Serenity RPG - Gear n' Stuffs

[Sebastian Gates]

So while I was away, I never stopped thinking about this site. It's in my bones! And I realized that I have some resources that might help us out a little bit. 'Course, this is just for reference, and no one should get too caught up in the gear.

Legal Stuffins: The following is an excerpt from book one of the Serenity RPG - Six Shooters& Spaceships written by Lynn Blackson and Jason Durall. All rights belong to them, I'm just quoting them. *nod*

Also, this is stuff is designed for use with dice, and that part won't make much sense to you without the tables, which I'm not really posting. But if you are interested in seeing the whole book, I have it in a pdf file I uploaded to megaupload. If you want it, download it here! Just shoot me a pm if the link expires and I'll reupload it.
www.megaupload.com/?d=OGLISPGR

OHOHOH! Also, because of the massiveness of this list, I'm going to use a few posts to spread it out. It isn't very pretty either, but it's here!

The first post includes general items, gear, and clothing. The second post is all weapons and the third is all about technology and services. Later, I'll put up a glossary here so that you can ctrl + f and find what you are looking for easily. ^^

[Sebastian Gates]

General Store
Burn Gel: This clear chemical gel is safe to handle with bare hands, but when a slight electrical charge is run through it, it becomes an extremely powerful acid. It can cut through gorram near anything, up to and including a ship's hull. This gel is extruded from a pistol-shaped dispenser, and a thin trail of it leads to an igniter. Burn gel works anywhere-- underwater or vacuum. It burns for as long as the charge is active, so it's perfectly safe to handle once the igniter is shut off or removed. If you were to misuse it, the corroder would cause burn damage to the unfortunate suo hai jer-- even more if the gel were applied to a sensitive-type area.

Forensics Kit: A forensics kit is used for collecting and analyzing evidence such as you'd find at the scene of a crime. It's got a lot of tiny little containers, plastic envelopes, fingerprint tapes, imagers, gloves, swabs, brushes, scrapers, tweezers, magnifying glasses, a microscope, acellular imager, and other odds and ends.

Forgery Kit: Gear what helps you forge official papers, identification, and other documentation. This kit includes a portable computer and printer, a wide range of paper types, specialty inks, a holo-seal printer, a highresolution scanner, and a number of chemicals and synthetic materials useful for adding a bit of authenticity to phony documents.

Fusion Torch: A useful tool capable of cutting through metal or fusing it together. Most types operate on a battery charge, or use a chemical tank for fuel.

Generator, Portable: This suitcase-sized generator provides enough power to handle all of the needs of a medium-sized campsite or domicile.

Grappler: A gun that uses a compressed air canister to launch a grapple hook and attached line. The hook can either be snagged on an edge, or fired directly into a wooden or concrete surface. It has a range of 50 feet. The cable is tough enough to withstand roughly 1,200 pounds of weight, and the gun has an integral wheel so it can be used to slide down the cable. Variations on grapplers include those with magnetic clamps or fancier models with internal winches allowing the grappler to pull the user up the cable’s length.

Multi-Tool: A handy little combination tool consisting of pliers, scissors, screwdriver, pryer, knife blades, file, and a bunch of other widgets, depending on how fancy it is. It’s no substitute for a set of precision tools, but in a pinch, a multi-tool will do fine by you.

Paint Set: A set of paints (watercolors, synthetics, or oils), brushes, a few tools for keeping ‘em clean and a box to store the whole mess in. Outside of a Companion’s personal effects, this isn’t something you’d find much out on the Rim.

Sewing Kit: A bunch of spools of thread, a bundle of needles and pins, and a tiny pair of scissors can keep your duds looking a little less raggedy than they might otherwise.

Snaplink: An oval-shaped ring of metal with one section that opens and locks closed, snaplinks are used everywhere to secure gear. They come in a variety of weights, from ones thick as a finger for holding cargo, to smaller ones used to fasten personal gear onto your belt or harness.

Welding Tape: A chemical-imbued adhesive tape that can instantly weld two metal surfaces together. To use it, stick it to one metal surface, remove the neutralizing backing, and stick the other metal surface to it, sandwiching the tape between ‘em. The chemicals in the tape rapidly ignite and produce an adhesive weld, sticking the two substances together with near the strength of a proper weld.


Food & Supplies

Cookset: A nested wok and a few pans, serving plates, plastic utensils and cookware, some basic spices, a squirt-tube of oil, and a handful of chemical heat tablets. With time and inclination, along with a few tinned goods or fresh ones, you can turn any flat surface berth into a make-do kitchen. Cookbook optional. Fresh Fruit: A rarity on the Rim, especially delicacies such as fresh strawberries.

Protein Chips: A common snack found pretty much everywhere, protein chips are soybased, salty, and tasty.

Rotgut: Crude alcohol brewed in some such distilling rig. It tastes something foul and is just barely on the friendly side of toxic, but it’s usually free. Imbibing more’n a cup of rotgut requires an Easy Endurance (Willpower + Vitality) roll or the drinker feels nauseous and suffers a fearsome hangover.

Snack Bar: A snack bar is a single serving of either nutritious or delicious (rarely both) foods such as chocolate, dried fruit, grains, or even vegetable matter. One of the most popular brands of snack bars is the Fruity Oaty Bar, mostly due to their ever-present marketing efforts that blanket nearly every planet in the ‘Verse.


Sundries

Camouflage Paint: Flat canisters of camouflage paint come in a variety of natural colors (browns, greens, tans, grey, black, etc.). Cover your face with some, and you can minimize your visibility, gaining a +1 step to Covert/Camouflage actions.

Chemical Body Warmer: A small plastic pouch of crystallized chemical compound that, when agitated, warms enough to keep a body warm for a four-hour period. Using this gear adds a +1 step to appropriate Survival actions in cold-weather environments.

Cuffs: Plastic, alloy, or metal handcuffs used to secure a prisoner’s wrists together, either in front of or behind his body. Picking the lock of a pair of cuffs requires an Agility + Covert/Open Locks roll against a Formidable Difficulty. Breaking out of ‘em requires a Heroic Strength + Strength roll.

Earplugs: You can use these stoppers day-to-day in a loud area like an engine room, or even in the cockpit to muffle the yapping of an especially chatty pilot. Earplugs also provide a +1 Attribute step (perhaps using a Resistance [Vitality + Vitality] roll) to resist a sonic attack.

Filtration Canteen: A quart-sized plastic canteen, with a filtration ring at the top. The water’s potable, but it won’t be winning any taste contests.

Flare: Your standard-issue chemical flare, about the length of a pencil and near an inch thick. It activates with a simple twist at the end, and burns brightly for around an hour. Flares aid in spotting a downed crewmember; a bunch of ‘em mark a spur-of-the-moment landing strip.

Gas Mask: A half- or full-face mask that filters any impurities from smoke, gas, or other airborne hazards. A full-faced gas mask adds +4 to the Difficulty of any roll involving sight, and +16 to the Difficulty of detecting something by its scent.

Glowstick: A cross between a lantern and flashlight, a glowstick provides plenty of ambient light from the top end, and has an adjustable focusing lens that lets you shine a spotlight where you want to see more clearly.

Goggles: This protective gear guards your eyes from sparks, intense light, or particle shrapnel. Highfalutin’ low-light ones let you see in the dark (halve dim and dark vision penalties, see Serenity Role Playing Game page 155).

Idol, Religious: This might be Buddha, Krishna, Jesus, or any other of a dozen different religious figures worshipped throughout the ‘Verse. Many come with candles, incense, or what have you, so’s you can burn ‘em while you’re in a genuflectin’ mood.

Ocular: A pair of electronically-assisted binoculars, with a digital rangefinder that tells you how far away something lined up in your sights is. Oculars auto-focus and have a range around a mile and a half. Night vision versions eliminate dim and dark vision penalties, and treat pitch black conditions as dim lighting (see Serenity Role Playing Game 155).

Radiation Detector: A device for measuring the level of radiation in an area near the sensor. A standard model has a 10-foot range.

Radiation Tag: A small badge, worn clipped to a uniform or on a chain around the neck, measuring the level of rads you’ve soaked up. It shows a warning when radiation exposure threatens your well-being.

Restraints: Restraints range from full manacles keeping a prisoner’s hands, feet, knees, and elbows secure, to a one-piece jacket that wraps a body up. Getting out of these fetters unaided is either an Agility + Covert/Open Locks (to pick the lock) or an Agility + Athletics/Contortion roll (to wriggle free) against a Ridiculous Difficulty.

Rucksack: Some folks call it a backpack; to others, it’s a sling bag. Whatever the moniker, it’s a canvas or suchlike bag with a strap or two for convenience. You can stuff nearly 60 pounds worth of gear into a good one.

Ship’s Papers: By Alliance ordinance, every captain operating a ship in the ‘Verse has got to show its papers if asked. These documents are printed on actual paper and fastened into a three-fold leather wallet. The papers have a dozen or so anti-counterfeiting measures added in, but that don’t stop most captains on the shy side of legal from having a few sets for a variety of situations.

Snaplight: A little tube filled with phosphorescent chemicals. Snaplights come in a few different colors. Twist it, and it glows pretty bright. Break it open, and you’ve got a few ounces of fluid that glows for a couple of hours.

Still, Improvised: Spacers have a lot of time on their hands, and booze tends to run out fast. Enterprising engineers and chemical types often put some of the less-critical engine systems to work, employing radiant heat and filtration systems to brew homemade hooch. Creating a working still requires an Average Intelligence + Craft/Cooking or Scientific Expertise/Chemistry roll. Botch this roll, and you’ve likely caused a minor explosion, or brewed rotgut that’s (even more) unfit for consumption.

Symbol, Holy: A small religious icon or sigil—usually something you’d wear hanging around the neck on a chain or cord.

