TEXT: IMPOSSIBLE VEHICLES
  BY BRUCE R. CORDELL
  
  2
  © 2015 Monte Cook 
  Games, LLC
  The Strange and its 
  logo are trademarks of 
  Monte Cook Games, LLC 
  in the U.S.A. and other 
  countries. All Monte Cook 
  Games characters and 
  character names, and 
  the distinctive likenesses 
  thereof, are trademarks of 
  Monte Cook Games, LLC.
  Stories seed recursions into the Strange. Good 
  stories focus on characters, setting, and plot, 
  and those elements are usually reflected, at least 
  in some form, in a related recursion. Sometimes 
  a recursion includes vehicles, like flying carpets 
  or starfighters, for the characters to use for 
  travel. Other times, those vehicles are so central 
  to the story that they almost become characters 
  themselves. That’s especially true if the vehicles 
  are large enough to host the PCs through the 
  bulk of their adventures. Those sorts of vehicles 
  are especially likely to be seeded into the 
  Strange.
  This fractal brings you a small sampling of 
  vehicles presented as artifacts, both minor and 
  major. In no way is this resource meant to be 
  comprehensive. There are literally hundreds 
  of famous fictional starships, dragon mounts, 
  magic beds, and other kinds of impossible 
  craft. We won’t attempt to give Cypher System 
  game mechanics to all of them. Instead, we’ve 
  provided representative vehicles that PCs might 
  encounter and, better yet, get a chance to ride in 
  or even pilot themselves. 
  Of course, any time characters ride in 
  vehicles, there’s a chance for a chase or a fight, 
  so we’ve also included rules for vehicle combat.
  IMPOSSIBLE VEHICLES
  VEHICULAR COMBAT
  Much of the time, a fight between foes in cars, 
  boats, or other vehicles is just like any other 
  combat situation. The combatants probably 
  have cover and are moving fast. Attacks to 
  disable a vehicle or a portion of it are based 
  on the level of the vehicle. If the vehicle is an 
  armored car or a tank, all attacks are likely 
  aimed at the vehicle, which has a level and 
  probably an appropriate Armor rating, not unlike 
  a creature. The only time this isn’t true is with 
  battles where only vehicles and not characters 
  are involved. Thus, if the PCs are in a firefight 
  with Imperium troopers and both groups are on 
  hover bikes, use the standard rules. If the PCs 
  are in a starfighter, a missile strider, or some 
  other kind of enclosing vehicle and they are 
  fighting opponents who are likewise in a vehicle, 
  special rules are needed.
  Battles between starships of various kinds—
  from gigantic capital ships to single-pilot 
  fighters—are a frequent occurrence in far-future 
  science fiction settings. A submarine battle 
  between two deep sea craft could be quite 
  exciting. Characters in a modern-day game 
  might find themselves in a tank fight. If PCs are 
  involved in combat in which they are entirely 
  enclosed in vehicles (so that it’s not really the 
  characters fighting, but the vehicles), use the 
  following quick and easy guidelines.
  On this scale, combat between vehicles isn’t 
  like traditional combat. Don’t worry about 
  health, Armor, or anything like that. Instead, 
  just compare the levels of the vehicles involved. 
  If the PCs’ vehicle has the higher level, the 
  difference in levels becomes a reduction in the 
  difficulty of attack and defense rolls involved. 
  If the PCs’ vehicle has the lower level, the 
  difference is an increase in difficulty. If the levels 
  are the same, there is no modification.
  Throughout this book, you’ll see page 
  references to various items accompanied by 
  this symbol. These are page references to 
  The Strange corebook, where you can find 
  additional details about that item, place, 
  creature, or concept. It isn’t necessary to look 
  up the referenced items in the corebook; it’s an 
  optional way to learn more about the game and 
  provide additional information to your players.
