TEXT: V1.0 copyright © 2001 by Marco Chacon 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  GENERAL GAME MECHANICS 
   
   
   
   
  .  
   
  I 
   
  n this section all the nuts-and-bolts of the JAGS's mechanics are 
  explained. Here things like drowning, falling, interaction with NPCs 
  (Non-Player-Characters), etc. are covered.  These rules help detail 
  real world events in game terms (a character falls out of a 7-story 
  window—what happens?).  If the GM does not like the way something is 
  handled so long as it is changed in a fashion consistent with the rest of 
  the system there should be no problem. 
  General Concepts 
   
  To an extent, all these rules may be considered optional as the GM may 
  simply use common sense in place of complicated formulas ("Of course 
  you can't fight full speed for 25 minutes!" or "You are trapped under 
  freezing water for 15 minutes—make a CON roll to see if the paramedics 
  can revive you.")  If the players and GM want rules, on the other hand, 
  these should be balanced and applicable. 
   
  Jumping 
  To see if a character can make a close jump, an AGI, Acrobatics, or 
  appropriate Sports Skill roll is made. Each point the roll is made or 
  missed by adds or deducts 1 foot from the jump up to .25x the total jump 
  (so if a character is sprinting at 8.5 yards a second, has a 13 STR and a 
  13 BLD (3 mass), who is 6 feet tall the jump distance is 4.25 + 3 + 2 = 
  9.25 yards.  If the character blows a roll by 5, the character loses 5 feet 
  which is less than the 2.3 yards of variance so the character goes 22.75 
  feet). 
   
   
  Swimming 
  The maximum speed of a swimmer is some fraction of his Sprinting 
  speed.  This fraction varies depending on what the swimmer is wearing. 
   
  Clothing Worn  
   
  Max Swim Speed 
   
  Swim Gear and Flippers 
   
  Sprint /3 
  Normal Swim Gear  
   
  Sprint / 4 
   
   
  Normal Clothing  
   
  Sprint / 7 
   
   
  At this speed the swimmer is using Sprinting Endurance.  If the swimmer 
  wants to swim at a lower speed (and Endurance), Walking Endurance is 
  α maximum swim speed and Running Endurance is β maximum swim 
  speed. 
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 by Marco Chacon 
   
  Lift 
  Computing Lift: 
  A character’s Lift (or bench 
  press) for game purposes is 
  usually 130lbs for a 10 STR, 
  +75lbs per point above 10 or -
  10lbs per point of STR below 
  10.  That means that a 
  character with a 12 STR can 
  bench press a maximum of 
  280lbs (pretty darn strong!). 
  Of course, anyone can lug around more than they can bench and the 
  Encumbrance rules support that.  A character can lift/press 130 lbs. if he has 
  a 10 strength.  He may lift up to 175 lb. if he has an 11 STR.  Each point 
  of strength after that is considered to be an increase of 75lbs.  For 
  strengths below 10, the press is 10lbs x STR (so a 7 STR can press 70 
  lbs.). 
   
  A character can pick up and walk around with 1.5x this number of 
  pounds but will have to make a CON roll to lift more than the character 
  can press above his head as a Medium action (if the weight is 1/4 or 
  less, the character can lift it above his head with one hand for no action 
  cost).  With this maximum weight the character will not be very mobile 
  (see the Encumbrance rules). 
   
   
  To see if the character can lift something which is close to the 
  character's maximum the character makes a CON roll.  Each point the 
  roll is made or missed by adds or subtracts 1 pound of lift to each point 
  of STR.  
   
  Ex1: A character with a 23 STR can bench press 130 + (13 x 75) 
  pounds = 1105 pounds. The character tries to bench-press a 995 pound 
  weight bar.  As this is pretty close to the maximum and there is a crowd 
  watching (if he tries to do it in private he can simply keep rolling until he 
  gets it) the GM calls for a roll.  The roll is against the character's CON of 
  12 and the character rolls a 17, missing it by 5.  The character's lift is 
  130 + (13 x 70) = 1040 which still lifts the bar easily.  The GM shouldn't 
  have called for a roll as this is the worst possible result (-5) and it was 
  still sufficient.  A truly nasty GM could rule that critical failures on such 
  rolls can cause injury but this is rather a lot of rolling for very little gain. 
   
  O1: Heroic Max Lift.  The GM may simply rule that Heroic characters, 
  always capable of maximal output, never have to roll to make a lift—
  either they can or they can't. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 by Marco Chacon 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Throwing 
  Optional Throwing: 
  If, logically, all throwing were 
  treated like collisions, objects 
  would not add their Mass to the 
  damage done by the throw—
  the objects Mass would simply 
  reduce the distance it would go. 
   
  While this is somewhat realistic, 
  remember that distance for 
  parabolic arcs is fairly 
  complicated—the maximum 
  distance a character could 
  throw something is 
  proportional—but not 
  necessarily equal—to the 
  damage it might do.  These 
  rules present an approximation 
  that is good for gaming (you 
  can pick up a heavy object and 
  heave it for more damage). 
   
  Throwing In Combat: 
  It is a Medium action (5 REA) 
  to pick up an object (the same 
  as drawing a weapon).  Thrown 
  objects cannot normally be 
  aimed; however, an 8 REA 
  Long Aim action for an 
  unbalanced object adds 
  +1(GM-ruled “balanced” objects 
  may be aimed normally). 
   
  For game purposes, almost any 
  object will add +1 to damage. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Effects Notes: 
  As with collisions, most of the 
  Encumbrance effects deal with 
  combat so you have to 
  understand that section before 
  you fully get all the rules here. 
   
  The primary time that 
  Encumbrance will come into 
  play is in fantasy scenarios 
  where some characters will 
  wear heavy armor.  These rules 
  are intended to balance those 
  characters by making weak 
  characters tend to choose 
  lighter armor.  
  Characters may wish to throw objects during the game.  If a question 
  arises as to how far something can be thrown the GM is advised to use 
  common sense but these rules give more detail if needed.  Thrown 
  weapons hit with an appropriate Weapon Skill or COR -2 roll.  If the 
  object is small (like a knife or a ball) and the character is not experienced 
  in throwing then there is no Damage Modifier applied for the amount hit 
  by.  If the object is large (meaning that the character is probably 
  paranormally strong) then there may a large weapon to-hit bonus 
  applied. 
   
  A character can throw an object [character’s (STR -10) / Mass of the 
  object] yards (minimum of 1).  It will strike for [(STR -10) + Mass] 
  damage (see Combat).  It should be noted that at the outer ends of the 
  scales (ultra low masses and ultra high strengths) the results are far from 
  realistic.  In this case rules about terminal velocities (the speed at which 
  an object in a medium can move no faster) should be applied if the GM 
  wants to keep things realistic.   
   
  Ex1: A man with a 14 STR picks up another man and tries to throw him.  
  He can toss the man 2 yards, as the Mass of the man being tossed is 2. 
   
  For people with STR’s of less than 10, treat a STR of 9 as .75, a STR of 
  8 as .5, and a STR of 7 as .25. 
   
  O1: Fractional Masses. The GM can give objects fractional masses if he 
  wants to.  This can be used to help with a person throwing really small 
  objects.   
   
   
  Encumbrance 
   
  Encumbrance is the measure of how carrying gear can slow down a 
  character.  To figure out if a character is encumbered, figure out what the 
  character's lift is and apply the amount on the chart below. 
   