Toy: This can mean anything from a stuffed turtle, a rag doll, a set of tiny dinosaurs, a bobble-headed geisha doll, a carved wooden swan, a ball and jacks, finger puppets, or any other sort of gimcrack or gewgaw you might entertain young ones or those “young at heart.”


Recreational Goods

Boardgame: Space travel is, for the most part, pretty boring, and crews often need to indulge in time-killing activites that doesn’t burn fuel cells or brain cells, or require a lot of reading. Boardgames are a common enough means of passing time between stops. The classics are still in heavy rotation, notably checkers, Chinese checkers, chess, go, and backgammon.

Book: Printed books come in a near-untoinfinite variety of shapes, sizes, quality, and contents. On the Core planets, they’re a symbol of old wealth and education. They’re rarer on the Border planets, where it’s usually cheaper and more practical to use databooks or other electronic storage. Out on the Rim, print books are more common, as they’re more reliable and, in some ways, more comforting to simple, honest folk. Most common book you’re liable to find out in the Rim is the Bible.

Boxing Gloves: A pair of padded gloves, used for the sweetest sport. Though boxing is no longer practiced much in the Core planets, it’s still very much in favor out among the Rim. Boxing gloves reduce all standard hand-to-hand attacks by two Basic damage points. It also turns any Basic damage from the Mean Left Hook Trait into Stun damage.

Cards: A standard deck of cards can get you through hours that might otherwise be without purpose. Some folk might even make a living with a deck of these.

Climbing Gear: If you’ve got a hankering to climb a wall, a mountain, or the side of a building, you’ve a friend in this. Climbing gear includes pulleys, pitons, rope, chocks, ascenders, clips, a handaxe/hammer combo, and a harness. Also, gloves keep your hands safe; a helmet’s included so’s they can recognize your face when they find you at the base of the cliff. Using such gear gives a +2 Skill step to climbing actions.

Hologame Table: Not exactly portable, this piece of furniture is topped with a field of holographic emitters. The table can be customized for pool, foosball, air hockey, or any number of other tabletop games. Handles and sticks come separately. Not-so-real parts keep people from stealing ‘em, or throwing ‘em through the windows of your less discriminatin’ establishments when tempers run too hot.

Hoverpack: Essentially, a hoverpack is a backpack-styled jet capable of limited flight. Most are too noisy and generate too much heat to be of any practical use, though they’re sometimes favored for rapid commando strikes or rescue attempts in difficult terrain. Alliance engineers spent billions and wasted years on hoverpack projects, but in the end couldn’t solve the inherent problems. A number of prototypes entered the private sector and serve mainly as museum pieces or as stunt-show curiosities. The functional models (of which there are few) are prohibitively expensive. Handling a hoverpack requires a Pilot specialty. P d2, M –; Seats 1; Speed 45 mph; Capacity Pilot + 150 lbs.

Musical Instrument: A wide range of instruments exist, including guitars, drums, mandolin, sitars, harps, and horns of all sizes and shapes. Most folk get some musical training during schooling, and it’s always a pleasant surprise to see what secret talents a crewmate has. Registered Companions are trained in music and play at least one instrument.

Parachute: A basic parachute, worn on the back, for use in the rare situation where your ship’s falling through atmo and you’ve got the chance to jettison. Using a parachute requires an Average Agility + Athletics action. If the roll succeeds, you take no damage from the fall. If it fails, reduce the damage from the fall by half (round up). Some ejection seats have built-in parachutes; these don’t require a Skill roll from the user.

Parasail: A specialized form of parachute constructed with integral air channels that allow for far more maneuverability and vertical movement than a standard parachute. Parasails are sometimes used for entertainment purposes, such as might be had from being dragged behind a boat or other vehicle. Alliance forces use ‘em for covert operations; the specialists drop a ways off from a target and parasail in quietly and with little fuss. Using a parasail is mechanically the same as using a parachute (see above).

Rain Stick: A long wooden tube sealed at both ends and filled with small beads; a number of pins pointing inward are fixed to the inner walls. When the stick is held upright or at an angle, it makes a sound like rainfall. On Earth-That-Was rain sticks were thought to summon rain, but now they’re mostly curios or musical instruments.

Shelter, Portable: This item is basically a small tent, with collapsible poles and stakes. It don’t provide much cover from extreme weather, but it’ll keep you dry and beats sleeping out in the open on a stormy night. Fancier versions have small heat cyclers and built-in light emitters in the central pole. Really fancy ones are made of smart cloth that just snaps into shape or folds up on its own.

Sleepsack: A basic synthetic fiber mummybag, insulated to keep you warm. Cozy when you’re in it; easily collapsed when you’re not. If you’re in a friendly mood, you can zip two together.

Survival Gear: Generally, you’d take this little pack if you were roughing it, or as a precaution in case you find yourself stranded somewhere unexpected. Inside you’ll find useful items such as water purification pills, a mini first aid kit, a multi-tool (see page 6), a little fishing kit, a lighter, a tiny survival guide, a compass, some cable, a flare or two, a few snaplights (see page 10), a wire saw, and some basic fire-starting materials.

Weight Set: A set of dumbbells, weights, bars, free weights, a rack to store ‘em on, and a bench to lie down on while you’re lifting.


Protective & Emergency Gear

Body Armor, Reaver: By their nature, Reavers get into a lot of scrapes, and their armor is usually made from rusty metal, plastics, and leather of dubious origin. No sane person would wear it, as it’s blood-stained, stinks of death, and is soaked in radiation.

Chaff Suit: A chaff suit is covered with a metallic weave and wired through with a host of electronic signal bafflers. Wearing one screens you from most forms of electronic detection other than visual, weight, or sound-based. It looks fairly ridiculous, like a pair of hooded coveralls covered with short streamers of shiny metal foil, but results don’t lie. Wearing a chaff suit adds a +2 step to Covert/Stealth actions while trying to fool electronic sensors other than those based on weight. It offers no other protection and, as might be reckoned, looks vaguely ridiculous.

Chameleon Cloak: The chameleon cloak shares the same technology as the chameleon suit described on Serenity Role Playing Game 76, though it’s in the shape of a long hooded cloak, baggy enough to cover at least two people if they’re snug together. A chameleon cloak has an integral computer wired together with a passel of light sensors and emitters. Wearing a chameleon cloak adds a +2 step to Covert/Camouflage or Covert/Stealth attempts. Like the chameleon suit, the cloak offers minimal armor protection.

Diving Gear: Based on the old-style SCUBA (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus) gear, diving gear contains a rebreather, mask, flippers, a weighted belt, and a bodysuit. There’re fancier ones, but the basics are the same. Using diving gear adds a +2 step to Athletic/Swimming and Survival/Aquatic Survival actions.

Duster, Armored: A long coat fashioned of tough-but-supple leather with armored mesh woven beneath the surface, and rigid plates on the shoulders and chest. Fashionable and functional.

Flight Suit: A snug, reinforced suit for use by pilots and crew onboard planetary air defense vehicles, and some forms of starship without gravity plating. The suit helps the pilot resist G-forces and incorporates a thin layer of insulation, enough to confer an Armor Rating of 2 S.

Grounder Mesh: If you’re in the line of work where you find yourself opposed to someone, say Alliance troops, armed with stunners, this is the pair of long-johns for you. A one-piece thin, grounder mesh goes under your street clothing and provides protection against any sort of electromagnetic pulse that would otherwise send you floorward in a hurry. Grounder mesh provides a +2 step to Resistance(Vitality + Vitality) rolls against stun weapon attacks.

Shield, Heater: An old-fashioned shield from times long gone, used for defense in a less civilized time, called heaters for their shape. Using a relic like this adds a +2 step to Melee Weapon Combat/Shields actions to block incoming melee attacks. Hold a heater shield defensively and it acts as light cover.

Shield, Tactical: A big clear rectangle of reinforced ballistic polymers, this shield generally sees use in riots or crowd control situations—where a group of Alliance soldiers or constabulary line up and make a wall, one that’s flexible enough to shove back. A tactical shield offers a +2 step to Melee Weapon Combat/Shields attempts to block melee attacks, and serves as light cover when held defensively. Crouching behind a tactical shield offers medium cover.


Clothing & Accessories

Baton: Also called swagger sticks, ceremonial batons are favored as a sign of authority by highranking Alliance officers. Those crested with the insignia of an eagle indicate upper echelons. During the Unification War, Browncoats were told to concentrate fire on anyone carrying a baton. This curbed their popularity dramatically. It’s been a few years now and they’re coming back into fashion.

Clothes, Registered Companion: There are few things in the ‘Verse as heart-stopping wondrous as the sight of a Companion in the altogether, but a close second would be a Companion dressed in his or her full regalia. Elegant lines and the highest craftsmanship in the classic sense, a Companion’s garments manage the difficult balance between being outstanding and utterly at place, both at once. Whether it be a ball-gown, a robe, or a paislied kimono, a single set of a Companion’s clothes are usually worth more’n the horse you rode in on.

Cold-Weather Gear: An insulated outfit offering the best in protection from cold temperatures, whether weather-based or in an environment offering similar conditions. It consists of an insulated parka, hood, gloves, pants, and heavy boots. Wearing cold-weather gear provides a +2 step to Survival actions in cold climates.

Dress, Party: When you need to look your best for that oh-so-special invite, it’s time to pull out all the stops and put your party dress on. Could be made-to-order, or you could buy whatever looks prettiest in the shop window. As a warning, those who can afford to get theirs made special are quick to judge those who can’t.

Firefighting Gear: Flame-retardant, heat-shielded garments of the type used by firefighters on ground or in the black. This includes a sealed helmet with an air filtration system or oxygen bottles, a heavy jacket, boots, pants, gloves, and a harness for equipment such as a fire axe, extinguisher, and prybar. Wearing firefighting gear offers a +2 step to Vitality for actions in fiery conditions, or the same bonus to Endurance (Willpower + Vitality) and Resistance (Vitality + Vitality) rolls versus extreme heat. Firefighting gear also provides an Armor Rating of 4 S.