  Credits
  Writer/Designer
  Bruce R. Cordell
  Developer
  Monte Cook
  Creative Director
  Shanna Germain
  Editor/Proofreader
  Ray Vallese
  Cover Artist
  Matt Stawicki
  Graphic Designer
  Bear Weiter
  Artists
  Dreamstime.com, 
  Grzegorz Pedrycz, 
  Matt Stawicki
  Monte Cook Games 
  Editorial Board
  Scott C. Bourgeois,
  David Wilson Brown, 
  Eric Coates, Gareth 
  Hodges, Mila Irek, 
  Jeremy Land, Laura 
  Wilkinson, Marina 
  Wold, George Ziets
  Cover, page 110
  
  IMPOSSIBLE VEHICLES
  3
  These attack and defense rolls are modified 
  by skill and Effort, as usual. Some vehicles 
  also have superior weapons, which reduce 
  the difficulty of the attack (since there is no 
  “damage” amount to worry about), but this 
  circumstance is probably uncommon in this 
  abstract system and should not affect the 
  difficulty by more than one or maybe two steps. 
  Further, if two vehicles coordinate their attack 
  against one vehicle, the difficulty of the attack is 
  reduced by one step. If three or more vehicles 
  coordinate, the difficulty is reduced by two 
  steps.
  The attacker must try to target a specific 
  system on or portion of an enemy vehicle. This 
  modifies the attack in the defender’s favor based 
  on the system or portion targeted: 
  That’s a lot of modifications. But it’s not 
  really that hard. Let’s look at an example. A PC 
  in a small level 2 starfighter attacks a level 4 
  transport ship. Since the transport ship is level 
  4, the difficulty of the attack starts at 4. But 
  the attacking craft is weaker than the defender, 
  so the difference in their levels (2) is added to 
  the difficulty. The starfighter pilot must make 
  a difficulty 6 attack on the transport ship. 
  However, the starfighter is trying to swoop in 
  and damage the transport ship’s drive, which 
  modifies the attack by another three steps, 
  for a total difficulty of 9. If the starfighter pilot 
  is trained in space combat, she reduces the 
  difficulty to 8, but it’s still impossible without 
  help. So let’s say that two other PCs—also in 
  level 2 starfighters—join in and coordinate their 
  attack. Three ships coordinating an attack on 
  one target reduces the difficulty by two steps, 
  resulting in a final difficulty of 6. Still, the 
  attacking PC would be wise to use Effort.
  Then the transport ship (which had lasers 
  installed, unlike the base model) retaliates 
  and the PC in the starfighter needs to make a 
  defense roll. The level difference between the 
  ships is a two-step modification in the transport 
  ship’s favor, so the difficulty of the defense roll 
  starts out at 6. But the transport ship tries to 
  take out the starfighter’s weapons, reducing the 
  difficulty of the defense roll by two steps. Thus, 
  the PC needs to succeed at a difficulty 4 task or 
  lose her main weapons systems.
  It’s important to remember that a failed attack 
  doesn’t always mean a miss. The target ship 
  might rock and reel from the hit, but the bulk 
  of the damage was absorbed by the shields, so 
  there’s no significant damage.
  This bare-bones system should allow the GM 
  and players to flesh out exciting encounters 
  involving the whole group. For example, perhaps 
  while one PC pilots a ship, another mans the 
  guns, and another frantically attempts to repair 
  damage to the maneuvering thrusters before 
  they crash into the space station they’re trying to 
  defend.
  Movement combat 
  modifiers, page 112
  Targeting Task
  Modification
  Effect
  Disable weapons
  Two steps
  One or more of the vehicle’s weapons no 
  longer function
  Disable defenses (if applicable)
  Two steps
  Difficulty of attacks against the vehicle are 
  reduced by one step
  Disable engine/drive
  Three steps
  Vehicle cannot move, or movement is hampered
  Disable maneuverability 
  Two steps
  Vehicle cannot alter its present course
  Strike power core or vital spot
  Five steps
  Vehicle is completely destroyed
  In some cases, the GM 
  may wish to use the 
  level of an NPC pilot or 
  driver rather than the 
  level of the vehicle, but 
  this is only for special 
  circumstances, such as a 
  very skilled or very inept 
  pilot.
