Untitled - Neon Sanctum

Core Rules
2
NEON SANCTUM
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION4
THE WORLD HAS ENDED
5
THE CORPORATIONS
6
NEON CITY
8
MUTANTS9
TECHNOLOGY11
HOW TO PLAY
14
SKILL CARDS
23
Adam Waite & Craig Pezet
Layouts by:
ITEM CARDS
27
Card Layouts by:
COMBAT RULES
31
Original Concept by:
Adam Waite & Craig Pezet
Card Design by:
Adam Waite
Adam Waite
Proofreading by:
Amy Bourke, Phill Winters, Zoe Waite, Dave Bamber, Dan Davies
Setting Fiction by:
Amy Bourke, Adam Waite, Craig Pezet & Dave Bamber
Playtesters:
David Waite, Dave Durston, Alex Thompson, Alison Walters, Christopher Graham, Dan Conyers, Tom
Kewell, Dan Davies, Dave Bamber, Barry Clark, Laura Massey, CJ Adali, Amit Boparai, Aaron Gordon,
Aaron Fagan, Alex Crawford, Andy Morrison, Callum Fackrell, Catherine Jack, Christian Trice, Daniel
Hockley, Helen Morrison, Ian Hunter, Innes Clatworthy, Jake Ellery, Jerremy Salisbury-Jones, Justin Wyatt, Laura Costin, Marie Svaleng, Neil Lyng, Sarah Williams, Tommy Edward Armitage. and many more.
Disclaimer
Neon Sanctum playtest rules version 1.0
Copyright © 2014 Adam Waite & Craig Pezet
All Rights Reserved.
Any reproduction or unauthorised use of the artwork without permission contained herein is prohibited.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living
or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
These rules are free so you have our permission to print them or share this file with friends.
SKILL CHECK SUMMARY
SKILL CHECK EXAMPLES
ITEM POWERS
19
20
28
PLAYING CARDS
35
RANGE & LINE OF SIGHT
38
ABSTRACTING RANGE
40
DAMAGE41
COMBAT EXAMPLE
43
WILLPOWER47
CHARACTER CREATION
51
DM GUIDE
65
TRAITS & FLAWS
53
MUTATIONS55
CYBERNETICS56
THE PLAYER CARD
57
STARTING ITEMS
58
FINAL DETAILS
59
CHARACTER EXAMPLE
60
NPC CARDS
68
4
Grab your deck, throw some dice and let your imagination run wild. Take on the role of a heroic character living in a deadly cyberpunk world, where futuristic corporation-run cities are surrounded by
mutant filled ruins. These rules will guide you on your adventures.
Neon Sanctum is a Roleplaying Game (RPG) with a difference. Most RPGs provide players with character sheets to store their characters’ skills, items, life etc. Neon Sanctum uses cards to represent all
these things. Neon Sanctum shares many elements that are popular in Collectable or Trading Card
Games (CCG/TCG), board games, wargames and other RPGs. At the core of Neon Sanctum is the
idea that the player’s character is represented by the skills that they possess. An engineer is defined
by their ability to fix items; a medic to heal wounds, while a soldier will have a more violent set of
skills. This use of cards means that a player can learn the basic rules and then, because the cards
hold all the relevant information, interchange the cards whenever they want a new game, character,
or world. This modular approach to games and character creation gives the players power over the
style and flavour of game they are playing.
What is an RPG?
Resolving Conflict
Roleplay games are about stepping into the
shoes of a character that you have chosen or
created. These characters are usually heroes in
their world, the stars of the show. You then get
to decide everything that that character says
and does. These characters can be anything
from a corporate assassin to waste travelling
conman. The possibilities are only as limited as
your imagination. Put a group of people together playing such characters, and the collaborative
storytelling opportunities are endless.
During the course of a game session the players
will be presented with a number of challenges
or conflicts. This could be a bomb that is ticking down to zero, a grumpy bouncer who won’t
let them into the seedy nightclub, or combat
with a deadly enemy. When conflicts arise it is
important that the DM can settle these conflicts
in a fair and consistent way. The game uses dice
to represent the element of chance in actions.
The players use the rules presented in this book
along with dice to determine what happens
when they try to resolve conflicts. As a player,
it will be useful to know these rules so that you
will know what to expect when you try to perform an action.
But roleplay games are also games, and this is
where the Deck Master (DM) comes in. They
narrate the world the other players inhabit,
embody the people the players meet and act as
referee when resolving conflicts. The DM will
provide the players with challenges that they
will need to overcome to progress the story.
Sidebars
There are boxes like this throughout this book. They are used to provide you, the reader, with
more information on a very specific topic. These landmarks help you find these
important rules information at a glance if you need to use this book as a reference.
THE WORLD HAS ENDED
The world has ended, at least once, and we are all that is left. It was once a beautiful place, home to
technologies that you wouldn’t believe. Humanity revelled in a golden age where magic
became reality. Mankind lived in huge cities filled with shining skyscrapers, green parks and
endless supplies of food. But nothing can last forever...
The planet suffered a catastrophic event that left large areas of the planet lifeless and uninhabitable. The survivors, our ancestors, waited to discover who, or what, was responsible. The answers
never came. The governments of the old world collapsed, technology began to break down and
humanities dependance on machines was almost it’s downfall.
But humans, with their limitless endurance, and ability to adapt, survived. In time they banded together and sought to conquer the new world. The lands around them had transformed into a wild
and dangerous wasteland, filled with mutants, beasts and bandits looking to prey on the weak.
They discovered the first Dead Zones, whole regions that could kill those who entered silently and
without warning. Those who did survive entering Dead Zones were warped and changed by vicious
mutations. Dead Zones prevented people from rebuilding in the cities of the old world and forced
them to create new homes to shelter from the dangers of the wastes.
Much of the advanced technology of the old world was lost, and the reliance of man on machines
meant much of the knowledge was forgotten. In time however, certain groups of humans emerged,
carrying with them crucial pieces of the old world, technologies that allowed them to transform
ruins into useable resources. Mankind began salvaging whatever it could from the ruins of the old
world, using it to rebuild society.
Two centuries have passed since the events that wiped out the ancestors. Most of humanity now
inhabits three new, smaller cities that protect them from the vast dangers of the wastes. The first is
Neon City, the oldest and largest city built on the edge of a huge waterfall.
The city of Haiden is dug into the rock of an inactive volcano converting its warm core into energy.
The city’s halls are filled to the brim with people, and only the rich or the lucky are allow to live
within its safety. Those who are rejected are left to rot in the ever-expanding shanty town outside
its gates.
The final city was discovered rather than founded. Eighty years ago a dropship accidently entered
what was thought to be a Dead Zone. What they found was astonishing; a huge floating ancient city
hidden by thick clouds. Adventurers and corporations from across the world have flocked to this
new city seeking ancient technology, fame and fortune.
Areas that were once Dead Zones are slowly being reclaimed by nature, with their size and potency
fading gradually. Plant life is always the first to return, with most of the world outside the cities
now covered with thick jungles, dense forests and sprawling plains. The wastes are as stunningly
beautiful as they are dangerous. These wastes are still a wild and dangerous place but some small
communities have been able to survive and defend themselves from the mutants and bandits.
Those are the lucky ones. Many more communities have been left decimated, ghost towns whose
only inhabitants are memories.
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
5
6
As the Dead Zones faded and society began to re-establish itself, numerous businesses were
formed to provide the goods and services that the new societies so desperately needed. These
companies braved the wastes on missions to secure the resources of the old world. They used the
small amount of ancient technologies they located to increase their power and standing in the
growing communities.
These once small companies have since grown into huge mega-corporations that consume smaller
companies without hesitation. While each mega-corporation has many different arms that specialise in unique areas, the scavenging of materials and ancient technology from old world cities is
undoubtedly still the largest industry, one that all mega-corps heavily participate in.
Major arms:
Smaller companies do exist, but entrepreneurs are expected to build their business up to a certain
level before selling to the highest bidding mega-corp. These deals tend to be highly
fractious affairs and many a cocky entrepreneur has been found assassinated after haggling too
hard, or making the wrong choice.
In a world without any formal countries, the mega-corps are the closest thing to a
government. Over 80% of people living in the cities are employed by one of the three mega-corporations.
The mega-corps provide their employees with a raft of impressive benefits, from healthcare to
police and fire services. There are no ‘public’ services - instead those who don’t have corporate
benefits must pay extortionate insurance rates or are left to fend for themselves. Once someone
has signed a mega-corp contract, they have signed for life.
Major arms:
There have been those who have
tried to leave one mega-corp for
another, but most ended up disappearing, permanently. The battle
for resources, innovative tech and
valuable staff has lead to a corporate cold war. Each of the megacorps has their own personal
armies of spies, drones, security
guards and diplomats.
Industrial espionage, personnel
security and data transportation
are dangerous markets, but the
pay is exceptional for those adventurous enough to sign up.
In reality the founders did have a piece of
ancient tech, but it was not the recycler (this
came later.) It was a communications device.
The founders were able to communicate with
an artificial intelligence on board a satellite
known as Sovereign. In their desperation the
survivors agreed to align themselves with Sovereign in exchange for its assistance.
Based in the volcanic city of Haiden, and built
upon the bones of millions of dead slaves,
Pantheon is the second oldest mega-corp. Pantheon’s founders were not good or moral men.
In the panic after the cataclysm they used their
military might to round up as many slaves as
they could. Using fear and violence they forced
them to dig into the side of the volcano Cacus,
creating great halls for their masters.
In their arrogance the slavemasters took to calling themselves “Pantheon” after ancient tales of
gods who sat upon a mountain controlling the
people below. Eventually the founders created
an official company which has used its slaves to
grow into the mega-corp we know today.
The youngest mega-corp is Cháodài. Around
eighty years ago an ancient floating city was
discovered. Shortly after new companies began
springing up offering amazing new technologies
at surprisingly low prices. This included cybernetics, which prior to this time had been very
basic and extremely expensive.
Major arms:
Secretly all of these companies were arms of
a new mega-corp power, Cháodài. To this day
most Neon Sanctum citizens have no idea that
Cháodài exists. The other corporations however,
are very interested in how Cháodài was formed
and who or what might secretly be behind it.
INTRODUCTION
THE CORPORATIONS
The oldest corporation, Sovereign, was
created by the founders of Neon City. The
official story is that the founders discovered a
recycler, which is a piece of ancient technology
that allowed them to break anything down to
its raw materials. This gave them an incredible
advantage over their competitors. They also
created the world’s currency based on recycler
access, called “scrap”.
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8
After the cataclysm a set of survivors had taken to the safety of the river Hydra in makeshift rafts,
boats and dinghies in an attempt to escape from the threat of beasts and bandits. This worked for
a time, until they came to a fork in the river. Each forks led to one of a pair of huge waterfalls. Each
of the falls were over a kilometre wide with a drop of hundreds of meters. An even larger island sat
in the middle of the river in between the two forks. The survivors decided to explore the island for
a safe way down. Over the course of a few weeks the survivors set up a base camp and fruitlessly
searched for an easy way to continue their journey. With nowhere to go, and realising the defence
the river offered, the survivors decided to settle on the island. On the first night they decided to
settle the survivors looked around their camp, lit up with emergency lighting stolen from the old
world, and dubbed their new home “Neon City”.
Fast forward two centuries and that basic settlement has grown into a city that covers the island,
the river and both banks for miles in either direction. The city has even expanded both below the
ground, and onto the river, which is now home to thousands of floating residents and businesses.
The island itself houses glistening skyscrapers sculpted from glass and steel. This is then surrounded by the river, which is covered, bank to bank in rafts, haulers and other boats. These semipermanent floating structures form pathways between the two banks.
The starside bank is Neon City’s entertainment and shopping hub. This part of the city lives up
to its neon moniker. The entire area is covered in various forms of pulsating lights and advertisements. Further starside live the rich and famous. The eastern most part of the city is covered in
huge mansions and deluxe apartment blocks.
On the opposite bank and the opposite end of the spectrum is Portbank. Home to millions of
citizens Portbank is the largest district in the city. It is home to most of the city’s factories, warehouses, ports and other industrial buildings. The area has suffered due to the high concentration
of industrial buildings and the pollution that accompanies them. The area is congested, dirty and
covered in a thick smog.
In order to meet the rapidly expanding industrial demands of the city the
mega-corps have built dozens of huge
housing blocks that house thousands
of people in the smallest possible
footprint. The buildings in Portbank
are placed as close together as possible
with only small alleys running between
them.
There are no roads in Neon City, only
alleyways. Instead of cars, people use
its subway system, motorbikes and
hired dropships. These flying shuttles are commonly used by the rich to
travel above the dangerous and dirty
alleys of the city.
While the majority of inhabitants of the Neon Sanctum world are humans, the dead zones that
make the wastes between cities so dangerous have also caused various mutations to enter the
gene pool. At first mutants were treated as simple beasts, however Minerva Science (a scientific
arm of the Pantheon group) discovered that actually, mutants have the same intelligence as normal
humans. They also discovered that mutants could mate with human partners, and the offspring
would bear the same mutation, albeit at a slightly decreased intensity.
Minerva Science has classified five different types of mutation, each with three levels of intensity.
Troll mutation
A common mutation is the production of tough keratin growths across the skin, giving the appearance of stone or horn. The tough growths on the skin has the effect of hampering movement as
limbs are heavier and harder to bend.
Those suffering from this mutation are referred to as trolls due to their
large, stone-like appearance and slow hampered movement. In some
cases the mutation can also result in increased size and higher levels of
aggression.
Cyclops mutation
This mutation earned its name from the effect it had
on the subjects’ eyes and size. Those with the mutation tower a couple of feet taller than normal humans.
The mutation also causes deterioration in the eyes,
combined with a growth of flesh over the subjects’
eye sockets causing a slow but steady decay in their
vision.
When the deterioration of the subjects’ vision begins they tend to experience sudden and progressive
short-sightedness, and as vision fails on one side of
the face (predominantly the left side) the subject loses
their depth perception.
The horrifying disfigurement of this mutation does come
with the advantage of a larger than average frame and
enhanced muscle structure. Many with this mutation pack
a mean punch.
INTRODUCTION
MUTANTS
NEON CITY
9
10Gorgon mutation
The survivor’s bodies adapt to becomce one with the toxin and excrete it through the pores on
their skin. Those suffering from this mutation have sickly yellow skin tinged with areas of green,
jaundiced eyes and constantly sweat out a thick poisonous sticky substance.
