Hackmaster Social Conflict [Hackmaster]

Here's the text that goes with the table. As always, comments and questions are welcome.

Why Social Conflict?
Why Social Conflict rules? While one might argue that people should be willing to play the rolls against them (acting intimidated when they fail a Resist Persuasion v. Intimidation roll, or falling for it when someone uses Skilled Liar to mislead you, even though the player knows things the character does not), the fact is that success in Hackmaster is largely binary. HOW do I act intimidated? What is the effect of being intimidated on interactions with the aggressor? Is there a difference between falling for a lie by only a point or two, or when I fail by 50 points?

In short, social conflict systems exist to inform roleplaying, and provide mechanical advantages and disadvantages to mechanical acts. If you choose not to invest in Resist Persuasion and face someone with a high Intimidation skill, that choice should have consequences; likewise, if I choose to invest in Resist Persuasion, it should give me a meaningful advantage when facing interrogation over Bob, who is counting on 11/03 Wisdom... Bob shouldn't be able to say "Well, my character wouldn't be scared, no matter what the dice say!" and then do as Bob pleases anyway. I paid for my character to not be scared; Bob is just declaring his immunity by fiat.

The most basic social conflict roll is a single opposed test, with the aggressor rolling a skill based on whichever tack they intend to take, and the defender rolling an opposition skill based on that attack. This test may take very little time (Fast Talking or Distraction), or it may be an involved conversation (Interrogation or Diplomacy); this is determined by the GM. If the initial pass allows for it, a second check might be made, or the defender may counter-offer, if reasonable.

Note that many modifiers apply to these rolls; while a salesman might be able to convince you to buy a monkey, it can be Very Difficult for him to do so if you don’t want to buy a monkey, or if you don’t have the money he’s asking you for. Depending on their plan, it may also involve several different rolls, each of which is a possible point of failure for either of you… if they must convince you of a lie (Skilled Liar), in order to Persuade you to come to their room, where they might Seduce you, each of those is separate considerations, with its own difficulty (though, if you enthusiastically accept the lie, they may find it easier to Persuade you, and so on). A frequent and large modifier to this roll is one’s Encounter Reaction, as laid out on pages 66 and 67 of the GMG. A Player character does receive some advantage, here… their opponents never receive a bonus to aggressive skills based on encounter reaction. Even if you genuinely like an NPC or another player, they have no bonus to influence your PC without magic or prior social skill use.

Declining Social Conflict
It is possible to decline social conflict. However, in many cases, this represents simply going along with whatever the person wants. Don’t want to risk a Morale roll against someone trying to intimidate you? Do whatever they’re asking you to. Don’t want to endure weeks of torture? Just tell them everything, right at first. Declining social conflict will prevent you from having to fight, but may wind up impacting your honor, your purse, and your prospects.

But I Don’t Want to Do That!
Inevitably, PCs will fail social conflict rolls, either due to not beefing up their resist persuasion, or simple bad luck. They may argue that their character wouldn’t do that, that THEY are not convinced so their CHARACTER is not convinced, or that it ruins the fun if something other than a magical spell can force their character to behave precisely as the player wishes. This is somewhat analogous to arguing that their character DIDN’T die because the orc drove a spear through their chest, because it’s no fun if they have to do what they don’t want their character to do. Hackmaster is a game of choices, consequences, and, occasionally, luck eating your character like he’s a bar peanut. If you chose not to invest in Resist Persuasion or other social skills, then you are going to have a similar result in social conflicts to someone who chooses not to wear armor in physical conflicts. If you did invest in Resist Persuasion and have a horrible run of luck with the dice, well, sometimes even the dragon gets killed, and he’s got armor for days and hit points for miles. But, being a game of fairness, Hackmaster has a few remedies for those who don’t want to do what the dice tell them.

Honor, Luck, and Metagame mechanics
PCs faced with unfortunate rolls can always choose to use mulligans, reverse mulligans, bonuses, and honor burn to change the outcome. Luck points may also be used, within their restrictions, and Chivalry Points may be used to alter the roll IF it is a key, heroic roll in the story. You may use Chivalry Points to Intimidate Count Evilus, to resist his torture, or to influence the Treaty of Crag Keep, but it would not be much of a knightly story if you used them to haggle for a better price for your room or to Persuade the guards not to tell your wife about your indiscretions.

