House Rules

Chapter 1: Character Creation:

1. Core Abilities (p.30 - 52) - Version 2.0 overcomplicated the Core Abilities. I'm simplifying them again. Each class (except for Pointman and Soldier) gets double action dice when using one of their class skills. This does not include any class skills from talents, feats, origins, etc. Just the class skills of the base class. The Soldier gets double action dice when using one of his class skills as well as when he uses it for an attack roll. The Pointman gets double the action dice that any other character would get at the beginning of the adventure, which he can spend as he wishes... including to help other characters, if they are within earshot or on tac-radios or otherwise in communication where his tactical advice could help.

3. Vitality (p. 59) - An important distinction in Vitality and Wound Points is that Vitality Points, though you lose them when you get "hit," actually represent *misses* in combat. Losing a bunch of vitality to an enemy agent firing a submachine gun is the equivalent of an action movie where the hero darts across an alley and the agent fires bullets down the alley, narrowly missing and causing the hero to wince, dodge, narrowly avoid death. Only when your vitality points are gone do you actually begin taking damage. Thus the ease of recovering vitality with action points and its quick recovery outside of combat. Basically, recovering vitality is taking a breather, getting your bearings, etc.

4. Action Dice (p. 63) - Any action dice left at the end of a session grant a 25 XP bonus to the player holding them. This is cumulative and there is no upper limit.

Chapter 2: Skills

1. Untrained Skill Checks and focuses (p. 92) - The standard rules, that you may make any skill check you don't have as untrained, but your error range increases by 2, applies. However, if you have a focus in the skill, even with 0 ranks, that familiarity prevents the error range increase.

2. Missing 1.0 Skill: Cryptography (p. 111, 152, 154) - Deciphering code is a Complex Analysis/Decipher skill check (p.111). Developing a code is a Science/Mathematics check (p. 152, 154).

3. Blend (p. 118) - In addition to Stealth, Blend includes setting up a Stakeout without being noticed. Your Stakeout result is versus their Search/Perception if they are actively watching their surroundings (i.e. good security) or Notice/Awareness if not. This is a secret check, and if you fail, you do not know that you have been compromised.

4. Missing 1.0 Skill: Languages (p. 123) - The Cultures skill gives you a rough idea of the number of languages you know, but for my game, we're going to want to know more specifically. Each character knows one language fluently for each Cultures focus that they have (this language must be spoken within that culture... no taking Swahili if your focus is in Central America, for example), and an additional language for each point they have in Cultures skill. You can choose all of these languages up front, or choose them as they're needed. The Cultures skill still represents a number of smaller dialects and general communications ability if you don't have that specific language fluent.

5. Computers (p. 122) - You can do Research on a computer, ala the Investigation check, using your Computers skill. The DC is the same as the one for Investigation/Research, but you can only search using the Internet or a business or government network that you have hacked into. It takes twice as long to do a Computers/Research check as an Investigation/Research check, since you aren't as skilled in looking, which is why it's often best to crack the security and then hand the terminal off to your Sleuth teammate.

6. Investigation/Canvass Area (p. 136) - The Canvass Area skill is broken. The DCs are far too high and don't make a lot of sense. I'm reducing all the base DCs (related to the area searched) by 10, with a minimum DC of 15. Also, the cost is not a requirement, but is instead used to reduce the DC by 5 and increase the threat range by 1 each time it is spent, and the cost increase goes $100, 250, 1000, 5000, 25,000, 100,000, 500,000 instead of the insane list given in the text.

7. Investigation/Research (p. 137) - The Research skill chart is stupid, giving you a higher DC based on the more information you have available to you. The DC is instead based on the level of scarcity/secrecy you're looking for: Publicly-available/common is DC 15, publicly-available/uncommon is DC 20, secret/common or publicly-available/rare is DC 25, secret/uncommon is DC 30 and secret/rare is DC 40. The method of searching matters only for the time required to search and the level of information that can be found. The time required is in the chart on p. 137, the level of information is as follows: (Personal library - Publicly available/common, town library - publicly available/uncommon, city library - publicly available/rare, national library - secret/common, Internet - publicly available/rare, business network - Internet level plus secret/uncommon relating to that business, government network - Internet level plus secret/uncommon.