   
  Encumbrance Table 
  Weight Carried  
   
  Encumbrance 
   
  Lift / 5 
   
   
   
  Slightly Encumbered 
  Lift / 10  
   
   
  Unencumbered 
   
   
  Lift  
   
   
   
  Heavily Encumbered 
  Lift / 2 
   
   
   
  Encumbered 
   
   
  Lift x 1.5  
   
   
  Weighted Down 
   
   
  Encumbrance Effects Chart 
  Level of Encumbrance  
  Move Init. 
  AGI Bonus 
   
  Slightly Encumbered 
   
  -1 yard -1 
  -1 
  Unencumbered 
   
   
  None 
  -0 
  -0 
   
   
  Heavily Encumbered 
   
  - 2 
  -3 
  -3 
  Encumbered 
   
   
  - α 
  -2 
  -2 
   
   
   
   
  Weighted Down  
   
  1 yard 
  -4 
  -4 
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 by Marco Chacon 
   
   
  Other Encumbrance 
  Rules and Effects: 
  These should be considered 
  advanced rules since they don’t 
  add much to play except 
  realism in certain situations. 
   
  • 
  At Slightly Encumbered 
  and above, running costs 
  Sprinting Endurance. 
  • 
  At Heavily Encumbered 
  and above, walking costs 
  Running Endurance. 
  • 
  At Weighted Down, any 
  movement costs 1 
  Endurance per turn. 
  • 
  Above Weighted Down, the 
  character must make a 
  STR roll to move one yard. 
  For each 75lbs above that 
  point the STR roll is at -1. 
  • 
  If a character is reduced to 
  a 7 or less STR roll in the 
  above fashion, he is at +5 
  to be hit in combat (as 
  though standing perfectly 
  still). 
   
   
  Swimming and 
  Encumbrance: 
  Swimming speeds are affected 
  by Encumbrance in the 
  following manner: 
   
  • 
  Slightly Encumbered: 
  Swimmer max speed is 
  calculated as though his 
  REA were one less. 
  • 
  Encumbered: - α max 
  swim speed (do not 
  calculate max swim speed 
  as though Slightly 
  Encumbered) 
  • 
  Heavily Encumbered: - 2 
  max swim speed 
  • 
  Weighted Down: The 
  character will not move 
  and must spend Sprinting 
  Endurance to keep from 
  sinking. 
  Move: Move represents the effect of weight on the character’s ground 
  speed.  The deductions are from Sprint and effect all lower speeds (e.g. 
  a character with a sprint of 9 yards / sec at Encumbered level sprints at 6 
  yards / sec and walks at 2). 
   
  Init. : This is the effect on the encumbered character’s Initiative roll.  It 
  effects when he gets to act in a combat turn (encumbered characters 
  tend to act last). 
   
  AGI Bonus: A character’s AGI bonus is the negative others are at to 
  strike him due to his Agility.  It is usually equal to AGI - 10.  Slower 
  characters are easier to hit so when subtracting, if the number is 
  negative, the character is easier to hit.  This means that a character with 
  a 13 AGI (-3 to be hit in hand-to-hand combat) is actually at +1 to be hit if 
  he is Weighted Down (since he’s basically standing still). 
   
  Ex1: A character with an 11 STR has a lift of 205 lbs.  If the character is 
  wearing 50lbs of armor, the character is Slightly Encumbered and takes 
  the listed penalties. 
   
  Ex2: A character with a 24 STR has five 150 lb. people clinging to him 
  as he tries to run. His lift is 130 + (24 x 75 lbs.) = 1930 lbs.  The people 
  weigh 750 lbs.  Assuming the character is carrying nothing else heavy, 
  the character is at Slightly Encumbered level (but is almost 
  Encumbered). 
   
  NOTE: If a character’s Initiative or AGI is 20 or higher, his Init. and AGI 
  Bonus negatives are 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% respectively. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 by Marco Chacon 
   
  Endurance 
  Reducing Endurance: 
  Characters can reduce the 
  amount of endurance an 
  activity costs them by reducing 
  the level they use it at. 
   
  Any time the effective power of 
  an ability or Strength is cut by a 
  third then the endurance cost is 
  lowered by one.   
   
  This means that if a character 
  with a STR of 13 and a CON of 
  12 fights all out, he can fight for 
  17 seconds before becoming 
  “Very Tired.”  After that he will 
  degrade rapidly.  When he 
  fights for 26 seconds (all out) 
  he’s about wasted. 
   
  On the other hand, he can use 
  a 12 STR (one third less 
  effective than full STR), thereby 
  gaining an Endurance point for 
  every minute he fights so he 
  can fight about half an hour 
  before falling. 
   
  The primary purpose of 
  endurance rules is two-fold: to 
  keep characters with 
  paranormal abilities in check (“I 
  use my power beam to destroy 
  the mountain”) and to keep 
  spell casters in check (“I’ll keep 
  casting my fireball spell until I 
  toast the whole army!”). 
   
  Most combats won’t last long 
  enough for it to be a problem 
  anyway. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  The Endurance rules determine how long a character can keep doing 
  something without getting tired, slowing down, etc.  These require some 
  record keeping and should only be invoked if there is a concern of the 
  amount of effort expended—characters out having a picnic, even if there 
  is some physical exertion should not bother keeping track of endurance 
  unless the GM requires it. 
   
  The Endurance system works by the GM monitoring the amount of time 
  a character spends in a taxing activity and telling the player to mark 
  down Endurance.  When the total number of Endurance equals the 
  character's CON (not Damage Points) the character becomes tired and 
  as Endurance continues to mount, the character's abilities degrade more 
  and more. 
   
  Activities: Activities are divided into four difficulty levels starting with 
  Thought and ending with Sprinting Endurance.  When a character 
  performs a listed action within the base period of time, mark 1 
  Endurance.   
   
  Reducing Endurance: Endurance goes away as the character rests.  
  For each 15 minutes the character rests, he removes 1 Endurance.  For 
  each 5 minutes the character rests, he loses a fractional point (if they’re 
  being kept track of—but that’s really, really not necessary unless 
  something weird is going on). 
   
  Endurance Table 
  Level of Exertion 
  Time Each Endurance Is Acquired 
   
  Walking  
   
  1 point each 15 minutes 
  Thought  
   
  Never (costs no Endurance) 
   
   
  Sprinting  
   
  1 point per second 
  Running  
   
  1 point each minute 
   
   
   
  Effects of Endurance Table 
  Total Endurance 
  Effect 
   
  CON x 1.3 
   
  Very Tired.  -2 Initiative Rolls 
  CON or Less 
   
  None or Tired 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  CON x 2 
  Debilitated.  As above but -4 STR instead.  
  Any time an additional Endurance point is 
  gained the character must make a CON roll 
  or become unconscious. 
  CON x 3  
   
  Automatic Unconsciousness 
  CON x 1.5 
   
  Exhausted.  As above and -2 STR 
   
   
  Endurance Cost Table 
  Action  
   
   
  Endurance 
  Notes 
   
   
   
  Maintaining a minor magic spell  
  Walking  
  May vary 
  Full STR used twice in a second 
  Sprinting  
  Typical combat 
   
   
   
  Using a paranormal ability  
  Walking  
  Varies a lot. 
  Carrying a body   
   
  Running  
   
  Blocking or dodging 
   
  Thought  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 by Marco Chacon 
  Perception 
  A search of an area is more than just a perception roll; it’s a 
  concentrated effort to look for something.  A quick glance over an area (5 
  REA Medium action) gives the character a Perception +2 roll to notice 
  anything in sight.  A careful search of an area (8 REA Long action) will 
  be a Perception roll at +4.  Quick glances may cause normal perception 
  rolls or rolls at a minus. 
   
  Sleep 
  A character must get six hours of sleep a night or incur 6 Endurance that 
  cannot be removed by resting (only sleeping).  Each hour of sleep will 
  remove 1 point. If a character is above CON in Endurance due to sleep 
  loss, he must make a WIL roll to avoid falling asleep once an hour or 
  during any prolonged period of inactivity. 
   