Ignoring the Results
If a player chooses to completely ignore the results of social conflict, doing whatever they like, anyway, then there is a built in mechanism for reprimanding them: the honor calculation. Each level, honor is calculated as on pages 114 and 115 of the Player’s Handbook. A player who ignores social conflict results should be judged harshly in the “General Role-Play” category… being immune to social conflict is little different than deciding that Fear of Heights was a nice bunch of BPs, and not a possibly crippling flaw in a high-wire thief.

The Progress of Social Conflict
The first part of social conflict is establishing the battlefield on which the players are facing each other; this is done through the Encounter Reaction check, as detailed in the GMG on pages 65-67. Player characters are, in most conflicts, immune to this chart… unless altered by magic or social conflict, their default reaction towards others is -2/+2… no bonus or penalty. Others, however, react to them and, should a GM choose to dice out a social conflict between NPCs, they may have different reactions to each other (a noble may be dismissive of the beggar person asking them for alms, while the beggar has a generally positive opinion of the noble).

Bonuses from a red (negative) reaction act as bonuses to defensive skill use; bonuses from a green (positive) reaction act as bonuses to aggressive skill use against the target. If, for example, Knuckles the Dwarf walks up to two guardsmen, and receives a -3/-7 reaction from the half-orc, and a +3/+7 reaction from the dwarf, his attempt to Persuade the half-orc would see the half-orc get a +10% bonus to Resist Persuasion… he doesn’t like Knuckles, he doesn’t trust Knuckles, so Knuckles is going to have to be good to get past him. Conversely, Knuckles will get a +5% bonus to his Persuasion skill against the dwarf… the dwarf thinks he’s ok, and is willing to listen. Depending on the circumstances, Intimidation, Interrogation, and Torture can be exceptions to this; if the general racial reaction to the aggressor’s race by the defender’s race is Fearful, or if the defender is Cowardly or otherwise of low Morale, encounter reaction modifiers can be bonuses to those skills… pixie-faeries are quite willing to be intimidated by grel. This is subject to GM discretion.

Once the general encounter reaction is known, the aggressor should choose her tack, and the skill associated with it, while the defender should choose his tack and the skill associated with it. The different skills have different uses and different outcomes, outlined below. In all cases, Resist Persuasion is an appropriate counter-skill to choose for defense; stubbornness will not get you far, but it can keep you from moving. Those highly skilled in other areas, however, might choose another skill; if your character is better at appraising than they are at resisting persuasion, they may fall back on that to avoid paying too much for goods, while a skilled salesman might use their own sales acumen to sell the seller on selling to them at the buyer’s price.

Social conflict then hinges on an opposed roll, the aggressive skil vs. the counter-skill; the results of this are compared to the “Social Conflict Results” table. Success, in this case, is determined as “Success for the aggressor”, while failure is “Failure for the aggressor.” In some cases, you will have instances of mutual aggression. You might find this in a diplomatic negotiation, an oratory debate, or when two burly fighters have a good-old-fashioned Intimidation stare-down. In that case, whoever wins gets results based on their degree of success; the loser of the contest does not likewise get the results of their failure.

Most social conflict is over after a single pass, which might take seconds, minutes, hours, or even days. Any success by more than 50 points, or failure by more than 25 points, results in an end to that social conflict, as there’s been a clear victor. Results in between might allow a new test; those tests suffer the results of the first test; it’s hard to intimidate someone who’s already made you stand down by force of will, and hard to seduce someone who’s already laughed you off. The table notes several instances where new tests are allowed; the GM may decide if others are appropriate.

The Skills and How They Are Used
Diplomacy: Diplomacy is best used when the goal is a long-term arrangement between groups; while it can be applied at the individual level, the nuances of diplomacy are in policy, and the give and take of interested parties and occasional non-compliance. Diplomacy’s end game is an agreement to take action, not necessarily a given action. It is often opposed by Diplomacy, where both sides are attempting to gain benefits and avoid costs.

