faunt their higher esperabilities

Te Outside Te area bordering the specialokyo Academy District. Tis term also reers col-loquially to any area outside o Japan.

okiwadai Prestigious girls school serving the

middle school level. Some o the strongest upcom-ing Espers attend this school.

Vatican/Catholic Church A religious and magi-cally oriented society based in the Holy See. Tisorganization is known to cooperate with thePuritan group on occasion and is implied by thesource material to work in a similar manner.


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2. Basic MechanicsA Certain Scientic Roleplaying Game uses

a d10 roll-under system.

Base Attributes: Tere are our base stats in thisgame.Physical - physical strength and constitution.Mental - Not only sheer intelligence, its also thespeed o thought and everything thats based in yourhead.Social - How much o a people person you are.Coordination - Agility, speed, and dexterity.

Skill Checks: Each skill check is done by rst taking

the base stat or the check, applying anyapporpriate modiers rom skill or the diculty othe check. Tis is the target number or the check.Ten roll 2d10. A result that matches or is under thetarget number is a success.

On a roll o 19 or 20, the result is a critical ailure.On a roll o 2 or 3, the result is a critical success.

Example skill checks: Johns character has a 12 orhis Physical stat. He wants to li something heavy

and rolls 2d10, with a result o 11. He passes thetest, but barely.

He then decides he wants to climb the side o abuilding. He has a skill o 4 in climbing and addsthat to his Physical stat or a total o 16. He rolls2d10 with a result o 17. Unortunately, this isntenough and he ails to climb the building.

Skills: Tere is no skill list or the game. Skillsare reeorm and can be whatever the players

come up with, within reason. When designing askill, players should restrict their skill to a singlebase stat. Te skill can only be applied insituations using that base stat.

i all else ails...at GM discretion is the answer!


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Guidelines or Freeorm Skills: GMs shouldencourage their players to pick interesting skills andshould allow liberal applications o their skill to amultitude o situations. Tink o skills less as oneparticular activity someone is good at and more likea penumbra o ablities they have categorized under

one name. GMs should, however, restrict playersrom taking skills that are too vague or too all-en-compassing. Badassery is not a skill. Judo is. SeeGM Aids chapter or skill ideas.

GMs should also eel ree to apply negativemodiers or using skills in a way that is a stretch.

Examples: An academic-type character who takes askill in their particular specialization, say, neurosci-ence, could apply their neuroscience skill not only

to knowledge checks about neuroscience but also toidentiying equipment in a biology lab orconducting rantic research in a library when pressedor time. However, in a situation where theyre calledupon to address someones reaction to a drug that hassome neurological eects but also a plethora o othereects, they might only be able to add one or twopoints o their skill to the check.

A character with a gun skill would cover not only theuse o rearms but also their maintenance, knowledgeo laws surrounding their use, etc.

Diculty Modiers or Skill Checks: Not all skillchecks are born equal. Oen times, just rolling thebase stat + skill unmodied isnt a good enoughrepresentation o how dicult a task is. Making aphysical check to li a heavy box is not the same asmaking a check to manually fip a car.

Examples: When rolling a lockpicking check in total

darkness, the GM might rule that this is anexceptionally difcult task and make the player roll

at -5 to the target number.For a lock that is somewhat sophisticated but not toomuch so, the GM may apply a -3 modier.For a lock that the player character is very amiliarwith or is worn down, the GM may give them a +3bonus.

Opposed Rolls: Tere will come a time whencharacters make rolls against each other. Onecharacter could be trying to blu another, andthe other is trying to discern whether or nottheyre blung.

In these cases, both players roll to see i theysucceed their check. I one player ails and theother succeeds, the other player wins theopposed check. I both players succeed, comparetheir rolls with the target number. Te playerwho succeeds with a greater dierence betweentheir roll and the target number wins theopposed check. Tis is the margin o success o aroll.

Example: In the above example, one character has

their lie skill at 3 and a social stat o 11, making atarget number o 14. Te other has detect lies at 2and a social stat o 10 or a target number o 12.Te rst player rolls a 9 and has a margin o suc-cess o 5. Te second rolls 5 and has a margin osuccess o 7 and thus wins the opposed check..

When to Roll: Not every action requires a skillcheck. Generally rolls dont need to happen orsomething that someone can casually do in reallie and doesnt directly oppose someone elsesaction.

Tumbing through a book at the library to ndout more about a subject wouldnt require acheck.

Frantically trying to nd an obscure act aboutsomething while the library is on re and abomb is ticking down somewhere would requirea check.


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Esper Powers: Esper abilities dont use the d10 rollunder system to measure success.

Instead, the esper when using their power rolls anumber o d10 equal to their level and add up theresult.

Te higher the result, the more they can do withtheir power.

General Guidelines

1-5: Te esper can hardly make an eect happenwith their power. Maybe they move some widgetsacross their desk. Maybe they can light a cigaretteor give someone a mild burn. Its not much.

6-10: You can make a small display o yourpower. Perhaps you can hurl an object across theroom or make a small golem.

11-15: Your power is o very common level. Youmight be able to call upon great physical strengthor keep someone trapped or a short while insidea barrier.