  Asphyxia 
  A character caught by surprise can hold his breath for CON seconds.  If 
  he has time to take a few deep breaths, he can hold his breath for CON 
  x5 seconds.  A character holding his breath is at -1 to all STR and AGI 
  rolls.  A character who performs no physical exertion may extend the 
  time by 1.5x. If the character then cannot breathe when his time is up, he 
  will Asphyxiate: the character rapidly accrues Endurance (6 per second); 
  if the character still cannot breathe after losing consciousness due to 
  Asphyxia, he will lose 1 Damage Point each second after losing 
  consciousness. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 by Marco Chacon 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Healing Notes: 
  • 
  Bleeding rates are listed 
  under the combat section. 
  • 
  The amount of damage 
  points a character gains 
  from a successful first aid 
  roll is dependent on his 
  total damage points.  1 
  point can be substituted for 
  10 percent and 2 points 
  can be substituted for 
  20%.  Conversely, if the 
  roll is made for a massive 
  beast (a human attempting 
  to confer first aid on a 
  dragon, for instance) then 
  the actual number of points 
  may be fewer than the 
  target’s Minor Wound.  The 
  GM must determine what 
  makes sense. 
  • 
  A success by 5 or more on 
  a Level 1 or Level 2 roll will 
  usually heal a minimum of 
  4 points or +1 above Minor 
  Wound—whichever is 
  more. 
  • 
  Healing of any kind does 
  NOT effect the rate at 
  which the character 
  naturally recovers points. 
   
  Medicine: 
  When characters are diseased, 
  they usually make a CON roll at 
  some interval against the 
  diseases’ Power (PWR).   
   
  If they succeed, they reduce 
  the PWR of the disease by the 
  amount they succeeded by.  If 
  they fail, either the effect of the 
  disease gets worse or its PWR 
  goes up, or both. 
   
  Medicine (usually requiring a 
  Level 3 Physician to administer) 
  usually adds +1 to +3.  Rest 
  adds +1—exertion -1 to -2.  If 
  the doctor makes his roll by 5+, 
  this adds his Medical Skill - 10.  
  If the doctor is Level 4, he 
  automatically adds that to his 
  primary patient’s CON roll and 
  can effect others with a roll 
  made by 5. 
   
  The GM determines what 
  effects the disease has and 
   
  Healing 
  Just as characters get hurt, so do they heal.  In some campaigns this is 
  done with magic or technology.  In modern society characters are not so 
  much healed as helped to heal.  These rules cover the application of 
  medicine and the natural recuperative abilities of the body. 
   
  Natural Healing Rate: The rate a character heals damage is determined 
  by Condition level and Wound size.  If a character has suffered only a 
  small wound or is only bruised the character will be fine in a short while.  
  If the character is more gravely injured the time is correspondingly 
  greater. But, even if each individual wound is small, a great number of 
  cuts, bruises, etc. will place a strain on the character. 
   
  Healing Rate Chart 
  Condition 
  Time to Recover 1/10th Total DP 
   
   
  Hurt 
   
   
  1 hour 
  Normal  
   
  1 minute 
   
   
  Serious  
   
  2 days 
  Injured  
   
  1 day 
   
   
   
  NOTE: Penetration Damage is always healed as a Major or Critical Wound 
  and requires that the character make a CON roll to heal each amount—this 
  CON roll is modified by the character's condition. 
   
  First Aid: Immediate assistance can have many different effects but the 
  list here shows the most common.  It assumes a modern level of 
  technology—in more primitive conditions, the GM may only allow up to 
  Level 2 skills (plus herbal medicines) for healers and in futuristic games 
  there may be much better medical technology (which would be operated 
  with an appropriate Operations Skill). 
   
  Basic Medical Skill Effects Chart 
  Skill Level 
  Effect 
   
  Level 1  
  A roll will restore 1 point Penetrating or 2 Impact 
  Level 0  
  An RES roll at -4 and 5 minutes stops bleeding. 
   
   
  Level 2 
  A roll will restore [Minor Wound / 2] Penetrating or  
  [Minor Wound] Impact 
  Level 3  
  May perform surgery. 
   
   
   
  Level 4  
  Surgery can reverse a death result 
   
   
  NOTE: The points gained this way are “temporary” if the damage was 
  Penetrating.  This means that any continued, strenuous activity can open the 
  wound again (make a CON roll).  If the Condition level of the character was 
  Injured or worse, and he performs strenuous activity for CON seconds, he 
  must make a CON roll at -1.  If this is failed, the damage taken returns and 
  the wound starts to bleed again. 
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 by Marco Chacon 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  O1: Advanced Healing.  The rates above are “flat rates.” A more realistic 
  method is to have the character make a CON roll for each healing 
  period.  If the character was active during the period the roll is at -2.  If 
  the character was resting the roll is normal, and if the character was 
  under the care of a Level 3 physician (and a roll was made) the 
  character is at +2.  If the CON roll is made—the character heals.  If the 
  CON roll is missed the character does not heal.  Successes by 5 
  indicate double the rate of healing and failures by 5 indicate a worsening 
  of condition.  If a character’s CON roll is reduced, then the reduction is 
  applied to this roll (the more badly hurt the character is, the slower he’ll 
  heal). 
  how often it strikes.  Some 
  examples might be: 
   
  A bad cold: PWR 14, strikes all 
  the time—effect -1 to all rolls.  It 
  goes away in 4 days if the 
  character doesn’t beat it before 
  then. 
   
  Ebola: PWR 15, effect—if it 
  wins the roll the character’s 
  CON is reduced by 1 point.  
  When it hits 0 he liquefies and 
  dies.  It effects every hour after 
  the incubation period. 
   
  Influenza: PWR 12, effect—if it 
  wins the roll by 5, the character 
  is at -1 CON (cumulative) for 
  the rest of the disease.  
  Otherwise, if it wins by 3 or 4 
  the character is bedridden.  If it 
  wins by 0 - 2 the character is at 
  -1 STR and -1 AGI (and all 
  related rolls).  If it does not win 
  but still persists, the character 
  must make a CON roll to 
  perform any strenuous activity 
  or be at -1.  It effects every 
  day—once. 
   
   
   
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 by Marco Chacon 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Interaction 
   
  * * * 
   
  Katrina gazed into the darkness 
  behind the bar, watching him 
  through the tiny reflections of the 
  curves surfaces of the bottles.  
  She felt more than saw him slide 
  into the seat beside her.  He’d 
  been following her with his eyes 
  all night . . . perfect. 
   
  Allowing herself to act surprised 
  to see him there, she turned to 
  face him, opening her mouth 
  slightly as though she had 
  something to say. 
   
  “I saw you dance,” he started, 
  “You were . . . extraordinary . . .” 
   
  She tilted her body then, making 
  the shadows on her shift.  Like a 
  musician changing chords, she 
  eased forward, a slight flash of 
  her teeth catching the faint light.  
  She thought she heard him 
  inhale. 
   
  Top government experimental 
  physicists don’t get out much, 
  she thought.  His clothes had 
  been fashionable a decade 
  ago—his haircut over two.  He 
  blinked rapidly when she looked 
  into his eyes. 
   
  “You think so?” she asked. 
   
  “For an Eastern intelligence 
  agent,” he said, blushing.  “Most 
  of the ones we get out here in 
  Nevada aren’t nearly as talented 
  . . . would you like to go for a 
  walk?” 
   
   
  * * * 
  This section covers how things like having a winning personality, great 
  looks, or a mean glare work in game terms.  For the most part, this is 
  entirely up to the GM.  Professional hitmen are trained in being unfeeling 
  and while good looks may influence a jury, a smart judge might certainly 
  see beyond that.  The GM is allowed to, at any time, disregard these 
  rules and judge that a given NPC, like the PCs (for the most part) are 
  unaffected by such things. 
  Interactions 
  There are four basic Interactions that a character may attempt.  In each 
  case, different skills and Enhancements may be applied to the attempt.  
  The four Interaction types are detailed below. 
   
  • 
  Charm: The character simply tries to make the character like him.  
  This can be a simple use of charisma or an Entrance attempt where 
  the character inspires love or lust (sexual attraction).  It can be used 
  to distract targets, for personal reasons, to get information, or simply 
  to be popular at parties.  
   
  • 
  Intimidate: The character tries to make the target fear him.  This is a 
  psychological fear—if the character is decked out with weapons and 
  armor many will fear the character anyway. 
   