Distraction: Distraction is about the instant; gaining attention for just a moment, to allow something else to happen. Great success at distraction results in longer distractions. It is only really opposed by Resist Persuasion; resisting the urge to look at the noisy, shiny, thing and concentrate on the task at hand.

Fast Talking: “If you can’t dazzle them with style, baffle them with :):):):):):):):).” Fast talking is a mirror to Distraction, in that its purpose is to divert the defender from paying attention to what the aggressor is doing. Fast Talking can be resisted by Scrutiny, as someone who pays enough attention to what’s happening will notice that you’re not really saying anything, and, possibly, note whatever you’re concealing.

Interrogation: Interrogation is compelling someone to answer questions without physical torture. A little bit Intimidation, a little bit Persuasion, Interrogation can be foiled by a Skilled Liar… someone capable of making the interrogator believe what they wish.

Intimidation: Intimidation is the fine art of making others consider their mortality, and its relative insignificance to your day. Success makes your opponent back down; great success may scare them off entirely. Intimidation can be resisted with Resist Persuasion, or opposed with Intimidation of your own. Intimidation can subject a player character to a morale check.

Oration: Oration is best used on large groups of people, bringing them around to your point of view by influencing their encounter reaction level. While Seduction is a targeted attack at an individual, Oration is an area of effect; trying to reverse them gets a tad weird, as the Orator who focuses on a single person lacks the fine control to tune their argument to the individual, and the seducer trying to work a crowd lacks the broad appeal. Oration can be opposed with Oration; debating an Orator and refuting their points can prevent them from affecting the crowd. Oration is one of the skills that can subject a player character to encounter reactions.

Persuasion: Persuasion is attempting to gain an immediate favor from someone, with little concrete offered in return; straight quid-pro-quo relationships are more often Diplomacy or Salesmanship, depending on the nature of the promises. Unsurprisingly, it is resisted with Resist Persuasion.

Salesmanship: Salesmanship is the art of the deal; exchanging money or goods for goods or services. It’s a matter of the give and take of cost and value; this much for so many, that much for so many more, and sweetening the deal without necessarily increasing your own cost. It can be resisted with Salesmanship, Resist Persuasion, or the appropriate Appraisal… knowing the value of something can help you avoid overpaying for it.

Seduction: While Seduction is usually thought of in carnal terms, the Art of Seduction is about improving a single person’s reaction to you. While this can involve carnal activity, it can also simply be a matter of finding out what they like and emphasizing that; a perfect cup of tea, a touch on the shoulder when they need it, or even stepping back so they can step forward. A skilled seduction artist makes their target love them; they can be foiled by a skilled actor, able to fake the responses that a seducer uses to gauge their next action. Seduction is one of the skills that can subject a player character to encounter reactions.

Skilled Liar: Skilled Liar is the art of making someone believe things that are not true. The more evidence there is, and the less immediate the circumstances, the harder it is to pull off a lie… a guilty man might believe “The guards are coming”, simply because the price of not believing it if it’s true is so high, but calmly informing a sage of meteorology that the sky is green is unlikely to be successful. Skilled Liar can be opposed with sufficient observation; noting tells that the person may not be telling the truth, as well as any evidence that what is said is not true.

Torture: Interrogation more sinister sibling, Torture “enhances” the typical questioning with the application of pain and discomfort to encourage a response. It is more likely to result in false positives than Interrogation, as desperate subjects say anything to end the torment, but has a visceral component that makes it possible with sadists and those who care less about the truth than breaking their opponents. A Skilled Liar can confound a torturer, getting them to follow false leads… though, some torturers may not care that they’ve received information.

Sidebar: Social Conflict or Simple Rolls
When should you use Social Conflict, and when you should use simple rolls? Generally, the more crucial the roll, and the more important the target, the more you should consider using Social Conflict. One does not need social conflict for every meat pie and white lie, but important interactions with important NPCs (or PCs) should fall back on basic social conflict rules.

Sidebar: PVP Social Conflict
There will come times when player characters will find themselves involved in social conflict with other player characters. Is your thief character lying about stealing from the party? Is your mage haggling with the fighter over an Illusionary Leather Armor spell? While role-playing can be used to resolve these, social conflict rules can be used to speed up the game and ajudicate cases of metagame knowledge… the whole table may know that the thief pocketed that ruby, but can their players catch it? The ambiguity can be resolved fairly with the dice, rather than an endless parade of “Did not!” v. “Did so!”