The Gorgon mutation also causes their natural healing mechanisms to slow and become resistant
to most medicines.
Prometheus mutation
The visible symptoms of the Prometheus mutation are a complete lack of hair and what appears to
be red raw skin. This mutation allows flesh to replenish and regenerate itself at an incredible rate.
This allows Promethean mutants to heal wounds incredibly quickly but their flesh is always tender
and new, making them susceptible to injury.
In other creatures the mutation is easily identifiable, with the loss of fur and plumage being a
reliable indicator. In the case of birds and other feathered flying creatures the Prometheus mutation is devastating as the loss of plumage hampers or prohibits their ability to fly. Creatures with
this condition can become the target of predators that find the mutant’s tender flesh appealing.
Pegasus mutation
The Pegasus mutation causes growth vestigial wings. In the
majority of cases the wings do not support actual flight as
they are part-formed and weak. Throgh athletic training some
Pegasus mutants have managed to gain some momentary lift
allowing them to glide over short distances.
The downside to this mutation is the cumbersome nature of the
new limbs, and the constant pain caused by their growth. This
makes it harder for those with this mutation to conceal
themselves especially during combat.
In the wild, creatures that suffer from this mutation adapt
to make use of it as quickly as possible. The advantage the condition gives predators is immense, making them valuable providers for
their social groups. For prey, the mutation makes them easier to spot,
causing the mutation to thrive in those creatures that rely on speed to
escape their pursuers.
TECHNOLOGY
The Net
Each of the three major cities have their own networking solution. These networks are incredibly
sophisticated, however without the ability to reliably secure radio antennae they do not extend
very far past the city boundaries. Satellite technology does exist, but the cost involved means that
it is limited to the very important and the very rich. Outside the cities, communication tends to fall
back on basic radio technologies.
Inside the cities the net is everywhere, and everything from the subway to entertainment services
are run via the city network. This has led to a huge rise in cyber warfare, with skilled hackers using their abilities to take control of systems, or delve into the records of corporations. This data
cold war is very real, with every corporation hiring thousands of counter-hacking employees in an
attempt to keep their data secure. For those who can get in and out having avoided detection, the
rewards are astronomical. For those who fail, the penalties are deadly.
Visually, the net is very basic, and while hacking in Virtual Reality (VR) is possible most find it
inefficient. Those who are able to handle the bombardment of information that VR brings however,
are often some of the most proficient hackers in the business. In the real world, talented hackers
are like wizards, able to manipulate the world around at will, shutting down systems such as lights,
drones and alarms.
Cybernetics
Roughly eighty years ago an ancient floating city was discovered and with it came
a great leap forward in technology. One
of the most significant advances was the
ability to merge man and machine. Within
the ancient city’s vaults were documents
on how to use technology to make mankind
better; faster, stronger and smarter. Basic
cybernetics had existed before this point
but they were simplistic and prohibitively
expensive. Suddenly, new companies such
as tech giant Songtek sprung up, and within
a decade they were offering cybernetic
implants at affordable prices.
Skip forward to today and there are cybernetic centres in every city, ranging from the
expensive designer clinics with their sleek
implants to the back alley chop shop with
their rusty second hand goods. Any part of
the human body from feet to the brain can
be upgraded if you have the scrap.
INTRODUCTION
Many who first start to show the symptoms of Gorgon mutation quickly succumb to its deadly nature. This is due to the build-up of toxins that flood their system and destroy the internal organs.
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Robotics
This has lead to a large amount of discontent with huge amounts of human workers being forced out of a job and onto the streets because of
the advances in technology. In recent years the situation has gotten so
bad that various human groups have performed terror attacks against
drone control centres and riots of over 100,000 people have taken place.
While the use of robots seem to be causing huge problems, the mega-corps
do not seem set to stop any time soon. In fact the mega-corp Sovereign has
been pressing robotics more and more. Robots are becoming so cheap that it’s estimated that in
the next fifty years every family in Neon City will have some form of robot in their household.
Darker yet are the rumours that Printech are spending millions of scrap a year researching the
concept of uploading the human mind.
Transport
Land
Because the buildings are so close together in Neon City, the only vehicles that can get between
them are motorbikes, hoverbikes and bicycles. Often however people tend to walk for short journeys, and for anything longer than a few kilometres they take the subway. The subway is a huge
network of railways built into the rock under the city. The subway goes across the whole city,
including under the river.
For deliveries between businesses, the City has a second subway, built even deeper than the public
subway. If a building wishes to accept deliveries they either have to build their own station, or purchase space at various hub warehouses at a public station. Elevators from this industrial train line
then take the goods directly to street level, where the business owner can transport them to their
business via a cart or trailer.
The fall of Karl Xin
Karl sat on the floor in his darkened bedsit, chugging bootleg
whiskey. His hands were shaking, his fingers straining to
clutch the neck of the bottle through their trembling. The
room stank of sweat and fear. Drops of whiskey dribbled
through Karl’s three-day stubble as he rocked back and
forth, and moaned. “What have I done? What the hell
have I done?”
Stumbling forward he wrapped a finger
around the musty brown curtain and
pulled it aside by a quarter of an inch.
He couldn’t see much from the eightieth
floor – some sky, some electric gulls - but
he could hear the sirens and the choppers.
They were looking for him alright. But did
they know it was him they were looking for?
Writing the code had been a job. A job with a hefty pay
packet that could have seen him out of this place. Sharing a
bedsit in the sky meant for one, with nine other no-hopers.
With no prospects and nowhere to go.
Of course, he’d known what the code was meant for. He was
told the parameters, and he had delighted in crafting a list
of ones and noughts which could evade security, dodge the
loopholes, confound the system and cause a little chaos.
There was a certain amount of egotism to it. They’d asked
for a code which interfered with Songtek cybernetics. He’d
delivered a code which would cause Songtek cybernetics to
fail. Permanently.
Sea
He should have foreseen how much trouble it was going to
cause. He should have foreseen that, panicked, his employer
would flee without paying the funds. Leaving Karl trapped with
nowhere to go and no-one to turn to.
Air
When the marching of thirty heavy-booted, armed Cháodài soldiers came up the stairs, it was almost a relief. Karl opened
the window, leaned out and breathed in the smog. He had
nowhere to go… but down.
The river is a huge part of Neon City. Thousands of people live, work and play on the river, and the
huge dams that control the flow of the falls. There are dozens of different boat types that allow
travel across or around the river, including everything from dinghies to speedy jet skis.
Since the invention of hoverbikes and antigrav dropships, travelling by air has become a popular,
if expensive, form of getting around Neon City. At any time, day or night, a citizen can call an automated dropship cab to pick them up from their roof and deliver them near their destination. Hoverbikes are very expensive to purchase but probably the quickest form of transport available.
INTRODUCTION
Robots are extremely common in Neon City, and most of the mega-corps
utilise them for a large variety of purposes. Robotics can be used for
anything from automated transport vehicles to personal defence
drones. Robots are regularly used to perform menial tasks, more
efficiently and for less money than a human ever could. Because
of this, a lot of low end jobs such as cleaning, security and transport have been entirely taken over by robots leaving those humans trained
in those areas out of a job.
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Not all of the players’ problems can be solved
within story scenes. If a scene requires the players to engage in combat then the game switches
to the combat rules. These rules are specified in
the Combat Rules chapter on page 31.
The rules in Neon Sanctum are built in layers, with the rules becoming more complex the
deeper you explore. The foundation of the game is the core mechanic, and all the other rules in the
game are built upon this simple rule. If you only learn one rule, make sure this is it. Whenever you
are unsure of how to deal with a situation, just use the core mechanic as a fallback.
Combat scenes can also be used during life and
death challenges or events. For example if the
players are defusing a bomb or running from an
impending explosion, then the DM may decide
that the slower pace of a combat scene would
be more suitable.
Core Mechanic
The core mechanic uses two ten sided dice
(2D10). The player rolls these dice and adds
the results together to create their Player Score
(PS). The DM will have set a score which
is applicable for the difficulty of the task. If the
PlayerScore equals or beats the difficulty, the
player’s character succeeds in the action they
were attempting to perform. To reiterate:
•Player Score (PS) = the sum of 2D10
•Difficulty = score set by the DM
•If the Player Score is equal to or more than
Difficulty Score then the player succeeds.
If the Player Score is less than the difficulty
score then the player’s character will fail at that
action.
The difficulty for an average difficulty action is
11. The DM can increase or decrease the difficulty if they feel that the task should be easy,
or if circumstances around the action make it
more or less difficult. For example, stitching a
wound might be easy for a skilled doctor. But
doing it in a moving vehicle will be a bit trickier.
Core rules
As well as the core mechanic the following rules
apply across the entire game:
• Always round down: If any action requires
a number to be rounded, it should be rounded
down.
• Skills overrule: If a card states a rule, stat or
effect then the player should use that instead of
anything presented in this book.
• DM veto: The DM can overrule any rule in this
book, but should inform their players of such
changes.
Scenes
When playing games in Neon Sanctum the
events, challenges and conflicts that the DM will
present are split into “scenes.” There are two
types of scene; story and combat. Each of these
scenes have a different focus and use different
sets of rules.
Whenever players start a new scene any cards
that are in a player’s cooldown deck are
automatically returned to the players’ hands.
These basic scene types are explained below:
Story Scenes
Story scenes are the core of Neon Sanctum, and
the majority of scenes within an adventure will
be a story scene. Any scene that does not involve combat or requires precision over time, is
likely to be a story scene. Story scenes use the
basic skill check rules set out in this chapter.
When using these rules some of the player’s
cards may be placed into the cooldown deck for
the rest of the scene. At the beginning of a new
scene (whether story or combat) these cards
are returned to the player’s hand. When healed
cards in a player’s damage deck do not return to
the player’s hand but go to the cooldown deck.
A story scene should be entirely based around
a single conflict, challenge or event. This means
that as soon as the players have solved the conflict, defeated the challenge or have experienced
the event, the scene is over and a new scene
should begin.
During combat scenes a player’s cards come to
life. It is here where the special abilities and
powers that are listed on the player’s skill cards
can be activated. At the end of a combat scene
the players may be injured and in possession of
some broken items. Rather than letting players
continue using the combat rules to try to heal
wounds and fix items, the DM should move the
game into a story scene.
Skill Cards
In Neon Sanctum players’ characters are represented by a hand of cards. These cards are
called skill cards and they perform several different functions.
Outside of combat the cards also represent the
character’s proficiency in both an ability area
and a specific skill.
It is here, on the edge
of these falls, we take
our stand. This island
is the last, best hope
for survival as a
species. Not through
arms, but through our
ability to work as one,
for a brighter future.
- Neon City Founder
HOW TO PLAY
HOW TO PLAY
Combat Scenes
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Combat
Shooting, Melee, Brawl
Engineering
Mechanical, Electrical,
Hacking
Medical
First aid, Pharmacy, Holistic
Physical
Athletics, Acrobatics,
Endurance
Science
Biology, Chemistry, Physics
Social
Empathy, Performance,
Tactics
Survival
Awaremess, Nature,
Subterfuge
An ability is a broad area of expertise such as
science, combat or survival. There are seven
ability areas in Neon Sanctum; combat, science, physical, engineering, survival, social and
medical. The more cards a character has of one
ability, the more likely they are going to be able
to succeed in related challenges.
As well as representing an ability, skill cards
also represent a more defined area of an ability. For example chemistry, physics and biology
are all skills within the science ability. When
making checks, if the character has a card in the
right ability and skill, then they are more likely
to succeed than a character with a card relevant
to the ability but not the skill.
Skill cards come in many different levels, which
represent the characters’ expertise in a skill. For
example a character with a level 2 skill card is
more skilled than a character with a level 1 skill
card (or no skill cards at all).
During combat each card represents an exceptional action or attack that the player’s
character can perform. It could be anything
from hacking a drone to repairing a broken
weapon.
Finally, a player’s skill cards represent their
health. When taking damage characters lose
skill cards and are unable to use them (in or
out of combat) until they are healed. If a player
loses all of their skill cards due to damage, they
begin to die.
Performing actions
When performing actions a player will use skill
cards to boost their chances of success. Using a
skill card to try and perform an action is called
a skill check. When initiating a skill check the
player tells the DM exactly what they want to
do. The DM will then inform the player what
skill (and therefore ability) the action requires
and a difficulty score.
Using Skill Cards in skill checks
If the player has at least one card of the relevant
skill type then they can play this card to add the
card’s level as a bonus to their dice roll. Once
Difficulty Scores
When a player makes a skill check they are
rolling against a difficulty which is determined by the DM. Below are some example
difficulty scores and the level of challenge
they represent.
Score
Difficulty
7
9
11
13
15
Effortless
Easy
Average
Challenging
Difficult
the check has been completed (regardless of
success or failure) the card is placed into the
player’s cooldown deck and cannot be used
again that scene. This is known as a skill check.
If the player does not have any cards in the
relevant skill but does have cards in that ability
they may still play a card from that ability and
roll the dice without any penalty. As with skill
checks, the card played is placed into the player’s cooldown deck. This is known as an ability
check.
Even if the player has no cards or chooses not
to use any, they can still attempt to perform an
action. However, they suffer a -2 penalty to their
dice roll. This is known as an unskilled check.
Actions requiring items
As well as using skill cards in their skill check,
sometimes an item will be required to perform
the required action. For example it is hard to
hack into a network without a computer. The
DM can decide that an item card (see page 27)
is required for the player to perform an action,
that action cannot be performed unless the
player has an applicable item card.
In many instances there may be many different
item cards that could be applicable. For exam-
ple if the DM decides the player needs a blade
to cut the bonds on a hostage, any bladed item
(a knife, a sword etc) could be used. The DM
should also be prepared to allow players to use
their imagination and come up with alternative
ways to use an item.
For example a player could suggest that their
first aid kit item may have some scissors that
whilst they are not suitable for combat, could
be used to free the hostage.
Making the roll
Once a player has declared what cards they
want to use it is time to roll dice. The player
should roll two 10-sided dice (2D10) and add
the results together. They then add any bonuses
or penalties that are applicable to create their
player score. If this Player Score is equal to or
greater than the difficulty then the player is
successful.
Repeating skill checks
Once a skill check has been performed the same
skill check cannot be performed unless
the player can play another skill or ability card.
If the player made an unsuccessful, unskilled
check then the player cannot attempt to solve
the same challenge using the same action again
that scene. Players can try to achieve the same
results by performing a different action. This
rule does not apply during combat due to its
frantic nature.