  • 
  Persuade: The character tries to manipulate the target to do what he 
  wants them to.  This can have a number of different approaches 
  from fast talking a target to go along to simply being charismatic guy 
  that people want to help.   
   
  • 
  Recruit: This is the term for an attempt to inspire loyalty in someone 
  or to take command of a situation and, if necessary, lead.  It usually 
  applies to troops or henchmen under the character’s command but it 
  can also be used to rally crowds, calm down a hysterical person, or 
  otherwise “take command by force of personality.” 
   
  Interaction Rolls: The character has an Interaction roll (probably a 
  different one for each type) based on Traits and Enhancements.  When 
  you want to Charm, Intimidate, Persuade, or Recruit an NPC, you make 
  a roll and they make their WIL roll against you (take what you made it by 
  and subtract what they made theirs by).  The charts for effect are at the 
  end of this section. 
   
   
  Ex1: A police officer is staring down a thug with a .32 revolver.  The cop 
  doesn’t have his gun drawn yet and wants to resolve the situation 
  without a shoot-out.  He tries to Persuade the punk to lower the gun.  
  His Persuade roll is an 11- (not real good) and he rolls a 9.  The punk 
  makes a WIL roll by 0, so the success is by 2.  The result is that the 
  punk trusts and/or agrees with the officer (the officer is persuasive) he 
  lowers the gun.  If the punk had been crazed or he thought he had a 
  good chance of shooting his way out, the GM could easily rule that the 
  success result wasn’t enough to disarm the situation.  It might take 
  Intimidation roll to scare him down. 
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 by Marco Chacon 
  Determining Interaction Scores 
  To determine how effective a character is at a given Interaction, compute 
  their roll for each Interaction 
   
  Basic Roll: 10 + [Listed Modifiers + 1 (if mods are above 0)] 
   
  Note: DROP fractions. 
   
  Modifiers: The below chart contains the basic modifiers list for all the 
  listed Enhancements and Traits.  The GM may feel free to add to the 
  table as he sees fit (a great speech, for example, could improve a 
  Recruitment score . . . or a terrible, unintentionally insulting one could 
  hurt it). 
   
   
   
  Enhancement/Trait 
   
  Charm  
  Intimidation 
  Persuasion 
  Recruitment 
   
   Likeable  
   
   
  +1 Lvl 
   
   
   
  +1 Lvl 
   
   
   
  Presence 
   
   
   
   
  +1.5 Lvl  
   
   
  +.5 Lvl 
   
   
   
  Exotic 
   
   
   
  +1.5 Lvl  
   
   
  +.5 Lvl 
  Leader  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  +.5 Lvl  
  +1.5 Lvl  
   
   Statuesque 
   
   
  +.5 Lvl  
  +.5 Lvl  
  +.5 Lvl  
  +.5 Lvl 
  Attractive 
   
   
  +1 Lvl 
   
   
   
  +1 Lvl 
   
   
   
   
   
  Flair 
   
   
   
  +1  
  Rugged  
   
   
   
   
  +1.5 
   
   
   
  +1.5  
   
   
  Baaaad Reputation 
   
  -.5 Lvl 
   
  +1 Lvl 
   
   
   
  +1 Lvl 
  Bad Reputation 
   
   
  -1 Lvl 
   
  +.5 Lvl  
  -1 Lvl 
   
  -.5 Lvl 
   
   
   
  Ugly 
   
   
   
  -2 or -6   
   
   
  -1or -3   
  -1or -3  
  Good Reputation   
   
  +1 Lvl 
   
   
   
  +.5 Lvl  
  +.5 Lvl  
  Situational Modifiers 
   
   
   
  Frightening Appearance 
   
  -2 
   
  +2 
   
  -1 
   
  +.5 
  Known Level 3/4 Combat skill 
   
   
  +1 / +3  
   
   
  +.5 
   
   
  Tactics/Strategy at L3 or L4 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  +1 or +2 
  Heavily Armed / Show of power 
   
   
  +1 to +3  
   
   
  +1 
   
   
  Ex1: A character with Level 1 Statuesque gets an 11- roll to Charm, 
  Intimidation, Persuasion, and Recruitment.  The math is: 
  10 + .5 (for Lvl 1 Statuesque) + 1 (since there is a positive modifier).  
  If the character has Level 2 Statuesque, he gets 12- rolls to all 
  Interaction types.  
  If the character has Level 3 Statuesque, he also gets 12- rolls 
  to all Interaction types (he has +1.5 in each which gets rounded down) 
  but if he has any other reaction modifiers, his .5 will get him at least a 
  13- in that area. 
   
   
  Ex2: A character with Exotic L1 and Likeable L2 gets the following: 
  • Charm: 10 +1.5 (Exotic) +2 (Likeable) +1 (positive mod): 14- 
  • Intimidate: 10 +0 (Exotic) +0 (Likeable) + 0 (positive mod): 10- 
  • Persuasion: 10 +.5 (Exotic) +2 (Likeable) +1 (positive mod): 13- 
  • Recruitment: 10 +0 (Exotic) +0 (Likeable) + 0 (positive mod): 10- 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 by Marco Chacon 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Interaction Definitions 
   
   
  Examples: 
   
  Charm: 
  Ex1: You try to get the Duke’s 
  battle plan (at a fancy party) by 
  telling him how sensual your 
  female character “thinks a man 
  with a battle plan” is. 
   
  Ex2: You try to talk your way out 
  of a fight by joking with the huge 
  bruiser that he shouldn’t fight 
  you because hey, he might 
  break his hand by compacting 
  your face. 
   
  Intimidate: 
  Ex1: You can Intimidate 
  prisoners to give up information, 
  punks to back down, and you 
  can make an Intimidation roll 
  when walking into a tough bar to 
  carry yourself in such a way as 
  to suggest you’re a bad dude. 
  Usually a roll made by 2-4 
  insures that no one will mess 
  with you without reason. 
   
  Ex2: It’s hard to scare an angry 
  mob that’s coming to get you.  
  Usually making a Persuade 
  attempt (to talk them into 
  returning to their homes) or a 
  Recruit attempt (to convince 
  them that they’re taking out their 
  anger on the wrong guy) will 
  have better results. 
   
  Persuade: 
  Ex1: 
  You 
  probably 
  can’t 
  Persuade the Duke to give away 
  his troop locations but you might 
  convince him that he would go 
  down 
  in 
  history 
  as 
  a 
  humanitarian if he let some of 
  the villagers flee. 
   
  Ex2: You try to talk your way out 
  of a fight by telling the huge 
  bruiser that he shouldn’t waste 
  his time pounding a smaller man 
  (no matter what you said) 
  because big people shouldn’t hit 
  little ones or you’re not worth the 
  effort. 
  Knowing what exactly constitutes an attempt to Charm, Persuade, or 
  Recruit can be difficult.  If a character is trying to talk his way out of a 
  ticket how does the GM know what to roll against?  The answer is that it 
  depends on how the character is trying to talk his way out. 
   
  Charm: This is the ability to use wit, grace, humor, and/or looks to get 
  people to like you.  Charm examples include: 
  • Attempts to ingratiate yourself with your hosts. 
  • Making someone “like you” before trying to feed them a line (Con 
  Artist) or doing something unusual. 
  • Making the locals think you’re “okay for an out of towner.” 
  • Entrancement: if you trying to seduce or otherwise use sex appeal to 
  influence someone, you are trying to Entrance them.  Entrance is a 
  function of Charm, however it only works against some people 
  (usually the opposite sex).  Some modifiers may only effect your 
  chance to Entrance, not to Charm. 
   