8. Manipulate (p.138) - Manipulate is too specific, and since we won't really be using the brainwashing rules, almost useless. So I'm adding another check under Manipulate, the Subterfuge Check. This is used to turn agents to your agenda, convincing them that you're someone that you're not (i.e. "No, really, I'm deep-cover KGB, go ahead and give me those codes") or convincing them that someone or something they trust is not what it seems (i.e. "You know, Dr. Evil is just planning on killing you once you've fulfilled your purpose). It can be used short-term or long-term, and has a fair amount in common with the art of the con. The skill is based on your Charisma, and is a complex check based on their Wisdom and any ranks that they have in Resolve. Each time you succeed at the complex check, you can improve the disposition of that NPC in one direction in your favor (although this is more easily done using the Impress/Influence skill), or you can decrease it in one direction towards another person or organization. This skill is cooperative (max. helpers equal to your Charisma bonus, minimum 0), synergy skills are Impress, Falsify and Sense Motive, Retry is yes, but your error range increases by 2 each time you fail, Threat is that you are exceptionally convincing, and can *both* improve their disposition towards you and decrease it towards someone else by 1 grade, Critical success is that you improve or decrease their disposition by 2 grades instead of just one (although you do have to choose in this case), Error is that their disposition towards you worsens by 1 grade and your error range using any Cha-based skill against that target is increased by 2 for the duration of the mission and critical failure is that you may not target them with another Manipulate check for the duration of the mission.

9. Networking (p. 144) - In addition to the contact rules involved in Networking, the skill includes a loose network of contacts globally. If you wish to use your network of contacts to locate information, you can do so by using the difficulty rules in the new Investigation/Research rules, and the time required to search using contacts is based on the level of information you're seeking. (Example: You want to find out some publicly available/rare information, which would usually require a city library... the time required is the same as using a city library, 1d6 hours). Regular contacts (acquaintances and so forth), in addition to providing information on these time scales, can also provide you with Gear picks (up to 1 pick per grade of contact, with a maximum Caliber equal to the grade of the contact, per mission). These gear picks can be Kits, Electronics, Resources, Security, Tradecraft, Weapons or Vehicles depending on GM judgment as to what type of gear the contact would have access to. A contact can never provide Gadget Picks.

10. Notice (p. 146) - Notice also includes the Stakeout Check. When you're on a stakeout, your DC to spot something important is 15 (+2 DC per consecutive day on stakeout). If you have been noticed (see Blend/Stakeout check, above), then your DC is either 15 (+2 DC per day) or your target's Blend/Stealth or Sleight of Hand/Conceal Action check, whichever is higher. This is a secret check, since you won't know whether you noticed it or not, or whether you've been compromised or not. A threat on a Stakeout check allows you to recognize whether or not you've been noticed and begin making regular rolls instead of secret ones. A critical success, in addition to the benefits of a Threat, allows you to disguise the stakeout again if you realize you have been compromised. You must choose whether to spend the action die on the critical success before hearing the results of the Threat.


Chapter 3: Feats

1. No changes currently - but I'm open to any suggestions.

Chapter Four: Gear

1. Spending Cash (p. 212) - Spies have considerably more money than a few hundred dollars available to them on missions. When you are on mission, your Spending Cash is equal to your normal amount ($100 x Spending Cash x Spending Cash) times 10. So, for example, Dom has a regular Spending Cash of $900... when he is on missions, it is $9000. You can liquidate Wealth points as described on p. 212, but you gain $100,000 x the current statistic when you do so. Request checks for money are equal to the result x $2000. Liquidating Reputation gains you $10,000 per point instead of $5,000.

2. Gear Picks - General Rule Changes (p. 213) - Gearing up sounded like a neat idea. It has turned out to be an enormous pain in the ass. And so... we're done with it, for the most part. I'm going to go a bit more generic in terms of guns, vehicles, etc. (at least in terms of game effect), and I'm generally going to assume that you guys, as professional spies, are geared for what you need to be geared for. Calibers are gone. Gear picks are gone. Common items are gone.

And so: Every agent has what amounts to a suitcase full of gear, related to their job. The generic package for everyone is: Three changes of identity (clothes, papers, currency, cellphones, rudimentary disguises like mustaches and wigs), two guns (assumed to be service pistols unless you say otherwise) with five clips of ammunition each, two hand weapons (assumed to be knives unless you say otherwise), two bugs, a camera, a videocamera, a digital audio recorder, a tactical vest, binoculars and a tactical headset radio with fiber-optic camera. You can have any common item on the list (and anything else you can reasonably convince me is a common item) on your person, unless I feel like spending one of my GM action dice to deny it to you.