HOW TO PLAY
Skill List
17
18
If the player equals or beats the difficulty score
they have successfully completed the action.
Scales of success
Sometimes the player doesn’t want to just know
that they succeeded at something but how well
they performed the action. The difficulty scores
discussed above represent the minimum
possible level of success. The more the player’s
score beats the difficulty, the more successful
they have been.
For example, if the player is performing a
speech to motivate a crowd of troops, they
would make a social-performance roll. For
each point over the difficulty the more motivated and inspired the troops become.
Failure
If the player gets a score which is less than the
difficulty, then they fail in their attempts to
complete the action.
SKILL CHECK SUMMARY
Scales of failure
Unskilled
Check
The counter to scales of success are scales of
failure. This means that the more the player’s
score is below the difficulty, the worse the
player’s character has performed that action.
This helps both the player and GM narrate how
badly the characters have messed up.
For example: The player is trying to jump
between two buildings. They will make a
physical-athletics roll. For each point below
the difficulty, the worse the jump. One point
below might allow the character a chance to
grab the ledge, but a roll of five points below
will definitely see the character fall to the
ground.
Ability
Check
Skill
Check
Play 1 skill Card of
the relevant ability
type
Play 1 skill Card of
the relevant skill
area
Play any required item cards
Roll 2d10 - Add them together
Add the skill card
level to the roll
minus 2 from the roll
Healing outside of combat
Scale of success can also have important gameplay effects. If a player needs to heal a
wounded character they should make an average difficulty medical skill check. If they score
an 11 (the difficulty) then the wounded player receives a single point of healing. The point
can be used to retrieve a single card from their damage deck and place it into their cooldown
deck.
This single point represents the bare minimum level of success when treating wounds outside of combat. For each point over 11 the wounded player should receive an additional
point of healing, allowing them to retrieve more cards.
Fault rolls
Any time a player uses an item card there is a chance that the item will develop a fault. Every item
card has a fault value displayed in the broken star icon located in the the top right corner of the
card. When making any check in which the item is played, if the result of either (or both) of the
2D10 that are rolled is a 10 (before any modifiers), then that dice must be rerolled. The result of
this re-roll is then compared to the fault value. If the result is lower than the fault value, then the
item has developed a fault and cannot be used again until fixed.
If the character succeeded in the action they were attempting when the fault roll occurred, then the
action is deemed to have succeeded, regardless of the result of the fault roll. This means a player
can succeed in overcoming a challenge and break an item in the same action.
Compare total to difficulty
Equal/Beat
the
difficulty
Success!
Less than
the
difficulty
Failure
Place played skill card into cooldown deck
HOW TO PLAY
Success
19
21
20
Skill Checks
Jake’s character Smithy is trying to defuse a bomb and only has a few seconds left. The DM
informs him that he needs to make an Engineering-Mechanical check and reach a difficulty of 12.
Fortunately Smithy has a level 1 card, Juryrig, which is a mechanical skill, so he plays that in front
of him. The DM informs him that for this task he will need to use tools. Smithy has the Tool Kit item
card, which he also plays.
He then rolls 2D10 and gets a combined score of 11 (9 and a 2). He
then adds the level of the skill card
for a total of 12, which equals the
DM’s Difficulty. Smithy breathes a
heavy sigh of relief as he cuts the
right wire and the clock hits 00:01.
Ability Checks
Sarah’s character Jones is trying to fix a broken elevator before it starts crashing to the ground. The
DM informs her that she needs to make a Mechanical Engineering check. Jones doesn’t have any
cards in the mechanical skill type, but she does have one in the Hacking skill, “Dominate 1.0”.
Hacking skills are under the same ability as mechanical engineering, so she plays that in front of
her to avoid receiving a penalty to the roll.
She rolls 2D10 and gets a combined
score of 8 (3 and a 5). She does not add
any bonuses to the roll. Her final player
score of 8 is 4 less than the DM’s difficulty of 13, meaning that she has failed.
Jones is unable to fix the elevator and
has to dive for the door before it falls!
Unskilled Checks
Amit’s character Damson is trying to hack an attack drone before it activates and attacks him. The
DM informs him that he needs to make a Mechanical-Hacking check. Unfortunately Damson has no
cards in the engineering ability at all. This means Amit will be at a disadvantage when making the
check.
Amit rolls 2D10 and gets a combined score of
8. He then has to subtract 2 from this roll. This
makes a total of 6 which is 6 under the DM’s difficulty of 11. Damson has failed very badly. All that
is left is to describe what happens as the attack
drone powers up and attacks Damson.
HOW TO PLAY
SKILL CHECK EXAMPLES
22
The gang boss
She scooped the brown package from her desk,
locking it in the fancy antique mechanical safe.
No need for this bunch to get any ideas about the
cargo she was shifting, that wasn’t their department. She had a problem though. Thanks to Rotten Barry’s raid on her A crew, she had no money
right now to pay these guys for the job they just
pulled. They’d be pissed.
Level
SKILL CARDS
SKILL CARDS
Nits liked being a gang boss.
It paid well, men were lining up for her attention
and she was never bored... if only she could stop the
young’ers from bringing back headlice from every
dive and sidejob they went on. She can see another
bunch now, traipsing up the corridor on the security
cam, probably infested with the buggers.
23
Skill Tree
Type
Range
Details
Name
She opened the desk drawer to her Hasta Sawn-off
Shotgun, checking the ammo clip was full and the
chambers loaded with shells.
Nits scratched her head. She reckoned she could
talk it out, especially since the A-crew spot was up
for grabs, she had a risky big score available for
the enthusiastic, or the usual array of odd jobs
and delivery escorts. By the time they’d be back,
she’d be in the money again, and looking for
some payback on Rotten Barry.
And if they weren’t co-operative, well... a few
close shaves said she could handle that as well.
She stowed the Hasta on the special clip under
the desk for easy access, and hit the buzzer to
open the door.
Nits scratched her head, wondering if she
could get anymore of that lice shampoo.
Buyback
Locked Box
Unlock Box
Skill Tree
The skill tree is a text path that shows the different abilities and skill types a card belongs to. The
tree contains the ability and skill type of the card. The tree works like a set of nested folders, so
there can be many skill types within an ability. A skill type can contain many cards.
Ability
Skill
24
A card’s level is a numerical representation of
how powerful it is, how talented the character
is in that ability and how many action points
it costs to play in combat. Skill cards range
between levels 1 and 5, with 5 being the most
powerful.
Details
This area of the card stores the main details
needed to use the card in combat. The player
should read the card from top to bottom following the different fields. As they move down, the
card will guide the player through the process
of using the card.
Attack
Defence
Utility
Range
Range is used in combat to show the maximum
distance away in squares on the battle map that
the target of a card can be positioned. Range
comes in 6 types; Standard, Touch, Mental, Item,
AoE and Blitz. Range types are covered in more
detail on page 38.
Standard
Item
Touch
AOE
Mental
Blitz
Buyback
The buyback area shows how many action
points a player must pay to return the card
from the cooldown deck back into their hand.
The difficulty field states the difficulty the
player needs to roll to activate the card. If the
field states “automatic” then the player does not
need to roll to see if they succeed.
The card may also include this icon.
If the player sees this icon they
should refer to the defence value of
the target (found on NPC and player cards) and
adjust that value as described.
Referring to
item cards
Some skill cards require the player to
refer to an item card:
Range
For example if the enemy has a defence of 12
and the skill card lists the difficulty as
-1, the difficulty the player needs to reach
is 11.
Type
Skill cards come in three types, attack, defence
and utility. These skill types are used during
combat. Attack cards can be used in the attack
phase and defence in the defence phase.
Utility cards can be be used in either the attack
or defence phase.
Difficulty
Effect
Requires
This field lists any items that are required to
use the item card. The field will contain an item
tree that must match that of the item used.
Item trees are covered in the item card chapter.
Between entries will be the word “AND” or “OR”.
This denotes whether the card requires all the
Items listed, or just some portion of them. If the
player does not have all of the items required
equipped, then it cannot be played.
Target
The target field states who the card can be used
on. This could be any number of allies, enemies,
the player or specific items. The player can
choose to affect less targets than listed, but they
cannot target more. The player can only target
characters that are within the range of the card.
Scared, of me? Why?
My power is derived
directly from control
over your assets, If i
don’t have you, I have
no power.
- SOVEREIGN
This field lists what occurs if the player
successfully activates the card. This can be damage (see combat chapter) and/or a specified
effect.
OR
Effect
If this icon appears then the player
should find the item’s effect as
shown in the sidebar to the right.
Some cards have two possible effects. In this
case the player must always choose between
either this effect or the one in the effect field.
This second effect works in the same way as the
effect field above.
Special
Rules stated in the special field occur regardless
of whether the player has successfully activated
the card or not.
Sustain box
Some cards include the
effect “card is locked.”
When this happens the
player should turn the
card sideways. The player
should then apply the
effect listed in the sustain
box upon the targets of the card.
While the card remains locked the effects listed
in this box remain in place, and it is not placed
into the players cooldown deck. However, the
player must also pay the card’s sustain cost
(shown in the icon in the top right) at the start
of each turn, or it unlocks and moves into the
cooldown deck.
Unlock box
Once locked, a card can
be unlocked in several
ways. These include; the
effect of another skill
card, failing to pay the
card’s sustain cost or if
all characters affected by
the card pays the cards unlock cost (listed in
the icon in the top right). Occasionally the text
in the unlock box will state additional ways in
which the card can be unlocked.
SKILL CARDS
Level
25
26
A bomb went off in the Portland district this
afternoon, and why is it news? Bombs go off
every week in Neon City, but this one supposedly
claimed a celebrity scalp. Julienne Jace, the city’s
most popular virtual reality model was reported
to have been visiting friends in a nearby mega
block. One of the richest stars visiting friends
in a lowly Portland apartment blocks staggers
belief.
A bomb went off at 592 Mycroft street at
4:32pm, and how do I know? I was there. I
know the truth about happened to Julienne
Jace, who planted the bomb, and why. I know
her sordid drug-filled story of sex, CEO’s and the
scandal that led to the death of five dozen innocent lives (...ha, in this town!)
But you knew all that. No-one gets to the third
paragraph of an article these days, not unless they
know there is a pay off. Well not yet my pretty followers, not until this blog reaches 5,000,000 hits. In the
neon age clicks mean cash, and with a story this good, I
deserve to get paid.
- Hashtag
Superstar blogger
Equipment plays a critical role in any hero’s life. A sniper is nothing without his high calibre rifle
and a hacker is useless without a top of the range rig. Some items are represented by an item card;
every item card has the following information displayed:
Name
Range
Item
Tree
Fault
Item
Powers
Item Tree
The item tree is a text path that shows the skill type and item type of the card. The tree works like
a set of nested folders; there are many item types within a skill.
Item
Type
Skill
Skill
Every item has a skill that it is directly linked
to. This helps the player and DM identify what
items may help with certain skill checks. These
skills match up directly with the skill cards. The
colour of the bar along the top also shows the
ability that this skill type belongs to.
Item Type
The item type is the broad genre of item that
the card falls within, so in this example a gun is
the type of shooting item.
ITEM CARDS
ITEM CARDS
A bomb went off...
A bomb went off in Neon City today. It struck down 64 citizens with another dozen rushed to their nearest corporate
clinic for treatment. Before the dust had settled, 17 different terrorist organisations had claimed responsibility. Seven Mutant rights groups, four Corporation reform organisations, three religious cults, two anti-mutant factions and
a child trafficking ring, making their claims through
blogs, VR’s or even micro-blogging site Flutter. They
say even bad news is good PR... well, it seems in this
city, terrible news makes terrific news.
27
28
Range is the maximum distance away in squares
that the target of the card can be positioned on the
battle map. Range can also be shown in four other
ways: Touch, AoE, Blitz and Mental. The different
range types are covered on page 38.
Standard
Fault
Difficulty
Whenever an item card is used, there is a chance
that it may break in some way. When the player
uses an item in any way, they must re-roll any dice
that rolls a 10. The results of these re-rolls are then
compared to the item’s fault value. If the result of
the dice is lower but not equal to than the fault
value, then the item is faulty and cannot be used
until it has been repaired.
AOE
Touch
Blitz
Mental
ITEM POWERS
Every item card has at least one power that players can activate during combat in place of a skill card.
These powers work in much the same way as skill cards, and they are listed on item cards as below:
Level Target Difficulty
Level
The power level represents both how powerful it is
and how many action points it costs to use when
used in place of a skill card during combat. Item
cards can have multiple powers all with different
power levels.
Type
Item powers come in the same types as skill cards.
These are attack, defence and utility. When used in
place of a skill card the type icon shows what phase
the power can be used in.
Additionally some items will have the
mini type, which is denoted by this
symbol. This type of action does not
Effect
Type
use a phase to perform and can be performed at
any time, even if it is not the player’s turn.
Details
Each item power has a variety of details that allow
the player to use it in place of, or alongside a skill
card. These details are similar to those on skill
cards and are used in the same way.
Targets
The target states who the power can be used on.
This could be allies, enemies, the player or other
items. The player can choose to target less enemies
or allies than is listed but not more.
This field tells the player what the difficulty score
of attempting to use the item power is in the same
manner as the difficulty field on the skill cards (see
page 25).
Effect
If the player passes the relevant check, this field
tells the player how much damage the item inflicts
on the targets of the power, or states what happens
if the power is used successfully.
In some circumstances this effect may be modified
when used with a skill card. For example, some
healing skill cards will double the healing caused
by a first aid kit item.
Special Rules
Some items have special rules that are applied
when the power is used. These are stated in the
special rules field.
ITEM CARDS
Range
29
30
“Waaaaahooooo,” screamed Johnson. He hung out of the side of the
dropship as it glided just a few metres from the vine covered
windows of an ancient, towering skyscraper. “Sit down and
shut up you rookie asshole,” said Tyrrell, the stern leader of the
expedition. “You will alert the wildlife.”
“Wildlife? Won’t they notice the half a dozen dropships flying
overhead? Besides I think I can handle a few dumb muties,”
said Johnson patting his rifle as he took his seat. I don’t
even think the idiot noticed the expression on Holtz’s
face; the troll had been part of this mercenary company since before Johnson graduated from high school.
As Holtz stood up and approached Johnson’s seat, it
hit, a rock the size of a hovercycle, smashing into the
side of the dropship.