Frock, Gingham: A common sort of dress, worn by settlers out on the Rim. Frilly floral bonnet optional.

Hat: Whether it’s a fine cowboy hat, a knit cap from your mother, or a natty bowler worn by criminal lowlifes, a hat is good for two things: keeping the sun off your head and swatting flies.

Poncho: A hooded rain slicker usually made of thin nylon or vinyl. It doesn’t offer any benefits other than keeping you dry, but that’s enough for most folks.

Shirt, Floral Print: A causal, short-sleeved shirt for the free-spirited sort of dresser, comfortable, cool, and visually refreshing all at once.

Suit, Men’s: A fine two- or three-piece suit in whatever style you favor. You can get a good measure of a man by the suit he wears. For those with serious money, it’s bespoke; with a little money, it’s tailored; for the rest, its off-the-rack.

Uniform, Alliance: Sometimes it’s a useful thing to have a spare Alliance uniform around, whether it be from a soldier or an officer. There’re few people in the ‘Verse that’ll ask questions of someone in the black and grays. If you’re smart, you’ll steal a set. If you’re dumb or just plumb crazy, you take one the prior owner got no more use for. Might want to take caution to wash the blood out before you try to pass yourself off as someone you’re not. Naturally, there’s considerable penalty for owning Alliance threads, but for some jobs, the gains outweigh the risks.

Uniform, Medico: Say you want to infiltrate a hospital to lay hands on some expensive pharmaceuticals, medical gear, or to take advantage of the best facilities the Alliance has to offer. Having a medico uniform on hand is the sly way to go about getting what you want. It’s not necessarily illegal to possess a medico’s uniform if you don’t have the IdentCard to go with it, but more’n likely you’re up to something that’ll put you on the wrong side of the law.

Uniform, Technocrat: As with the Alliance black and grays, showing up looking like a technocrat opens all kinds of doors, sometimes without anyone daring to ask you to show your IdentCard. Usually, out on the Rim, a Technocrat’s uniform is a sign of a big enough bie woo lohng to earn a visit from the head office. That’ll put fear into a man’s heart, and a fearful man is a careless man.

Vestment, Shepherd’s: The black coat and pants, grey shirt and white collar all come with the ordainment. It’s not illegal for non-Shepherds to wear the vestment, but true believers might take offense.

Walking Stick: A cane roughly a meter in length, with an end that’s either a knob, curved, or bent. Some walking sticks conceal thin-bladed swords, small pistols, explosive charges, or even more sophisticated technological devices. In desperate times, a walking stick can serve as a light club.


Holsters

Gun Rig: A shoulder-and-chest mounted harness with a projecting hydraulic swing-arm, distributing the weight of a heavy weapon and stabilizing it against recoil. Gun rigs don’t offer modifiers to accuracy or range, but using one reduces the penalty from using an unbraced machinegun by one Skill step.

Harness: An arrangement of shoulder and chest straps, a vest with detachable pockets, and a web belt, a combat harness is an essential part of any soldier’s gear while out in the field. It includes an assault sling that lets you hang your weapon ready across your chest, pointing horizontally when in combat and down when you’re idling. A harness is highly adjustable, letting you hook your gear on however you’d best like. No matter how effective it is, wearing a combat harness tends to make you stand out, so leave it at home if being conspicuous ain’t part of the plan.

Holster, Concealed: A holster meant to keep a piece out of sight, rather than at hand. Wearing a concealed holster adds a +3 Skill step to attempts at keeping the weapon from being discovered.

Holster, Null: This interesting piece of gear is just about as illegal as you can get on the Core worlds. A null holster keeps your sidearm safe and snug, and has a mesh flap that stretches over the butt. The material of the holster is “dead” to metal detectors, chemical sweepers, and to any kind of imaging sensor you might pass through in Alliance territory. Unless they’re making you strip or patting you down, your weapons’ll not be found while in this holster.

Holster, Shoulder: A simple shoulder holster for one or two sidearms, configurable so you can draw upwards or outwards. No difference either way, as sah gwa dumb enough to put a gun up where they’ve got to skin it crossbody isn’t to be taken seriously.

Holster, Speed-Draw: A gunslinger’s rig, a speed-draw holster hangs low on the upper leg, with the butt of the pistol resting just level with the palm of the wearer’s hand. Usually the tip of the holster is tied to the leg by a thin cord or strap, and the pistol’s held in place with a thumbbreak (a small strap over the hammer, snapped to the holster itself, keeping the iron in place but coming loose when it needs to). You see a fella wearing one of these you’d be wise to steer clear. If you’re wearing a speed-draw holster and you can make an Average Agility + Guns roll, drawing your weapon doesn’t cost an action.

Holster, Tactical: If you absolutely don’t want anyone taking your sidearm from you without your say-so, a tactical holster is for you. It features a pressure lock with a few options for releasing the catch, meaning that anyone who don’t know what parts of the lock to press suffers a –3 Skill step to disarm you.

[Sebastian Gates]

Hand-to-Hand Weapons

Axe: Whether you’re talking about a woodsman’s tool or something fierce like a Reaver might boast, an axe is pretty much the same—a handle with a perpendicular blade facing away from it.

Bayonet: A bayonet can be used independently as a knife, doing d2 Wound, or affixed to the front of a rifle or assault weapon where it does d4 Wound.

Blackjack: A leather or nylon sack filled with lead shot, used to knock someone down without putting ‘em in the morgue.

Bottle, Broken: Sometimes when you’re drinking and someone draws a blade, you’ve got to make the best with what’s at hand.

Caltrops: Not exactly a hand-to-hand weapon, but something capable of imparting a bit of pain upon an enemy. Caltrops are little, monosharp, pyramid-shaped spikes coated with an armor-piercing surface polymer. The price given is per handful (about a dozen). They’re thrown or left on the ground to hinder movement. Moving through an area where caltrops are scattered is an Easy Agility + Athletics task if you know about ‘em and can see clearly. If you fail your roll and step on a caltrop, it ignores one point of Armor Rating and inflicts 1 Wound. Make another roll; if you miss that, you take another 1 Wound. If you fall on ‘em, the Game Master should determine how many you hit given how many there are and how tightly they’re bunched. Caltrops’ll puncture the tire of a wheeled vehicle, so if you’re driving one, it’s a Hard task to get past.

Chain: A length of chain, usually grabbed as an improvised weapon from a toolbox or in a pinch.

Chopper: An ugly, jagged blade about a yard long, favored by Reavers.

Claws: Anywhere from two to five metal claws affixed to a glove or handgrip. Given the wounds found on the remains of their victims, Reavers are partial to ‘em.

Garrote: A length of strong cord made out of wire, leather, nylon, or what have you, used for strangling. Fancy ones have handles to make it easy, or you can improvise if you need to. If you’re using a garrote and take your target by surprise, he’s got to make an Average Resistance (Vitality + Vitality) roll to avoid being knocked out. The Difficulty of the Resistance roll increases by two successively each turn thereafter. If the target is resisting the attack, you must make an Unarmed Combat attack each turn. If the target is passive, no roll is necessary. The garrote causes d2 Stun damage each turn.

Hacker: A Reaver weapon consisting of a wide, axe-like blade held near the base, used up close and personal-like.

Lasso: Also called a lariat, a lasso consists of a length of rope with a loosely coiled loop at one end. Out on the ranges of the Rim, every cowhand carries a lasso for working stock. You can’t rightly kill a man with one, but you can certainly put him in a state where more harm might come to him. A character who’s been lassoed must make a Hard Strength + Agility roll to shimmy free, else his arms or legs are pinned, causing a –4 Attribute step to any Attributes that might reasonably be affected. Cutting through a lasso is easy enough: one point of Wound damage does it. A lasso has a range of around 20 feet.

Nunchaku: Two short-staff lengths attached to each other with chain or rope. Time was these were used by farmers to thresh grain. Now they’re mostly used to beat on people. Polearm: Not exactly the most common of weapons, a polearm is a long haft with some sort of blade attached, usually at a right angle. Back in days of old, a bewildering spectrum of polearms in all shapes and sizes existed. Now only museums and scholars have any idea which was which.

Ripper: An unusual Reaver weapon consisting of a long haft with a circular, jaggededged saw blade projecting from it. A rotor within the weapon whirls the saw at high speed, causing horrible slashing wounds.

Spear: A length of wood with a sharp end to it. One of the first weapons ever made.

Staff: A two-yard long pole made of wood, high-impact plastic, metal, or some combination of all three. Used for walking, or hitting people hard. A popular improvised weapon, you can usually make do with a length of pipe or a metal strut.

Stunner: A hand-held device that delivers a powerful incapacitating shock to the target it’s directed against. You get hit with a stunner, you take Stun damage and you’ve got to make a Hard Resistance (Vitality + Vitality) roll. Success means you suffer a –1 step on all Attributes for a minute, a condition that can accumulate with additional successful attacks. If you fail your Resistance roll, you’re introduced to the floor, unconscious-like, and take d6 Shock points for good measure (see Serenity Role Playing Game 157).

Sword, Extensible: When it’s retracted, an extensible sword appears as little more’n a griplike cylinder, usually disguised as something else. Press a small release on the hilt (a safety lock keeps it from accidentally opening) and the blade extends lightning-fast into a yard of telescoping double-edged segments that lock in place magnetically. Press the release again and it scoots back into the grip. These are covert weapons, used primarily in places where they screen for weapons. Some extensible swords are made of woven mono-string carbon fibers, stronger than steel, rendering ‘em invisible to metal detectors.