  Intimidation: Intimidation is easy and straightforward—this is the ability 
  to scare your target.  This is done by making an overt or veiled threat, 
  looking imposing, or simply staring them down.  Some notes: 
  • Small people can intimidate big ones with a successful roll.  Even if 
  there’s no physical way for the big guy to lose, he may be scared by 
  the target’s general demeanor (“I think that guy has something up his 
  sleeve”). 
  • When rolling against someone else with Presence, subtract their 
  modifiers from yours (and vice versa).  It’s hard to scare frightening 
  people. 
  • If you are facing a professional soldier or battle-hardened veteran, 
  the GM will usually rule that this just won’t work.   
  • Intimidation attempts are 5 REA Medium actions.  If you don’t get the 
  result you were hoping for, you can try again, but each successive 
  attempt is at a cumulative –4. 
  • You can intimidate several people at once, but each additional 
  person gives you a cumulative –2 to the roll up to a maximum of –6. 
   
  Persuade: This is the ability to make people agree with or believe you 
  using either logical or emotional rationales (appealing to the target’s 
  psychological profile, using coherent logical arguments, appealing to a 
  sense of fair-play, etc.).  The main difference between Persuade and 
  Charm is that Charm gets people to like you; Persuade gets people to 
  like the idea.  Persuade examples include: 
  • Appealing to an ideological weakness in the target (good for talking 
  guards into letting you make a phone call or something). 
  • Convincing someone who doesn’t want to “to do the right thing.” 
  • Getting someone to trust you for a short period of time (i.e. to open a 
  door for you). 
  • NOTE: Persuasion isn’t just about using logic (per se) it’s about 
  making a compelling case that appeals to the person’s innate sense 
  of right and wrong, generating trust, seeming sensible and 
  levelheaded, and making a good case psychologically even when 
  the facts may not support you.  If you have a compelling case you 
  may not even need to persuade (but if the audience won’t listen to 
  you, that’s when this comes into play). 
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 by Marco Chacon 
   
  Recruit: This is the ability to make the target rally to you.  You are 
  exerting a force of personality and trying to come out as a leader and as 
  someone to be taken seriously.  Attempts to Recruit are often: 
  Recruit: 
  Ex1: You might try convincing 
  the Duke that his war is wrong 
  and he should hand over the 
  battle plans . . . but that isn't 
  going to work well. 
   
  Ex2: You need help with a task 
  you can’t complete all by 
  yourself: you find four co-
  workers and make a 
  Recruitment roll to get their help. 
   
  Ex3: You can’t really recruit your 
  way out of a fight if you insulted 
  someone—but if someone’s 
  going to beat you up for “being 
  on the wrong side” you can try to 
  recruit them to your side.  Make 
  a speech and impress them with 
  your courage, strength of 
  character, and general 
  worthiness (roll well!) 
  • Leading frightened people or calming crowds. 
  • Making a compelling speech to get people to “pitch in” or “change 
  their misguided ways.” 
  • Convincing someone to join or give to the cause. 
  • Making someone respect you by appearing stalwart and forthright. 
   
  Skills Affecting Interaction 
  Some skills can affect Interaction attempts, usually by adding bonuses to 
  your scores.  For a skill to add to your Interaction score, the GM must 
  rule that the skill is applicable to the situation and the skill roll must be 
  successful.  The most common skills affecting Interaction are: 
   
  Con Artist: At Levels 3 / 4, it can add +1 / +3 to Persuade rolls. 
  Actor: Levels 3 and 4 can add +1 / +3 to Persuade rolls but only when 
  trying to persuade using emotions or emotional arguments. 
  Diplomat: 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 by Marco Chacon 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  First Impressions (Passive Interaction) 
   
   
  First Impressions: 
  This is an open rule.  The GM 
  should call for rolls whenever it 
  seems appropriate. If a 
  character is intentionally trying to 
  “turn down” his charisma (trying 
  to appear as less of a threat, for 
  example) the GM can make the 
  character roll at –2.   
   
  Acting, Con Artist, Diplomacy, 
  Revelry, and other skills may 
  help a character fit in or 
  otherwise make a good first 
  impression (at a formal affair, 
  the GM will call for an Etiquette 
  roll).   
   
  Common Modifiers: 
  • 
  Well dressed: +1 Charm, -1 
  Intimidate. 
  • 
  Polite Manner: -2 Intimidate. 
  • 
  Wild clothes, revealing 
  attire, etc. +1 to charm for 
  purposes of attraction. 
  The above rules cover attempts to manipulate other people, but what if 
  you’re just being you?  Really likeable people can pick up friends without 
  even trying.  Scary people don’t have to stare down passersby in order 
  to be unmolested on the streets.  The above attempts are “active” but 
  interaction can be passive as well. 
   
  These are called for when the GM says they are.  When you walk into a 
  tough, seedy bar, the GM can say “Make an Intimidation roll.”  If you 
  make it, you exude presence . . . if not, you might get spotted as a victim. 
   
  Usually passive rolls are called for when you just meet someone and the 
  GM wants to determine what their first impression will be. They are made 
  against either your highest Interaction score or against the one the GM 
  deems is appropriate.  The results of a successful roll aren’t always 
  good.  Here are some guidelines. 
   
  Intimidation: If an Intimidation roll is made by 4+ in a “normal” 
  establishment, the patrons may believe the character to be a 
  dangerous person and might even summon the authorities.  A 
  roll made by 0-3 will often result in some distrust (but usually the 
  character will get respect). 
   
  Charm: If the GM calls for a Charm roll, a success may mean 
  that the target is enamored with you.  This could range from like 
  to lust. 
   
  Persuade: There is no “passive” roll for Persuasion.  The GM 
  can have you make a roll any time you’re trying to convince 
  someone to do something whether you thought to ask for one or 
  not, though. 
   
  Recruitment: Any time the character is in a leadership position 
  (even for a short time) the GM can check for Recruitment. Good 
  results (4+) will mean the underlings have good morale and 
  believe in him.  Extremely good results (10+) will result in a high 
  degree of loyalty so long as its not abused. 
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 by Marco Chacon 
  Persuasion Chart 
  Roll Made By  
  Effect  
  Notes 
   
  -5 or less 
   
  Complete 
  Target will evaluate the offer on its logical merits only.  If  a 
   
   
   
  Failure  
  skill was employed the target will probably be angered. 
  -1 to -4  
   
  Failure  
  The target evaluates the offer on its logical merits only. 
   
   
   
  0 to +4  
   
  Success  
  The target will be motivated to do what the character asked. 
   
   
   
   
   
  The target will trust and like the persuader. 
  +5 to +9  
   
  Great 
   
  Target greatly trusts the character.  This level will sway even 
   
   
   
  Success  
  moderately hostile targets or juries. 
  +10 
   
   
  Critical  
  Target is persuaded to do almost anything the character asks. 
   
   
   
  Success  
  The target is devoted in a lasting fashion to the character. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Recruitment Chart 
  Roll Made By  
  Effect  
  Notes 
   
   
   
   
  -5 or less 
   
  Complete 
  Target is of unchanged loyalty (disloyal characters remain 
   
   
   
  Failure  
  disloyal).  Target feels manipulated. 
  -1 to -4  
   
  Failure  
  As above but the target  does not feel manipulated. 
  +5 to +9  
   
  Great 
   
  Troops rally to the character’s side.  Crowds are impressed 
   
   
   
  Success  
  and formerly neutral characters join.  Troops get +4 WIL. 
  +10 
   
   
  Critical  
  Troops are fanatic (+8 WIL).  Crowds are totally under the 
   
   
   
  Success  
  character’s command.  Double agents switch sides again. 
  0 to +4  
   
  Success  
  Troops led get +2 to WIL rolls to avoid running.  Somewhat 
   
   
   
   
   
  friendly crowds will act as directed.  Neutral parties strongly 
   
   
   
   
   
  joining the character’s side or cause. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Charm Chart 
  Roll Made By  
  Effect  
  Notes 
   
  -5 or less 
   
  Complete 
  All but the most naïve of targets will realize they are being 
   
   
   
  Failure  
  manipulated. 
  -1 to -4  
   
  Failure  
  The target is not particularly attracted to the character.  If the 
   
   
   