16-20: Tis is the upper limit o the commonESPers power. While not massive, it can be veryeective i used eciently.

21-25: Youre beginning to call upon high levelso power. Your currents o air can cut rom nearand ar or power over torque might rip a rein-orced door o its hinges.

26-30: Tings are getting dangerous. rees mightturn into soldiers or you and your teleportationmight reach hundreds o eet.

31-35: Its easy to stretch your powers into newdirections. You might duplicate increasinglycomplex objects or begin to breed new strains oexisting diseases.

36-40: Youve reached a level o power ew hopeto achieve. Your near invisibility might extend topossessions on your person, or you might shithe odds to win the lottery.

41-45: You can probably level small buildings

with ease. I youre reading someones mind,theres hardly anything that theyll be able to hiderom you.

46-50: Tis is the true meaning o a Level Five.Easily short out the power o an entire city - onaccident. Youre wielding power that rivals that othe gods.

Critical Failures: When trying to use their power,an esper can lose control and suer backlash. A

level one cannot have a critical ailure. A level 2that rolls 2 or lower on both dice has a criticalailure. A level 3 that rolls 2 or lower on 2 o their3 dice has a critical ailure. A level 4 that rolls 3 orlower on 3 o their 4 dice has a critical ailure. Alevel 5 that rolls 3 or lower on 3 o their 5 dice hasa critical ailure. On a critical ailure, the esperails to generate the desired eect rom theirpower takes damage equal to the total dice rollthey made or that check.


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3. Making Your CharacterCharacter Concept: Come up with an idea oryour character rst. Maybe youre the level 5ace or your school. Maybe youre the Judge-ment member who makes lie living hell or theresident level 5. In any case, be thinking o whatyour character is doing in Academy City, whatthey want to accomplish, what their personalityis like. A more well-ormed character conceptwill make it more un to make and play yourcharacter.

o Roll or Not to Roll: Tis rulebook providesguidelines or rolling up characters with randombackgrounds, esper powers and the like. I youlike having more control over your character,eel ree to simply pick your esper ability orbackground i its okay with the GM and otherplayers.

Generating Base Stats:

Roll 2d10 ve times and choose the best ourresults to distribute as you choose among yourPhysical, Mental, Social and Coordination stats.

In addition, you have an HP stat that is yourPhysical stat multiplied by 5.

When you are reduced to 0 HP in combat, roll aPhysical check each round to stay conscious. On a

ailure, you all unconscious.

When you are reduced to -100% o your HP, rolla Physical check to avoid death. A ailure meansyour character is now dead.

GMs should eel ree to modiy this to make moreor less lethal campaigns.


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Skills and ESPer Level: Each character gets 35 character points to spend at the start o the game on skillsand their ESPer level.Each point in a skill costs 1 character point. Running 4 costs 4 points or example.Each ESPer level costs 5 character points. Tis means it costs 25 points to be a Level 5, leaving only 10points or skills. Tere are tradeos to being a powerul esper. When rolling or level, treat it as i theplayer had bought that level when calculating remaining character points.

GMs should make sure to curb the number o Level 5s in their campaign, or even i a player is allowed tobe a Level 5. Remember, Academy City in the series has only 7 Level 5s.

Rolling or Level: roll 1d100 and add your Mental stat1-15 - Level 016 - 30 - Level 131 - 50 - Level 251 - 80 - Level 381 - 100 - Level 4100+ - Level 5

Generating Abilities: Use the ollowing charts to rst determine what category o ablity your character hasand then the specic ability.

Ability Category: Roll 1d101-2 - Elemental3-4 - Forces5-6 - Mental7-8 - Biological9-0 - Anomaly

ELEMENAL

1d10 1 - Air

2 - Fire3 - Water4 - Earth5 - Metal6 - Electricity7 - Synthetic

Materials8 - Magma/Lava

9 - ElectromagneticWaves0 - ransmutation

FORCES

1d101 - Gravity2 - Friction3 - Pressure4 - Light5 - elekinesis6 - Mass control7 - Heat/Cold8 - orque9 - ime

Manipulation0 - Momentum

MENAL

1d10 1 - MemoryManipulation

2 - elepathy3 - Conusion4 - Hallucination5 - Sensory

Antagonism and Ago-nism

6 - Emotion

Antagonism and Ago-nism7 - Dream

Manipulation8 - Power

Nullication9 - Power

Absorption0 - Mental

Enhancement

BIOLOGICAL

1d101 - Plant Control2 - Physical

Enhancement3 - Sensory

Enhancement4 - Regeneration5 - Shapeshiing6 - Animal Control7 - Animation8 - Photorefexive

Memory9 - Disease0 - Chameleon

ANOMALY

1d101 - Barrier-eld

Manipulation2 - eleport3 - Precognition4 - Psychometry5 - Portals6 - echnokineti-

cism7 - Duplication8 - Probability9 - Projection0 - Phase Walk


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School/Organization Aliation:

Student Background:

Roll 1d101 - Experimental Subject/Child Error

2-3 - Delinquent (Skill-Out)4-7 - Regular Student8-9 - Honor Student0 - Agency Connections (Judgement, Anti-Skill)