Tool: If you’re caught with your guard down on your ship, the likeliest weapon to come to hand is gonna be a tool. There’s more types of hand tool than you can count, including crowbars, wrenches, I-testers, spanners, pryers, drivers, and others. Most of these fulfill the basic requirements of being relatively heavy, made of metal, and mounted on a handgrip.

Tool, Farming: Folks out on the Rim make do with whatever comes to hand if they’re threatened. Farm tools include sickles, choppers, scythes, hoes, post-holer, pitchforks, shovels, dibbers, spades, crooks, sledges, rakes, plough staves, reaping hooks, adzes, and even more esoteric implements. Nary a one’s balanced for fighting, but they’ll do the job if need be.

Tool, Power: A power tool is not something you’d likely choose in a fight, but if you’re forced, it’s better than having no weapon t’all. Examples include drills, pneumatic scrapers, welding torches, power saws, grinders, and planers.

Whip: Not exactly the most sensible weapon, a whip’s more for putting pain into someone who can’t fight back. A whip has a range equal to its length and the arm of the user, near two to three yards in total. On an extraordinary success, you’ve entangled your opponent if you’re trying to, and can make an opposed Strength + Strength roll to pull ‘em down. An entangled target must make an Average Agility + Athletics roll to get free.


Ranged Weapons

Axe, Throwing: A short-handled, singlebladed axe, balanced for throwing.

Blowgun: A small-to-long tube used to shoot tiny darts at a target by blowing through it. Blowgun darts generally don’t do much damage. The point is to deliver some sort of toxin that does the real work, like Kortine or Cyanol (see Serenity Role Playing Game page 88).

Bolo: A throwing weapon consisting of two or more weights connected with a rope cord, used to entangle a target or even knock ‘em out. If you achieve an extraordinary success against a target when throwing a bolo, you’ve entangled him, causing a –2 Attribute step to physical actions until he gets free. If you’re caught in a bolo, you need to take a turn and an Easy Strength or Agility + Athletics/Escape Artist action to free yourself.

Bolter, Pneumatic: Pneumatic weapons use compressed air and fire cylindrical metal slugs with bone-shattering force. They’re quieter than anything but a dart pistol or a laser, but they’re just as deadly as any firearm. A bolter is the size of a semiautomatic rifle, though a bit bulkier around the stock. Anyone taking damage from a pneumatic bolter must make a Strength + Strength roll versus the amount of damage the weapon inflicted. If successful, the target remains standing; failure means his pi gu hits the floor in an abrupt fashion.

Boomerang: An aboriginal weapon dating back to the Earth-That-Was, used by hunters to stun or kill small prey. Throwing a boomerang requires a Ranged Weapon/Boomerang action; catching it is an Easy Agility + Agility action. Settlers on Lilac tell of a feral child brandishing a metallic, razor-edged boomerang. They say it may be, heaven forbid, a Reaver child, if such a thing could actually exist.

Clatter: A strange and ungainly Reaver weapon consisting of a handle and two jointed weights set around a central pivot. When thrown, the clatter opens and whirls towards the target, the shifting weights of the weapon adding to its velocity and making a clattering sound as it goes. It strikes with devastating force and can kill instantly, which is usually a kindness compared to what else a Reaver might have in mind.

Dart: A small weighted weapon thrown point-first at a target. These are larger and heavier than the kind of darts you use for a dartboard, and can cause a world of hurt.

Grappler: This device fires a spiked grapple with force considerable enough to put it into a hard surface, or send it a ways. Someone in a pinch might use a grappler in an offensive manner, so to speak.

Javelin: A short-hafted spear, usually lighter and balanced for throwing.

Knife, Throwing: A lightweight knife, usually without a hilt or crosspiece, balanced for throwing. Throwing knives usually come sheathed in sets of three.

Mace: A chemical spray used to cause temporary nausea, blindness, and coughing in the victim. Someone sprayed in the face with mace must make an Average Endurance (Willpower + Vitality) roll to see and act without penalty. Failing this roll incurs a –2 Attribute step to any appropriate actions.

Pistol, Dart: This light pistol uses a compressed air canister to fire small darts filled with any substance desired—generally some drug or poison.

Pistol, Flare: Though a flare pistol’s intended purpose is to let folks know where you are if you’d like to be rescued, you can also use one as a pistol. Say you have a falling out with
the other guy in a life-raft. If you shoot someone with a flare pistol and achieve an extraordinary success, gohn shi you’ve set ‘em on fire. They’ll take another d2 Basic damage each turn until they can extinguish themselves. A flare pistol usually comes in a padded case with six rounds ready for use.

Pistol, Flechette: A sleek little weapon with a short range and a wide capacity for pain, a flechette pistol fires a hail of microthin knifelike blades at a target. They’re next-to-useless against armored targets (any Armor Rating is doubled versus flechette rounds), but against unarmored foes they’re quite nasty. No serious killer of men would use such a weapon—it’s a nasty toy for a dandy.

Pistol, Gauss: A pistol that utilizes a magnetic coil inside the barrel to push a metallic slug forward at great speed. Gauss pistols have tremendous penetration power and are remarkably silent, though this is balanced by their slow rate of fire and intensely high power requirements. A gauss pistol ignores two points of Armor Rating. A gauss pistol can fire six times before needing to recharge (by either replacing the battery or spending an hour in its recharge cradle).

Pistol, Heavy: This meaty, powerful pistol has a bit of heft and considerable physical presence. Two popular brands are the Century Marauder VI and the Deutrex SI–4. The best thing about a heavy pistol is that once you run out of ammo, you can always hit someone with it (for d2 Stun). If it jams and you can’t fix it, you’ve got yourself one fine and impressive nutcracker.

Pistol, Light: A ladies weapon or a good holdout gun, light pistols range in size and configuration from derringers to those fancy rigs some folks use for trick shooting.

Pistol, Medium: A medium pistol is equivalent to the pistol listed on Serenity Role Playing Game page 80.

Rifle, Gauss: A longarm using gauss technology. Slugs fired from such a gun have astonishing force (ignoring four points of Armor Rating) and range. A gauss rifle can be fired a dozen times before needing recharging or a fresh battery.

Shotgun, Automatic: A shotgun with a larger magazine, capable of burst fire.

Shuriken: A flat, star-shaped piece of metal thrown at someone you’re not overly fond of. Throwing stars aren’t usually enough to kill someone, but do cause considerable annoyance.

Sling: A primitive weapon consisting of a leather strap, used to hurl a weighted bullet or stone at the target.

Slinger, Arm: A scoop-shaped extension of a glove used to throw spiked weights at any gorram fool dumb enough to get within throwing distance of a Reaver.

Speargun: A long pistol stock and frame, spring or gas-powered, firing a long metal arrow. Spearguns are traditionally used underwater, but few folks these days let tradition stand in the way of inflicting pain.

Stunner, Ranged: A short-ranged energy rifle capable of firing a coherent electric pulse, set to the same frequency as human brainwave function, capable of scrambling the target’s mind and stunning him temporarily. A target hit with a stunner takes Stun damage and must make a Hard Resistance (Vitality + Vitality) roll. Failing the roll knocks the target out, and adds d6 Shock points for his trouble (see Serenity Role Playing Game 157). Succeeding on the roll imposes a –1 step to all Attributes for one minute, a condition that can accumulate with additional successful attacks.


Ammunition

Armor Piercing: Armor piercing rounds are coated with a polymer that helps punch right through three points of Armor Rating at the expense of a –1 step to damage rolls.

Arrows, Specialty: Though the bow is far from the most commonly-utilized weapon in the ‘Verse, archery has its uses. The Companion’s Guild teaches its members the sport of archery for meditative and professional reasons—it is a sport of the idle rich, and a Companion should show such facility for social purposes. Savants who follow antiquated martial traditions may also practice archery, as well as covert ops mercenaries or even thieves with elaborate modus operandi. Here’re some examples of specialty arrows; others are bound to exist.

Blunt: A blunt arrow is used to down a target without killing. It does Stun instead of Wound damage.

Explosive: This arrowhead contains a small explosive that detonates on impact. The range is much shorter than regular arrows (10 foot increment), but they do a heap more damage when they hit.

Flare: A flare arrow does the same damage as a regular arrow, and a phosphorescent chemical in the tip ignites when it’s scraped against a rough surface, so it lights up a room aplenty.

Line: This is a reinforced arrow with a microthin, woven monofiber line attached to a spool that clips onto the bow. The spool has 100 feet of line, and the head of the arrow is designed to open with spring-loaded backpointing claws like a little grappling hook. That acts to snag any surface it sinks into. Once the line is taut, you can use special gloves to climb hand-over-hand along it, or use the convenient folding handles on the spool.

Poison: This arrow has a hollow reservoir for any sort of toxin you’d like. Impacting causes it to inject the poison into the target (see Serenity Role Playing Game page 88).

Depleted Uranium: Depleted uranium rounds are made from the byproduct of nuclear fission, and combine exceptional armor penetration, fragmentation, and radioactivity. Now illegal throughout the ‘Verse, depleted uranium rounds were used during the Unification War and are only found in abandoned weapons caches and the black market. Depleted uranium rounds ignore one point of Armor Rating and do +1 Wound damage. Excessive exposure to this ammunition causes radiation sickness (see Serenity Role Playing Game page 158).

Explosive: Each explosive round is like a tiny little grenade, set to go off when it hits. They’re expensive, they require a weapon tooled for ‘em (or a secondary barrel), and they’re pretty much illegal across the ‘Verse. The explosion has a five-foot increment.

Nonlethal: Nonlethal ammunition consists of semisolid projectiles—beanbag, rubber, or low-impact—designed to stun and knock down a target rather than penetrate flesh.