Gear picks as described in the class levels are now meaningless. Instead, each class has one category (Their "Specialty Gear") in which they *always* have a piece of equipment with them, unless they are thoroughly searched, stripped naked, incarcerated or otherwise completely unaware. This represents a hidden weapons locker, a private garage, caches of technology, what-have-you, that any halfway decent spy will have planned for. GM discretion may require you to hit a "safe house" before you re-gear if you lose your stuff, but usually, you have this gear with you, and you have a basically unlimited "budget" for nabbing gear before missions and during downtime (within GM discretion). These categories are: Advocate (Resource or Tradecraft, chosen at character creation), Explorer (Security), Faceman (Tradecraft), Hacker (Electronics), Snoop (Electronics or Tradecraft, chosen at character creation), Intruder (Gadget), Pointman (Any one, chosen at character creation), Scientist (Electronics or Gadget, chosen at character creation), Scout (Weapon or Security, chosen at character creation), Sleuth (Resource), Soldier (Weapon), Wheelman (Vehicle).

What this means, in practical terms, is that when you're "gearing up" for a mission, you can say, "I'm taking this, this, this and this on me." You don't need to specify what's in safehouses, that's all kept abstract. But, for example, if you're a Soldier, you can say "For this mission, I'm loading up with a heavy submachine gun, semi-auto sniper rifle, a half-dozen grenades, 2 lbs. of C-4 and detonators and a surface-to-air missile launcher" and the GM will more than likely say "OK." If you're a Wheelman, you can say "I've got my tricked-out BMW and a helicopter stored in a local warehouse." If you're a Hacker, you can say "I've got two laptops, one with Intrusion software and one with Analysis, a PDA loaded with all schematics and databases from the mission briefing, two laser mikes and a bug sweeper" and so on and so on. Unless you're asking for gear that is just way beyond mission parameters (the above weapons load-out for a surveillance mission, for example), you'll pretty much get it. And if you don't specify something in gearing up that you need later, a request check in the field or a stop by a safehouse can probably secure it for you. Gearing up is something to be done quickly, for general guidance, not a major part of the game.

Each agent gets 1 gadget pick per agent level. The GM reserves the right to fill any and all of these slots with gadgets assigned by Control for the mission. I will have a good list of gadgets to choose from, incorporating the more specific gadgets from 1.0. Building your own gadgets is time-consuming and a pain-in-the-ass, and should be done away from the game table instead of during gearing up.

3. Request Checks (p. 214) - When you're in the field, you can spend an action die to get a request check and pull gear or favors (anything from a safe place to rest to a locker full of weapons to an airstrike). The DC of a Request check is 10 + (5 x the item's Caliber), giving a range of 15-30 (instead of 10-40). All other rules regarding Request Checks remain the same, including the delivery time and the need to have communications to make one. If you fail the roll, you don't have to spend the action die, but if you choose not to, you can't make another request check for the rest of the session.

4. Electronic Gear (p. 221) - Your computer (or Bugs, or anything else in Electronics that has a Power Rating) possesses a Power Rating equal to half your class level (rounded down) if you have a class that allows you to pick Electronics as your specialty gear. In addition, rather than the specific programs provided here, each computer uses a software and hardware package that makes it tricked out for a particular use. The packages are: Security (grants gear bonus with Security checks, reduces virus power ratings, treats power rating as one higher for purposes of being hacked), Intrusion (grants gear bonus with Hacking checks, treats power rating as one higher for purposes of hacking, has a virus program), Analysis (grants gear bonus with Analysis and Science checks), Information Systems (grants gear bonus with Knowledge checks and Computers/Research rolls).

5. Resource Gear (p. 225) - I'm going to need to come up with a much broader list of resources to make this a useful category. Suggestions are very welcome. The Bag of Guns now contains two guns per character on the agent team, one pistol and one rifle or submachine gun category each.

6. Security Gear (p. 227) - More or less armor, but the ability to stock up on or gain invitations to events, safe lodging and medical gear should not be overlooked in the field.

7. Tradecraft Gear (p. 233) - The best uses of these picks are extra cover identities (with Power Ratings, as opposed to the general covers that all agents have), dossiers on enemy agents, legal help and recording devices of various stripes. I'm also going to say that you can take bugs, bug sweepers and other surveillance-related gear from the electronics gear picks as if they were tradecraft picks, but they will be equal to 1/3 your agent level rounded down, not one half (hackers and science geeks get the best tech).