  
  4
  Athena: level 8; Armor 
  5; attacks and defends as 
  level 10
  Legendary Greece is 
  a recursion seeded by 
  myths and legends from 
  ancient Greece.
  Kaijutopia is a recursion 
  seeded by decades of 
  stories about larger-than-
  life monsters and the 
  larger-than-life robotic 
  defenders that sometimes 
  rise to fight them.
  VEHICLES
  This resource contains the following vehicles.
  Argo
  Colossal battle robot
  Dragonfly-class transport ship
  Estate surveillance van Model 11
  Flying carpet
  Flying throne
  Golden skiff
  Hover bike
  Imperium strider
  Missile strider
  Resolution
  Starfighter
  Timecraft
  Argo
  Level: 1d6 + 3
  Origin: Legendary Greece (mythological)
  Law: Magic 
  Form: Galley (Greek warship)
  Effect: This vehicle can cut through the sea 
  under its own power at speeds of up to 100 
  miles per hour (160 kph) in calm or stormy 
  weather without risk of capsizing. Once 
  per day, the Argo will provide the answer 
  to one question to whoever stands in the 
  prow and asks. If the Argo is threatened 
  with destruction, the goddess Athena might 
  appear and offer protection to those who 
  travel within the craft, though she probably 
  does so only once.
  Finally, the Argo can sail between recursions, 
  but only those that operate under the law 
  of Magic. It might be able to sail into the 
  Strange.
  Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (Check per day of sailing; if 
  depleted, the ship continues to function as a 
  normal galley until the next time it is blessed 
  by Athena.)
  Colossal Battle Robot
  Level: 1d6 + 4
  Origin: Kaijutopia (fictional)
  Law: Mad Science
  Form: 255-foot (78 m) tall metallic battle robot 
  armed with a variety of weapons
  Effect: Most classes of colossal battle robots 
  require a crew and one or two pilots 
  to operate. A crew of up to six people 
  (including pilots) is protected in an extended 
  internal cockpit (Armor 6). When one or 
  more trained pilots are in position, the robot 
  can move over all kinds of terrain, including 
  through water, at a long distance each 
  round. The pilot(s) can use the integrated 
  weaponry, but stations for up to five different 
  weapons can be independently operated 
  simultaneously. The weapon stations include 
  lasers, missiles, grenades, a plasma sword, 
  and a robo-punch. The weapons generally 
  inflict damage equal to the colossal battle 
  robot’s level. 
  Depletion: 1-2 in 1d100 (Check each day and 
  each time the artifact takes at least 10 points 
  of damage; if depleted, the robot topples, 
  inflicting 15 points of damage on all crew.)
  Fictional artifacts are 
  those that were seeded 
  directly by a movie, story, 
  novel, comic, game, or 
  similar medium.
  Emergent artifacts arise 
  independently within 
  a recursion and do not 
  come from fiction or 
  mythology.
  Mythological artifacts 
  arise from ancient 
  legends and myths 
  and perhaps even the 
  collective unconscious of 
  human imagination.
  
  IMPOSSIBLE VEHICLES
  5
  Dragonfly-class Transport Ship
  Level: 1d6 + 2
  Origin: Rebel Galaxy (fictional)
  Law: Mad Science 
  Form: Wing-mounted and rear engines, central 
  cargo area, and raised forward section 
  housing bridge and quarters
  Effect: A trained pilot can fly a Dragonfly-class 
  transport ship at a rate of up to 400 miles 
  per hour (640 kph) through atmosphere 
  and achieve much higher rates in vacuum 
  through continuous acceleration. The ship 
  can carry a crew of a few dozen people on 
  trips lasting no more than a few months 
  before refueling and reprovisioning is 
  required. The ship includes a bridge, crew 
  quarters, engineering, an impressively 
  large cargo bay, and docking ports for 
  two much smaller shuttles, as well as all 
  related pertinent equipment (such as spare 
  space suits, repair equipment, astrogation 
  computers, and so on). Most Dragonfly-
  class ships do not come standard with 
  mounted weapons.