Character Background/raits Chart:Roll 1d100. 1. Phobia

2. Always on the move.3. Judgement.4. Attacked by animal5. Celebrity.

6. Orphan.7. Hobbyist.8. Bookworm9. Hooligan10. Shut-in11. Ineriority Complex12. Local hero13. Unlucky14. Fist-ghter15. Computer whiz.16. Undeserved reputation17. Overcondent18. Gluttony19. Gemstone20. Didnt want this!21: Hero Worship22: Animal Lover23: Superstitious24: Overachiever25: Charitable26: Olympian27: eamworker28: O the Grid (Higher level than one would

think)29: Musician30: Wealthy31: Fireghter32: Main Character33: Nervous34: Anarchist35: Pyromaniac36: Fanbase37: Part-time Job38: Perectionist39: Family in the city

40: Still living at home41: Connected42: Emotionally scarred43: Engaged to be married44: Foreigner45: In a relationship46: Airhead47: Attractive/Good Looking

48: Famous Parent49: New in own


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50: Childlike51: Independent52: Butler/Maid53: sundere54: Stalker55: Positive56: Rebel

57: Class President58: Royal Blooded59: 19 year old ESPer60: Karaoke Addict61: Farmer62: Cook63: Journalist64: Genius65: Religious66: Rock Star67: Vertigo68: Skilled with Weapons

69: Sympathetic70: Fisherman71: Anemia72: Cant stand the Sun73: Occult Fan74: Coward75: Book Author76: Multilingual (Knows more than one language)77: Hermit78: Pariah77: Only Child78: Last Child

79: First-born o a huge amily80: Motorcycle Rider81: Memories o a past lie82: Hippie83: Crybaby84: Survivor85: Melancholic86: Sharp Sight87: Fast Learner88: Natural Leader89: Animal Refexes90: Drug Addict91: Food Connoisseur

92: Heterochromia (dierent color eyes)93: Night Owl94: Morning Person95: Bird Watcher96: Gambler97: Perect Childhood98: Short Sight99: Mystery - GMs Choice00: Clone

Character Progression:

As the campaign progresses, the GM shouldaward players with character points whenplotlines are completed or when their charac-ters do something particularly important tothe storyline or

something just really awesome i they choose.

In between sessions, these points can be usedto buy skills at the same cost as they are dur-ingcharacter generation. Be sure to roleplay whatkind o situation would lead to your characterdeveloping those skills.

Tey can also be used to buy base stat points

at a cost o 3 character points per base statpoint.

In the case o a player who wants to increasetheir characters ESPer level, they must rstget the GMs permission beore spending the 5character points. Leveling up is a signicantevent, so it should be handled with roleplay-ing o any test or exam assessing the charac-ters use o their ablity along with anythingelse the GM deems

appropriate.


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4. Combat MechanicsCombat urn Sequence: When combat isinitiated, every character rolls 1d10 and addstheir coordination stat to that roll. Te result istheir initiative score. Characters take their turnsin order o highest to lowest intiative score.

Manuveurs: Each combat round, a character canperorm a movement manuveur and an action.

Movement: Each character can move a numbero yards a turn equal to their Coordination statdivided by 2 and rounded down.

Action: Basically anything that requires a skillcheck is an action. Firing a weapon, using anesper ability, etc. In addition, it takes one actionto ready a holstered weapon.

Free Actions: Tese can be taken at any time dur-ing your turn without consuming your action orthe turn. alking is a ree action, within reason.Dropping a held item such as a weapon is also aree action.

Weapon Attack Mechanics: o attack with a weapon,roll the corresponding base stat (physical or coordi-nation) + weapon skill + any accuracy modiers theweapon may have. Tis is an opposed roll against thedeenders coordination to dodge.

On a successul hit with a weapon, roll the damagedice o the weapon and add your combat modier tothat result.

Your combat modier when using a weapon isdetermined by your corresponding base stat or thatweapon. For every two points above 10 you have inthat base stat, increase your combat modier by one.For every two below, decrease by one.

Unarmed attacks use an unarmed ghting skill.

Example: A character with physical 12 and baton 3swings a police baton and rolls against 12+3+1. Teyroll a 12 and succeed with a margin o 3. Te deenderrolls an 8 against coordination o 9 and succeeds by1, which means he is hit. Te baton does 1d10 + 1damage or the combat modier. So on a roll o 5, thebaton does 6 damage.


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Esper Abilities in Combat: At the start o eachround, each esper rolls a number o d10 equal totheir level. A Level 1 rolls a single die, a Level 2 rolls2, etc. Te result is the number opower points theyhave available to spend that turn. Tese can bespent on damage or an attack, modications or anattack, or stored or later use.

Storing Points: Up to hal (rounded down) o theremaining power points an esper has at the end oa round can be stored to be used in later rounds. Ithe total stored points exceed the maximum theycould roll or points in a single turn (10 or level 1,20 or level 2, etc), the esper loses all points abovetheir maximum and takes that much damage rombacklash.