Runecaster Kit

Runecaster Kit

The Runecaster is a kit available for any class, representing someone who has learned and practiced the magic of carving runes. Runes are thought to be the fundamental language of the universe, akin to the Power Words of wizard magic; some believe that the world itself is written in the Runes, and that any aspect of creation can be controlled from them. If this is true, however, the runes to do so are long-lost, what remains is a handful of magics; powerful in their own right, but not the ultimate arbiters of reality.

To create magic, runes must be carved; they cannot be drawn or painted. Runes must also be carved deliberately; many runes are also letters of the runic alphabet, and simply carving “Halfdan carved these runes” will not wreak havoc on the world.

Required Attributes: Dexterity 11, Intelligence 13, Wisdom 13
Required Non-weapon Proficiencies: Read/Write (Runic Alphabet), Artistic Ability (Runecarving), Rune Lore
Bonus Non-weapon Proficiencies: None

A Style for Every Race, A Style for Every Class

A while back, I posted some rules for using Oriental Adventures/Complete Ninja style martial arts in all parts of AD&D... making two different fighters with swords and shields very different, and allowing them to gain some neat abilities with training.

As part of that, I also decided to create a series of martial arts for different races and classes... each of the ones in the 2e PH, in fact.

By the Power Of/For the Honor Of Greyskull!

The Grey Skull is an ancient place of power, long hidden by is Guardian from its enemies. A crumbling castle with the appearance of an ancient skull of grey stone, it is a repository of knowledge and magic long-lost to the world.

The Guardians of the Grey Skull are many; there is always one who resides within the Grey Skull itself, whose purpose is to protect the castle itself, and train those who the Grey Skull chooses to act as its hands in the world. Those hands may not always be selected; sometimes, the Guardian of the Grey Skull will be alone for many centuries, served only by their apprentices. When tyranny and injustice arise, however, the Grey Skull will reach out to the worlds to which is it connected and choose a Champion to fight with the power of Grey Skull, and for the honor of Grey Skull.

Guardians and Champions of Grey Skull must begin Good in alignment.

Dragons... IN SPAAAAAAACCCCCEEEEE!!!! [d6 Star Wars]

Star Dragons
The Star Dragons are ancient beasts, living in small flights lead by their chief astrogators. Feeding on solar emissions, they may dip into atmospheres to see rare sights, or live their entire lives in the vast depths of space. For many centuries, they were considered to be little more than clever beasts, with the rare tales of dragons coming to land and speaking with people considered little more than fancy. As beasts, they were often hunted.

But Star dragons are more than simply beasts. Capable of great understanding, of learning languages, and forming relationships with humanoids, some rare, young, members of their species will do so. As they must land to lay their eggs and raise their young through the first few years (until they are capable of sustained space flight), Star Dragons have dipped their massively clawed toes in galactic society from time to time, with rare hatchlings even eschewing life in their flights for the more dynamic interactions with smaller creatures.

Star Dragons have no native technology, but have a well-developed Force tradition. Force use is almost unheard of among the hatchlings; they are seldom even Force-sensitive. As they age, into Walker-scale adults, then Starfighter-scale Elders, some will develop Force abilities, most of which focus around Sense and the ability to plot hyperspace courses through the force. Rumors abound of powerful other abilities, but they may simply be rumors; Star Dragons have little need for the things of the land, save safe places to raise their young.

Attributes
Dexterity: 1D/4D
Knowledge: 1D/3D
Mechanical: 1D/2D
Perception: 2D/4D
Strength: 3D/6D
Technical: 1D/2D

Move: 10/15

Size:1.5-2m tall at the shoulders on all fours; folded wings may add 1m to height. 3m-7m from tip of nose to tip of tail. Adults (more than 600 standard years old) are much larger.