Tracer: Tracer ammo is covered with a chemical that ignites in the face of sufficient friction, lighting up a trail through the air so the shooter can keep a tight cone of fire. When used with burst fire or autofire, tracer rounds grant a +1 Skill step as if aiming (which stacks with normal aiming bonuses, see Serenity Role Playing Game page 153).


Weapon Modifications

Barrel Light: A clip-on flashlight resting below or alongside the weapon’s barrel that illuminates the area your gun’s pointing at.

Bipod: A bipod clips or folds down from the barrel or stock of a rifle, assault rifle, or machine gun, stabilizing it while you’re firing. Generally a shooter using a bipod is prone or using an object such as a rock, fence, or window sill to elevate the weapon. A bipod provides a +1 Skill step while taking aim (which stacks with the normal bonuses from aiming, see Serenity Role Playing Game page 153) and extends the benefits of the aim action for as long as desired (above and beyond the three turns of benefit that aiming provides).

Carbine Remodel: Carbine-remodeling means shortening the barrel of a rifle as much as can be done, and shortening or removing the stock altogether. This lowers a rifle’s range increment by one-quarter (round down), but makes it much easier to conceal and carry. The listed cost is for a professional craftsman to perform the service. Those possessing doit-yourself spirit do it for free if ’n they have adequate tools and make an Average Agility + Guns/Gunsmithing action. Zoe, first mate of Serenity, carries a carbine-remodeled lever-action rifle, worn on the hip in a long catch-release clip holster. Rifles and shotguns can be so remodeled.

Flash Suppressor: A suppressor baffles the flash from a firearm’s discharge, helping a sniper keep concealed. It has no effect on range or accuracy, but increases the Difficulty of visually spotting a sniper by two.

Sawed-off Barrel: A sawed-off barrel reduces the range of a weapon by one-third (round down), but makes it easier to conceal. Gain a +1 Skill step when attempting to hide a weapon with a sawed-off barrel.

Scope: A sight lets you ignore range increment penalties. Scope Magnification lists the increase in range before penalties are imposed, as well as the cost. You can put only a 2x or 6x scope on a pistol; a scope has no effect on a shotgun, stunner, or other type of energy weapon.

Scope, Night-Vision: A night-vision scope enhances visible light and allows the shooter to see in the dark. It eliminates the dim and dark vision penalties (see Serenity Role Playing Game page 155), and turns pitch black conditions into dim lighting.

Scope, Ocular: A simple electronic scope, offering computer-assisted magnification and zoom capabilities. An ocular scope is more powerful than a regular scope, offering 64x magnification (7x range increment increase) or 128x magnification (8x range increase). Sometimes an ocular scope is more powerful than the effective range of the firearm.

Scope, Thermal: A thermal scope detects the heat signatures of living beings (or anything
putting off radiant heat). Halve the penalties for obscured vision (see Serenity Role Playing Game page 155); in pitch black conditions, increase the Difficulty of a normal or innate defense roll to Average.

Sight, Laser: A laser sight snaps onto a barrel and projects a nice red line of light where you’re pointing, putting a little red dot saying “Shoot here” on your target. Using one of these grants an additional +1 Skill step when aiming (which stacks with normal aiming bonuses, see Serenity Role Playing Game 153). A laser sight is of no benefit to bursts or autofire.

Silencer: A silencer can’t entirely muffle the sound of a gunshot, but it does muddle and soften it enough that it’s more difficult to hear. Trying to hear a silenced firearm from more’n 10 yards away is a Hard task, while trying to identify the location of the shooter is a Formidable one.

Stock, Folding or Telescopic: A rifle, shotgun, assault rifle, or other longarm can have a folding or telescopic stock. This has no game effects when extended other than ease of carrying. Attacks with the weapon when the stock is retracted suffer a –1 Skill step.

Trigger Lock: A simple electronic feature, a trigger lock may be deactivated with a key, a code sequence, a fingerprint lock, or even a voice-activated release. It takes one full combat turn to release a trigger lock, but won’t you feel safer knowing that any crazy test subjects who get their hands on your sidearm won’t be able to shoot you with it?

Underbarrel Launcher: A second barrel, mounted onto the barrel of your rifle. It lets you fire grenades if simple bullets ain’t enough. An underbarrel launcher only holds one grenade at a time, so you’ve got to reload it (taking one turn) between shots.


Explosives & Chemical Weapons

Acid: It’s a horrible thing using acid as a weapon, but the ‘Verse is full of horrible people that think nothing of it. The really sick ones take pleasure from it. Acid inflicts anywhere from d2 to d12+d12 Wounds, with a good average being d8. The higher the damage, the harder the acid is to obtain or to manufacture. Once it hits a target, acid keeps doing harm, with the damage dice reduced by 1 step each turn. For instance, d8 drops to d6 the next turn, then d4, until it diminishes to “d0,” which means the damage has ended. You can try to neutralize an acid with a base chemical—use an Intelligence + Scientific Expertise/Chemistry action to identify or mix one up on the spot. Acid burns are treated as those from fire (Serenity Role Playing Game page 157) and may even impose the Ugly as Sin Trait on a victim, with severity based on the extent of the burns.

Charge, Breaching: A shaped charge designed to blow open a ship’s hatch or the door of some other structure. Usually it’s got magnetic plates to lock it in place, and is able to function without oxygen, either out in the black or underwater. Small breaching charges can take out a lock, while big ones are arranged around a hatch to blow the whole thing out. As they’re shaped to funnel the blast in a particular direction, a breaching charge has a very short range and is used as a prelude to busting in on someone. A breaching charge ignores 2 points of Armor Rating.

Charge, Satchel: A wide-purpose bomb the size of a small rucksack, a satchel charge can breach a door or wall, take out a structure, be rigged as a booby-trap, or even be tossed into a vehicle’s open hatch to watch it shake. Satchel charges come with either a timer or a remote detonator.

Explosive, Improvised: A makeshift bomb fashioned with available chemicals, usually packed into a pipe or plastic bottle. You can fill an improvised explosive with pieces of metal if shrapnel appeals to you, or you can leave it as is if you’re trying to make the right “blast and set on fire” impressions.

Flamethrower: Setting someone afire is just about the unkindliest way to do away with ‘em, and it’s not looked upon well by most folks. A flamethrower’s got a back-mounted tank full of liquid fuel, a hand-held igniter, and a hose connecting the two. If you hit your target with an extraordinary success, you’ve set him on fire, and he’ll take the weapon’s damage each turn until extinguished. Botch the roll and you’ve set your own gorram self on fire—you’ve got three rounds to make an Easy Agility + Agility roll (while you’re on fire) before the tank explodes. In that unfortunate event, treat it like you got hit by an incendiary grenade (see table 1.13). Fire damage is detailed on Serenity Role Playing Game 157.

Flamethrower, Barrel-mounted: A compact flamethrower, this mounts onto assault rifles and has a shorter range, smaller tank, and is less likely to ignite the user. An extraordinary success sets the target on fire. A botch only means that the flamethrower fails to ignite.

Grenade, Incendiary: A grenade packed with highly flammable chemical gel capable of burning through metal when it’s ignited. This chemical gel doesn’t require oxidization, so it burns just as fiercely underwater as in vacuum.

Grenade, Magnetic: Your basic fragmentation grenade, but with the added benefit of a magnetic field that lets it stick to most metallic surfaces. Tossing a magnetic grenade at a metallic target grants a +2 Skill step to the thrower’s attack roll.

Grenade, Plasma: A plasma grenade produces enough heat to melt right through metal and nearly anything else. It works underwater or in vacuum. Unless you like the thought of synthetic skin grafts or extensive burn scars, you’d best get out of the way if someone throws one of these near you.

Grenade, Pulse: Designed to take out electronics or cripple computer systems, a pulse grenade can also be used to immobilize a vehicle operating with any engine using electrical current (as opposed to combustion). A pulse grenade does no damage to living people, but takes out any unshielded electronics within the pulse range.

Grenade, Web: When they go off, web grenades distribute a wide spray of liquid that instantly hardens into sticky biodegradable webbing that’s Hard to break. The webbing dissolves within an hour. Alliance security forces use web grenades for peaceful crowd control, though they can be put to other uses of a more nefarious nature.

Mine, Antipersonnel: Mines are a common enough hazard in ground combat, not so much in space, but they still see some use and turn up now and again. Antipersonnel mines injure enemy combatants instead of killing ‘em—a tactic devised by the Alliance during the Unification War. Wounded soldiers require considerable hardship getting ‘em off the battlefield, and caring for the stricken is even more of a drain on your resources. Antipersonnel mines throw a large blast upwards, generally taking off the limb that triggered the mine. Others, of the “Bouncing Betty” type, hop up into the air to spread the blast around. Mines are either concealed or simply scattered around out the open—or both. When mines are in the open, spotting ‘em is an Easy Altertness + Perception/Sight action. If they’re concealed, make an Alertness + Perception/Sight roll opposed by the minelayer’s Intelligence + Covert/Camouflage or Survival/Camouflage. On foot, passing through an area that has been mined is automatically successful if the mines are visible. If you’re aware of the mines but they’re concealed, passing through requires an Easy Agility + Athletics action.

Mine, Antivehicle: A mine with a big explosive charge specifically made to cripple a tank or other vehicle. Antitank mines only explode when a heavy weight (say, near 450 pounds.) presses on the trigger plate. That weight setting lets a soldier on foot walk right over it unharmed. Most antitank mines have shaped charges to damage vehicles and even kill anyone inside. They are used like antipersonnel mines (see above). Driving a vehicle through an area that is known to be mined requires a Hard Alertness + Drive action for a tracked or wheeled vehicle like a Mule. A hovermule won’t set mines off. Failure sets off a mine.