   
   
  character is a knockout, tone or actions have put the target off 
  +5 to +9  
   
  Great 
   
  The target is infatuated.  RES rolls are at -4 and perception  
   
   
   
  Success  
  rolls are at -6.  The target may do very unusual things. 
  +10 
   
   
  Critical  
  The  target thinks he/she is in love.  The effects are fairly 
   
   
   
  Success  
  temporary but RES rolls are at -8 and perception at -6. 
  0 to +4  
   
  Success  
  Target is very attracted.  Any RES rolls to notice deception  
  are at -1 and perception rolls (for things other than the 
  attacker) are at -2.  The target may exercise poor judgment. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Intimidation Chart 
  Roll Made By  
  Effect  
  Notes 
   
   
   
   
  -5 or less 
   
  Complete 
  Target is no more intimidated than is logical.  Psychologically 
   
   
   
  Failure  
  the target feels he has the edge (even if he doesn’t). 
  -1 to -4  
   
  Failure  
  Target is not intimidated more than is logical. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  +5 to +9  
   
  Great 
   
  Target is scared: -4 to the first initiative roll and -2 to hit on the  
   
   
   
  Success  
  first attack against the character. 
  +10 
   
   
  Critical  
  Target is terrified and will try to run/cooperate.  Rolls are at -6 
   
   
   
  Success  
  for the first initiative roll and -4 for the first attack on the  
  character 
  0 to +4  
   
  Success  
  Target gets -2 to Initiative rolls for the first attack round if 
  operating against the attacker.  Target is at -1 RES or WIL to 
  avoid pressure or deception.  Target may try to deal. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 by Marco Chacon 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 by Marco Chacon 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Collisions happen often in role-playing games, whether a character flies 
  his space ship into the enemy battle cruiser or someone steps out in 
  front a car which just is not stopping for anything. Other common forms 
  of collision are the flying tackle (sometimes assisted by paranormally fast 
  speed) and falling (where the character collides with the ground).  The 
  following rules tell how to work it all out. 
  Collisions 
  The Uses of Mass:  
  In JAGS, Mass (a character’s 
  BLD divided by 5) is often used 
  more than his BLD statistic 
  itself.  There are several 
  reasons for this: 
   
  • 
  1 point of Mass 
  accelerated at 1 yard per 
  second does 1 point of 
  damage (usually).  This is 
  used to determine how far 
  things can be thrown, how 
  far people go when hit by 
  super strong characters, 
  etc. 
  • 
  For paranormal abilities 
  like Flight, a character’s 
  acceleration is the power 
  of the ability divided by the 
  Mass he’s lifting (heavier 
  guys go slower). 
  • 
  Each point of Strength 
  (STR) above 10 allows the 
  character to bench press 
  one point of Mass.  Not 
  coincidentally, that point of 
  STR also does 1 point of 
  damage.   
  • 
  It should also be noted that 
  each (approx.) 75 pounds 
  (1 Mass) of weight a 
  character has above 
  normal adds a point of 
  damage in hand to hand 
  combat.  The extra point of 
  Mass acts a bit like an 
  extra point of STR. 
   
  Collision Examples: 
  Examples of Inelastic collisions 
  are characters falling and 
  hitting the ground, a person 
  running into a wall, two cars 
  colliding head on. 
   
  Examples of Elastic Collisions 
  are: Cars hitting people, a 
  football player tackling 
  someone, a really mad 
  barbarian running over/through 
  a smaller but presumably more 
  civilized guy. 
   
  Examples of Partial collisions 
  may be gained by watching a 
  teenager on a skateboard, 
  rollerblades, etc. 
   
   
  Damage in JAGS is proportional to momentum (mass times velocity). 
  The type of collision which occurs is important too--if the moving object 
  collides with something which then moves the damage is much less than 
  if the collision brings the moving object to a stop.  In cases where two 
  moving objects collide head on, the damage will be severe as the 
  velocities are added. 
   
  Mass: The mass of an object is its BLD / 5 (where BLD is 15 lbs. for an 
  inanimate object).  A car weighing 1.2 tons (2400 lbs.) has a Mass 
  number of 32.  A man with a BLD of 13 has a Mass number of 2.6 or 3.  
  Round normally (1.5 rounds to 2, less rounds to 1).  The minimum an 
  object can have is a Mass number of 1 (except for really small objects 
  less than a pound that may, at the GM's discretion, have a 0 mass 
  number doing no damage  (e.g. a feather). 
   
  Velocity: Velocity is measured in yards per second. 
   
  Collision Type: The basic type of collision determines the next 
  modification to the damage.  If the target of the collision is stationary or 
  moving very slowly in comparison to the colliding object and the target is 
  a moveable object the collision is elastic.  A good example of this is a 
  pool ball collision where the pool balls move freely when hit.  Another 
  example is a car hitting a man--the car may not stop but the man will 
  move.  An inelastic collision is one where the struck object will not move 
  (a man falling to earth--the man strikes the ground and the ground does 
  not move). Collisions where the party impacted is trapped against a wall 
  may be treated as inelastic.  This type of collision is much more serious 
  (and more difficult to arrange in combat).  If two characters of even 
  roughly even size run into each other the collision is inelastic and the 
  velocities are added.  Knockback is figured and if one is knocked back 
  and the other doesn't the one who didn't continues moving 'over' the one 
  that did move.  If both would have been knocked back, they simply stop 
  where they hit. 
   
  DN1: Obviously this is physically bogus—the collision type should be 
  determined by the outcome.  If the target moves (eg. knockback was 
  done or the mass of the target was simply insufficient to stop the moving 
  object) the impact was elastic.  On the other hand, this common sense 
  way of handling it (the GM determines before hand what will happen in a 
  general sense or what is likely to happen) is much simpler and helps the 
  reality of the results. 
   
  Collision Table 
  Type 
   
         Base Damage 
      Knockback 
   
   
   
   
  Elastic   
   
  Mass x Velocity / 6 
       No 
  Inelastic   
  Mass x Velocity / 2 
      Yes 
  Partial 
    
   
  Mass x Velocity / 12 
       No 
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 by Marco Chacon 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  * * * 
   
   
  Jay-Nine eased the small 
  orbital transport out of the 
  guidance window.  He exhaled 
  when the alarms failed to 
  sound. 
   
  “It worked,” he said, “we’re free 
  flying now.  We can dock 
  anywhere on the orbital we 
  want—not that it’ll do us any 
  good.” 
   
  “Just get us to the heat fins,” 
  the woman said.  “There’s a 
  dorsal data-line I need access 
  to.  As for getting in, he’ll take 
  care of that.” 
   
  “Yeah,” Jay-Nine said.  “I’ve 
  been meaning to ask about tall 
  dark and dumb back there.  
  Where the hell’d you find him?” 
   
  “Him?” she asked, “I bought 
  him.  Call him Romeo.” 
   
  Jay-Nine arced the craft and 
  the light-studded steel-grillwork 
  constellation of the heat ducts 
  rose above the curve of the 
  orbital.  “How we gonna mate 
  with the data line?” he asked. 
   
  “Oh that,” she said, slotting a 
  clip of gyro-jet ammunition into 
  a plastic rifle, “the hull here’s 
  low impact ceramic—doesn’t 
  interfere with the magnetics.  
  Brace for impact, we’re gonna 
  ram it.” 
   
   
  * * * 
   
  NOTE: A Partial Collision is a “wipe out” in which the character falls and 
  rolls.  It does half the damage of an Elastic Collision.  For high speeds 
  (motorcycle spills) the GM should require an Acrobatics or Jujitsu roll at 
  Level 2.  
    
  Strength Addition:  If the attacker (usually a character) strikes the 
  target with, say, an elbow as the impact occurs, STR damage may be 
  added to the collision damage.  This could also apply to a mechanized 
  hammer on the front of a vehicle or similar situations.  Spikes on a 
  vehicle will act as though they were being wielded by a user of base 
  damage STR (thus increasing the penetration they would do).  
  Penetrating damage of a blade may at most be doubled this way. 
   