  Depletion: 1 in 1d100 (check each day and each 
  time the artifact takes at least 5 points of 
  damage)
  Estate Surveillance Van Model 11
  Level: 1d6 + 1
  Origin: The Strange (emergent)
  Law: Any
  Form: White electrician’s van exterior with tinted 
  windows
  Effect: The cabin of the vehicle is a separate 
  pocket dimension larger on the inside than 
  the outside. Interior windows seem like 
  regular glass, but they are projections of 
  what sensors on the van’s exterior detect, 
  filtered so that attacks that use lasers and 
  other light-based attacks are not replicated 
  inside. Indeed, the exterior of the van could 
  be destroyed, and as long as the inapposite 
  doors remain internally sealed, the van’s 
  passengers are safe. The interior contains 
  a driver and passenger seating area with 
  controls for operating the van, a conference 
  area immediately behind the passenger 
  seats, storage lockers, and a bathroom.
  The driver can coax the same speed and 
  performance from the van as she might from 
  a regular van. (But see flight mode below.)
  In addition, a selector on the control panel 
  allows the driver to choose from different 
  “hulls,” including the regular van hull that is 
  appropriate when on Earth, a carriage hull 
  for use in Ardeyn, and a giant chrysalid hull 
  for use in Ruk; the selector has room for 
  three more hulls that the user can program. 
  The driver can flip between projections 
  shown on the windows and reassign the 
  inapposite rear door so it leads to the 
  selected recursion. (Leaving the vehicle after 
  moving to an alternate recursion is similar to 
  stepping through an inapposite gate.)
  No matter which hull is used, the van has a 
  flight mode that lets it fly up to 550 miles per 
  hour (885 kph) when traveling overland for 
  up to ten hours per use. When this function 
  is used, the control panel reconfigures for 
  flight, and the van’s exterior (or chosen hull) 
  takes on a form appropriate to the context of 
  the recursion (such as a small jet on Earth).
  Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (check per hull switch or 
  use of flight function)
  Flying Carpet
  Level: 1d6 + 1
  Origin: Legendary Arabia (mythological)
  Law: Magic
  Form: Silken rug with repeating arabesque 
  designs bordered with a pattern that 
  suggests scudding clouds
  Effect: Carpet flies a long distance each round, 
  carrying up to five passengers for up to 
  ten hours per activation. When traveling 
  overland, the artifact can achieve a rate of 60 
  miles per hour (97 kph).
  Depletion: 1 in 1d20
  Flying Throne
  Level: 1d6 + 1
  Origin: Sword Realms (fictional)
  Law: Magic
  Form: Splendid stone throne with ring roost
  Effect: This massive throne is normally as 
  immovable as its bulky stone and iron form 
  would suggest. However, if whoever sits upon 
  the throne depresses an eagle icon on the 
  armrest, a colossal eagle swoops into the 
  area, grasps the throne by the ring roost, and 
  flies off with it. Once airborne, whoever sits 
  on the throne can direct the flight. It can fly a 
  long distance each round, or travel overland 
  Rebel Galaxy is a 
  recursion seeded by 
  movies and television 
  shows about humans 
  in interplanetary (and 
  perhaps interstellar) 
  space who fight against 
  the injustices of those 
  who have assumed 
  control.
  While a hull for an Estate 
  surveillance van Model 
  11 is unconnected, it is 
  a powerless hollow shell 
  and should be parked 
  securely to prevent 
  vandalism or other 
  damage.
  Legendary Arabia is a 
  recursion seeded from the 
  myths and legends of the 
  historical lands of western 
  Asia and Egypt.
