Vehicles

Vehicles use the same dice resolution system as characters, with a separate set of characteristics reflecting their physical properties rather than the operator's.

Vehicle Characteristics

Characteristic	Description
Scale	Physical size category (1 = person-sized, 2 = small craft, 3 = medium vehicle, 4 = large vehicle, 5 = massive, 6+ = capital scale)
Speed	Maximum rate of movement per maneuver; higher Speed allows covering more ground
Handling	Agility and responsiveness; adds or subtracts from Operate checks (range: −5 to +5)
Armor	Reduces incoming damage like Resistance; does not stack with personal Resistance
Defense	Adds Bane Dice to attack checks made against the vehicle
Hull Points	Structural integrity; vehicle is disabled when Hull Damage reaches this value
System Points	Operational capacity; vehicle loses control when System Damage reaches this value
Crew & Passengers	The normal crew needed to operate the vehicle and the number of passengers it can carry

Operating a Vehicle

Most vehicle actions are resolved by the operator making an Operate check using their own dice pool, modified by the vehicle's Handling. Positive Handling adds Boon Dice; negative Handling adds Bane Dice. Vehicle attacks are typically resolved using the operator's relevant combat skill, modified by the vehicle's Handling unless the Universe specifies otherwise.

Vehicles act within structured play using the same initiative and turn rules as characters, unless a Universe specifies otherwise. In multi-crew vehicles, one character typically acts as the primary operator each round. Other crew members may assist the operator, man weapons, operate sensors, make repairs, handle cargo, or perform other vehicle actions with their own checks.

The default skill for operating vehicles, mounts, ships, machines, mechs, or similar controlled systems is Operate. Universes may define different characteristics, skills, or specialties for specific vehicle types.

Vehicle Damage

Attacks against vehicles deal Hull Damage (structural damage) or System Damage (system/crew damage), depending on the attack type. Universes define which weapons deal which type.

• When Hull Damage meets or exceeds the Hull Points, the vehicle is disabled, unable to move or act until repaired.
• When System Damage meets or exceeds the System Points, the vehicle loses control, it may crash, drift, or otherwise become a hazard as determined by the GM.

Repairing Vehicle Damage

Vehicle damage does not recover on its own. A character repairing a vehicle makes a Craft check with appropriate time, tools, parts, and access to the damaged system. Each net Success removes 1 Hull Damage or 1 System Damage. 2 Boons may remove 1 additional damage, preserve parts, reduce repair time, or keep the work quiet.

Use the following default difficulties unless the Universe defines its own repair rules:

Damage State	Repair Difficulty
Minor field damage	Easy Craft check
Disabled vehicle or lost control	Average Craft check
Heavy damage, missing parts, hostile conditions	Hard Craft check
Destroyed, catastrophic, exotic, or impossible damage	Severe Craft check, special resources, or story resolution

Emergency repairs made during structured play normally require an Action, restore function rather than fully repairing the vehicle, and last until the end of the encounter or until the fiction says they fail.

Scale in Combat

Scale matters when vehicles of different sizes engage each other. When attacking a target of significantly higher Scale, remove Bane Dice from the attacker's pool up to the Scale difference (minimum zero). When attacking a significantly smaller target, add Bane Dice equal to the difference.

For example, a Scale 2 vehicle attacking a Scale 4 target removes up to 2 Bane Dice from its pool, reflecting the difficulty of missing a much larger target.

If a Universe does not define a specific threshold, a difference of 2 or more Scale is considered significant.

Ash Runners Collector Hauler

 

Consumables: 1 month Cargo Capacity: 200 encumbrance units, or equivalent Universe-defined cargo Cost/Availability: 40,000 Universe currency / Restricted, Rare

Weapons

• 1 Forward-Mounted Scrap Cannon (Damage 5; Crit 4; Range [Short]; Inaccurate 2, Slow-Firing 1)
• 1 Jury-Rigged Plasma Turret (Damage 6; Crit 3; Range [Short]; Overheat, Limited Ammo 5)

Special Equipment

• Implant Detonator Node — Command system tied to crew collars. If triggered, kills the entire crew instantly.