  Roll For Damage Modification: Once the final base damage has been 
  determined, the GM or player rolls for damage modification on the impact 
  damage table.  In the case of penetrating damage, it may be better to 
  handle the penetrating damage separately from the impact (treat as two 
  separate hits but apply the total to the wound type check).  In the case of 
  a flying tackle, the character may add the amount hit by, otherwise, as in 
  the case of vehicular collisions, there is no 'to-hit' modifier to the roll.  
  Use the rules for 'blind shots.' 
   
  O1: Intentional Collisions.  If a character drives a car into someone 
  intentionally they must make a Vehicle Operations skill roll (or a COR 
  roll at -2).  Combat Vehicle Operations is treated no differently for these 
  purposes (most vehicles aren’t designed for ramming people). 
   
  Damage Assignment: Determining what hit what is usually very simple 
  but in some cases it may require some GM tinkering to get right.  When a 
  bus hits a person it is generally counted as though the multi-ton bus runs 
  into the light person but when a character hits the ground he does not 
  take damage based on the earth’s mass.   
   
  In a collision both targets take equal damage.  If the collision was 
  intentional the target’s damage modification roll is based on what he was 
  hit by.  If the collision was unintentional the roll is random.  The character 
  who causes the impact always gets a randomly modified damage roll 
  unless both people in the collision intentionally ran into each other (in 
  which case the damage for each is modified by each other’s to-hit roll). 
   
  Intentional Collisions—Ramming: Characters with paranormally 
  enhanced speed may choose to ram targets.  If this is done these rules 
  apply (this can be considered an excerpt from the combat section).  A 
  character ramming is always considered a long action--unless much 
  faster than the target, the target will get a chance to attack an incoming 
  character.  The attacker must make an AGI vs. AGI roll to hit. 
   
   
  Damage is almost always elastic and the ramming character may add 
  normal STR damage to such an attack.  The attacker takes damage 
  proportional to what is inflicted.  The damage to the charging character is 
  usually If the attack produces NO knock back the character takes 
  damage EQUAL to what was inflicted. 
   
  If the character simply 'clothes lines' the target then damage is simply +1 
  per 4 yards a second after the first 4, plus normal STR damage.  A 
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 by Marco Chacon 
  normal to-hit roll is needed to hit the target and the attack counts as a 
  normal medium action. 
  Turning (Advanced Movement) 
   
  * * * 
   
  Behind Martin, the cycles were 
  chewing up the distance he’d 
  gained on the straightway.  He 
  punched the gas hard into a 
  turn and kissed the thin 
  aluminum guardrail between 
  him and the cliff. 
   
  Nothing but sky, he thought 
  randomly, like lyrics from a 
  song.  He heard the low, bass 
  roar of a cycle behind him.  
  They weren’t firing—they 
  wanted the car in one piece 
  and that meant they needed a 
  head shot. 
   
  Damn!  Ahead the road twisted 
  crazily.  He cranked back on 
  the wheel.  In the mirror, the 
  biker smiled—the black rod of a 
  9-millimeter flashed above the 
  curve of the cycle’s handlebars. 
   
  Martin slammed on the brakes. 
   
  With the biker three yards 
  behind him he felt the car 
  fishtail and smelled rubber burn 
  as the distance closed like a 
  lightning bolt. 
   
  The biker was still smiling when 
  he slammed under Martin’s 
  back fender.  He made a wet 
  sound before the bike caught 
  the rear axle and muffler.  
  Martin, fearing the worst, 
  mashed the accelerator. 
   
  The cycles were on him then, 
  like a school of piranha, rushing 
  in behind him. Too fast to 
  escape, and too maneuverable 
  to grossly overrun him they 
  closed the distance. 
   
  He ducked low and prayed in 
  the quick instants while the car 
  seemed frozen or mired in the 
  speeds below eighty miles per 
  hour. 
   
  He heard the first crack of a 
  pistol—terrifyingly close. 
   
  One trick left: with the road 
  ahead wrapped around the   
   
  JAGS may be played as a strategy game on a tabletop using maps and 
  markers (or figures) to represent the characters and their opponents.  If 
  this is done, the best possible way is to use a hex map (a sheet of paper 
  marked off in interlocking hexagons) and to treat each hexagon as a 
  'square yard' for game purposes.  If the metric system is desired, yards 
  may be converted to meters and feet to 33 cm (the measurements are 
  approximate and not all that important, anyway).  The point of all this is 
  that some rules need to be employed in a game where tactical 
  movement is used.  The most important is turn modes or 'movement 
  restrictions.' 
   
  Turn radius is a measure of how maneuverable a character is.  The two 
  factors are how fast the character is going and how maneuverable the 
  character's movement form is.  The number is expressed as a fraction.  
  This fraction is the number of yards ('hexes') the character must travel in 
  a straight line before making a 60 degree turn (one hex face).  If a more 
  abstract movement form is being used, half this number is the distance 
  the character must travel in a straight line before making a 30 degree 
  turn, etc. 
   
  A turn radius is a fraction. The fraction comes from the type of movement 
  being employed (so a car would have a higher fraction than a motorcycle 
  because a car handles worse and takes wider corners). This is multiplied 
  by the character's speed and the result is the number of yards the 
  character travels forwards. 
   
  Transportation Mode  
      Turn Radius 
   
  Assisted Flight 
   
   
   
  1/3 
  Walking/Running/Sprinting  
   
  1/8 
   
   
  Truck 
   
   
   
   
  1/2 
  Powered Flight 
   
   
   
  1/5 
   
   
   
  Car (Normal) 
   
   
   
  1/4 
  Car (Luxury) 
   
   
   
  1/3 
   
   
  Motorcycle 
   
   
   
  1/6 
  Car (Sports) 
   
   
   
  1/5 
   
   
   
   
   
  Skateboard 
   
   
   
  1/7 
  Ex1: A character is moving at 6 yards per second running.  The 
  character wants to turn to avoid hitting a wall.  The character's turn 
  radius is 1/8 [ turn radius]  x 6 [current speed ] = .75.  The character 
  must move less than 1 hex forward before making a 60 degree turn. 
   
  Ex2: A motorcycle is moving at 50 yards/sec.  Its turn radius is 8.3 
  hexes.  If the rider rounds a corner and sees a wall 7 hexes in front of 
  her, she's out of luck unless she can ditch it, make a great driving roll, 
  decelerate, or survive the crash. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 by Marco Chacon 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Modifications To Turning: The turn modes are fairly simple to work out 
  but there are some additional rules.   If a character has a fractional turn 
  mode (.75, 8.3, etc.) the GM should round normally (4.5 rounds to 5, 4.4 
  rounds to 4).  If this gives the character a 0 turn radius (radius of .4 or 
  less) the character can make 1 60 degree turn each yard of movement 
  and two such turns every other yard of movement.  This indicates a 
  character who can turn at right angles whenever wished. 
  mountains like a coiled snake 
  his fingers found the switch—
  Nitrous Oxide. 
   
  Time to burn, the voice in his 
  brain said coolly like he was 
  hearing somebody else. 
   
  In a cold panic, he pictured the 
  road ahead and pressed down 
  hard. 
   
  He heard the crack of another 
  shot—like a slap in the face—
  echo off the basalt wall of rock 
  to his right.  A fist of 
  acceleration drove him back 
  into the leather and his 
  knuckles went white on the 
  wheel. 
   
  Frozen, he raced towards the 
  hairpin turn that dipped steeply 
  to the right.  Then he 
  screamed. 
   
  The cycle to his right, just 
  against the back door—the 
  owner’s pistol over the rear 
  seats—caught metal and spun 
  out in a fatal, rolling, meat-
  grinder of a crash. 
   
  There’s no way—Martin 
  thought.  His muscles were like 
  ice under his skin: immobile . . . 
  rigid.   
   