I woke to the sound of gunfire and the smell of
burning flesh. Tyrrell was barking out orders:
“Johnson get up, cover the wounded...Johnson!
Get the hell up, Johnson there’s one right be...”
Tyrrell stopped, it was obviously too late. And
then it was on me. I had barely enough time to force it’s
fangs away as it snapped at my face. Twenty thousand
scrap that gun cost, a top of the line Mars Arms sniper
rifle just gone as it’s huge teeth crunched through it like
bamboo. It’s fist came down upon my legs like a sledgehammer crushing them. One strike and I needed hours
of surgery and thousands in cybernetics just to let me
walk again. I’m not ashamed to say I blacked out, who
wouldn’t?
I came to just in time to catch a fleeting glance of the beast
as Holtz dragged me towards the rescue dropship. I saw
what can only be described as a giant silver ape pounding Johnson’s body into the ground, it’s hand covered with
blood. As we lifted off, I heard it scream out a roar, one that
I’m destined hear every night for the rest of my life. I’ll never
volunteer for a scavenging trip again, nor will anyone I care
about. We were under one hundred miles from Neon City when
they attacked, do you even understand how close that is?
COMBAT RULES
So far we have explored the out-of-combat rules of the game. This chapter sets out the rules of the
game that are used in life and death situations such as combat. Due to the fast-paced nature of such
instances, these are the most complicated rules in the game.
Combat
The real world is fast and hectic; unfortunately
the speed of combat does not translate well
onto a tabletop game. If everyone had to shout
over each other to declare their actions to the
DM it would get pretty loud, and wouldn’t be
much fun. In order to get around this problem
we use a turn-based system that means that
each player and Non Player Character (NPC) get
a turn. A round is the period of time in which
every player takes a single turn.
Initiative River
Before a player can take their turn, it needs to
be decided in which order the players and
NPCs should act. In order to do this all the players must hand the DM their player cards.
The DM will take them and add them to the
cards of any NPCs involved in the combat.
These will then be shuffled and laid out in a
river face down. The cards are then turned
over to reveal the order of play with the leftmost card showing the player or NPC who acts
first. Some traits and powers allow players to
modify the order of the river or even perform
an action before anyone else. Regardless of how
a player is moved up or down the river, they
may never take more than one turn per round.
Ambush Rounds
Sometimes the players will ambush or be
ambushed by enemies in combat. To represent
this, the DM should allow the ambushing side
an entire round in which their opponents will
not act. However, the ambush round should
end as soon as one of the ambushing characters makes an attack action. In this instance the
combat will continue on in initiative order, but
all characters can act.
Initiative example
First
Second
Third
COMBAT RULES
The expedition
31
32
1 Sustain Phase
• The player’s AP pool returns to maximum
• The player must pay the sustain cost in AP for any locked cards or it becomes unlocked
1 Attack Phase
In any order
• Play an attack skill card
• Play a utility skill card
• Use an attack item power from an equipped item card
• Use the basic attack power on the player card
1 Defence Phase
• Play a defence skill card
• Play a utility skill card
Unlimited Mini Phases
• Talk (for roughly 5 seconds)
• Use a mini item power from an equipped item card
• Perform minor actions such as dropping prone, pressing buttons,
opening doors, etc.
1 Movement Phase
• Run squares equal to your speed
• Sprint, for 1AP add 1 to your speed (can be done multiple times)
• Crawl move squares equal to half your speed (round down)
• Jump squares equal to half your speed vertically or diagonally
• Get up from being prone
• Climb squares equal to half your speed vertically
1 Cooldown Phase
• Purchase any cards back from the cooldown deck by paying in AP the number noted in the bottom left of the skill card.
• Place any skill cards that were played or unlocked this turn into the cooldown deck
When the initiative river reaches a player, they can begin their turn. At the beginning of their turn
they are refreshed back to the maximum number of action points (AP) listed on their player cards
(see the character creation chapter, page 51).
Sustain phase
Before they can perform any action the player
must deal with their sustain phase. In this
phase the player must pay the number of action
points of any locked cards they wish to keep
in effect. The player can choose not to pay the
sustain cost of any of their locked cards, doing
so unlocks the card which disables its effect. At
the end of the player’s turn, unlocked cards are
placed into the cooldown deck.
Movement phase
The movement phase differs to the other combat phases as it does not involve the use of
cards. Combat in Neon Sanctum is played on a
battle map made up of 1 inch squares. In the
game world each square represents a 5 foot
square. To activate the movement phase players
must pay a single action point. Once this point
has been paid the player’s speed is changed into
speed points which are used to move in various
ways. Once out of speed points the player
cannot run any further. Players cannot split
their movement to move twice in a turn or pay
AP to have additional movement phases. For example a player may not move, attack, and then
move again.
Run
Running is the standard move action during
combat. Running allows the player to move as
many squares as his movement speed. This can
be in any direction including diagonally. Entering a square counts as using up one point of the
player’s speed that turn.
Sprinting
Sometimes a player needs to get somewhere in
a hurry and running doesn’t quite cover it. A
player can spend action points as a mini action
(see page 37) before their movement phase in
order to increase their speed until the end of
the turn. The players speed increases by the
total number of action points spent.
COMBAT RULES
Turn Order
Combat turn
33
34Prone
The effects of being prone are:
• +2 to defence from ranged attacks
• -2 to defences vs attacks from adjacent enemies
• You may only crawl
Getting up
If a player is prone it will cost 1AP and take
their entire movement phase to get back onto
their feet. If a player is prone and in tough
terrain they must spend 2 AP and their entire
movement phase to stand up.
Alternatively, an ally can spend 2 action points
to help an ally to their feet as a mini action. If
the ally is in tough terrain the action point cost
for an ally is 4 points.
Tough Terrain
Falling
There are many things that constitute tough
terrain; it could be unstable rocks, muddy
banks, sheets of ice or piles of junk. Anything
that the DM denotes as tough terrain costs
double to enter the square. If the player does
not have enough speed remaining they cannot
enter the square.
Any time that a player falls from a height higher
than a single square, they take damage
and fall prone. For each square over the first,
the player takes 1 damage.
Involuntary movement
There are some skills and items that when used,
cause the target to be moved involuntarily. The
player activating the item power or skill card
decides how the player is moved.
Crawl
If a player is prone then they can move half
their current speed. However, when crawling
players ignore tough terrain, the effects do not
stack. Players can spend AP via sprinting to
increase their speed that turn and crawl further.
Players can use the sprint mechanic to increase
their crawl distance.
Jumping
Instead of running players can use their speed
points to can make a jump action. Players pay
2 points of speed to jump a single square. All
jump movement is counted as being one square
above the ground and where applicable ignores
terrain, where it is less than one square high.
Players can also jump vertically or diagonally
upwards, which costs 2 points of speed for each
square of movement.
A push move must move the target in a straight
line away from the player.
Climbing
Sometimes a player needs to scale a sheer slope
or cliff. Players can make one square of
vertical movement for every 2 points of speed
they spend. If the player does not have enough
speed remaining they cannot enter the square.
If a player ends a turn midway up a climb then
they are at threat of falling. If the player takes
any damage whilst in this situation they fall.
A pull is where the target must be moved in a
straight line towards the player.
Involuntary moves can be used to force a target
to fall or move into an allys danger zone.
Danger Zone
The 8 squares directly adjacent to a player or
NPC is known as their danger zone. Entering an
enemy’s danger zone allows them to take their
next turns attack phase immediately. This is
known as an early attack (see page 37).
PLAYING CARDS
Using skill cards
To use an skill card a player must have it in
their hand, have enough action points remaining to activate it and have an action of the relevant phase available (attack or defence). They
must also have any Item Cards that are listed in
the required field on the card equipped.
Once the player has confirmed that they can
play the card, they place it in front of them and
pay the level of the card in action points. At
this point the player also needs to select any
equipped item cards that they are using.
Once the cards are played the next step is to
check that the card’s target is in range (see page
38). If the player is not within range of the tar-
get then the player may play a different card.
Next the player must activate the card’s
effects. Unless the difficulty field states
“automatic” the player rolls 2D10 and adds any
modifiers provided by locked cards or items.
Once the player has rolled the dice they are
unable to cancel and choose a different action.
The player’s result is compared to the
difficulty listed on the card, and if it was equal
or greater than this difficulty, then the effects
listed in the effect field are activated. If the card
has an OR field, then the player must choose
between this effect or the one in the effect field.
If the card has a special field, this effect comes
into play regardless of whether the player sucessfully activated the card or not.
COMBAT RULES
A player may want to lay on the ground, for
example to avoid gunfire or to reach under
something. Going prone counts as a mini action
with a one action point cost, and does not
count as part of the movement phase. A player
can go prone at any point during their turn so
long as they can pay the AP cost. Being prone
has some effects on the player’s movement and
defences.
35
36Locked Cards
Equipped Items
During combat players may have up to
three item cards equipped at any time.
They may also hold an additional three in
their hand, but players cannot use the item
powers of cards in their hand, nor can they
used them alongside skill cards.
Players can swap an equipped card with
one in their hand as a mini action, for a
single point of AP.
Using the basic attack
becomes unlocked for any reason the card is
moved to the cooldown deck at the very end of
their turn (after the cooldown phase).
Using item powers
Using an item power is very similar to using a
skill card. The player must pay the AP cost of
the power and have a phase of the correct type
available. The item range and the power target,
difficulty and effect fields are then used in the
same way as a skill card.
When using an item card it is not placed into
cooldown at the end of the turn. However, the
player does risk having to make a fault roll.
Every player in Neon Sanctum has a basic attack that they can always use. The power listed
on the player card lists the level, range, target,
difficulty and effect of this ability. These fields
are used in the same ways as a skill card. The
player card is not placed into cooldown at the
end of the turn.
Early attacks / Danger zone
Every character in Neon Sanctum has a “danger zone” around them; the 8 squares directly
adjacent to the character. If an enemy enters a
player’s danger zone the character can make an
early attack. An early attack is, as an interrupt
action, made using the normal rules for making
attacks, but the target must be the enemy that
entered their danger zone.
The interrupting player gets to attack before
their enemy can perform any actions. Making
an early attack consumes the players attack
action from their next turn. If a player makes an
early attack they may only make a single defence or utility action in their next turn. Players
may choose to not make an early attack.
Once the attack is completed the enemy can
continue with its turn, however if an attack has
forced them to be involuntarily moved, they will
not be able to continue moving that turn.
Danger Zone
Multiple targets
If a skill card indicates several targets then the
player should make a single attack roll
adding the normal bonuses. The result is
compared to the difficulty score based on each
target’s defence score individually.
If a card with multiple targets has a difficulty
that is not a modifier of the target’s defence, the
player should make a single skill check. The
result determines whether the effect of the card
applies to all targets or none.
Item and skill card conflicts
Sometimes when using an item power alongside a skill card, the information
provided on one card can conflict with the other. In such instances the skill card will always
be correct. In some instances this may mean that the player may choose to not use the skill
card, as it doesn’t provide the end result the player desires.
For example: a skill card may specify that an attack does stun damage whilst the
weapon would normally do 3 standard damage. The skill card always overrides the
information on the item card; so the attack does 3 stun damage.
Mini Phases
There are some actions that are so minor that
they don’t fall under the normal phases of attack, defence or utility. These actions are known
as mini actions. Some mini actions are completely free, they do not cost any action points
to perform. Others have a small action point
cost. This means the player can make as many
mini actions as they can afford and at any point
during their turn.
Mini Action
AP Costs
Action
Talk
Drop an Item
Drop prone
Equip 1 item
Sprint (+ 1 speed)
Press button / use lever
etc
Oepn/Close door
Pick up item in same
square
Pick up item in adjacent
square
Flip furniture to create
cover
Awaken an unconscious
ally
Help prone ally to their
feet
Stabilise a dying ally
AP Cost
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
5
If the player wants to make a small action that
would not be worthy of an attack or defence
action then the DM can allow them to perform
it as a mini action. The DM should decide how
many action points the action should cost.
Below is a list of common mini actions and their
AP costs.
Interrupt powers
Some item powers are designed to be used to
interrupt an enemy’s attacks or actions. These
item powers will be level 0 and require a mini
phase. This means that at any time the player
can activate this item power and its effects will
come into play.
For example the item power above can be activated at any time by the player. The example
power does not require a skill check to activate.
This means that as an interrupt action, the
COMBAT RULES
If the effect field states that the card is locked
then the player should turn the card as shown
in the diagram below. The effect stated in the
card’s green sustain box takes place immediately. This effect will then continue to work for as
long as the card remains locked. The first turn
that a card becomes locked the player does not
need to pay the sustain cost of the card because
the player has already paid to play the card.
If the player fails to activate the card or it
37
38
The effects of a single Item are not cumulative,
so the player cannot use the card twice to gain
+2 to their defences against the same attack.
They can however, use multiple Items against a
single attack, or the same Item against multiple
attacks in the same round. However, each time
they use an item power, they are at risk of
breaking the item via fault rolls.
Cooldown phase
In order to keep combat flowing, it is advisable that the next player or NPC in the initiative
river order starts their turn during the previous
player’s cooldown phase. This helps to speed
up combat, and keeps the game moving along
as other players don’t need to wait for each
other and the actions in the cooldown phase
don’t effect other characters. At the end of the
cooldown phase the player finishes their turn
by placing any skill cards played or unlocked
during this turn into the cooldown deck.
During the cooldown phase the player can
spend any remaining action to return skill cards
from their cooldown deck back into their hand.
To do this the player must pay the number of
action points equal to the number stated in the
cooldown icon located in the bottom left corner of a skill card. Skill Cards used by a player
that turn enter the cooldown deck at the end of
the players turn they cannot be removed from
cooldown on the same turn.
Whenever the player performs an action it will
have a range; this is the maximum distance at
which the skill can be used. There are six range
types; Standard, Touch, Item, Mental, Area of
effect (AoE) and Blitz. The symbols for these
range types are identified in the various card
chapters.
Line of sight (LOS)
Being in range of an enemy is useless if the
player cannot actually see their target. As well
as checking that an action can reach the target
we need to check that there is a line of sight. To
do this the player must draw an imaginary line
from the centre of their square to the centre of
each target’s closest square. If this line is not
blocked by any obstructions then the character
has line of sight and can make the action. Obstructions are treated as cover which is detailed
later in this section. Allies do not block line of
Touch
Touch range attacks can only reach a target that
is adjacent to the character. Touch range attacks
can never benefit from any effects that increase
their range.