Attack Damage: Te basic attack with an esper ablity

is treated as a melee range attack that hits one tar-get. One power point buys one point o damage orthat attack. Points spent on modications or storedor later use dont count towards damage.

Modiying Range and AOE: Te range o an attackcan be increased by 10 yards or each power pointspent on the attack up until a maximum o 100yards, or 10 points.

Te area o eect o an attack can be expanded by10 square yards or each point, with no upper limit.

Modications: Attacks can be modied in one otwo ways:

1. Te attack has an added mechanical eect asiderom damage.

2. Te attack uses the esper ablity in a way that isunconventional or deviates rom the way the power

is normally used.

For both types o modications, there are Small,Medium and Large eects, costing 1, 3, and 5 powerpoints each. For each eect beyond the rst, add 1power point to the cost. Ex: three small eects cost1+2+2 = 5 points. two large eects cost 5+6 = 11points. Te GM decides what size an eect is, butthere are guidelines below.

Mechanical Changes Examples:

Small: plants coming up rom the ground andmaking grabs at your eet to try to trip youMedium: A stunning eect to a shock, temporarilydropping youLarge: Plants wrap around someone and squeeze

tightly, immobilizing them

Power Deviation Examples:

Small: manipulating gravity to directly hit some-one with orceMedium: Using electromagnetism to create ablade out o iron particles rom the groundLarge: Using gravity to bend light

GMs may want to rule that the ability o an esper

to generate a powerul eect that deviates romtheir power is limited by their level.

Accuracy and Dodging: Upon declaring an attackusing esper powers, the attacker makes an accu-racy roll. For attacks doing physical damage, roll2d10 against your coordination. For this roll, addyour ESPer level and the number o points spenton increasing the AOE o the attack to your coor-dination (larger area attacks are harder to dodge).

Subtract 1 rom your coordination or each pointabove 3 spent on increasing the range o the at-tack. Te deender rolls coordination. Whoeversucceeds with a higher margin o success wins(hits with or dodges the attack). For mental at-tacks, use the mental stat in place o coordinationor both attacker and deender.

Deense: I you have stored up power points whensomeone successully attacks you, you can spendthose points to negate some o the damage at the

rate o 4 stored points per 1 point o damage ne-gated. Describe how you do this with your power.Ex: bringing up a sheet o ice to block a launchedrock, cutting through some o the vines o anattacking plant using a blade o vibrating ironparticles, etc.


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Critical Failures: When rolling dice each turn to de-termine power points, an esper can lose control otheir power and suer backlash rom it. A level onecannot have a critical ailure. A level 2 that rolls 2or lower on both dice has a critical ailure. A level 3that rolls 2 or lower on 2 o their 3 dice has a criticalailure. A level 4 that rolls 3 or lower on 3 o their

4 dice has a critical ailure. A level 5 that rolls 3 orlower on 3 o their 5 dice has a critical ailure. On acritical ailure, the esper gains no points this roundand instead loses all stored points and takes damageequal to the points they would have gained plus thestored points they lost.

Critical Successes: Use the normal critical successrules or non-esper power attacks and or dodges.A critical success means an automatic dodge. Foran attack, it means an automatic hit that deals the

maximum damage that the attack can do (ex: pistolat 2d10 + 2 would do 22 damage)

For esper attacks, do the ollowing: Level one esperscannot have critical successes. Level two espershave a critical success when both dice come up 9 orabove. Level three espers when two o the three dicecome up 9 or above. Level our when three o theour come up eight or above. Level ve when threeo the ve come up eight or above. Multiply the es-

pers total power pool or that turn by 1.5, roundedup. Do not apply the maximum power points ruleor this turn.Unconventional Powers: Some powers arent mod-elled well by this system o attacks. For example,animal control wouldnt have a way o directly do-ing damage. See the Powers Appendixor explana-tions o how some o these powers can be used incombat.

Sample Combat

Balthazar and Meriam, a level 3 plant control userand level 2 electricity control user respectively, aretagging along with Ben, a member o Skill-Out toinvestigate some criminals. Ben has equipped him-sel with a pistol and a riot shield while the othertwo are unarmed.

Te trio encounters two criminals, one o them alevel 4 synthetic control user and the other a com-mon thug armed with a rife.

Each o the ve rolls a d10 or initiative, addingtheir Coordination stat.

Balthazar: 12 + (1d10 = 5) = 17Meriam: 8 + (1d10 = 3) = 11Ben: 13 + (1d10 = 6) = 19Syn Con: 10 + (1d10 = 5) = 15Tug: 11 + (1d10 = 2) = 13

Te turn order is: Ben, then Balthazar, then the SynCon, then the thug, then Meriam.

Ben goes rst and, being the cautious type, decidesto hide behind his riot shield as his action.

Balthazar goes and rolls 3d10 or his power, witha result o 16. Hes also a bit cautious now anddoesnt know what esper powers the criminals have,choosing to store hal o his points - 8 - instead ousing them or an attack. Nonetheless, he choosesto move closer, getting (12/2 = 6) yards closer to thecriminals.