  The Sword Realms are a 
  series of linked recursions 
  seeded by the glut of 
  fantasy movies and, more 
  significantly, fantasy 
  roleplaying games over 
  the last several decades.
  
  6
  up to 60 miles per hour (97 kph) for up to ten 
  hours per use. The throne can accommodate 
  up to three people if they squeeze in.
  Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (upon depletion, the eagle 
  makes off with the throne after its final flight)
  Golden Skiff
  Level: 1d6 + 3
  Origin: Atlantis (mythological)
  Law: Magic or Mad Science
  Form: An open-top vehicle of gold and glass, 12 
  feet long and 5 feet wide (4 m by 2 m)
  Effect: This vehicle can fly through the air at up 
  to 200 miles per hour (322 kph). It obeys the 
  thoughts of a pilot who must concentrate 
  each round to make it fly. The skiff can carry 
  up to five other passengers or an equal 
  amount of cargo.
  Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (check each day)
  Hover Bike
  Level: 1d6 + 2
  Origin: Rebel Galaxy (fictional)
  Law: Mad Science
  Form: Motorcycle-like chassis with hover-
  spheres instead of wheels
  Effect: The driver and up to one passenger 
  can fly a long distance each round in an 
  atmosphere, but on extended trips, the 
  hover bike can move up to 100 miles per 
  hour (160 kph). Owing to the relatively small 
  profile and light frame of the hover bike, 
  the driver has an asset to riding tricks and 
  special maneuvers while on the bike.
  Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (check each day of use)
  Imperium Strider
  Level: 1d6 + 4
  Origin: Rebel Galaxy (fictional)
  Law: Mad Science
  Form: 65-foot (20 m) tall metallic cockpit 
  supported by four massive robot legs and 
  surmounted by a metallic head studded with 
  laser barrels
  Effect: This land vehicle protects a crew of up 
  to six in a cockpit (Armor 5). It can move 
  over all kinds of terrain at a long distance 
  each round on its tall robotic legs. Up to 
  four gunnery stations in the cockpit can be 
  simultaneously used by crew to fire lasers 
  at targets within 2,000 feet (600 m), each 
  inflicting damage equal to the artifact level.
  Depletion: 1-2 in 1d100 (Check each day and 
  each time the artifact takes at least 10 points 
  of damage; if depleted, the strider topples, 
  inflicting 15 points of damage on all crew.) 
  Missile Strider
  Level: 1d6 + 2
  Origin: Rebel Galaxy (fictional)
  Law: Mad Science
  Form: 17-foot (5 m) tall metallic vehicle with twin 
  missile launchers on robotic legs
  Effect: This land vehicle protects a crew of four 
  in a cockpit (Armor 3). It can move over 
  all kinds of terrain at a short distance each 
  round. Two missile stations in the cockpit 
  can be simultaneously used by crew to fire 
  missiles at targets within 1,000 feet (300 
  m), inflicting damage equal to the artifact 
  level on the target and all creatures within 
  immediate range of it.
  Depletion: 1 in 1d100 (Check each day and each 
  time the artifact takes at least 5 points of 
  damage; if depleted because of damage, the 
  missile strider explodes, inflicting 10 points 
  of damage on all crew in the cockpit.)
  Resolution
  Level: 8
  Origin: Ruk (emergent)
  Law: Mad Science or Standard Physics
  Form: Series of NASA-like modules extending 
  1,000 feet (300 m), complete with arrays 
  similar to solar panels
  Effect: The Resolution is a craft capable of 
  flying in the Strange or in interplanetary 
  space in the universe of normal matter. It 
  can carry a crew of several hundred people 
  on expeditions lasting months or longer. 