8. Vehicles Gear (p. 235) - I'm doing away with all the minutia that goes into the Vehicle Upgrades on p. 240. Instead, Wheelmen can customize their vehicles by making them either fast (+1 Acceleration Rating, +20% Top Speed), tough (+4 to Damage Save bonus) or tricked out (has a number of vehicle gadgets equal to half the Wheelman's class level). I'll have a specific list of gadgets when I have time, but for now, the basics are all the James Bond options: Weapons (GPMG, Rocket Launcher or Grenade Launcher), Heads-Up-Display (lets driver add Wisdom bonus to chase rolls), Oil Slick, Smoke Screen, Remote Control, Spike Dropper, Voice Activation. Stuff that's just cool, or useful for covert purposes, like a security code ignition, revolving license plates, chameleon paint schemes are all freebies.

9. Weapon Qualities (p. 258) - Weapons can have one of the following qualities, chosen when they are geared up: Accurized (+1 to hit), Dependable (1 extra action die to activate crit failures), Superior Accuracy (+1 to crit range), Takedown (DC = damage Fort save or be sprawled)

10. Weapon Upgrades (p. 263) - Weapons can have any one of the following upgrades: Bipod (Free Brace), Clockwork Action (Even roll on 1d6 prevents crit failure activation), Custom Grip (+1 to aimed attacks, +2 Initiative), Laser Sight (+2 to hit within 50 ft.), Night Vision Sight (negates low-light penalties), Suppressor (Silenced & Flash Suppressed), Tactical Flashlight (20 ft. light), Telescopic Sight (Negates 2 range increments)

11. Holsters (p. 263) - All guns come with a holster or a sling: Shoulder, concealed, holdout, tactical, whatever you want.

12. Weapons Gear (p. 265) - This is the big one. I'm doing away with all the specific weapons, at least until you reach the explosives/tactical levels. In game terms, it hardly matters whether you have a Walther PPK or a .38. It's just special effects. Instead, all guns are chosen using the categories listed on p. 257. If you want specifics, you can look at the charts from p. 282-300, but essentially, each weapon is defined by the category it fits in. If you have a "Basics" feat with a weapon, it's damage increases by one size die. If you do not have proficiency with the type of weapon you're using, the damage decreases by one size die. If you have a focus with the weapon you're using, you gain a +1 to weapon damage. The categories and damage are as follows:

Close Range Weapons
Blunt 1d6 subdual / Exotic Blunt 1d8 subdual
Edged 1d6 / Exotic Edged 1d8
Hurled 1d6/ Exotic Hurled 1d8
Tasers (Considered to use "unarmed" proficiency) - Requires a DC 20 Fortitude save to avoid being "stunned" (see p.342) for 1d4 rounds. Also deals 1d4 stress damage.

Firearms:
Service Pistols (1d8, 12 shot clip, 20 ft. range, +2 to concealment)
Holdout Pistols (1d4, 6 shot clip, 10 ft. range, +3 to concealment)
Service Revolvers (2d4, 6 shots, 25 ft. range, +2 to concealment)
Backup Revolvers (1d4, 6 shots, 15 ft. range, +3 to concealment)
Light Submachine Guns (1d8, 20 shot clip, 25 ft. range, capable of autofire, +1 to concealment)
Heavy Submachine Guns (1d10, 30 shot clip, 30 ft. range, capable of autofire)
Bolt-Action Rifles (2d10, 5 shots, 250 ft. range)
Semi-Automatic Rifles (19-20 Crit, 1d12, 20 shot clip, 150 ft. range)
Assault Rifles (3d4, 30 shot clip, 75 ft. range, capable of autofire)
Break-Action Shotgun (4d4, 2 shots, 25 ft. range, maximum of 3 range increments)
Pump Action Shotguns (4d4, 6 shots, 15 ft. range, maximum of 3 range increments)
Semi-Automatic Shotguns (4d4, Error 1-2, 6 shot clips, 30 ft. range, maximum of 3 range increments, capable of autofire)
General Purpose Machine Guns (1d12, Error 1-2, 100 shot belt, 200 ft. range, capable of autofire, not concealable)
Heavy Machine Guns (1d12, Error 1-3, 100 shot belt, 300 ft. range, capable of autofire, not concealable)

Chapter Five: Combat:

1. Grenades (p. 261-262, p. 284 chart) - Grenades are considerably more dangerous than the standard rules indicate. Instead of the damage listed, the following is the damage for grenades in my Spycraft campaign: Fragmentation Grenade 15+2d10 explosive (17-35 instead of 4-40), Thermite Grenade 10+2d10 fire (12-30 instead of 3-30), White Phosphorous Grenade 6+2d6 fire (8-18 instead of 3-18). All other hurled weapons remain the same. In addition, the DC to hit a square instead of a target is 15 (detailed on p. 328 and nowhere else), the rules on blast attacks are on p. 343-344 and rules on explosive damage, including the Reflex roll to avoid or lessen it, are on p. 336. A critical hit with a grenade kills everyone within its blast radius or destroys whatever target it was thrown at (within reason... you ain't blowing up battleships with one grenade). The exception to this rule is for major villains and player characters, who can either make a Reflex save to be knocked to 0 Vitality, 1 Wound Point (unconscious but stable) or can spend an action point to achieve the same result if they fail the Reflex save.

2. Explosives (p. 275) - Setting a prepackaged explosive rules are on page 275 and are unchanged. Constructing a bomb can be done with a Science/Chemistry check, but the Explosives proficiency grants a +2 to this roll, and even if you don't have Science/Chemistry, you can make an explosives package out of raw materials by making an Intelligence-check if you have the proficiency as if you had the skill (i.e. no +2 error range increase). Disarming a bomb requires a Security/Disable check (this check also gets a +2 from Explosives proficiency), but someone with Explosives proficiency can disarm by using their agent level as their Security skill if they either don't have the skill or have a higher agent level than Security skill level.

3. Stress Damage (p. 339) - Stress damage seems really ineffective, so I'm changing it. Whenever someone suffers any stress damage of any amount, they must roll the Will save listed on the chart on p.339. The DC of the Save and the effects if it is failed depends on the level of Stress they have accrued, but you do not have to exceed your Stress threshold to have the effects of Stress damage. Once you have failed a check, you are considered at that level of stress until the stress damage is fully healed. The good news is that you cannot have your level of stress increased unless your stress damage goes beyond the next threshold and you fail another save at that threshold.

4. Autofire (p. 354) - Autofire grants a +1 bonus to attack per volley fired, rather than a -1 per volley. The maximum number of shots that can be put into the target is equal to the attacker's Base Attack Bonus, or the number of volleys fired, whichever is lower.

5. Strafe (p. 360-361) - Each target opponent gains a cumulative +1 bonus to Defense, instead of the cumulative +2 to Defense listed in the text. In addition, the Defense bonus caps at 20 - (Attacker's Base Attack Bonus). This also changes the Autofire Supremacy feat (p. 180), which changes to “each target opponent gets a flat +2 bonus to Defense instead of one that increases with each shot.“

Chapter Six: Dramatic Conflicts:

1. Dramatic Conflicts - General Rules(p. 363) - In this game, we will be using Dramatic Conflicts for Chases and Hacking. Brainwashing, Infiltration, Interrogation and Manhunt conflicts will be reserved for NPCs, as these are the kinds of things that are more effective when played out rather than reduced to the abstraction of Dramatic Conflicts. In the resolution stage of conflicts, there is no degree of winning or losing, aside from Critical Successes and Critical Failures, which work as described in Step 2. The winner of the opposed skill check may choose to activate one or more of the advantages of his Strategy, the loser does not get to. This should prevent the wildly unbalanced chases we've been having, where there's almost no point in rolling the dice.

2. Chases - Distance Increments (p. 365) - The distance per lead point chart on p. 365 is not used. Instead, the distance is 10 ft. per lead point for ground and water chases and 50 ft. per lead point for air chases. For mixed air/water or air/ground, the distance is 30 ft. per lead point.

3. Chases - Maneuvers (p. 366) -There will be a new maneuver matrix that makes chases more about playing your opponent than just randomly choosing maneuvers.

4. Hacking (p. 371) - Unmonitored systems are treated as if the Prey had a Computers skill equal to its Power Rating x3. The hacker gets to add the Power Rating of his computer to his Computers/Hacking skill if he's hacking in remotely. If a hacker can get to a system terminal and bypass external security, firewalls, etc. (this requires physical intrusion), the Computers skill is equal to its Power Rating x2. This generally means that a hacker with a Caliber II computer tricked out for intrusion is evenly matched with a system equal to his level, and a hacker accessing a computer directly is evenly matched with a system one higher than his level. If the Hacker wishes to pull off a hack without someone in computer security knowing that the system has been hacked, he must take a -4 to all skill rolls during the hack or make a Computers roll at the end of a successful hack against a DC of (Opposing Computer Power Rating) x5 to erase all traces of his work in the system.