How Technology Works
Technological items from the far future behave like magic items in many respects — but they run on charges, not magic, and they keep working in antimagic fields. Most technology PCs encounter is timeworn: aged, non-rechargeable, and prone to unpredictable glitches.
Item Categories
Ranged energy weapons and some high-tech melee weapons. Most consume charges per shot.
Technological armor works like standard armor but often requires a power source to fully function.
Tech drugs, poisons, and medicines. Ingested or injected; generally temporary effects.
Must be implanted before it can function. Typically augments a character's abilities and statistics.
Everything else — from minor gizmos like zipsticks to wonders like clonepods.
Color Code
Many technological items are organized by a color code that indicates overall power level. Seven of the nine colors are associated with a specific skymetal. An item's color roughly corresponds to the power level of a spell of that level.
| Color | Spell Level Equivalent | Associated Skymetal |
|---|---|---|
| Brown | 1st | None (base ores) |
| Black | 2nd | Adamantine |
| White | 3rd | Siccatite |
| Gray | 4th | Inubrix |
| Green | 5th | Noqual |
| Red | 6th | Djezet |
| Blue | 7th | Abysium |
| Orange | 8th | Horacalcum |
| Prismatic | 9th | All skymetals |
Power Sources
Most technological items require energy to function. Each item has a Capacity (maximum charges it can store) and a Usage (charges consumed per activation).
An item's capacity can be filled from any power source — such as a battery or a generator — as a standard action. Charging always fills the item as close to capacity as possible. Charging from a generator is more efficient: charges drained from a battery in excess of what the item can hold are lost.
Ranged Weapon Fire Modes
| Mode | Action | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-Automatic | Standard (1 shot) | Can fire twice with a full-attack (as Rapid Shot, −2 on all). With Rapid Shot feat, −6 on all shots that round. |
| Automatic | Standard (burst) | Attacks all creatures in a line; separate attack rolls at −2 each; no precision damage; consumes 10 charges per burst. Can fire multiple bursts in a full-attack. |
| Slow-Firing | Full-round | Cannot make iterative attacks. |
| Touch | — | Attacks resolve as touch attacks, ignoring armor and natural armor. |
Timeworn Technology
Most technology found outside the deepest ruins has been damaged or degraded over time — it is timeworn. Timeworn technology manifests two problems: limited charges and glitches. Only items that consume charges (including nanite canisters) or are pharmaceuticals are subject to these rules, though any tech item can still become broken like any other item.
Timeworn items may also carry cosmetic differences (cracks, etchings, strange odors) and minor GM-adjudicated penalties (e.g., a timeworn laser pistol that hums constantly imparting a −1 on Stealth checks).
When Glitches Occur (50% chance each)
- When an item is first used after a month or more of inactivity.
- Anytime a single-use consumable is used.
- When using an item in a way that would drain its last charge.
- When an item requires a d20 roll to activate and that roll is a natural 1.
- When a critical hit is confirmed against the wearer of an active defensive item (armor, force field).
Not all glitches are catastrophic — they represent unpredictable effects for good and ill. When a glitch causes an item to consume more charges than it holds, the item is drained of all charges and fails to function (but negative effects still occur). Items that fail to function shut down and cannot be activated again for 1 round.
Glitch Tables
| d% | Glitch |
|---|---|
| 01–02 | Armor abilities don't function. All remaining charges are drained. |
| 03–05 | Armor seizes up and abilities don't function. The wearer is paralyzed for 1 round. (For a shield, the wielder is not impeded.) |
| 06–10 | Armor doesn't function, but still consumes the normal number of charges. |
| 11–18 | Armor doesn't function, but no charges are lost. |
| 19–50 | Armor uses twice as many charges as normal (or expends an extra activation's worth if already active). |
| 51–75 | Armor functions normally. |
| 76–80 | Armor functions better than anticipated. Its armor bonus improves by +1 for the duration of this charge. |
| 81–90 | Armor functions much better than anticipated. Armor bonus improves by +2 and it provides moderate fortification for the duration of this charge. |
| 91–98 | Armor functions normally; no charges consumed. |
| 99–100 | Armor functions normally and a power surge restores 1d6 charges (up to capacity). |
| d% | Glitch |
|---|---|
| 01–02 | Item does not function. All remaining charges are drained. |
| 03–05 | Item does not function, but still consumes the normal number of charges. |
| 06–10 | Item does not function, but no charges are lost. |
| 11–18 | Item uses twice as many charges as normal and jolts the user for 1d6 electricity damage, but otherwise functions normally. |
| 19–50 | Item uses twice as many charges as normal, but otherwise functions normally. |
| 51–75 | Item functions normally. |
| 76–80 | Item functions better than anticipated, granting a +1 bonus on any skill check attempted with this use. |
| 81–90 | Item functions far better than anticipated, granting a +2 bonus on any skill check attempted with this use. |
| 91–98 | Item functions normally; no charges consumed. |
| 99–100 | Item functions normally and a power surge restores 1d6 charges. |
| d% | Glitch |
|---|---|
| 01–02 | Spoiled. Treat as poisoning by dark reaver powder. |
| 03–11 | Spoiled. Treat as exposure to red ache. |
| 12–20 | Spoiled. Patient is nauseated for 1d6 rounds. |
| 21–30 | Spoiled. Patient is sickened for 1d6 × 10 minutes. |
| 31–40 | Spoiled. No effect. |
| 41–50 | Less potent. Decrease all save DCs by 2*. Use minimum values for all random results. Decrease durations by 50%. |
| 51–60 | Normal effect, but causes 1d4 Con damage (Fort DC 15 half). |
| 61–75 | Normal effect, but hallucinogenic (−5 Perception, confused 2d4 rounds; Fort DC 15 negates). |
| 76–85 | Normal effect. |
| 86–95 | More potent. Increase save DCs by 2*. Reroll any result of 1. Increase durations by 100%. |
| 96–100 | Far more potent. As above, but treat as 2 doses. |
| * For a cardioamp, reverse the potency: decrease save DCs on a more potent result, increase on a less potent result. | |
| d% | Glitch |
|---|---|
| 01–02 | Weapon does not function. All remaining charges are drained. |
| 03–24 | Weapon does not function, but still consumes the normal number of charges. |
| 25–39 | Weapon consumes twice as many charges as normal and deals 1d6 electricity damage per charge consumed (minimum 1d6) to the user. |
| 40–65 | Weapon consumes twice as many charges as normal. |
| 66–75 | Weapon functions normally but flashes brightly, blinding the wielder and adjacent creatures for 1 round (Reflex DC 15 negates). |
| 76–84 | Weapon functions normally. |
| 85–92 | Weapon functions better than anticipated, granting a +2 bonus on attack rolls for 1 round. |
| 93–96 | Weapon functions much better than anticipated, granting a +2 bonus on attack and damage rolls. |
| 97–98 | Weapon functions normally; no charges consumed. |
| 99–100 | Weapon functions normally and a power surge restores 1d6 charges (up to capacity). |