  The ship includes a bridge, quarters, 
  engineering, stasis chambers, a power core, 
  and engines operated with antimatter (which 
  was collected and concentrated in Ruk). The 
  engines provide propulsion via beamed core 
  antimatter, allowing the Resolution to thrust 
  rapidly through the universe of normal 
  matter as well as the chaotic surge of the 
  Strange, and, should it ever prove necessary, 
  above the disc of Ruk. The engines also 
  possess a method of transitioning between 
  the universe of normal matter and Ruk as if 
  through a massive inapposite gate, though 
  the Resolution usually relies on special 
  Atlantis is a recursion 
  that was initially seeded 
  by legends of its own 
  existence, though its ruler 
  now uses that quality to 
  manipulate fictions on 
  Earth to further enhance 
  Atlantis’s reach and 
  power.
  
  IMPOSSIBLE VEHICLES
  7
  gantries in Ruk to first launch the craft into 
  Earth orbital space or, alternatively, into the 
  Strange itself.
  Depletion: 1 in 1d100 (check each day and each 
  time the artifact takes at least 10 points of 
  damage)
  Starfighter
  Level: 1d6 + 1
  Origin: Rebel Galaxy (fictional)
  Law: Mad Science
  Form: One-person space fighter with flat wings 
  that can expand into a double-wing attack 
  position
  Effect: This space vehicle protects a crew of 
  one person, plus an optional repair and 
  astrogation robot, in a cockpit (Armor 3). 
  A trained pilot can fly the starfighter at a 
  rate of up to 650 miles per hour (1,050 kph) 
  through atmosphere, and achieve much 
  higher rates in vacuum through continuous 
  acceleration. If an astrogation robot is 
  present, the pilot can travel to distant 
  locations via jumps through hyperspace.
  The pilot can control a bank of four linked laser 
  cannons and a pair of two linked torpedo 
  launchers. The lasers can fire at targets 
  during ship-to-ship space combat, inflicting 
  damage equal to the artifact level + 4 
  (1 point per laser). The dual torpedoes can 
  be fired during ship-to-ship space combat as 
  well, inflicting 20 points of damage on the 
  target and all creatures and objects within 
  long range of it. Most starfighters carry four 
  dual torpedoes.
  Depletion: 1 in 1d100 (Check each day, each 
  time the starfighter makes a jump through 
  hyperspace, and each time it takes at least 
  5 points of damage; if depleted because of 
  damage, the starfighter explodes, inflicting 
  15 points of damage on the pilot and 
  astrogation robot.)
  Timecraft
  Level: 10
  Origin: Urban Temporal (fictional)
  Law: Mad Science
  Form: Exterior blends to take on the context of 
  the recursion, usually seeming no larger 
  than a phone booth; interior is a much 
  larger, many-chambered cabin (which is 
  actually a unique recursion itself)
  Effect: The timecraft can be piloted between 
  linked Urban Temporal recursions by 
  opening temporary inapposite gates and 
  falling through. A pilot who is quickened 
  or has the spark can attempt to pilot the 
  timecraft in a similar way to recursions that 
  she has previously visited. To do so, she 
  must make an Intellect roll with a difficulty 
  equal to the level of the recursion desired. 
  Because the interior of the timecraft is its 
  own recursion, it’s possible to travel to 
  places that operate under laws other than 
  Mad Science without the vehicle’s interior or 
  its workings coming to harm. The timecraft 
  can also move through normal space at up 
  to 450 miles per hour (720 kph) through 
  atmosphere, and achieve much higher rates 
  in vacuum through continuous acceleration. 
  Despite its name, the timecraft probably 
  doesn’t travel through time—most likely, it 
  travels to Urban Temporal recursions that 
  are set in different historical periods.
  Depletion: 1 in d20 (on depletion, the timecraft 
  travels onward to a new, random recursion 
  without its previous pilot and occupants)
  A handful of Urban 
  Temporal recursions 
  are known, seeded by 
  decades of movies, 
  comics, and especially 
  TV series about time 
  travelers.
  Quickened, page 22
  Spark, page 22
  
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  In The Strange, recursions—limited pocket dimensions with 
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