Special Abilities:
Space Flight: Star Dragons are capable of flight, both in a planet's atmosphere and through space. Their speed in atmosphere is equal to ten times their Flight skill (under Dexterity), plus any Pips. Their speed in space is equal to their Flight skill. Thus, a young dragon with a Flight skill of 3D+2 would have an Atmosphere speed of 32 (3D * 10 + 2 pips), and a space speed of 3. Star Dragons do not need to breathe, though find it useful for speaking.

Hyperspace Flight: Star Dragons are able to enter hyperspace, flying slowly between star systems, with a hyperspace multiplier of *20. Such flights are incredibly taxing and difficult, both due to the energy needed to enter and leave hyperspace, but also due to their extreme length. Every day spent in hyperspace (recall, they have a *20 hyperspace multiplier) inflicts 1D of stun damage, which can be resisted by the dragon's Stamina skill (not merely Strength, but receiving no benefit from their scales or worn armor). If the damage would be enough to Incapacitate, Mortally Wound, or Kill the dragon, they are instead unconscious for 2D hours, days, or weeks, respectively. While they have a natural sense for Astrogation, they still must take a +10 penalty to Astrogation checks if they do not have an external computer (as opposed to the standard +30). Groups of Star Dragons will often travel as a flight, following the lead of the most skilled Astrogator (and, indeed, Astrogator is a title of high esteem among their flights and rookeries). 

Star Dragons can improve their Hyperspace multiplier, though it is expensive to do so. Improving the multiplier by 1 requires 30 character points, minus their current Hyperdrive Multiplier; so, improving from 20 to 19 requires 10 character points, then 11 from 19 to 18, 12 from 18 to 17, usw. They may not improve their multiplier beyond *10.

Breath Weapon: Star Dragons are able to breath out a stream of plasma, quite similar to a blaster bolt. However, their reserves of this energy are quite low, compared to the capacity of a blaster. At their maximum, they may have ten times their Strength attribute in available dice of damage, and may put no more than their Strength attribute in damage into each blast. (So, a dragon with 4D in Strength could release ten blasts that would do 4D speeder scale damage, 40 blasts of 1D speeder scale damage, or somewhat in between, without recharging) In an atmosphere, they recharge spent dice of damage at a rate of 1 per hour; in space, it is 3 per hour. For this attack, they use the Breath Weapon skill, which is based on Dexterity. Their range in atmosphere is comparable to a blaster rifle; in space, it is a mere 1.

Claws, Teeth, and Scales: Star Dragons are, of course, dragons. Their teeth and claws do Str+1D damage, and their claws provide 1D in protection from both physical and energy damage.

Story Factors:
Speeder Scale: Dragons are not small; they average between three and seven meters in length, and their wings are five to eight meters when spread. They are effectively speeder scale, which affects their Dodge against character scale weapons, and their Brawl and Breath Weapon skills. However, as Speeder-scale creatures, their damage is increased against the same.

Wings: Star Dragon's ability to fly and traverse hyperspace derives from their wings; they generate a natural impeller field which allows the wings to push off seemingly empty space, propelling the dragon forward. Significant damage to the wings reduces a dragon's ability to fly (represented as wound penalties reduce the effective flying speeds).

Speech: Star Dragons are perfectly capable of understanding Basic and a wide variety of other languages, but their vocal apparatus makes pronunciation difficult, especially at anything resembling a conversational tone. If you need a couple syllables shouted across the wasteland, a dragon is perfectly capable; if you want to have a quiet chat about discrete cargo transport, they're less capable. Speech in the Star Dragon language is also not possible in space, and so they have no less than three languages; their verbal speech, their own sign language, and an altered sign language used to communicate with humanoids when they cannot hear them (such as when in space), plus their understanding of Basic. They have no great gift for languages, and so must learn all languages, aside from Star Dragon and Star Dragon sign language, with their skill dice.

Technology: Star Dragons are a wonderfully adapted species, with no native need for technology. Most of their energy comes from stars and solar gasses; their bodies are weapons and armor and transportation. Furthermore, they are enormous creatures, tall as a human when on all fours, and longer than a cargo skiff. While their hindpaws can serve as crude hands, their forepaws are not so dextrous.
As a result, they are quite incapable when it comes to technology; they have little exposure to technology that is designed for them, or even remotely usable by them. At character creation, they may not put any skill dice in any Technical skill save First Aid, nor any Mechanical skill save Astrogation, nor any Dexterity skill dealing with technological weapons (such as blasters, firearms, or grenades). In almost all cases, they suffer a -2D when attempting to do any but the most base manipulations with their forepaws, and a -1D if attempting to manipulate objects with their hindpaws while in flight.