Te Syn Con is panicked. He rolls 4d10 with a

result o 20. Balthazar is about 20 yards away, sothe Syn Con sinks 2 o his 20 points to increase therange o his attack and then sinks 2 points into areao eect or good measure. Tat leaves 16 pointswhich the Syn Con chooses to sink all into damage.Luckily or Meriam and Ben, they arent standinganywhere near Balthazar and arent targeted in the20 square yard area o eect.

Te Syn Con rolls against 10 (coordination) + 4(level) + 2 (points into AOE) to hit versus Baltha-

zars roll against 12 (coordination). Both roll 2d10and both get a result o 11. Tis is a success orboth, but the Syn Con succeeds by a margin o 5whereas Balthazar only succeeds by a margin o 1and thus the attack hits or 16 damage.


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Balthazars Physical stat was 10, so he had a max HPo 50, which would be reduced down to 34. Balthazardecides to play deensively though and spends hisstored up 8 power points to negate 2 points o damage(costing 4 power points per 1 point o damage). He isinstead at 36 HP.

Te thug goes next and stays in place, electing toshoot at Ben. With a Rife skill o 3, the thug rollsagainst 11 (coordination) + 3 (skill) = 14. Te result o2d10 is 11, which is a success by 3. Ben is not so luckyand rolls 2d10 = 15 against his Coordination o 13and ails to dodge.

Te thug rolls well on 3d10 or the damage throughthe rife with a result o 25. Te riot shield absorbs 20o the damage and breaks, causing Ben to take 5 HPo damage.

Meriams turn is up. She eels like she has an oppor-tunity to attack because the Syn Con appeared to herto spend all o his energy in the one attack againstBalthazar. She rolls 2d10 or her power and gets anamazing roll o 18. From her vantage point, the SynCon is hal hidden behind a wall, so she decides tomove to get a better view. She can only move (8/2 = 4)yards a turn and doesnt move enough to get a bettershot.

She decides that she can modiy her power somewhatto still hit, electing to draw up a vibrating whip o ironparticles with her electromagnetism which can curvearound the wall and hit the Syn Con. She also decidesthat she might as well try to trip him in the process.Te Syn Con is about 30 yards away, so she also sinkspoints into range. Tis all costs her 3 (range) + 3(medium deviation eect) + 2 (small mechanical e-ect and an extra point since its a second eect) = 8points, leaving 10 damage possible i she hits.

She rolls against 8 (coordination) + 2 (level) = 10. On2d10, she rolls a 5. Te Syn Con rolls against 10 (co-ordination) and rolls a 6, a margin o success one lessthan Meriams. Te attack hits or 10 damage and theSyn Con has no points le to negate any o it.

Now each character has gone once and the next roundstarts.

Ben sees a clean shot and takes aim at theSyn Con with his pistol, rolling against 13(coordination) + 5 (pistol skill) = 18. Herolls a 10, with a margin o 8. Te Syn Conrolls 7 against 10, with a margin o 3 and ishit. Te pistol does 2d10 +2 = 12 damagethis turn.

Te Syn Con had a low Physical stat o 8 andthus only 40 HP. Hes down to 18 HP already.

Ben goes next, rolling poorly on 3d10 orhis power and only accrueing 10 points. Hesinks 2 into range to hit the Syn Con andputs the rest into damage. He rolls against 12+ 3 = 15 with a result o 10. A margin o 5.Te Syn Con rolls against 10 and comes upwith 13, a ailure. A vine lashes out at him

and deals 8 points o damage, leaving him at10 HP.

Te Syn Con is having a very, very bad daytoday. On his turn he rolls or his powerand his 4d10 come up with results o 3, 2,2, and 7. Since 3 out o 4 o his dice were 3or below, this constitutes a critical ailure.He gains no points and takes damage equalto the amount he would have gained + the

number o points he has stored. Since he hasno points stored, this is 3+2+2+7 = 14 dam-age, bringing him to -4. Since hes at or be-low zero, he makes a check to stay conscious,rolling against his Physical stat o 8. He rollsa 10, ailing it and alls unconscious.

Te thug is noticeably reaked out by thisturn o events and decides to book it insteado sticking around and ghting it out.

Notice rom this example that combat doesnot have to end in one side being completelydemolished. Death is not the only result ocombat. NPCs who think theyre outgunnedshould rationally run away. Similarly, thePCs should know that they dont have tosee every battle through to the bitter end. Ithings arent going their way, it might be bestor them to run.


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5. Weapons and EquipmentGuns, Germs and Steel: Sometimes esper powersarent the best tool or the job when it comes tocombat. An esper could be gied with an abilitysuch as psychometry that leaves very little room

or combat applications. Te Level 0 in theparty also needs a way to deend themselves.Tats where weapons come into play.

As the party will likely be playing studentsgiven the setting, most o these weapons willbe o the improvised variety or weapons thatare easy or teenagers to acquire. Firearmsand more lethal weapons will still be availablebut will probably require association with theproper organizations (legal or criminal) to beobtained.

Weapons and Stats: Each weapon correspondsto a certain base stat that governs its use. Mostbashing weapons such as batons, bats and clubsuse the Physical stat, as do large swords, axes,etc.