Measuring Range
Before a player can roll the dice to make their
action, they must first check their range. In
order to check the range the player uses the
squares on the battle map between the character and the targets.
Standard
RANGE & LINE OF SIGHT
Range
provides the attacker with a -3 penalty. Some
skills or powers will adjust the level of cover up
or down. For example, if a skill boosts a player’s
cover level up by one then when they are in partial cover they act as if they were in full cover. It
also means that the player counts as in partial
cover even when in the open.
sight and are considered to be able to manoeuvre out of the way.
Cover
Sometimes when determining line of sight it
will pass through small objects that don’t
completely prohibit line of sight but would
grant the target some manner of cover. When
this occurs the attacker takes a penalty to their
skill check. This simulates the possibility of
hitting the object rather than the target.
There are two levels of cover; partial and full.
Partial Cover: If the cover is deemed to obscure
between 25 and 60 percent of the target’s body
it is partial cover. Partial cover provides the attacker with a -1 penalty to the skill check.
Full Cover: Anything that covers more than 60%
of the target’s body, is considered full cover and
For standard and item ranges, the player
should count the number of squares between
the player’s square and the targets. The player
should start counting from the first adjacent
square to the player and end with the closest
square in which the target is located. As long
as the number of squares is equal to or lesser
than the actions range then the target is within
range. The player must then also check that the
player had line of sight to this target.
For the purposes of defence, any attack that is
made from more than a single square away is
against the target’s ranged defence.
Area of effect (AOE)
Area of effect based ranges do not hit a single
target chosen from within the player’s range.
Instead they will hit all targets within a set
range. When measuring AoE range the player
should count the number of squares away from
the player (or origin point in blitz actions) in
every direction. Walls and other full cover,
blocks area of effect ranges (they do not otherwise use line of sight).
COMBAT RULES
player can add 1 to their defences against an
attack.
39
40Blitz
DAMAGE
Mental
Mental ranged actions use the standard range
measurement rules but ignore the line of sight
rules below.
Damage in Neon Sanctum comes in three different forms; standard, critical and stun damage.
Standard
ABSTRACTING RANGE
Some DM’s cannot, or do not want to use a battle map for every combat. In this circumstance
players can use abstraction rules. This means
that the players and DM must use their imaginations to keep track of where they are on the
battlefield. Each square is then translated into
5 feet of range. So an action with a range of 6
squares becomes a range of 30 foot.
In many circumstances the players may want
to ignore range entirely with the DM deciding
whether a player is close enough to their target
when using skill cards in combat. In this
circumstance the range on the cards can act as a
guide, helping the DM determine if a player can
use the card or not.
Using this translation, the game can be played
entirely without a battle map & miniatures.
When a player takes damage, cards will be
moved from the player’s hand or cooldown
deck. The type of damage determines who
chooses how much damage is taken and where
these cards are moved to (see page 41).
Most damage in Neon Sanctum is standard
damage. When a player character takes
standard damage they must move cards equal
to the amount of damage onto their damage
deck. The level of a card does not have any affect - a level 2 card is worth the same as a level
1 card. The player chooses which cards they
place into the damage deck, and from where.
The player can choose cards from their hand,
cooldown deck or locked cards.
Against NPCs, standard damage will reduce
the NPCs health permanently. If an NPC has no
health remaining then they lose AP instead. If
an NPC’s AP is reduced to zero they die.
Critical
Battle map vs
abstraction
When planning a combat a DM should
decide whether they want to use a battle
map or not. Both battle map and abstraction rules have their pros and cons:
Abstraction: These rules are a lot quicker to run and do not require as much time
to prepare. They also do not need miniatures or nearly as much space to run.
Battle map: These rules are more complex meaning that battles will normally
take a bit longer. The battles are more
tactical giving the players more information to work with.
Critical damage is the most potent type of
damage. When a player takes critical damage
their opponent gets to choose which cards
are lost. The enemy can choose to either take
a random card from the players hand or any
specific card that the player has locked or is in
their cooldown deck and then move them to the
damage deck. If an enemy deals more than one
point of critical damage they are free to split the
damage between these various methods.
For example, an enemy dealing 2 points could
take one card from the player’s hand or a
known one from the cooldown deck.
Against NPCs, critical damage will reduce the
NPC’s AP permanently. If an NPC’s AP is reduced to zero then they have died regardless of
any health they have remaining.
Stun
Stun damage is the least deadly form of
damage in Neon Sanctum. Stun damage only
causes death through prolonged attacks. When
a player takes stun damage they place cards
into their cooldown deck rather than their
damage deck. The player can choose which
cards they move in the same way as standard
damage. Players may unlock cards and move
these. If a player has no cards left to move into
the cooldown deck then any further stun damage becomes standard damage instead.
If an NPC takes stun damage then their AP
is temporarily reduced by that amount during their next turn. If at any point a NPC’s AP
is temporarily reduced to zero then the NPC
is knocked unconscious. Any damage that
takes the NPC into negative AP temporarily is
changed into standard damage. At the end of
the NPCs next turn any temporary AP reduction
ends, and the NPC returns to their maximum
permanent AP.
Soak Damage
Some skill cards or item powers can grant the
player the ability to soak damage . This is presented as the word “soak” and then a
number e.g. soak 1, soak 2 etc. When a player
with soak is attacked they take less damage
than normal. For each point of soak the player
may choose to disregard up to that amount of
damage per attack. Unless the player receives
more damage than their current soak score
they take no damage.
Resistance and Vulnerability
Characters can also become resistant or vulnerable to damage. If a player is resistant to a damage then whenever they take damage it moves
down the damage ladder one step (see below).
If the character is vulnerable then the damage
type moves up the damage ladder one step.
Resistance and vulnerability are not cumulative,
COMBAT RULES
Blitz attacks are made from two components,
X/Y. The X is a standard range measurement
which allows the player to set an origin point.
The Y uses the AoE rules to see which targets
are in range of this origin point.
41
42
For example when a character who is
vulnerable to damage takes regular damage,
instead they take the same amount of critical
damage. If the player was resistant to damage in the same example they would take the
same amount of stun damage instead.
Damage Ladder
Unconscious
There are several ways in which a player’s
character can become unconscious. Firstly
if at the very end of a player’s turn (after the
cooldown phase) all of their cards are in either
the cooldown or damage decks, they slip into
unconsciousness.
Players can also be knocked unconscious due to
the effects of skill cards, item powers or
NPC attacks.
When a character becomes unconscious they
fall prone and miss any following turns until
they are awoken.
Players can be awoken by an adjacent ally
spending 2AP as a mini action, or through the
effects of skill cards and item powers.
Death
If a player takes enough damage that all of their
skill cards are placed into the damage deck they
start to die. Dying players fall unconscious and
therefore cannot take any actions.
When a player starts dying during combat their
card remains in the initiative river. At the start
of their next turn they should flip the card over
(so the back is showing).
If the player starts their turn with their player
card already flipped over, the character dies and
their card is removed from the initiative river.
Healing
As well as inflicting wounds, there are many
skills cards and item powers that heal wounds
too. When a player performs healing they
provide the target with a number of healing
points. For each point of healing that a player
receives, they are able to move a single skill card
from their damage deck into their cooldown
deck. The player still needs to pay AP to move
them from the cooldown deck back into the
player’s hand during their cooldown phase.
If a player receives more points of healing than
they can use, then the remaining healing points
are discarded.
To prevent death the character’s allies need to
stabilise them. A player can stabilise an ally as
a mini action, but doing so costs them 5 action
points. There are also skill cards and item
powers that can stabilise the character.
When a character is stabilised they flip their
player card face up. Until they are healed back
to a single card they will continue to flip the
player card facedown at the start of each turn.
A player can stabilise themselves at any time by
expending one point of willpower (page 47).
A player that is dying at the end of a combat
scene is considered to be automatically stabilised as long as a single ally survives the combat.
COMBAT EXAMPLE
Our heroes Jason and Danny have been cornered by an armed gunman looking to rob
them. The gunman started the fight by shooting
and killing their friend Steve. In the resulting
exchange of fire, both Danny and the gunman
are wounded.
Jason is in a great position to take down the
gunman, as he has an open shot. He is also
aware that his ally Danny has been shot and
could use some patching up.
During a player’s turn they can perform
movement, defence and attack phases. The
player can also use a utility card in place of the
attack or defence phases. These phases can be
taken in any order.
For example Jason can use a utility phase
and then an attack phase, or even two utility phases, but he could not take two attack
phases.
Initiative river
COMBAT RULES
so a player or NPC can only ever move up or
down the ladder by one step.
43
45
44
Playing a skill card costs action points to play, the big coloured number icon in the top left of a skill
card is both the cards level and its cost to play in action points. Jason has six action points each
turn so he can easily afford to play aimed shot, which is a level 1 card so costs 1 AP.
Once they have played the card, they need to activate it to make it work. In the centre of the card
is a selection of different fields. If they work down these fields the card will guide them through
activating the card:
Because Olivia rolled a 10 she must check to see
if Jason’s gun has developed a Fault. She takes
the D10 that rolled a 10 and then re-rolls it.
She then must compare this second result with
the field on the item in the broken star symbol,
in this case it is a four. She rolls a 2 which is
smaller than the number on the Pugio 17, which
means it develops a fault.
Jason still has several phases and lots of action
points left to spend, so Olivia decides that he
will now try to heal Danny.
A standard move action costs 1 action point
and can be taken once per turn. Olivia spends
1 Action Point, a mini sprint action to increase
Jason’s speed (in this case 5.) Olivia then spends
an additional point to move Jason six squares to
position himself behind Danny.
Jason does not have any medical-first aid cards,
but he does have a First Aid kit item card, and
Olivia chooses to use this item card to heal
Danny.
The first aid kit has a Level 0 power and a Level
1 power. In this case Olivia will use the Level 0
power to heal Danny because Jason does not
have any level 1 skill cards, meaning he cannot
use that item power.
Requires: The card needs a working Item-gun,
Olivia places the pugio 17 card in front of herself.
Target: The target needs to be one enemy in
range, the range of the card is the third icon
down on the left. This is the item icon, which
means Olivia needs to refer to the range on the
item being used to find the range. The gunman
is easily within the gun’s range of eight.
Difficulty: This field states that the difficulty
that Olivia needs to roll to activate the card. In
this instance the difficulty is the target’s
defence minus two. Olivia refers to the gunman’s defence and subtracts two to find the
difficulty.
Olivia must now roll 2D10 to see if she can
equal or beat the difficulty. The gunman has a
defence of 12 so Olivia needs to get 10 or over.
Fortunately Olivia is lucky and rolls a 10 and a 1
making 11.
Because she rolled a 1 she instantly receives a
point of willpower. She now has three points of
willpower.
She then checks the effect of her card. It states
that she should do
damage. So she refers to
the effect field on the Pugio 17 card. As Aimed
Shot is level one, she checks the level one item
power and finds the effect to be 3 damage. So
the gunman suffers 3 points of damage reducing his health to 2. Olivia could uses her three
points of willpower to increase the damage, but
this would still not be enough to defeat the gunman, so she decides to save it.
COMBAT RULES
Olivia, the player controlling Jason, plays the Aimed Shot card in front of her.
Just like with skill cards, the level of an item
power also indicates the number of Action
Points required to perform the action. In this
instance the item power’s level is zero which
means it costs zero AP and the action is free.
The symbol at the other end of the power
indicates that this power is a Utility Action so
Jason can use it during his remaining
defence phase.
Target - The first field in the item power indicates the target, in this case 1 ally or self. So the
target is Jason’s ally Danny.
Difficulty - This is the
score that Olivia must roll
in order to activate the
item power’s effect.
Effect - The final field on
this item details the effect that occurs upon its
successful use. In this
case the effect is that
Danny is healed 1 Damage, just enough to treat
his wounds. Olivia rolls
the 2D10 and gets a 9 and
a 6 making a score of 15.
The difficulty was 12 so
Jason successfully uses the
first aid kit to heal Danny’s
wounds.
46
Smithy hid in the darkness of the store room as the sound of the pounding
feet retreated. He resisted the urge to chuckle, hiding in the cupboard,
what a bloody cliché.
He checked his pistol, 6 bullets left. He sighed, closing his eyes &
pinched the bridge of his nose. He had to be the unluckiest soul the
world had ever seen. It was supposed to be a simple job.
Disable the alarms, sneak in, retrieve the package and
get out. How was he supposed to know that his idiot employer had hired another gang to do the same job? He
was halfway through the facility when the sound of a
small explosion filled the air, and it was not long before
the alarms were blaring.
He should have just turned around then and there,
pulled out and played it safe. But he needed this job,
his finances were low and he had a reputation to maintain. He should have known lady luck would continue to
kick him while he was down, so he was barely surprised
when he ran around the corner and almost collided with a
group of guards heading the opposite way.
How he hadn’t been shot he didn’t know, he had led them a
merry chase through the facility, taking pot shots and heading towards the source of the explosion.
He had managed to lose them by ducking into this store room.
The security personnel were now the gangs problem. He
grinned, perhaps his luck was changing after all.
“Security protocol D5 activated,” came the impartial electronic
voice over the facility’s loud speakers. Smithy swore to himself.
That meant robot drones would soon be sweeping the facility,
eliminating any intruders they could find.
Pushing the door closed, he turned around just in time to see the
darkness begin to be illuminated by rows of red glowing eyes
slowly blinking into life.
“Oh come on!” he exclaimed as the drones activated around him.
WILLPOWER
There is a big difference between being a part
of a story and being the protagonist of that
story. In Neon Sanctum players use points of
willpower to give them the edge over normal
characters.
Players can spend these points to help them
overcome challenges, activate traits and push
the story in the direction they want.
rewards are only one point and should never be
more than three points. A player with too many
points may be able to dominate the game and
could lead to other players feeling left out or the
game lacking challenge.
Willpower is normally represented by physical
tokens (such as glass beads or poker chips) that
can be handed between the players and the DM.
Earning Willpower Spending Willpower
A player always starts each game session with
an amount of willpower equal to their unspent
Skill Points plus one (see page 51).
During gameplay if a player rolls a natural 1 on
any dice when performing a skill check then
they gain a point of Willpower per natural 1
they have rolled.
Willpower can also be given out by the DM as a
reward for performing outstanding actions. Below are suggestions for when a DM could give
out willpower points:
• Roleplaying - Character interaction or roleplay the DM thinks is worth rewarding.