Mine, Pulse: This antivehicle mine uses an electromagnetic pulse to fry any electrical components when it goes off. When the charge triggers (see antivehicle mine above), it sends out a big blast of EMP radiation that cripples any vehicle liable to be passing within the range increment. Pulse mines were used by Alliance troops to capture vehicles and supplies without harming either. The men inside . . . they usually died defending their vehicle.

Molotov Cocktail: An improvised firebomb made out of a glass bottle filled with alcohol, a rag for a fuse, and the will to light it and throw it. A Molotov cocktail splashes an area a yard in diameter when it hits. An extraordinary success on an attack means the target has been set afire, doing the same damage each turn until the fire is put out. A botch often means the attacker has set his gorram fool self on fire to the same effect.


Heavy Weapons

Machinegun, Heavy: A big and rugged weapon, usually too heavy to be easily carried about. Most heavy machineguns have foldable bipods or tripods, or they’re mounted on a vehicle. Use one of these without a steady platform, you’re looking at a –3 Skill step for all attack rolls.

Machinegun, Light: Compared to an assault rifle, a light machinegun is a heavyweight. Without a steady firing platform, the shooter suffers a –1 Skill step to his attack rolls.

Microwave Broadcasters: This mounted weapon sends a wide-frequency microwave burst in a radius around the vehicle, low enough to avoid causing serious burns but strong enough to cause intense pain. Microwave broadcasters are usually mounted on Alliance security force vehicles, and are used to create a space around the vehicle. Anyone within range of the broadcaster must make an Easy Resistance (Vitality + Vitality) roll. Success means the target takes 1 Stun damage; failure inflicts d4 Stun damage. The Difficulty of this roll increases to Average on the next turn; on each subsequent turn, the Difficulty increases by four (7 to 11, then to 15, etc.). Included in the cost of a microwave broadcaster is the insulation to shield a vehicle’s systems and passengers. This price is for a vehicle the size of a large hovercraft. Those seeking to rig a larger vehicle find the price jumps up in an exponential fashion.

Mounted Flamethrower: This large flamethrower is capable of doing damage to vehicles.

Mounted Machinegun: This high and mighty machinegun is bolted into a vehicle and cannot be used otherwise.

Mortar: A firing tube designed to propel explosive rockets at a target, usually a vehicle or structure. It uses a high-trajectory arc to maximize range, and often an electronic rangefinder is essential to properly target mortar fire.

[Sebastian Gates]

Computers, Hardware, & Progs

Capture: Essentially a video postcard, a capture is a stiff piece of reusable smart paper that attaches to any camera unit or video feed. A micro-speaker provides (terrible) sound. A capture’s got enough memory for couple of minutes of video, which it replays when one of the corners is pinched tightly. Or you can spool a bunch of individual images into a capture and they’ll cycle through for as long as you’d like.

Commlink: A small, hand-held communicator linked to one or more other comlinks. They’ve got near 10 miles of range, but ain’t much more secure than shouting across a field. More expensive versions come in handsfree headset form.

Companion Register: Issued by the Companion’s Guild, a register is a leatherbound booklet comprised of the Companion’s license, two data disks containing verification of training and psychological evaluation, a stylus, and a small data store of the Companion’s transaction log. A Companion is prohibited from doing business without a valid register, and the Companion’s Guild offers a steep reward for information about unauthorized use of a register. If anyone’s foolish enough to try to falsify one, the Guild uses all its legal resources to stop ‘em.

Crybaby: A fake distress beacon, usually fashioned from whatever metal objects can be welded together large enough to register on a ship’s long-range sweeps. Hypothetical speaking, of course, a crybaby has a prerecorded distress message you triggered remotely, and can be used to get the attention of some civic-minded individuals and convince ‘em to offer assistance.

Earwig: A tiny ear-set, linked into a ship’s comm system, with a range of about a mile. They’re not very secure, and reception’s not the best for sent messages, but they’re a good means of staying in touch and being discreet about it.

Emergency Strobe: Standard on most shuttles or smaller ships. If you’re stranded, an emergency beacon sends out a regular pulse of light visible for miles, depending on the weather conditions. The battery’ll last you near 12 hours of continual use. If it’s longer than that before you expect rescue to arrive, best take stock of the surroundings and commence settling in for the long haul.

Gamebox: A handheld entertainment console containing a small screen, some controls, speakers, a datadisk reader, a rechargeable battery, and a data port to link with a computer. There’s not much to ‘em other than entertainment value. Different games can be downloaded through the Cortex legally, or bought in back-alley software stands.

Global Navigation System Finder: A GNS finder is a small handset with a screen that provides coordinates pinpointing your immediate location and plotting it on a map. Most of the Core and Border planets provide GNS satellite service; only a few on the Rim, like Regina and Triumph, have it. GNS satellites broadcast a signals network that lets a finder triangulate your position at any given time.

IdentCard: Every citizen of the Alliance is issued one of these at birth, though they’re less common in the Border worlds and more’n scarce out on the Rim. An IdentCard contains an integrated electronic datachip with a full background profile, medical information, criminal record, current address, and any additional pertinent information, including a full-head image updated as frequently as the user desires.

Squawkbox: A small music player, roughly the size of an ammo clip. The memory holds thousands of songs, and speakers mounted on either side fill an area with music. A patch-cable lets you download more music off the Cortex, if you’re willing to pay for it. Wireless earphones come with most models.

Punchpad: A book-sized, single-function computer, capable of word-processing, some basic programs, and a limited-access link to the Cortex if plugged into an authorized data port.

Reprogrammer: A simple, jury-rigged computer capable of little more’n hacking existing code, essentially a shell around some dyna-ram. As reprogrammers are highly illegal and can be easily traced once used on any system or network connected to the Cortex, they’re usually thrown together with whatever cheap pieces of hardware can be spared, and ditched immediately after use.

Schooldesk: Standard issue for students in the wealthier Core planets, a schooldesk is a sophisticated computer system with advanced holographic projection, a voice-response system, a (filtered and monitored) Cortex instafeed, printer capable of generating smart paper printouts, a data reader, and software packages running simulations of any number of science, engineering, or other projects. Using a schooldesk adds a +2 Skill step to research any subject allowed by the Alliance educational system, or to prepare a paper or presentation on such a subject.

Sensor: An electronic device designed to detect a vast range of conditions, environments, or elements. There are scores—hundreds even— of types of sensors, and they range in size from hand-held to loading crate. Here are some of the more common types and their uses: Altimeter: A hand-held sensor that detects your altitude, based on atmospheric pressure. An altimeter’s usually part of a ship’s sensor package, but when you’re on foot, the hand-held versions can be useful. Analyzer: A broad category of sensor that analyzes chemical compounds and provides
information about ‘em. Consider it to have an effective Intelligence d8 and Scientific Expertise d6/Chemistry d12. Metal Detector: Discerns any metals within an area. Motion Detector: Detects movement within a 20-yard radius. Weather Sensor: A generic term for any sort of device measuring weather conditions, barometric pressure, wind speed, or humidity.

Smart Paper: A piece of smart paper is essentially a paper-thin video screen, capable of animated displays and storing as much as several books worth of information in the memory cell. Most smart paper can’t be reused—it has no interface for additional downloads once information has been downloaded into its memory. You “turn” the page of smart paper through an on-page image, like a fake bent page corner or a button printed onto the page being displayed.


Communications & Security Equipment

Analyzer, Toxin: A small thermometershaped chemical analyzer for foods or drinks. Simply place it into a glass of liquid, or stick it into the middle of chow you’re suspicious of. Within a turn, it’ll check for any toxins or potentially fatal allergens. A toxin analyzer has Intelligence d6 and functional skill levels of Perception d6/Taste d12+d6 and Scientific Expertise d6/Chemistry d12+d6 when it comes to detecting toxins. It has a database of every currently identified toxin in the ‘Verse, and a small screen indicates the presence of toxins and their nature. Toxin analyzers have an audible alarm that can be turned on or off, if discretion is desired.

Scanner, Currency: A small sensor with a slot feeder. Put a bill or stack of bills into it, and it quickly scans at a molecular level and checks against every method of currency authentication and known signs of forgery. If you’re trying to fool a currency scanner, make an Intelligence + Covert/Forgery roll opposed by the machine’s Alertness d6 + Perception d6/Currency Analysis d12+d6 roll.

Translator: For those in the ‘Verse who’re unable or unwilling to learn Chinese or any of the dozens of other languages spoken, this device is a mechanical means of getting your point across. This small hand-held device has a microphone across the top and an earwig receiver. Point the thing at the person you’re wanting to speak to, wait as the doohickey translates it into your own language, and listen through the earwig. Repeat as desired until you’ve reached an understanding, or you’re ready to smash the little thing into slivers. Using a translator is slow and annoying, prone to mistranslations, and generally less effective than learning the language yourself. A translator has an effective Skill level of d10 in the two languages being used at a given time and an Intelligence d6. The Game Master assigns the Difficulty of translation attempts depending on the complexity of the topic being discussed. A botch results in drastic mistranslation. Languages can be downloaded in and out with ease, but only two languages can be actively translated at a time.


Medical Equipment & Pharmaceuticals

DNA Extractor: A long metallic cylinder used to obtain a sample of DNA from a person or unborn infant. When placed against skin and activated, the DNA extractor plunges a needle-thin lancet into the patient and removes enough cells for an accurate DNA profile to be performed using appropriate medical facilities. The extractor administers a local anesthetic, a disinfectant, and a rapid sealant to close the wound. A DNA extractor can also extract cells from the amniotic fluid surrounding an unborn infant.

Drug, Adrenal Booster: A favorite among junkies and experimental teen athletes, adrenal boosters increase your physical Attributes by one step each, and confer a temporary version of the Chip on the Shoulder (Major) Complication while the drug’s in effect, a period of time lasting roughly an hour. Abuse of adrenal boosters (using ‘em more than three times per week)
requires a Hard Resistance (Vitality + Vitality) roll to avoid becoming addicted. Success means you can choose to go clean, while failure means that you’ve just bought yourself the major version of the Hooked Complication. When the effects of adrenal boosters wear off, users often feel weak, suffering a –1 Strength step for two hours.