Critical Hits on Vehicles

A vehicle suffers a Critical Hit when:

• It suffers a hit while already disabled or at maximum System Damage
• An attacker spends Boons equal to the attacking weapon's Crit rating
• An attacker spends a Breakthrough to trigger one

If the attacking weapon has no listed Crit rating, the default cost is 3 Boons unless the Universe defines a different threshold.

Roll percentile dice (d100) and add +10 per existing Critical Hit on the vehicle. Consult the vehicle Critical Hit table in the active Universe, or use the default table below if no Universe table is available. Each existing Critical Hit continues adding +10 to future vehicle Critical Hit rolls until that specific hit is repaired.

To repair a vehicle Critical Hit, a character makes a Craft check with appropriate time, tools, parts, and access to the damaged system. The difficulty is based on severity: Minor is Easy, Moderate is Average, Severe is Hard, and Deadly is Severe or requires special resources, a safe facility, or story resolution. On success, the Critical Hit is removed and no longer adds +10 to future vehicle Critical Hit rolls. On failure, the Critical Hit remains. Banes or a Calamity may consume parts, increase repair time, damage another system, or create a new complication.

Default Vehicle Critical Hit Table

d100 Result	Severity	Hit	Effect
01-05	Minor	Shaken Crew	All crew suffer 1 Strain.
06-10	Minor	Cosmetic Damage	The vehicle leaves obvious debris, smoke, sparks, or a trail until repaired. Tracking it adds 1 Boon Die.
11-15	Minor	Jolt	The operator adds 1 Bane Die to their next Operate check before the end of their next turn.
16-20	Minor	Loose Cargo	One unsecured item, passenger, or cargo group is thrown around. The GM may move it, damage it, or require a check to keep control of it.
21-25	Minor	Sensor Glitch	Until the end of the encounter, checks using the vehicle's sensors, comms, targeting, or awareness systems add 1 Bane Die.
26-30	Minor	Armor Scored	Until repaired, reduce vehicle Armor by 1, minimum 0.
31-35	Moderate	Control Lag	Until the end of the encounter, negative Handling is worsened by 1 or positive Handling is reduced by 1.
36-40	Moderate	Weapon Disrupted	One weapon chosen by the GM cannot be used until a crew member spends an Action to clear, reset, reload, or reroute it.
41-45	Moderate	Drive Strain	The vehicle suffers 2 System Damage.
46-50	Moderate	Hull Breach	The vehicle suffers 2 Hull Damage. If the fiction calls for it, atmosphere, fuel, cargo, or passengers are exposed.
51-55	Moderate	Systems Flicker	Until the end of the encounter, the vehicle loses one nonessential system chosen by the GM.
56-60	Moderate	Exposed Profile	Until the start of the operator's next turn, attacks against the vehicle add 1 Boon Die.
61-65	Severe	Steering Damage	Until repaired, all Operate checks with the vehicle add 1 Bane Die.
66-70	Severe	Engine Hit	Reduce Speed by 1, minimum 0, until repaired.
71-75	Severe	Defensive Systems Down	Reduce vehicle Defense by 1, minimum 0, until repaired.
76-80	Severe	Weapon Disabled	One weapon chosen by the GM is disabled until repaired.
81-85	Severe	Structural Fracture	Until repaired, Hull Damage recovery and repair restore half the normal amount, rounded down, minimum 1.
86-90	Deadly	Systems Crash	The vehicle immediately loses control and suffers 3 System Damage. The operator may make a Hard Operate check to prevent a crash, spinout, stall, or equivalent disaster.
91-95	Deadly	Catastrophic Breach	The vehicle suffers 3 Hull Damage. Crew and passengers are exposed to an immediate hazard appropriate to the Universe.
96-100	Deadly	Power Failure	The vehicle is disabled until a crew member succeeds on a Hard Craft or Operate check to restore emergency function.
101-110	Deadly	Breaking Apart	The vehicle is disabled and loses control. It will be destroyed unless stabilized, landed, stopped, or otherwise rescued immediately.
111+	Deadly	Catastrophic Loss	The vehicle is destroyed, crashes, explodes, tears apart, or otherwise becomes unsalvageable unless a major narrative rescue or extraordinary intervention prevents it. The GM should make the danger clear and give the crew a chance to act.