• Cool Ideas - An idea the DM thinks is outside
the box, exceptional or amusing.
• Stunts - Describing the awesome action their
character is performing in such high detail that
the DM believes it is worth rewarding.
• Achievements - When the player achieves a
long term goal such as finishing a storyline the
DM may want to reward the players.
• Flaws - Receiving the willpower payout from
the DM triggering one of your flaws.
As well as these methods the DM can award
willpower for anything they like. For example, a
well written character background, or helping
push the story forward in some way.
A DM can reward a player with as many willpower points as they feel is deserved for each
action. However, it is suggested that most
Once a player has willpower points, the next
step is to spend them. Using willpower can have
different effects depending on whether the
player is using them in or outside of combat. If
the player wishes to use a point of willpower, all
they need to do is let the DM know.
The player can spend willpower at any time,
meaning for example that the player can
spend a point when being attacked to raise his
defences, or after a missed attack to reroll the
dice.
WILLPOWER
Just my luck
47
48Using willpower in combat
Bonus - A point of willpower may be used to
add one to any of the following:
• Player’s defence vs an attack.
• Player’s speed for a turn.
• Player’s action points for a turn.
• Any dice roll that has been made.
• Damage inflicted by an attack by the player
• Healing performed by the player.
Traits - Some traits require the player to spend
a specified amount of willpower points
to activate them.
Stabilise - A player may use point of willpower
to stabilise their character for a turn.
Using willpower out of combat
Below is a list of how you can use Player Points
out-of-combat:
• Bonus - A point of willpower may be used to
add +1 to a the Player Score for a skill check
that a player has just made.
• Common sense - A point of willpower may be
spent to ask the DM a question that would help
you further the story.
Sharing Willpower
As willpower represents a character’s internal
strength, players are not allowed to share
or gift willpower points. Some skill cards and
traits, such as the born leader trait, however,
make this possible.
WILLPOWER
Below is a list of how you can use willpower
during a combat:
• Traits - Some traits require the player to
spend a specified cost in willpower to activate
them.
• Narrative control - The player may pay a
point of willpower to attempt to narrate something small that happens to the players
character. If the DM decides that what has been
described is not appropriate then they can
adjust either the description that has been
given, or increase the amount of willpower that
is needed for the described events to take place.
In the event that the DM wants to veto the event
that the player described, then they should
explain why and return any offered willpower
points back to the player.
• Retcon- The player may pay a point of willpower to retroactively change something
small, such as forgetting an item.
49
51
50
I know it’s been a long time since I left, and Aunt Kay must
have been worried sick, but i just wanted you to know that I’m
OK! I’m better than OK, I live in the bright lights of Neon
City and you wouldn’t believe the things I have seen.
A waterfall five times the size of sleepy old Drill Town,
buildings that reach up into the sky and the people...!
Let me tell you about the people, I met Tommy only a
few hours after I entered the city. Everything seemed
so different then, the city was dark and wet and
no one cared that I existed at all. That was when
Tommy found me, crying into a cocktail in some dive
bar. He took me in and introduced me to all of his
friends. Tommy and his friends are so close, they
are like a family! They even dress like one another. Tommy
opened up his home to me, and opened my eyes to the world.
He showed me the sights and the sounds of this fantastic city.
Last night he took me to the floating lights, a floating marketplace where ships drift along offering you their wares. Tommy
bought me the most beautiful red dress. It’s a bit more revealing than the clothes we wore in Drill town, but everyone said I
looked great. With my new dress on Tommy said he was going
to take me somewhere special.
We arrived at some abandoned dock with nothing around, I
was really confused and then a boat rose up out of the water,
actually from under the water. We climbed aboard and inside
was a secret nightclub. Tommy spent ages talking to this horribly ugly old guy who kept staring at me, but the lovely barman kept serving me these delicious cocktails. Once Tommy
was back he told me that he had arranged to take me to an
EVEN MORE secret club. And that’s tonight! I’m so excited.
I spent the last of the money I borrowed from you to hire a
data courier to deliver this mail to you. But Tommy says that
I don’t have to worry about money when I’m with him. I’m so
lucky. I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive my sins,
and that you are happy that I have found love (yes, I think I
love him!) in this big city.
Love, Sarah
CHARACTER CREATION
Before playing Neon Sanctum, each player must
create a character. The player gets to decide
everything about the character they will be
playing. This chapter covers both the basics
of creating a character, as well as some tips on
how to make an effective character.
Skill Points
When creating or upgrading a character, all the
elements that make up a character are purchased with skill points. Each character has a
starting pool of skill points with which to buy
skills, traits, mutations and cybernetic implants.
The more experienced or powerful a character
is, the larger their starting pool of skill points
will be.
Below is a set of skill point pool sizes for starting characters with different levels of experience. It also shows a set of restrictions on what
Skill Card levels a player of certain experience
can take. However, the table is only a guide.
The DM can choose to start the players with any
restrictions or skill pool size they wish.
Experience Skill Points
Rookie
20
Adult
30
Pro
40
Veteran
60
Hero
80
Legend
100
AP
6
6
7
8
9
10
Levels
1-2
1-2
1-3
1-4
1-4
1-5
Content of a
character
During the character creation process,
players can spend or earn skill points by
choosing from the following elements of a
character. It’s important to consider all of
these elements when making a character so
that the player doesn’t overlook any area.
Skill Cards (page 23)
Traits & Flaws (page 53)
Mutations (page 55)
Cybernetics (page 56)
Skill Cards
Purchasing Skill Cards
Once they have determined how many skill
points they may spend on their character and
what level skill cards they can buy, the player
needs to know how much each skill card will
cost. The table below shows the cost of skill
cards at different levels.
Skill Card Level
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Skill Point Cost
2 points
3 points
5 points
8 Points
12 Points
Note that although higher level cards are more
powerful they still only count once when a
character receives damage. When constructing
a character the player should decide between a
highly focused character with less health, or a
broadly skilled but tougher hero.
CHARACTER CREATION
Dear Uncle...
52
For example a player cannot take a 4th level
skill of the “First Aid” type without first having cards of levels 1, 2 and 3 of the same type.
When making a character a player should also
be aware of the card types they are choosing. It
is possible for a character to take only cards of,
for example, the attack type. This would seriously limit the character’s ability to function
efficiently during combat. The player should
also consider that the cards they choose have
an effect on the character’s abilities, both in and
out of combat. A character with only physical
and combat cards may be very effective during
combat, but they are far less likely to be useful
(and therefore have fun) outside of combat.
Some skill cards will require a character to
have access to certain pieces of equipment to
activate them. When taking these skill cards the
player may want to discuss with the DM what
kind of item cards will be made available to the
player. It may be sensible to take a mixture of
cards. Finally the player should be aware that
they can also spend points on traits, and gain
them through taking flaws. Traits and flaws are
covered later in this chapter (see page 53).
Character Tips
When making a character keep in mind the
following tips:
• You have two phases a turn, make sure
you don’t focus too much on any one card
type.
• Try to look for ways in which you can
combo cards, especially during a single
turn.
• Don’t forget to check the traits and flaws,
these really add interest to a character.
• Think about cooldown. A card will always
spend at least one turn in cooldown, so
plan this when building a character deck.
Advancement
Skill cards
At the end of a session of Neon Sanctum
the DM should assign the players a skill
point. If the game has been especially long
then the DM should assign a second point.
Additionally, when a character completes
a story arc, then they are rewarded with
an additional point.
These skill points are used in exactly the
same way as the skill points the player has
used to create their initial character.
Items
Another way to provide the player with a
feeling of progression is to provide them
with more powerful items. The DM can
identify the power of an item by the level
of the item’s powers.
Assets
As the players complete various quests
and story arcs they are normally
rewarded with assets such as money, vehicles housing etc. This may not be the case
in all games and is completely up to the
DM to reward the players with whatever
makes sense in their world.
Traits and flaws
Normally, traits can only be purchased
at character creation, however in some
situations the DM may choose to allow a
player to purchase a trait with experience
in between sessions if they feel it is appropriate.
Flaws may also be assigned to a player
during sessions by the DM due to events
that may have occurred in the game.
When this occurs the player still receives
the increase to their Skill Point Pool as if
they had purchased the flaw at character
creation.
TRAITS & FLAWS
Traits
Characters are not just made up of skills, they
also have habits and characteristics that set
them apart from one another. Beneficial characteristics are known as traits.
The traits listed here are shown with a Skill
Point Cost that is required to be paid when the
trait is purchased during character creation.
Traits come in two different types; activated
and passive. Passive traits provide bonuses or
effects that always apply. Activated traits have
effects that are only activated when the player
pays a certain amount of willpower points.
Lightning reflexes
Type: Activated
Willpower Cost: 1
Skill Point Cost: 1
When triggered the player can move themselves
up or down the initiative river 1 place.
Memory of a machine
Type: Activated
Willpower Cost: 1
Skill Point Cost: 1
When triggered the player can remember up to
a single A4 page worth of data and recall it at
any time with 100% accuracy.
Troll skinned
Type: Activated
Willpower Cost: 1
Skill Point Cost: 2
When triggered the player becomes
resistant to the next attack.
Natural Talent
Type: Passive
Willpower Cost: N/a
Skill Point Cost: 1
Choose an ability. Unskilled checks made on
that ability only suffer a -1 penalty.
Lucky
Type: Activated
Willpower Payout: 1
Skill Point Benefit: 1
Re-roll a skill check and keep the best result.
Intimidating
Type: Activated
Willpower Cost: 2
Skill Point Cost: 2
One enemy may not directly attack the player
this turn if there are other viable targets.
Pack mule
Type: Passive
Willpower Cost: N/a
Skill Point Cost: 1
Players may carry four item cards in their hand
rather than the normal three.
Born Leader
Type: Passive
Willpower Cost: N/a
Skill Point Cost: 1
The player may gift their own willpower points
to other players.
Observant
Type: Passive
Willpower Cost: N/A
Skill Point Cost: 1
The player gains +2 to all awareness skill
checks made outside of combat.
CHARACTER CREATION
Players cannot take a skill card above the first
level, if they do not have a skill card within the
same skill in the level below.
53
54
Some of the most interesting characters aren’t
those with traits, but flaws. Setting guides may
also introduce additional flaws the player may
select.
The flaws listed here have skill point benefits.
This is the amount of skill points the player
receives for taking the flaw. These skill points
can then be spent in the usual ways, i.e. on skill
cards, traits etc.
Flaws come in both passive and activated types.
Activated flaws differ from activated traits in
that they are not triggered by the player. Instead the DM may trigger a character’s flaw at
any time. When a character’s flaw is triggered,
the character receives an amount of willpower
equal to the willpower payout listed on the flaw.
Unfit
Type: Activated
Willpower Payout: 1
Skill Point Benefit: 1
DM may reduce a player’s speed by 1 until the
end of the encounter.
Clumsy
Type: Activated
Willpower Payout: 1
Skill Point Benefit: 1
Player must drop an item of the DM’s choice.
Aggressive
Type: Activated
Willpower Payout: 2
Skill Point Benefit: 2
DM may force the player to attack an NPC of the
DM’s choosing.
Unlucky
Type: Activated
Willpower Payout: 1
Skill Point Benefit: 1
Re-roll the last check and keep the worst result.
MUTATIONS
Level
Soft
Penalty
Benefit
Type: Activated
Willpower payout: 2
Skill Point Benefit: 1
Player becomes vulnerable to the next attack.
Weakling
Type: Activated
Willpower payout: 2
Skill Point Benefit: 1
Players attacks do half their normal damage
(rounded down) for this round.
By default characters in Neon Sanctum are considered to be human, however, players can also
choose to play mutant characters. In order to
become a mutant the player should look at the
mutant card and choose a mutation level. The
player must pay that many skill points to make
their character a mutant of that level.
Hesitant
Type: Activated
Willpower payout: 1
Skill Point Benefit: 1
DM may move player down the initiative river 1
space (see page 31 for details on initiative).
Oblivious
Type: Passive
Willpower payout: N/A
Skill Point Benefit: 1
The player subtracts 2 from all awareness skill
checks made outside of combat.
Criminal Record
Type: Activated
Willpower Payout: 2
Skill Point Benefit: 1
When triggered an NPC recognises the player
and either reports them to the local authorities
or tries to arrest them.
Create your own
The traits and flaws listed here are just examples. If you want to give your character a trait
or flaw that isn’t listed here then raise it with your DM. Working together you should be
able to agree on the mechanical effects, but be flexible. If after a few sessions it isn’t
working as planned, revisit it.
After the cataclysm huge areas of the world
became uninhabitable by any animal life.
These dead zones have slowly faded over time,
becoming both smaller and less potent. In the
last century or so, entering a dead zone has
not been a guaranteed death sentence. Instead
many have survived, albeit with horrible mutations. These mutations are hereditary, with the
children of mutants having a chance of possessing the same mutation as one of their parents.
Mutants are classified into three levels of power, each one more mutated than the last.
Level 1 - Level 1 mutants are the most minor
mutations. These mutations are often small
enough to be hidden under clothing or via make
up. The effects of the mutation are minimal.
Level 2 - Level 2 mutants often have mutations
that are too large to be easily hidden. The mutation provides fairly significant effects.
Level 3 - Level 3 mutants find it almost impossible to hide their affliction. The potency of the
mutation however, provides serious effects.
Once the player has chosen a level, their
character suffers the benefit and penalty listed
in both boxes connected with that level’s number. These are permanent passive effects that
constantly apply to the player’s character.
Mutant
discrimination
In the world of Neon Sanctum not all people are treated as equals. Since their first
discovery, mutants have been treated with
fear, mistrust and outright hostility. After
decades of fighting for fair treatment and
the dream of equal rights, all three cities allow mutants to become citizens of the city.
Ingrained discrimination is still everpresent, so you won’t find many mutants
holding even mid level jobs in any of the
major corporations. Instead, mutants are
expected to perform menial tasks such as
construction, factory labour or dock work.
CHARACTER CREATION
Flaws
55
56
THE PLAYER CARD
The Player Card is used to store the key details of the player’s character. It has spaces for the player
to record the characters name, sex, race and many other vital statistics you will need to reference
whilst playing (see below). The Player Card is not just for reference however, it also provides the
player with a basic attack skill for use during emergencies.
In the world of Neon Sanctum, technology plays
an essential part of everyday life. Cybernetics
started off as a way of aiding the disabled, but
has since dropped in price to such an extent
that parts of the population willingly undergo
cybernetic surgery in an attempt to improve
their bodies. Be it Ultra-Legs to make them run
faster, or just electronic tattoos that animate.