Youth: Playable Star Dragons are young, by their species estimation. While elder Star Dragons may live for thousands of years, they are only young for a few hundred. As they age, they grow longer and larger, with adolescents approaching Walker scale, and the truly ancient in the low Starfighter range. Rumors exist of great old dragons, a dozen meters in length, with tails that reach another score. These increases in size also make it harder and harder for the Star Dragons to interact with humanoids, and, indeed, even to enter atmospheres. Young Star Dragons are somewhat subject to influence from their elders, and may be forced to choose between leaving with them, or being stranded in a star system.




Star Dragons and the Force

Star Dragon hatchlings are sometimes sensitive to the Force, but seldom skilled in its manipulation. As they age, however, their sensitivity to the Force often increases, so that many adult Star Dragons (more than 600 standard years) are Force Sensitive, and most elder Star Dragons (more than 2400 standard years) are highly skilled in its use.

Star Dragon understanding of the Force is rooted in Sense. The picture the Force as strings of energy which suffuse the galaxy, flowing from stars and crisscrossing in an emphermeral web. Thicker threads connect to certain creatures, including the Star Dragons themselves, and by seeing, then touching, those threads, the Star Dragons are able to influence the galaxy. Control is seen as influencing the threads within oneself; Alter is changing the threads as the intersect with others.

One of the first powers most Star Dragons will learn is Instinctive Astrogation (Sense variant); its knowledge is crucial to the life of the Star Dragons. While they are able to astrogate without the force power, it is far more limited. Most Elder dragons will then attempt to teach their students the ability of Receptive Telepathy. Once the dragon has mastered those five powers (Instinctive Astrogation, Receptive Telepathy, and their prerequisites), they have what their teachers consider the basic tools; if nothing else, both dragons knowing Receptive Telepathy makes communication far easier, even across distances. Once these basics are mastered, the student is ready to progress to other things. When Control is learned, it is most often in conjunction with training in Concentration, though Absorb/Dissipate Energy may be learned if the environment is particularly hostile. Alter is always taught with Telekinesis; the fine control afforded by Telekinetics is too valuable to the large-pawed beasts who have to interact with the rest of galactic society.

(A special note about Absorb/Dissipate Energy: this can be used to recharge the dragon's plasma breath more rapidly than normal. If used as a defense, Absorb/Dissipate Energy will restore a number of dice equal to the damage code of the attack, adjusted for scale. If used to simply absorb ambient energy, it allows the restoration of dice at 1 or 3 dice per minute kept up, rather than per hour, as usual).

Sixteen Tons (Warforged Version)

Some people say a man is made outta mud
A warforged's got oil for blood
Metal and wood and steel and bronze
A mind that's a-weak and a back that's strong

You load sixteen tons, what do you get
Another day's orders and ya ain't free yet
Sweet Maker don't you scrap me 'cause I don't know....
What happens to a warforged when he ain't no mo'

If you see me coming
Better step aside
Lotta men didn't, lotta men died
Got one fist of iron, the other of steel
If the left one don't get you
Then the right one will

You load sixteen tons, what do you get
Another day's orders and ya ain't free yet
Sweet Maker don't you scrap me 'cause I don't know....
What happens to a warforged when he ain't no mo'

I was made by the Cannith, I was rune-forged
Given a sword and sent to the wars
I was raised by a sergeant on the front line
Though it's made of stone, got a heart like a lion

You load sixteen tons, what do you get
Another day's orders and ya ain't free yet
Sweet Maker don't you scrap me 'cause I don't know....
What happens to a warforged when he ain't no mo'

Krynnish Minotaurs in Star Wars [d6 Star Wars]

Krynnish Minotaurs in Star Wars d6

Pirate Minotaur
Dexterity 1D/3D+1
Knowledge 1D/3D
Mechanical 2D/4D+1
Perception 2D/4D+1
Strength 3D/5D+1
Technical 2D/3D+2