Drug, Anti-psychotic: A quick-acting, pharmaceutical-grade hypnotic sedative, used in Alliance hospitals to quell psychotic reactions. Dalcium is one of the most commonly prescribed brands. While under the influence of anti-psychotics, the Leaky Brainpan Complication is lessened from major to minor, or from minor to no effect. A dose of antipsychotic medication lasts for up to four hours, though prolonged usage must be monitored and the dosage regularly adjusted (tolerance builds up quickly). More’n two doses in a 24-hour period may lead to serious medical issues, such as a stroke.

Drug, Anti-rejection: These drugs help prevent the patient’s immune system from rejecting cybernetic enhancements. Without anti-rejection drugs, a patient runs the risk of infection, illness, and systemic shock, depending on the nature and extent of the cybernetic grafts (see Cybernetic Rejection Syndrome Complication, page 37). Taking these medications allows you to go without making a Resistance (Vitality + Vitality) roll to see if your body rejects the enhancements. If you’re already suffering, from CRS, taking the anti-rejection meds reduces the penalties to your Attributes by one step, and lowers the Difficulty of the Resistance roll by one. Each period you’re on the meds is cumulative, so if you go off ‘em for a short while and then commence to popping again, you’ll eventually get back to a semblance of health.

Drug, Broad-Spectrum Antidote: A general-purpose antidote for a broad range of ingested toxins or other diseases. There’re a thousand-plenty things you might inadvertently swallow that could kill you, far too many to be carrying around antidotes for each one. There’re even more diseases making the round, nasty little stowaways from the Earth-That-Was that made their way in the ‘Verse and survived terraforming, no matter what they done to wipe disease out. If taken before or during the time that symptoms commence to emerge, a broad-spectrum antidote provides a +1 step to Resistance (Vitality + Vitality) rolls against a poison or disease. If the roll is an extraordinary success, the antidote perfectly neutralizes the toxin or disease, and the patient suffers no further ill effects.

Drug, Broad-Spectrum Antivenin: A general-purpose antivenin for use against poison, particularly the types injected by a snake, spider, scorpion, or other unfriendly critter. This works identically to the broad-spectrum antidote (described above), but only applies to poisons.

Drug, Endorphin: Painkilling drugs that instill a sense of euphoria into the user, endorphins allow you to function despite pain and injury, but at diminished cognitive capacity. Using an endorphin allows you to ignore any Stun loss, but at the cost of a –2 step to Alertness and Intelligence for the duration of the endorphin’s effects. Endorphins are highly addictive, and using more’n one dose a day affects a user as described with adrenal booster drugs. As the endorphins wear off, they leave you sleepy and with a mild headache that goes away in an hour or so.

Drug, Nootropic: So-called “smart drugs,” nootropics improve neural processing and aid in clear thought. A dose of nootropic drugs has an hour of effect, during which time you gain a +1 step to Intelligence. Coming down from nootropics generally causes feelings of moroseness and inadequacy, and causes a –1 step to Intelligence and Willpower for an hour afterward.

Drug, Stimulants: These can range from pharmaceutical-grade medicines used in surgery or emergency rooms to street versions cooked up in some basement kitchen and sold to kids and gangers. While under the effects of stimulants, you gain a +1 step to Vitality and Willpower. This lasts an hour, after which the effects dissipate, and the modifier becomes a –1 step. The aftereffects fade after about an hour. Overuse of stims is treated as described under adrenal booster.

Drug, Tranquilizer: A narcotic compound capable of permeating skin through contact, causing near-instantaneous unconsciousness. One of the most popular brands is Somnex. Medical types call it “the goodnight kiss” as criminally inclined doxies (who apply the drug over a seal to protect themselves) use as lipstick to leave their victims unconscious so they can more easily be robbed. If you come into contact with a tranquilizer drug (injection, the “goodnight kiss,” etc.), you must make a Heroic Resistance (Vitality + Vitality) roll. Failure means you slump to the ground unconscious. Success puts you at a –3 step to Agility, Alertness, and Willpower for an hour.

Imaging Suite: One of the most sophisticated medical diagnostic tools available in the ‘Verse, an imaging suite creates a fully interactive, three-dimensional, real-time holographic display of the patient’s body, inside and out. This can be manipulated and dissected by the operator, allowing for precise diagnosis of any medical conditions without the invasive procedure of surgery or the risk of infection. An imaging suite takes at least a half-hour to operate effectively and requires a Hard Medical and a Hard Technical Engineering action. Successfully using an imaging suite adds a +4 Skill step to any attempt to diagnose a medical condition. An imaging suite can only be found in the best Alliance hospitals on Core planets. Torture Spider: An insidious and sadistic instrument used by criminals and (so they say) dark cells within the Alliance’s own security forces, a torture spider is a tripod-like device that attaches to the chest of a victim and is connected to a control console. When used by an expert, the torture spider adds a +2 Skill step to any torture actions. Each turn the torture spider is being used, the victim must make a Formidable Vitality + Will roll or take d6 Stun damage and suffer excruciating pain.


Covert Ops Gear

Babbler: This boxy little device is covered with short-range frequency scramblers, which safeguard an area against electronic surveillance of any sort other than visual. A babbler has a range near 20 feet and is highly conspicuous to a body actively scanning you—it shows up like a big blob of static in the middle of his screen. On the other hand, it’s a big blob of static rather than anything more particular, like who you are and what you’re saying. Using a babbler gives a +2 to the Difficulty of any Covert/Surveillance or Technical Engineering/Technical Security Systems attempts to determine who you are and what you’re saying.

Dreamcoat: One of the most expensive pieces of covert gear you’re liable to see, a dreamcoat was designed in some high-budget Alliance lab and ultimately killed. Only a handful of prototypes are floating around nowadays, but they’re so foolishly expensive they might as well be made of solid diamond. The Dreamcoat Project was an offshoot of the same development cycle that created the chameleon suit technology (see Serenity Role Playing Game page 76). The goal was near-invisibility, and they came darn close. A dreamcoat is a hooded body stocking, complete with gloves and boots of a fabric with tens of thousands of imaging cells and receivers, like a screen and camera combined. The suit’s central computer, a flat panel worn on one sleeve, continually receives images from each receiver, calculates its position and displays the image onto the exact opposite side of the suit. The result is that someone wearing a dreamcoat is effectively a mobile chameleon, near enough to transparent. Mr. Universe claims to have seen an illegal Cortex feed of a researcher reading a book displayed on a dreamcoat-clothed back while the book was held open before the dreamcoat wearer’s chest. Using a dreamcoat adds a +4 Skill step to Covert/Stealth or Covert/Camouflage actions, but only if you lower your movement to five feet per turn (as the suit needs a moment to process the massive datastream of image feeds). The technology was never perfected, far as we know; a botch causes the dreamcoat to flicker and display a wild stream of technicolor bars and static.

Enabler: An enabler synchs a handheld computer to a system through a holo-proxied datastream bridge. In layman’s terms, this little widget lets you attach a handheld computer to another system without actually physically linking it with a cable or through a data port. It makes it possible to link into a closed system from any bridging point in the network, such as a cable or other hard line. Surveillance Gear: A set of surveillance gear greatly aids in spying—listening in on conversations or otherwise getting into another’s business. It includes long-range oculars, cameras, miniature imagers and recorders, microtransmitters, thermal imagers, a comm frequency scanner, and more of the like. Using this gear adds a +2 Skill step to Covert/Surveillance attempts.

Vox Scrambler: A hand-held device that matches the voice signatures of anyone speaking around it, and generates a 10-foot field of barely audible vocal noise. It’s noticeable, but not loud enough to make it difficult to talk. To any recorders, bugs, or long-range listening devices, it sounds like a crowd of people yammerin’ in utter nonsensical babble. Trying to decipher a conversation recorded with a vox scrambler about is an Incredible Intelligence + Covert/Surveillance task.


Newtech

Cortical Neutralizer: This extremely sophisticated piece of military hardware combines the features of a “Bouncing Betty” land mine and a neural stunner. When activated, a small charge causes the neutralizer to leap a meter vertically before it activates. At that height (plus any distance from the launcher), it sends out a shaped short-range electromagnetic pulse at the exact frequency that human brains operate at. This scrambles any current neural signals and causes a condition similar to a miniature stroke in the victims, shutting down higher functions for a short period of time. A cortical neutralizer does not require an attack roll to use. Anybody aware one is being activated must succeed in an Average Agility + Athletics/Dodge roll to get out of the neutralizer’s field. Anyone unaware and standing upright is affected. Those hit by a cortical neutralizer’s pulse must make an Incredible Resistance (Vitality + Vitality) roll. Success means you take d12+d12 points of Stun damage. Failure means you pass out, taking your total Life Points as Stun but receiving no Shock points. This damage never becomes Shock damage. Botching the Resistance roll indicates short-term neural impairment, incurring a –2 step to Alertness, Intelligence, and Willpower for a full day’s time.

Force Field Emitter: A highly sophisticated, extraordinarily expensive, and energy-intensive method of safeguarding important items or scratch, the power requirements for force field emitters require are staggering. They’re rarely larger than a meter at most, usually around half that. No right-minded individual with a lick of sense would seriously consider using a force field emitter to protect valuables—it’s a sign of vanity and conspicuous wealth. A force field emitter offers total cover to whatever can fit inside its field, and grants an effective Armor Rating of 20 W at all times. Shutting down a force field emitter through means other than the authorized shut-off requires a successful Formidable Intelligence + Technical Engineering/Hacking roll. Due to the power requirements, a portable force field emitter is virtually impossible, and powering one on anything smaller than an Alliance cruiser is extremely unlikely.