Some melee weapons, such as rapiers and dag-gers, rely more on nesse than brute strength andthus are based on the Coordination stat. Mostranged weapons like bows and rearms need a

steady hand to be used eectively and are alsobased on Coordination.

Weapon Mechanics: A character must have thecorresponding weapon skill to use bladed orranged weapons. Others (ex: clubs) can be usedunskilled by rolling only the corresponding stat.

Each weapon has two character traits. First isan accuracy modier. Tis number is added orsubtracted rom the target number when makinga skill check to use the weapon.

Te second is a damage roll. On a successul hitwith the weapon, roll the specied dice, add acombat modier, and deal that much damage tothe target.

For examples, see the Combat Mechanicschapter.


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Weapon ypes

Tese are more guidelines than they are hard andast rules.

Unarmed: Sometimes you just have nothing to useor a weapon. Doesnt mean you cant turn your

body into a deadly weapon with proper martialarts training.

Stat: PhysicalAccuracy: +0Damage Dice: 1d10-1

Simple Clubs: Tese weapons could include abroken o chair leg, a police baton, a particularlythick tree branch, or a cane. No matter what the

player has chosen to name their skill, they canwield similar weapons that t this list.

Stat: PhysicalAccuracy: +1Damage Dice: 1d10

Big Stick: Baseball bats, long wooden stas, etc -these larger blunt weapons can really hurt i theyconnect, even breaking bones or causing seriousinternal injuries. wo hands to wield.

Stat: PhysicalAccuracy: +0Damage Dice: 1d10 + 4

Small Blades: Pocket-knives, daggers, and the likemay be small, but their sharp edges make themlethal weapons.

Stat: CoordinationAccuracy: +2Damage Dice: 2d10 -4

Big Blades: Axes, swords, all your classical medi-eval antasy weapons go here. wo hands to wield.

Stat: PhysicalAccuracy: -1Damage Dice 2d10.

Ranged Weapons

Ranged weapons require membership in Anti-Skill or an equivalent law enorcement agency ora criminal group to possess. Te GM should leanheavily towards limiting i not prohibiting theiruse by PCs. Tese are mainly NPC weapons.

For each 10 yards past 30 that a rearm is red,subtract 1 rom accuracy.

Bows: Longbows, crossbowsStat: CoordinationAccuracy: -3Damage Dice: 2d10

Small Firearms: Pistols, derringers, etc.

Stat: CoordinationAccuracy: -1Damage Dice: 2d10 + 2

Big Firearms: Rifes o all sorts, shotguns, etc.Stat: CoordinationAccuracy: +0Damage Dice: 3d10

Equipment/Misc

Riot Shield: Tese occupy someones hand whenheld. As an action or their turn, someone canchoose to duck behind the shield rather thanmake an attack or take another action. I they doso, the riot shield absorbs all ranged weapon dam-age they would take. Te riot shield is treated asi it has 20 hit points. When its HP is reduced tozero, any damage over the minimum amount toreduce it to zero is dealt to the user. Other attackscan go around riot shields and are not blocked.

Body Armor: When worn, all damage taken isreduced by 2.

azer: on a hit, the target rolls vs Physical to see ithey are stunned and unable to act next turn.Stat: CoordinationAccuracy: -2Damage Dice: 1d10


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6. Powers AppendixCertain powers dont unction well using thestandard system o power points as damage.Here are some o them and how to use them.

Animal Control and Animation: When rollingor these powers, add up the result o the diceand double it. Tese points can be distrib-uted to orm the base stats o an animal youcontrol or a golem you create. For animation,you can instead use these to bolster the statso a golem you control instead o creating anew one. Each esper can control a number o

animals/golems equal to their level. Bung agolem makes a single golem count as one moregolem.

Golems and animals can be given modi-cations to their attacks by spending powerpoints. A maximum o 21 points can be spenton a golem or animal in this way.

Golems and animals require a Mental stat o atleast 6 to act on their own. Otherwise, the espermust spend a turn mentally issuing orders andoreit an action on their turn in order or theanimal or golem to act.

Physical Enhancement: Divide your roll orpower points by two, rounded down. Distributethese between your Physical and Coordinationstat. Tis can only be stacked three times.

Tis does grant temporary HP, but this is lost

as soon as the battle is over and the esper stopsusing this power. Tis loss o HP cannot reducea character to less than 0 HP. I a character isalready below 0 HP, they lose no HP rom this.

Modication points can be used to augmentphysical attacks using weapons each turn, giv-ing them area o eect shockwaves or stunningcapabilities, among other eects.


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Sensory Enhancement:

Mental Enhancement:

Shapeshiing:

Photoreexive Memory:

Duplication:


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Unconventional Combat Usages

Certain powers may not necessarily have oen-sive combat as their most intuitive use but none-theless have very eective combat applications.However, since these are unconventional uses,

these powers always require a deviation eect todeal damage.:

Medium Efect (3 points)

eleport (teleporting items into other people)Barrier-Field Manipulation (using barriers topush people)Portals (dropping stu on people, finging themusing portals)Light (shoot a concentrated laser)

Large Efect (5 points)

Probability(make a car swerve into an enemy)Phase Walk(cause internal damage to a oethrough phasing)Power Nullication *requires level 4 or above(shut down someones power so violently theyace backlash rom it)

Non-Combat Powers

Yet some other powers have essentially no abil-ity to be used oensively in combat. For theseabilities, treat their use as i the esper were out ocombat rather than using the power point sys-tem. Some o these powers may have other eectslisted in their descriptions or when they are usedin combat:

RegenerationChameleonPrecognitionPsychometry

Mental Powers in Combat

Mental have a much more subtle yet stillvery eective role to play in combat. Ratherthan directly deal damage to opponents,they have other debilitating eects.