  Then he decided he wanted to 
  live after all and swung out.  He 
  felt the left half of his wheels 
  bite air over the edge of the 
  roadway before he pulled it 
  back.  Riding the slide, he 
  folded yards of ancient guard 
  rail into his car while the 
  cycles—their ranks broken by 
  the spill—erupted in a sparkle 
  of badly aimed muzzle flashes. 
   
  Martin screamed in victory—
  audible even over the engine—
  when the car crossed back 
  over the yellow line and onto 
  the straightway at the mountain 
  bridge . . . 
   
   
  * * * 
   
   
  Turning in Place: If a character does not move and tactical combat is 
  being used (tactical combat can be in effect without a map if the GM 
  simply keeps general track of where everyone is) it takes 'moves' to turn 
  one's body.  A character gets a 'free' 1 hex face turn when he gets to act.  
  Any others take medium actions.  A character can turn a hex face with a 
  short action if responding to an attack or someone's movement but this 
  represents turning one's torso and may not be compounded to make two 
  shifts in one direction. 
   
  Ex1: A character is facing 'north' down a row of hexes.  Someone makes 
  a medium move and steps into the hex to the character's rear right.  The 
  character takes a short action and shifts her torso to face the front right.  
  That rear right hex can now be seen so that when the attack comes, she 
  can block it.  When the attacker declares another attack action, she 
  might want to declare another short action shift to the right again to 
  directly face the attacker (although why she might want to do this 
  instead of block would be a mystery).  It isn't legal anyway.  Her feet are 
  still facing north and she can't make the full turn (unless she's an alien 
  with a super flexible spine). 
   
  Acceleration 
  and 
  Deceleration: 
  Characters 
  usually 
  declare 
  acceleration and deceleration between rounds (they may wish to do this 
  secretly if two PCs are sparing).  The change in movement takes place 
  immediately during that turn.  The amount character's may decelerate by 
  is dependent on their movement types, stall speeds of vehicles, etc. 
   
  NOTE: As a general rule, a character may decelerate by double whatever 
  his normal acceleration is. 
   
  Ex1: A character who is moving at 30 yards/sec has an acceleration of 
  10 yards/sec (Assisted flight--see the ability description). At the 
  beginning of a round of combat the character declares a deceleration of 
  10 yards/sec (to get her turn radius from 10 to 7).  At he very beginning 
  of the round the deceleration happens. Anyone attacking the character 
  attacks at the character's lower speed. 
   
  Other Turning Rules: This section does not purport to be a full 
  vehicular combat system.  Nor does it claim to be a war game.  There 
  are many possible modifications to the above rules--icy roads, a 
  character running through the bushes or grabbing hold of something 
  immobile, etc.  Generally it is a short action to 'ditch' a vehicle or cut flight 
  power and begin falling (but still moving forward).  In a speeding car 
  there may be nothing the character can do which will stop the vehicle.  
  Even if the object cannot turn, though, the GM may allow it to move 
  'sideways' every other move still heading forward (the player moves it to 
  the front right or left hex instead of directly ahead). This represents 
  turning the wheel before the car (or speeding character) actually turns.  
  Generally the character should be forced to move sideways in the 
  direction he is trying to turn. 
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 by Marco Chacon 
   
  Experience 
  “Eeeps!” 
  In our group, experience points 
  are known as “eeeps.”  At the 
  end of a night of gaming, 
  piteous cries of “Eeeps!  
  Eeeps!” can be heard from 
  players who think they aren’t 
  getting enough. 
  The method by which characters progress is the experience system.  By 
  convention, the GM awards 'experience points' at the end of each 
  scenario or play session which the players spend (as per normal 
  character points) to enhance their abilities.  The guidelines here cover 
  the assignment and expenditure of experience points. 
   
  Assignment:  The rate at which points are assigned by the GM is one of 
  the most defining aspects of an ongoing campaign.  The GM may opt to 
  assign points very slowly and have basically static characters or give 
  them quickly and have the characters change rapidly over the course of 
  the campaign.  
   
   
  There is no 'official' system as each campaign may be different but a few 
  suggestions are give and the GM may wish to adopt them, modify them, 
  or use any other workable system.   
   
  Character Maturation: If this system is used the GM begins the 
  game by giving out points rapidly but after a certain total (say 10 
  experience points) the rate becomes 'normal' or much slower.  
  This creates a campaign where characters begin with significant 
  flaws in areas where the character is intended to improve and 
  then after the total, the character reaches the desired levels in 
  those areas.  This method is useful for campaigns where the 
  characters start 'young' and then come of age by attaining the 
  necessary skills for the character to function 'as  designed.' 
   
  Standard Rate: The game is designed for players to receive 1 to 
  3 points of experience per 'adventure.'  This system assumes 
  that the adventure lasts about two nights of gaming.  A single 
  point is usually given for easy or failed adventures.  Two points 
  are given for most standard adventures, and three for very tough 
  adventures.  Thus if the game is played twice a week, the 
  characters will have an average of 10 extra points after 5 weeks. 
   
  Fractional Rewards: Experience points can be given in fractions 
  (usually quarter or half points).  This can be done throughout the 
  game (for the slaying of tough monsters, excellent roleplaying, 
  figuring out a deadly trap, etc.)  If this is being done, the GM can 
  choose to only reward certain players (those who took part in 
  slaying the monster) but in practice this has been found to cause 
  conflict.  It should be noted that if the 'standard rate' is being 
  used then the rewards for a successful adventure should add up 
  to two or three points. 
   
  PC Death: If the game is run in such a way that player 
  characters rarely die then the GM may award a PC death point 
  of during an encounter a player character dies due to the 
  dangerousness of the scenario.  The point can be awarded as a 
  tribute to the character.  This should not be awarded for suicides 
  or characters who die through sheer, outright stupidity.   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 by Marco Chacon 
  Expenditure: The rate at which points are spent will govern how much 
  characters change between play sessions.  It is a general rule that points 
  may only be spent between sessions and not during combat to prevent 
  players from suddenly raising ability levels to compensate for difficulties 
  during the gaming session. 
   
  Raising Skill Levels: There are two ways to do this: the real way 
  and the balanced way.  To get a level 3 skill is to get the 
  equivalent of a Ph.D. in that area (in a physical skill, it’s the 
  attaining of pro-sports level ability).  Level 4 skills never “just 
  happen.”  A better way to do this is to let character place half of 
  their points into improving skill levels over time. So a character 
  with a Level 2 Difficult skill would need to put 16 character points 
  into it to improve it to Level 4 if he were heroic (one half price 
  Level 4 skill).  If the half experience rule was in effect, he would 
  have to receive 32 points of total experience before reaching 
  Level 4—a good long time of gaming. 
    
  New Skills: New skills may only be bought with training.  It 
  usually takes 1 to 5 years to learn a Difficult skill to level 2 ability 
  but again, most player characters are the dedicated sort and the 
  GM is the final arbitrator. Normal skills vary wildly in the time 
  necessary to learn them (Law is a Normal skill—so is Revelry).  
  It is suggested that the character find an instructor (or pursue a 
  self study course) and then the GM allow a single or fractional 
  point to be invested in the skill. After an arbitrary amount of time 
  and study (as determined by the GM) more points may be 
  added.  The intent is that the character be played for a time with 
  the very low skill roll (under a 10-). 
   
  Modifying Statistics/Buying Enhancements: The GM makes the 
  final decision as to what can be bought with experience points.  
  It is suggested that some limits be placed on characteristic 
  raising to prevent players from optimizing their character 
  development by building their characters into physical and 
  mental supermen.  If the characters are below adult age then it is 
  a general convention that two secondary statistics or one 
  primary statistic may be raised for the once normal cost.  If the 
  characters are simply young adults then a general convention is 
  that 1 secondary statistic may be raised once for normal cost. If 
  the characters are fully mature adults then no statistics may be 
  raised for normal cost.  The GM may then wish to assign a 5 
  point penalty to all statistics raised after that cost and may even 
  wish to disallow it all together. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Jags/JAGS General Game Mechanics.pdf