Jolt Gloves: A pair of fashionable gloves wired to a charger base worn around the waist, with the wires threaded through the sleeves. These gloves act as a mighty inconspicuous stunner (see page 21), detected with a Hard Alertness + Perception/Sight roll. Jolt gloves can be worn in pairs or singly—the effect is identical. On a botched attack, a jolt glovewearer has inadvertently shocked hisself and suffers the device’s effects.

Neural Disruptor: This handgrip-sized device has a short folding spicule at either end. While a neural disrupter is active, any unprotected body within a 25-foot radius is subject to bombardment from a spectrum of high-frequency and highly classified signals. These signals cause rapid, intense, and catastrophic nervous deterioration, with intense pain and bleeding from all bodily orifices and even between fingers and cuticles. All victims in range must make a Formidable Vitality + Vitality roll each turn the neural disrupter is being used. Success means the victim takes d4 Basic damage; failure inflicts d8 Basic damage. No one knows why operatives trained to use these things aren’t affected, but they aren’t. Even knowing about this device puts you on a very short list of people in the ‘Verse—a roster you definitely do not want be a part of.


Services

Analysis, Forensic: The autopsy of a body, analysis of biological clues, or similar services. The cost represents a skilled forensic scientist or professional clinician working with adequate supplies and a lab, adequate time, and with a degree of discretion (no Cortex feed searches). A forensic analysis takes two or more days, depending on how complex it is and how elusive the desired information may be. The Game Master determines the actual skill level of the analyst and makes any relevant rolls. Dr. Mathias is an example of the personnel involved (see Serenity Role Playing Game page 188).

Analysis, Scientific: Scientific analysis includes biologic, chemical, bacteriological, or related examination with the end result being a report of findings. The cost represents a skilled scientist working with adequate supplies and a lab, adequate time, and with a degree of discretion (no Cortex feed searches). Scientific analysis can take up to a week, depending on the nature of the analysis. The Game Master determines the actual skill level of the analyst and make any relevant rolls. Dr. Mathias is an example of the personnel involved (see Serenity Role Playing Game page page 188).

Companionship, Unregistered: It might be neck-and-neck with farming as the oldest profession in the ‘Verse, and it’s certainly more widespread. Those without the connections, cash, or status for a Registered Companion turn to unlicensed companionship and live with the risks involved. The cost covers an hour or so of attention . . . a full night is five times the amount. The bar floozy (see Serenity Role Playing Game page 181) is an example of the sort of doxy this price represents.

Cortex Access, Public: A private link to the Cortex is usually the preserve of the wealthy, and requires a fixed domicile. For those who are satisfied with public terminal access, you can pay by the minute at one of the handy, friendly booths located throughout public spaces. An IdentCard is required to use the Cortex, and your activities while online are assuredly monitored at some level.

Cortex Access, Unlicensed: If you don’t have an IdentCard or would like some modicum of privacy in your Cortex use, there’s always the option of unlicensed access, usually offered where someone’s illegally linked into the Cortex, co-opted someone else’s account, or even hacked into a public access terminal with falsified credentials. One advantage is the lack of a data trail—unlicensed access is necessarily anonymous. This sort of use is furtive and dangerous, and the penalties for such activity are considerable.

Cosmetic Body Modification, Major: Major cosmetic body modification is significant alteration to one’s appearance— having a few inches added to height, major facial reconstructive surgery, having a notinconsiderable amount of weight added or removed, skull reshaping, and the like. This sort of procedure usually takes several days (at least one day of nothing but prep), and weeks, if not more, of recovery time. The Game Master assigns appropriate Attribute step penalties during this period of convalescence.

Cosmetic Body Modification, Minor: A minor cosmetic body modification covers anything not involving surgery. This can be as superficial as a piercing or subdermal implant, removing a tattoo, or even a cosmetic decoration grafted to skin or bone. It can include hair implants such as color-changing fiber-optic microcables, or a coloration shift of one’s skin or eyes. Minor cosmetic surgery can change the shape of a face superficially (lips, teeth, ears, cheekbones, nose, etc. ) or can provide augmentation of a more personal nature. Depending on its nature, this procedure can range from one hour to several days, with an additional few days of recovery during which time you’ll be at a –1 step to an appropriate Attribute.

Diagnostic, Computer: This service is offered in the more civilized sections of the ‘Verse, and involves a complete systems sweep, identifying and removing viruses and glitches, optimizing performance, and otherwise repairing a computer system or network to its full functionality. A full computer system diagnostic can take anywhere between four hours and two days, depending on the software’s sophistication and extent of the network. Mr. Universe (see Serenity Role Playing Game 187) is a perfectly shiny example of someone who might be able to do this sort of work, if it interests him and he’s still available.

Diagnostic, Medical: A medical diagnostic represents a comprehensive medical examination by a skilled medical professional, or using the services of a competent clinic. A diagnosis can be sought for a specific medical condition, analysis of symptoms, or it can be performed as part of a general checkup. This includes blood and fluid work, full-body imaging, an interview, and a detailed examination for symptoms. A medical diagnosis can take hours to days of diligent work, depending on how elusive the medical condition is and the nature of any symptoms (if any). The Game Master determines the actual skill level of the medical professional and make any relevant rolls. The Alliance hospital personnel is a good example (see Serenity Role Playing Game page 183).

Diagnostic, Technical: A technical diagnostic includes a complete exam of a ship or that of another major technological system, looking for faults, misalignments, erratic behavior, and other potential areas where a breakdown may occur. It can also sweep for any nonstandard modifications, known or otherwise. The goal of a technical diagnostic is to present the engineer with a laundry list of areas that need fixing but would otherwise escape cursory notice, and to indicate aspects where a ship’s performance might be enhanced through slight upgrades. The diagnostic report grants a +1 step to any Technical Engineering rolls related to the system(s) examined. A technical diagnostic takes several days to weeks, depending on the size and complexity of the vessel or system being examined, and requires a landing bay and one or more engineers familiar with the type of ship or system. Often technical systems are handled as specialties, such as engine diagnostics or life support diagnostics. The Game Master determines the actual skill level of the engineer(s) involved and make any relevant rolls. Kaylee (see Serenity Role Playing Game page 16) is an example of a mechanic capable of doing such work.

Labor, Heavy: There’re aplenty of folks down enough on their luck that they’ll take any work, no matter how rough. That means heavy lifting, construction, or other grunt work that people with money would rather not think about, much less do.

Labor, Menial: This covers all manner of minor and menial tasks, from having your transport cleaned to carrying your bags around a busy starport.

Laundry: No matter who you are, having clean skivvies is a basic requirement for comfort. Most ships have (lousy) washing machines, but there’s no substitute for having your laundry done right. Most skyplexes and ports have laundry services with lightning-fast turnaround times.

Legal Counsel, Major: Given the sort of behavior most crews are more’n certain up to, it’s a miracle you’ve not already made the acquaintance of legal counsel on several worlds. For crimes such as involving death, major malfeasance, or other genuinely criminal activities, your only hope of freedom is to book yourself a crack legal mind, an advocate from one of the high-powered, multi-world law firms that span the Core worlds, or some law scholar with a mad-on for the Alliance. This represents an advocate who’ll work with you for weeks, gathering evidence and putting together a case to support your claim of innocence, and will stand alongside you throughout your trial. It’ll likely also involve the services of an assistant and maybe even a small team of advisors. The best legal help you can get . . . and you’ll pay every credit you have and more for it.

Legal Counsel, Minor: It’s only a matter of time before you’re pinched for something and find yourself before a frontier magistrate, or worse, facing an Alliance tribunal. In event of such an unlucky occurrence, you’d be advised to get yourself an advocate who can walk you through the legal process, and hopefully stay your mangy hide from incarceration. Minor legal counsel includes a junior advocate (or garrulous country lawyer) who’ll meet with you and present your case in court, and is recommended for any crimes relating to minor theft of property, moving violations, assault, disturbing the peace, and so on. For a greater infraction, you ought to seek yourself someone better than this.

Makeover: Sometimes you just want to go beyond the daily spit-shine and show folks what you look like at your shiny best. A salonstyle makeover includes a haircut and style, a chemical cleansing peel, an astonishing variety of grooming from head-to-toe, and makeup if you’re the sort to wear it.

Security, Major: A major security detail represents round-the-clock protection from a small and dedicated team of professional guards, often former lawmen or soldiers. They’re paid well and are expected to do everything within their power to safeguard the subject of their duty, whether it be a building, an object, or a person. The hired gun (Serenity Role Playing Game page 186) is a good example of this level of guard.

Security, Minor: This means hiring a parttime guard, usually trained in basic security procedures and observation, and almost certainly unwilling to risk life and well-being in the line of duty. The frontier deputy (Serenity Role Playing Game page 185) is the quality of the security this buys.

Tattooing, Deluxe: Deluxe tattooing covers a range of sophisticated techniques, from colorflux ink (changes color), animatoos (animated tattoos), chameleon ink (takes on colors of nearby images), reflect ink (mirrored), lume ink (tattoos that light up when pressed, or glow all the time), and so on. You spend this much making yourself stand out, you’d better have good cause for it.

Tattooing, Standard: Standard tattooing is your basic ink job, still common thousands of years after the first person thought to break skin and lay down color.

Translator: When there’s a barrier to honest communication, sometimes you’ve got to bring in outside help. Hiring a translator is fairly easy if you’re not picky. This level of service gets you someone with Alertness d6, Intelligence d8, and Linguist d6/Language of Choice d10, likely a native speaker. If you want to spend more, you can get someone better, or you can spend less, try your luck, and hope your business won’t be too adversely affected.

[Sebastian Gates]

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