Rolls or attacking with and deendingagainst Mental powers use the Mental statrather than Coordination.

Rather than using power points to buy dam-age, reer to the chart or using esper powersoutside o combat to determine how mucho an eect a particular mental ability has onthe target. Range, AOE and other modierscan be applied as usual.

In addition, or each stage (interval o ve- seen on the out-o-combat esper powerchart) bought with power points, the targettakes a -1 penalty to all rolls the ollowingturn.

Te ollowing powers all under this cat-egory:

Memory ManipulationelepathyConusionHallucinationSensory Antagonism/AgonismEmotion Antagonism/AgonismDream Manipulation


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Power Descriptions: Here are basic descrip-tions o the powers in the game as well as suggestionsor modications when using the powers in combat.Please note that these are guidelines, rather than

restrictive denitions o the powers.

Elemental PowersAir Control

You control the fow o air, you can create mightywinds or snu out the greatest fame with the power oyour mind.

Fire Control

Mighty fames obey your every command, by risingto your ull potential as an ESPer you can create iner-nos with a snap o your ngers.

Water Control

Water orms itsel according to the ground it fowson, the exception is you. You have the power to controland orm water, with the right training tsunamis arewithin your reach.

Earth Control

Te earth itsel obeys you, it cracks open at yourword and orms itsel with a wave o your hand.

Metal ControlMetals bend to your will, cars quiver like jelly on a

washing machine and U-beams bow beore you. YouARE the Iron Man.

Electricity Control

Te current within your body is at your command,you can shoot arcs o lightning rom your ngertipsand start appliances by looking strictly at them.

Synthetic Material ControlMan made materials like plastic, glass and ceramicsare like putty, ready to be ormed by your hands.

Magma Control

Earth melts under you stare, asphalt bubbles as youwalk by and the guys in the skyscraper better hope theoundation isnt concrete.

Electromagnetic Wave Control

Radiation, UV Rays, X Rays, Microwaves andGamma Rays are all under your control.

ransmutation Control

Everything is matter, only in dierent states.You have the power to change this matter into

anything you like. See the cellphone in you hand?Look again, the cellphone is now a wallet, thewallet is now diamonds. Anything is possiblewhen youre a Level 5.

Force Powers

GravityYou have control over gravity itsel. Pin your

oes with a crushing orce or leap rom rooop to

rooop as i you were lighter than air.

FrictionWalk on ice with the greatest ease or watch

your opponents slip and all no matter how stur-dy their ooting is. Friction is under your control.

PressureYou can manipulate pressure. Lazily pop bal-

loons by increasing internal air pressure or crushyour enemys bones with your power.

LightLight bows to your command. You can switch a

room between pitch black darkness and a blind-ing brightness with but a thought.

elekinesisSpooky action at a distance. Your ability to ma-

nipulate the world doesnt stop at your ngertips.Li and throw objects rom aar.

Mass ControlGlass bends like rubber. Paper becomes a sti

cutting edge. Your thoughts can mold the rigid-ity and hardness o objects, twisting them to yourwill.


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emperatureYou are Laplaces Demons worst nightmare.

ranser heat between objects in ways that seemimpossible. Never suer through the scorchingheat o a summer day again.

orque

Many things give when you just give them atwist. Break open a bank sae with a huge shearingorce, or just open a jar o pickles.

ime ManipulationYou can never have too much time. Slow down

time and wow your oes as your pistol shootsaster than a machine gun. Hit your enemies be-ore they can even see you coming

Momentum

Te trajectories o moving objects obey yourwhim. Redirect bullets Neo-style. You are TeOne.

Mental Powers

Memory Manipulation

Revisionist history at its best. Memories areour past, they dene our personalities and experi-ences. So what happens when someone is able to

control them? Its up to you to nd out!

elepathy

Skip those pesky human communication meth-ods and plunge directly into the brains o others,even uninvited! alk with them, see what theyrethinking, you can even manipulate them! All othis and more in the wonderul eld o telepathy.

Conusion

Blur the senses, change perception, warp thesanity o your oes. People wont even know whatsgoing on, because, well, that is just the thing youdo.

Hallucination

Humans, we are sensitive olk. We know ourworld because o that sensitivity. ouch, taste,smell, sight, hear; the senses are yours to playwith. Have un!

Sensory Agonism/Antagonism

Te nervous system is your domain. Painand pleasure are your toys. Care to test Pav-lovs conditioning to the limit?

Emotion Agonism/Antagonism

Lovers and madmen have such seething

brains, such shaping antasies, that apprehend.More than cool reason ever comprehends... Itcomprehends some bringer o that joy; or, inthe night, imagining some ear, how easy is abush supposd a bear.