Special Abilities:
*Senses: Minotaurs have very sensitive senses of hearing and scent, and receive +1D to Search checks when those senses are involved.
*Horns: Minotaurs can use their horned heads as a brawling attack; doing so is Easy difficulty, and inflicts STR+2D damage. A minotaur may also charge, which requires 3 meters of running room, and increases the difficulty to Moderate, but inflicts STR+4D damage.
*Large: Minotaurs are larger than most species of the galaxy. While this doesn't matter for a lot of things, in some cases, it can be a big problem. Vacuum Suits, space suits, and armor are frequently inadequate to minotaur physiques. Many standard starships aren't well suited to minotaur physiology, meaning they receive a -1D penalty to vehicle operation, shield, and vehicle weapon skills if the vehicle isn't designed to adjust to their size. This is, to an extent, a matter of GM fiat, but Imperial craft are noted for the relatively narrow range of sizes they will accommodate. Refitting a craft to accommodate minotaur crew members is usually an Easy to Moderate task requiring an hour's worth of work for each station to be converted.
Likewise, minotaurs find many standard-built weapons to be awkward; Heavy Blasters, Blaster Carbines, Blaster Rifles, and larger weapons are quite comfortable, but blaster pistols, sporting blasters, and hold-out blasters will require modification to fit minotaur-sized fingers. While most melee weapons pose little problem for a minotaur, they do find that human-scale weapons are often inadequate to take advantage of their size; the fist of a minotaur can crush a man’s skull easier than a strong man can with a club.

Story Factors:
*Honor: Minotaurs live by a complex code of honor that involves their personal reputation, the reputation of their clan, and their standing within the clan and their clan’s standing within the Imperium. Impugning a minotaur’s honor can drive them to rash acts, and a minotaur’s assessment of another’s honor can influence their reaction to them.

Move: 11-15
Size: 2m-2.8m tall

Imperial Minotaur
Dexterity 1D/3D+2
Knowledge 1D/3D+2
Mechanical 2D/4D
Perception 2D/4D
Strength 3D/4D+2
Technical 2D/4D

Special Abilities: *Senses: Imperial Minotaurs have very sensitive senses of hearing and scent, and receive +1D to Search checks when those senses are involved.
*Horns: Imperial Minotaurs have bred for smaller horns than the Pirates prefer, and are more prone to trim them, resulting in a somewhat less effective weapon. They can use their horned heads as a brawling attack; doing so is Easy difficulty, and inflicts STR+1D damage. A minotaur may also charge, which requires 3 meters of running room, and increases the difficulty to Moderate, but inflicts STR+3D damage.
*Large: Minotaurs are larger than most species of the galaxy. While this doesn't matter for a lot of things, in some cases, it can be a big problem. Vacuum Suits, space suits, and armor are frequently inadequate to minotaur physiques. Many standard starships aren't well suited to minotaur physiology, meaning they receive a -1D penalty to vehicle operation, shield, and vehicle weapon skills if the vehicle isn't designed to adjust to their size. This is, to an extent, a matter of GM fiat, but Imperial craft are noted for the relatively narrow range of sizes they will accommodate. Refitting a craft to accommodate minotaur crew members is usually an Easy to Moderate task requiring an hour's worth of work for each station to be converted.
Likewise, minotaurs find many standard-built weapons to be awkward; Heavy Blasters, Blaster Carbines, Blaster Rifles, and larger weapons are quite comfortable, but blaster pistols, sporting blasters, and hold-out blasters will require modification to fit minotaur-sized fingers. While most melee weapons pose little problem for a minotaur, they do find that human-scale weapons are often inadequate to take advantage of their size; the fist of a minotaur can crush a man’s skull easier than a strong man can with a club.

Story Factors:
Honor: Minotaurs live by a complex code of honor that involves their personal reputation, the reputation of their clan, and their standing within the clan and their clan’s standing within the Imperium. Impugning a minotaur’s honor can drive them to rash acts, and a minotaur’s assessment of another’s honor can influence their reaction to them.

Move: 11-15
Size: 2m-2.5m tall