Player
name
Character
name
Traits
Flaws
Notes
Cybernetics provide players with a permanent
passive boost to stats or skill checks. This boost
is shown in the green box on the card.
If a cybernetic card is the target of a skill card
or power that causes the card to become faulty
then the card stops providing the bonus shown
in the green box. Instead the penalty shown in
the red box with the fault icon comes into play.
This penalty is a permanent penalty that remains in place until the cybernetic card is fixed.
Cybernetic cards also follow the following rules:
• Players are limited to a maximum of 3
Cybernetic items at once.
• Cybernetic cards follow the same fault roll
rules as a normal item card.
• Cybernetic cards are always equipped.
• Cybernetic cards do not contribute to player’s
normal equipped item card capacity.
Purchasing Cybernetics
Basic cybernetic items can
be purchased with Skill
Points during character
creation. The cost of the implant is listed in skill points
(SP) in the box in the top
left of the card.
Basic
Attack
Defence
Health
When purchasing cybernetics after character
creation the DM decides what facilities are
available to undertake the surgery. Depending on the available facilities the DM will make
adjustments to the cost in Scrap (J) to purchase
and install the device. The amount listed in
the icon in the top left is the cybernetic’s base
value; this is the minimum a player should pay
to have the implant installed on their character.
Fixing
cybernetics
Cybernetics are much more complicated
than normal items. This, and the way they
interact with a character’s body, means
they cannot be fixed during combat.
Once out of combat a cybernetic item can
be fixed by making an engineering-electrical check equal to 11 (average difficulty)
plus the skill point cost of the implant. This
is found in the box in the top left.
XP
Gender
Race
Name
Traits
Race
Flaws
Every wannabe hero needs a name, even if nobody knows what it is yet. This is where the
player records the name of their character. It
also lets the DM know whose player card it is
they are actually dealing with.
In some settings, there may be a whole variety
of different races or mutations available. This
is where a player can record the race of their
character.
Gender
Sometimes people find it rewarding to play a
character of a different gender, so the gender of
the player is not always the gender of the character.
Speed
Action
Points
Some people have characteristics or traits that
do not fall under specific skills. This could be
anything from a strong focus to a great memory.
If selected they are recorded here on the Player
Card for reference.
Flaws can encompass things such as poor eyesight or a nervous disposition. Once selected
they are recorded here on the Player Card for
reference.
XP
Any skill points that the player has remaining after making their character, or are earned
through playing can be recorded here.
CHARACTER CREATION
CYBERNETICS
57
58Notes
Wild Swing Skill
Sometimes there is nothing a character can
do but lash out with their fists. Even those not
skilled at brawling can make a wild swing. The
skill shown here can be used in place of a skill
card during a player’s turn. This skill is used in
the same manner as an item power (see page
28 ) using the stats provided.
Speed
Speed denotes the number of squares that a
character can move as part of their move action
during combat (see page 33). Every character
has a base speed of 5 which can be increased
or decreased.
Defence
Health
This area can be used to record any health
points that the player may have received from
traits or similar. Health can be discarded in
place of taking normal damage. Health cannot
be returned by normal healing.
Action Points (AP)
This is the amount of energy that a player starts
their turn with. This energy is referred to as Action Points or AP and is required to be expended in varying amounts in order to perform an
action. Action Points are used during in combat
to use skill cards, item powers, move or recover
skill cards from the cooldown deck. They can
also be used to perform other miscellaneous
actions. More details on action points can be
found in the combat chapter (see page 31). Tip:
If you are having trouble keeping track of how
many action points you have spent or have remaining, you can set aside a dice to show your
remaining action points.
Every character has a base defence of 12.
This is the basic difficulty that NPCs and other
players need to beat. Like speed, this value can
be modified by skills cards, items powers etc.
When the player has chosen their cards and filled out the player card, the only thing remaining
is to do is choose some items. Item cards are a vital part of Neon Sanctum with many skill cards
requiring a type of item to work. Depending on the game, the DM may decide how many items the
a player’s character will sensibly start the game with. There are two major ways for a DM to allow
players to choose items.
The easiest way for a DM to provide players
with items is for the DM to assign the player
with item cards. This could be anything from
zero items to an entire arsenal. It is up to the
DM to determine what items a player’s character would sensibly own at the start of a story.
A player may own as many items as they wish but they may only ever carry a maximum of
ten item cards at any one time. This may be a broad simplification but it allows for a simple
rule that all players should be able to remember when dealing with their inventory.
FINAL DETAILS
Key information is recorded on the Player Card
or through Skill Cards, but there is a lot more
information that can help add depth and detail
to any character. The more information a player
can provide, the better the story will be. Below
are some examples of the kind of information a
DM might want to know about a player’s character.
Profession
Most people have a job or profession. Why
should your character be any different? Defining what does your character does for a living
can help give you inspiration for selecting skill
cards, traits and flaws.
Appearance
STARTING ITEMS
DM assigns Items
Item limits
Buying Items
An alternative to having the DM assign all the
items, the DM can give the players a list of items
and their prices. The DM would then give each
player a set amount of money that the players
would be free to spend on any items they desire. The Neon Sanctum setting guide provides
the DM with an extensive price list for all items
in the game.
It is a good idea to know what your character
looks like, so that you can describe them to
the DM and other players. There is no need to
specifically store this information anywhere but
many players enjoy creating or finding images
or models that represent the character. There
is no restriction on how beautiful or hideously
ugly your character can be.
Back Story
Where was you character born? Where did they
grow up? What were the significant events of
your character’s life as they were growing up?
What are their hopes and dreams? These sorts
of questions help to build up a rich history for a
character making them more than a two dimensional puppet that the player controls. This is
not a requirement for creating a character, but
a player who spends time giving their character
an back story often finds playing the character
easier and more rewarding.
Loved Ones
Giving the character ties to other people in the
world gives their actions greater meaning. Normally this would include some family members,
but it can also include lovers, friends or even
pets.
Contacts
As well as people the character loves, characters of a certain age and experience will
probably have formed a long list of colleagues,
acquaintances and contacts. A list of contacts
should be submitted to the DM during character
generation so that they aware of any contacts a
player may want to call upon during a game. In
some circumstances a DM may ask a player to
remove contacts from the list.
Enemies
As well as having friends, some characters may
have made enemies. These can be great for DMs
as they can provide an immediate link between
a player and certain events, factions or NPCs.
Allowing the DM to use a character’s enemy in
a game can really help a player to become more
immersed in their character.
On the fly
Sometimes you just don’t have time to make
a character background. No worries, you can
always make it up as you go along. If you want
to add something to your background during
a game just ask your DM. If they are ok with
it just note it down and carry on as if it was
always that way. Some of the best characters are
made this way!
CHARACTER CREATION
This is the part of the Player Card where people can record additional info not covered
elsewhere. Examples include the amount of
currency a character has, or items that are not
represented by Item Cards.
59
61
60
David is creating a new character to play in his friend Kim’s new campaign. Kim has told David to make
a rookie character which means David has twenty skill points to spend on his character. Kim also lets
David know that the characters should all be members of a special asset retrieval division attached to one
of the major corporations. The first thing David does is work on a concept for a character. He decides to
go with the following:
Diana is the smart and savvy leader of the retrieval team. She has great social skills which dovetail with
her years of corporate sponsored training as a special operative. Diana is bold and decisive and acts best
as a support in combat. Diana’s number one priority is to make sure that her team acts efficiently and
remains in combat for as long as they are needed. Of course during her many years of service she has
become known for being able to handle herself during combat situations.
Skill Cards
So far David has bought two level 1 cards for a total of 4 skill points.
this means he has 16 skill points to spend on Diana.
David decides that as well as using the rally card to stabilise her
allies Diana would also have a very basic healing skill to tie in with
her role as an all-round support character. He chooses Apply Stick
& Go, which is a first aid skill. While the card only provides a small
amount of healing, it activates automatically and unlike all the other
first aid skill cards does not require a first aid kit item. As a utility
card it can combo with Rally which could potentially allow her to
rescue two allies from the jaws of death in a single turn, The card
has an average buyback cost of two.
Next David decides that Diana should be expertly aware as she is always on the lookout for ways to improve team efficiency and weaknesses in her enemies.
The first thing David wants for Diana is some social skills, and he decides that he wants her to be skilled
to a basic level in both tactics and empathy. The tactics are for when planning missions and the empathy
is for when she’s performing investigations and boosting the morale of her team!
He decides to take both a level one and a level two awareness skill
card. for the level one card he chooses lookout as it provides all of
Diana’s nearby allies with a buffer to attacks.
He decides to go for the Rally card in the tactics skill as it allows her
to make sure that none of her team perish during combat. Her end of
year bonus relies on her mission statistics!
Rally does have a high buyback cost of three, however, hopefully
Diana’s allies won’t be dying often enough that this will become a
major issue.
Next up she chooses the empathy skill, in this case
the Read Tactics card. This card allows her to read her
opponents and provide her team with the best instructions postion. This skill allows her to modify the
initiative order and give her team the upper hand.
The card has an average buyback cost making it a
decent choice if David wants to use the skill multiple
times during the same combat.
The card has a high buyback cost of three, however it is also designed
to be locked. The cost to sustain its effects is only a single AP per turn.
It is likely that David will want to activate the power early in a combat
and then keep the power active until the danger subsides.
For the level two card he thought it was about time Diana had some
form of defence. Combat Wary provides her with an excellent +2 to all
defences.
Again this card becomes locked when activated. However its sustain
cost however is two AP. This means that if active at the same time as
Lookout Diana will be spending half her AP per turn sustaining her
effects. This is something David will need to consider when activating
Diana’s different skill cards.
CHARACTER CREATION
CHARACTER EXAMPLE
62
The level one card he chooses is Quick Shot. This basic shooting skill
card allows Diana to make standard shooting attacks. The benefit of
taking Quick Shot however, is that using the card costs 1AP but the
cards special effect provides 1 AP. So using this card to make an attack
is basically free, letting Diana spend her AP points elsewhere.
With a buyback cost of 2, the card is easy to retrieve from the
cooldown deck when needed.
For the level two card David decides to pick a skill card that packs
a real punch. He chooses Point Blank. This attack may have a very
short range but if it hits it does double damage to the unlucky enemy. David plans to have Point Blank in Diana’s arsenal for when her
enemies try to get up close and personal. David likes the idea of using
Point Blank as an early attack.
The buyback of 3 is expensive however, meaning David must be
careful when deciding when to use the card.
David has just four points left. He checks the type of cards that he
has purchased so far. Diana has four utility, two attacks and just one
defence. He decides another defence card is in order.
He decides to go for the Dodge card. This card provides a bonus to
Diana’s ranged defence while sustained. The sustain cost is only one
AP so it is a cheap source of extra defence.
The card is also an acrobatics skill card, providing Diana with some
exttra flexibility outside of combat.
David has two skill points left which he wants to spend on some traits. The trait that has caught his eye is
the born leader trait. This trait allows Diana to give her willpower points to other players. This trait can
really swing the game in the player’s direction when used right.
Rather than spending the final skill point on another trait, or taking a flaw to earn more skill points,
David decides to save the point as it will allow Diana to start games with a point of willpower, which will
combine well with her born leader trait.
Miscellaneous details
The last thing David needs to do is to fill out the
player card for Diana. He adds his name, Diana’s
name and the born leader trait. He also notes down
her 1 point of remaining skill points in the XP
field.
Next he notes Diana’s female gender and human as
her race (as she is not a mutant). The last thing to
do is to enter numbers in the icons in the bottom
right of the card. Humans have a basic defence of
twelve, a speed of five and six action points. They
do not start with any health points.
CHARACTER CREATION
David now has 9 points left to spend on his character Diana. He decides to invest a good chunk of his remaining points on some combat
skills. He wants Diana to use guns so he focuses on shooting skill
cards. He uses five points to purchase a level one and a level two card.
Traits and flaws
63
64
Sync sauntered her way into the lobby, the lobby of
one the most powerful corporations in the world.
Suddenly realising the difficulty of the task she
was about to undergo, she glanced towards the
exit, contemplating taking the easy way out.
She had spent too long on this, racked up too
much debt and too many favours.
She moved through the structure towards the
libraries. The data vaults there store the kind of
data that were worth millions to the right bidder.
Hannico corporation are on the line, waiting for
her to open a data stream. She floated past,
unobserved by the automated drones stationed
all around the library.
It took exactly 32 seconds after she had opened
the stream for the red flashing of alarms to fill her
senses. The ignorant guards sprung into life as previously unseen walls materialized between the exit
and her. If she could make it just ten seconds...ten
seconds before they were upon her and she would
be cleared of her debts permanently. Nine seconds,
she let rip, blowing the first wall into tiny voxel
pieces. Six seconds, she leapt through the air, spinning to dodge a volley of fire from the guards. Their
erratic firepower smashed the second wall down.
Four seconds, she turned a corner and found a final
wall, out of power and out of time. Three seconds,
out of hope. Two seconds, out of nowhere, the wall
fell. One second, out of there.
Shenna “ Sync” Basset ripped the data link from her
head, falling out of her chair and onto the floor. Shit,
she had nothing....nothing. All she had was a price on
her head and a head full of questions.
Who fucked up? Who betrayed her? Who saved her? Why?
DM GUIDE
In order to play Neon Sanctum, one of the players must take on the role of Deckmaster. Being
the Deckmaster comes with a very different set of
challenges and responsibilities than playing a character. As the Deckmaster, a player takes charge of
the world that the other players will explore. They
must become every Non Player Character (NPC)
that the players come into contact with. Before
the game the DM will normally spend some time
preparing.
Game preparation
The first step of game preparation is to decide what
type of game the DM would like to run.
Game Type
When creating a game it can be useful to focus
on a certain game type or element. The four main
game elements are investigation, action, exploration and politics. A game can include all of these
elements, but usually a game will be more strongly
focused towards one of these elements than another. Below is a brief explanation of each of these
game elements.
Investigation and mystery:
An investigation game will see the party presented
with a mystery of some sort. During the course
of the game they will use their various skills to
overcome challenges and uncover clues. Once they
have enough clues the players can put them together to solve the mystery. Investigation games are
very good for horror themed games as the tension
slowly ramps up as the players find new clues.