Dream Manipulation

Leave the connes o your body and en-ter the wondrous eld o dreams. Strollingthrough other peoples subconscious, you canirrupt into them when they are most vulner-

able. Just be careul, not every dream is a gooddream.

Power Nullication

Strip the gied abilities o the people aroundyou, take them out o their comort zone.What is a psychic without his powers? estthem, bring them down rom their high levels.

Power Absorption

You are hungry or other peoples powers,theres just no ood ner than the abilities romothers. Use it against their own masters. Justbe careul, gluttony has never been good...

Mental Enhancement

You need a little push, a little extra on yourperormance? Tats cool, thats cool. Youvegot what you need. Go beyond your own lim-its. Reach or the sky.

Biological Powers

Plant Control

Some people have a green thumb, and canseemingly make any plant grow. You can do armore than that. Trough sheer will, you cancommand plants into taking action, as well asconduce growth or withering.


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Physical Enhancement

You understand the link between mind andbody. Trough your minds psychic power, youcan ampliy the capabilities o your body to reachincredible heights.

Sensory Enhancement

You might not know anything, but with senseslike yours, its easy to nd anything out. oughtest? Just read the answers o that guy in the arcorner o the room, they might as well be writtenon the board, with eyes like yours.

Regeneration

Injuries atal to the average person mean littleto you, as you heal at supernatural speed. At ahigh enough level, you might even recover lost

limbs.

Shapeshiing

Quick adaptation and adjustment to your bodyallows you to change your orm to suit circum-stances, be it with claws or another persons vis-age.

Animal Control

Youre king o the jungle, and you have thepower to make any animal obey your orders.

Animation

Te power o lie is in your hands, and you canshare it with inanimate objects to make tempo-rary golem servants.

Photoreexive Memory

Dont worry, I saw someone try this in a mov-ie, once! I youve seen it done, you can repeat it,rom a parcour roll to a karate kick.

Disease

Colds, viruses, plagues, theyre pawns to you.While only an elite ew may generate a disease,you can manipulate them to inect your target,protect yourselves, or cure their victim.

Chameleon

Your body adapts to your surroundings to con-ceal yoursel. Why run or cover when you canbecome all but invisible?

Chameleon

Your body adapts to your surroundings toconceal yoursel. Why run or cover when you can

become all but invisible?

Anomaly Powers

Barrier-Field Manipulation

Te best oense is a good deense. Well, yourmind provides you with the greatest deense. Cre-ate impenetrable walls with your psychic abilitiesand ward o any harm.

eleport

No more traveling, no more hurrying up, nomore stuck in trac. Move rom one place to an-

other in the blink o an eye. Just be careul not toteleport into something nasty.

Precognition

Use your psychic third eye to reach into theuture, acknowledge and dey ate. Why wait tillthings happen, when you can know it right now?

Psychometry

Everything is imprinted in reality, and yourability lets you see that. ake inormation rom

every object you see. I walls could talk... Well,they can. o you.

Portals

Want to teleport, but you want to actually seewhere you are going? Not instantaneous, but morepractical. Portals: or the good o all o us, exceptthe ones who are dead.

echnokineticism Not just or hikkikomoris, now your computer

can really be your best riend. Your control overmachines can turn cars and toasters into deadlyweapons.


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DuplicationEver wish to yoursel that you had a lighter?

Well, i you know how works, you can alwayshave one. Your mind can create objects that it hasencountered beore and understands on a unda-mental level.

ProbabilityYou can twist Lady Lucks arm - but shell get

you back. Win the lottery but then nd everythingelse in your lie starts going wrong to pay back theluck debt and restore balance.

ProjectionA simple thought can temporarily project an

object into existence. Youll always have the righttool or the job.

Phase WalkYou are like a ghost - you walk through walls

and other solid objects. Great or espionage andspying - or just peaking your head into the lockerroom.


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7. GM AidsPlayers stumped during character creation?Have someRecommendations or Freeorm Skills:

Physical: Running, Climbing, Pain olerance,Karate, Baseball Bat (weapon), Hold Your Li-quor, Swimming, Axe (weapon), Forced Entry

Mental: Computers, Engineering, DiscerningEye, Current Aairs, Architecture, Coun-tereiting, Physics, Medicine, PhotographicMemory

Social: Charm, Detect Lies, Deceive, Intimida-tion, Fast-alk, Haggle, Public Speaking, Com-manding Presence, Seduction, Disguise

Coordination: Driving, Acrobatics, Stealth,Conceal Item, Bow (weapon), Firearms (weap-on), Lock-pick, Trowing

Sample characters, sample campaign ideas, etc gohere

because god knows youll need em


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A Certain Scientific Character Sheet

Player Name:

Character Name:

ESPer Level:

ESPer Ability:

School and Organizations:

Character background, traits, short bio:

Stats

Equipment and Weapons:

SkillsPHYSICAL MENTAL SOCIAL COORDINATION

current hp

max hp

x 5

Unspent Charac-

ter Points

2round down

move

speed

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