The most important thing for a DM to create when
running an investigation game is a set of interesting clues that interact. It should be a challenge for
the players to put the various clues together correctly.
Action and adventure:
Action games are usually very simple and will
involve a lot of combat. Although not always the
case, action games tend to be very thin plot wise.
All the players may want or require is a simple
objective to complete. An action game will tend to
have a lot less focus on roleplaying, with most of
the NPCs the characters encounter being lackeys
(see page 70.)
The most important thing for a DM to create when
running an action game is a set of thrilling and
challenging combat scenes.
Exploration and discovery:
Exploration games can be hard to run, as by their
very nature, the players are free to roam and
explore. It may mean that the DM either needs to
prepare a lot more, or must be happy to come up
with storyline as they go. Neon Sanctum allows the
DM to always have a deck of NPCs and Items at
hand, making running an exploration game easier.
The most important thing for a DM to create when
running an exploration game is an interesting location with deep potential for intrigue.
Politics and intrigue:
Political games are all about how a cast of characters interact. These games naturally include a large
amount of roleplaying dialogue, and usually a lot
less combat. The cast of characters should all have
different goals, and some of these goals should
clash with each other. The DM should then use
events to make the cast of characters have to interact and compromise. The most important thing
for a DM to create when running a political game
is a cast of intriguing NPCs, each with their own
opinions and motivations.
DM GUIDE
The data ghost
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66Game Themes
Below are some example game themes, but the DM
may want to come up with their own.
Horror
A horror game will deal primarily with tension
and fear, placing the characters in situations where
they must overcome the odds in order to survive.
Horror games normally deal with the occult or
dark forces.
Survival
A survival game can be similar to horror games, as
the characters may fear for their lives. However, in
survival games the source of this fear comes from
the natural world. The characters could be stranded, or involved in a natural disaster.
Espionage
In an espionage game the characters will take on
the role of spies linked to a government or a major
corporation. The players will be sent on dangerous missions and will interact with highly skilled
enemies, spies and villains.
Crime
Crime themed games deal with both cops and robbers. The players are either on the side of the law
or doing their best to subvert it.
Running the game
Starting the game
To start a game, the DM will need to find a way to
get all of the players working together as a group.
This can, depending on the players characters, be a
challenge in itself. For example if one of the players
is a thief, he may find it difficult to co-operate with
another player who is a policeman.
There are two broad ways of approaching this
challenge. The DM can either use some kind of
Try using “Yes And”
A popular improvisational theatre technique is
called “Yes and”. This is where one person presents
a portion of story, be it dialogue, or an event etc.
The second person must then accept this and add
to it, bouncing it back to the first person. In this
way the story grows and evolves without either
person dominating the storyline. Sharing the story
in this way can enable players, rather than the DM,
to really feel as though they have narrative control.
Once a DM starts using “yes and...” they will probably notice how often their first response to their
players ideas is “no but...”. It is very easy for a DM
to reject their players’ ideas in an attempt to drive
the story in the direction they were expecting, but
the best moments in a game can come from when
the players take the story somewhere unexpected.
Of course, sometimes the DM will have to tell their
players no. But approaching every player’s request
as a possible jumping off point for something cool,
new and fun can have fantastic results.
Avoid Railroading
The opposite of using “yes and” is when a DM does
everything they can to shackle a party of players
to a linear storyline. For example, they could not
allow players to perform certain actions or make
such actions very difficult to perform. This is
something DMs should avoid if at all possible.
This is because making a story too linear removes
the players’ feeling of agency, and any chance of
them having any input into the direction the story
takes. The best thing about any RPG is that the DM
is able to respond to their parties requests allowing
the players to become immersed in the world.
Making NPCs on the fly
In Neon Sanctum every NPC can be represented
by a card during combat. The benefit of this is that
a DM can easily create an NPC during a scene. For
example if the players unexpectedly attack an NPC,
all the DM needs to do is locate a relevant NPC
card and add some item cards.
NPC personalities
When creating multiple NPCs it is important to
provide them with diverse, deep and interesting
personalities. This can be especially tough when
the DM has created an NPC on the fly.
The first thing the DM should consider is how
much time the players will spend interacting with
the NPC. If the amount is going to be very small,
for example a short transaction with a barmaid or
a cab driver, then there is no need to make them
memorable in any way. As soon as an NPC plays
an important part in a scene, or if the players are
likely to interact with them several times, then the
DM may want to make them more memorable.
There are a few easy ways to make an NPC immediately more recognisable:
Accents
Traits and flaws
Just like players NPCs can have physical and
mental traits and flaws. The more dramatic a flaw,
a more memorable they tend to be. For example a
blind or deaf NPC would be very different.
Tics and tells
If a DM is not comfortable with accents they can
get a similar effect by providing the NPC with a
tic or tell. A tic or tell is an involuntary movement
or action made by the NPC. For example, a shady,
criminal NPC may shudder every time the police
are mentioned, or repeatedly blink when discussing money.
Language Structure
The first way that players interact with NPCs is by
talking to them. By assigning a regional
accent to a single NPC, all the DM needs to do is
start talking in that accent and the players
will know who they are talking to.
Another alternative to accents is to change the way
the NPC uses language. This could be their use of
slang, the order in which they use words or the
pattern in which they say them.
Some DMs find using accents embarrassing or
even difficult. If they don’t want to use accents
there are many other ways they can make an NPC
unique.
The last technique described here may take parts
from all the others listed above. It is also really
useful when DMs are creating NPCs on the fly. The
animal guide technique is when, instead of trying
to assign an NPC a list of various traits or accents,
they assign them the personality that is traditionally associated with an animal. For example, most
people would associate a mouse with someone
who is quiet, meek and petite. An owl-like person
would be thought of as wise, with a slow speech
pattern, while a lion would be a natural leader with
a deep yet calm voice.
Appearance
When first meeting an NPC the DM will usually
describe their appearance. The more descriptive,
the more likely that the players will remember
that NPC. Often, players will take how the DM
describes an NPC as a clue to how important that
NPC will be to the story. The DM can use this as a
technique to make players remember an NPC. The
“modestly attractive barmaid” won’t be as memorable as the “balding, rotund barman who looked
across the bar with a toothless grin, pointing the
barrel of his crude cybernetic shotgun, which took
up the entirety of his left forearm.”
Animal guides
DM GUIDE
As well as choosing what game type the DM wants
to create, they may also want to choose a theme.
Themes are a stylistic choice which will help to
set the mood of the game. For example, a horror
game will have a spooky mood with creepy characters and scary locations.
story event to bring the characters together, or they
may decide that the players had a reason to work
together before the game starts.
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This is the amount of action points that a NPC
starts their turn with. Action points are used in
the same way as for player characters, and are
required to be expended in varying amounts in
order to perform the NPC’s abilities or other actions. Action points also make up part of a NPCs
health and can be reduced in a permanent or
temporary manner (page ). If the action points
of a NPC are reduced to 0 permanently then the
NPC is killed.
Powers
Defence
Level
Tree
Name
Speed
Health
Action
Points
Constructing each individual NPC using Skill
Cards would be a time consuming and arduous
task. NPC cards hold the basic information that
the DM needs to use a NPC, without skill cards.
squares they can move in a standard movement
action (see page 33). A standard move costs one
AP. This can be adjusted by other factors such
as skills or items.
Unlike player characters, an NPC’s name is not
the name of an individual character. Instead the
NPC’s name gives the DM and players a rough
idea of what kind of personality and skills the
NPC might have.
The NPC level denotes its overall strength. The
higher the NPC level, the more powerful and
challenging it is.
Name
Tree
The NPC tree provides the DM with both the
type and subtype of the creature. The NPC’s
type will usually be its race or species; for example human, robot or beast.
The subtype refers to the NPC’s main skill type,
such as melee, biology or first aid. The colour of
the card (both background and the bottom bar)
show what ability the NPC favours.
Speed
NPCs have a speed icon that depicts how many
Level
Defence
This is the basic Difficulty Score that players
and other NPCs usually need to beat in order
to effect an NPC with an attack. Like speed, this
value can be modified by skills, items and effects.
Health
As NPCs do not have Skill Cards to determine
their health it is depicted as a number on their
card. If this number is reduced to zero, an NPC
will begin to have their action points reduced.
If their action points permanently reach zero,
then the NPC dies.
Target
Effect
Type
Level Difficulty
Effect
This details the effects the target experiences if
the ability is successful in the same manner as
a Skill Card. Sometimes the ability will lock and
have an upkeep and unlock cost in the same
manner as a Skill Cards.
Type
The type of ability is split into Attack, Defence,
Utility and Mini and in the same way as a Skill
Card or item power. The symbol for type is located on right hand side of the skill box.
Range
This icon denotes the range of the ability. This
icon is identical to those used by the skill cards
and item powers (see page 38)
Sustain Box
Range
Sustain Unlock
NPC Powers
While NPCs do not have Skill Cards as standard
they still have abilities to spend action points
on. These abilities are indicated on the card
itself and contain the information required to
use the ability in a similar way to skills.
Level
The level of an ability functions in exactly the
same way as it does on a Skill Card, denoting
both the relative power of the ability and the
cost in Action Points to use the ability.
Target
This denotes the number and type of targets
that if the NPC is within range the power can
affect.
Difficulty
When using an ability, this is the Difficulty
Score the DM must equal or pass for the abilities effect to occur. Sometimes this will refer
to the targets Defence in the same way as skill
cards and item powers.
Just like skill cards, some NPC powers can
become locked. When locked the effect listed in
the green box is activated. This effect remains
active for as long as the card is locked. The box
has a number inside, at the start of each turn
the player must pay this many AP to keep the
power locked. They may choose to not pay and
the power unlocks.
Unlock Box
Again like skill cards the unlock box states how
the power can be unlocked by the character(s)
that the power is affecting. The unlock icon
may have a number inside, if it does then anyone may pay that many AP to unlock the card.
Otherwise the green box will state how the card
can be unlocked.
DM GUIDE
NPC CARDS
Action Points
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Many stories will involve some kind of combat.
The trick is to balance the NPCs to ensure that
the combat is challenging to the players, but
not too hard, and also that combats do not take
longer than needed.
There are two main components that the DM
must create when designing a combat scene.
These are the NPC enemies, and the environment in which the fight will occur. Before the
DM can balance the NPC enemies that they will
choose, they need to know the different NPC
types available to them.
NPC types
There are three types of NPC in Neon Sanctum,
each performing a slightly different role in a
combat scene.
Lackeys
Lackeys are represented by the normal NPC
cards and can perform any of the powers listed
on the card. However, if a lackey takes a single
point of normal or critical damage they are immediately removed from the game as a casualty.
If a lackey suffers any stun damage they are
knocked unconscious, and they will remain
unconscious until the end of a combat.
Lackeys should be used by a DM when they
want to overwhelm the players with numbers.
Lackeys are also good for combats where the
DM wants to make the players feel powerful.
Henchmen
Normal NPCs are known as henchmen. They
use the NPC cards in the same way as lackeys
and can perform any of the powers listed on the
card. If a henchman receives damage they remove points from the health pool. Once depleted, any further damage will take points from
the henchman’s action points pool. However, if
the henchman receives critical damage, they remove points from the AP pool regardless of how
much health they may have. If a henchman’s
AP pool is depleted they become a casualty. A
henchman can, at DM’s discretion, be knocked
unconscious if they have no health remaining
and take more stun damage than their AP pool.
Once unconscious any additional damage (even
stun) will kill a henchman.
Henchmen make up the mainstay of most combats, but DMs should be careful to not use too
many, as they take much longer to dispatch than
lackeys.
Elites
Elites are important story characters that the
players are likely to meet time and time again.
They could be a trusted friend or the villain.
Because they are so important, Elites are created, and work in exactly the same way as player
characters.
Adding Skill cards
If a DM wants to make his henchmen and lackeys more powerful he can assign them skill
cards. By doing this he provides the NPC with
an additional power which they can use during
combat. Unlike player characters however, the
skill cards will not count towards their health.
Equipping NPCs
As well as picking an NPC type and then either
the skill cards or NPC card to represent them,
NPCs can be given item cards. In some cases an
NPC will require an item to use a power or skill
card. As with Player Characters, NPCs may only
ever carry a fixed maximum of ten items at any
one time.
Balancing NPCs
Every NPC card has a level on it which denotes
how powerful that NPC is. The higher this level
the more powerful the NPC. The DM should also
keep in mind that lackeys will be less powerful
versions of a NPC card and that adding items
and skill cards to an NPC will make it much
stronger. A gunman with the best assault rifle
is a lot more deadly than one with a standard
pistol.
Designing the
environment
When creating an adventure the DM should be
aware of where combat scenes will be located.
The amount of cover, obstructions and difficult
terrain that exists in a combat environment can
have a large impact on how difficult a combat
scene will be.
Environments can also feature other elements
that will have an impact on a combat scene.
For example, some combats may see the players having to deal with some kind of objective,
such as hacking a console, disarming a bomb
or opening a locked door. Giving the players
additional objectives during combat scenes is
a great way to keep the story moving during
combat scenes. It also prevents combats from
becoming dull and repetitive.
Ad hoc balancing
No matter how much time a DM spends planning a combat scene, sometimes it will be
obviously unbalanced. Luckily there are some
things the DM can do during a combat scene to
maintain the balance between challenging the
players, and the scene taking too long.
Henchmen to lackeys
If a combat scene is taking too long, or is proving too difficult for the players, the DM can
change any undamaged henchmen into lackeys.
This will help to quickly wrap up a combat and
allow the story to move on.
Surrender and flee
Another way to end a combat scene in a hurry
is to have any of the NPC enemies taking part
try to surrender or flee. However, this can cause
the DM additional problems if the DM has not
planned for the NPCs to be captured and potentially interrogated, or used as hostages.
Lackeys to henchmen
If a combat scene is proving too easy or if the
DM needs to keep the players busy for a little
while longer, they can turn any lackeys into
henchmen.
Lackey reinforcements
One of the great things about NPC cards is that
the DM always has a supply of ready made NPCs
that they can call on at any time. If a combat
is not proving enough of a challenge, the DM
can add lackeys. The DM can keep doing this
for as long as they need the combat to last. In
fact, constantly adding waves of henchmen can
provide an interesting level of challenge when
coupled with another objective.
Add objectives
The DM can also add a secondary objective during a combat scene. This might force the players
to focus on more than one thing, make them
move to areas they don’t want to go, or take on
enemies they don’t want to face.
DM GUIDE
Building combat
scenes
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