Setting:Nutopia/Rules

NUtopia: FATE Edition

Hiving Mechanics

1. Describe the feedstock used in the hiving action. Example: Junk in the environment, mineral rock, desert sand, an organic opponent’s body. Feedstock quality affects the Intensity rating of the nanite swarm when it is used to assemble an item, make a maneuver or construct an obstacle: the Intensity rating of the swarm cannot exceed the Quality of the feedstock when blocking, maneuvering or constructing items. By default, feedstock from the surrounding environment is rated at a Quality of Mediocre (0) and thus needs to be enriched with quality materials in order to be viable for hiving. A Hiver can use a “High-grade feedstock” item to increase feedstock quality to +5 for one hiving action.

2. For combat hiving: Describe the effect in terms of one of the following basic conflict actions: disassembly, block, maneuver, or counterhive.

2.1 In a disassembly attack, the Hiver instructs the nanoswarm to inflict physical stress on an opponent by taking it apart on the molecular level. A disassembly attack automatically succeeds unless the opponent has anti-nanite weapons or armor with anti-nanite properties. 1 shift of Intensity can be used to:

2.1.1 Increase the attack’s duration by 1 turn. By default, the opponent takes 1 point of physical stress for each turn of combat that the disassembly continues.

2.1.2 Increase range by 1 zone.

2.1.3 Attack a specific part of the body (e. g. eyes), or a specific item of equipment (e. g. an opponent’s weapon).

2.2 A block is a barrier that is designed to absorb an enemy attack. For each shift of Intensity the block can absorb 1 additional point of the attack. Optionally, instead of block strength, you can opt to have the effect work as Armor (2 shifts add 1 point of Armor) or as a zone border instead. 1 shift of Intensity lets the block resist 1 additional attack. 2 shifts of power allow the effect to cover multiple allies within the same zone.

2.3 A maneuver places a temporary aspect (free-taggable) on an opponent or zone. A maneuver on a zone succeeds on a default of +3, a maneuver on an opponent must beat the skill value of whatever skill the opponent is attempting to resist with.

2.4 Counterhiving is attacking an opposing hiver’s nanoswarm with your own nanoswarm. Use your Hiving skill to assess the opponent’s power and beat that power to succeed.

3. For noncombat hiving: if you’re trying to assemble or repair an item, a successful Engineering roll is required in order to initiate the action. The Hiver can then spend 1 point of Intensity to reduce the time needed to assemble or repair the item by 1 unit.

4. Decide how many shifts of Intensity you want to put into the hiving attempt. The more nanites your mind needs to control, the more mental stress you take – if you invest a greater amount of Intensity in a swarm, you take mental stress equal to the difference between the Intensity score and your Hiving skill. Thus, a hiving action with Intensity 8 would cause 4 points of mental stress to a character with Hiving 4.

5. Make a Discipline roll with a difficulty equal to the Intensity score of the swarm to perform the hiving action. The roll is modified by any hiving-relevant augs and any relevant aspects you wish to invoke.

Skill List

Alertness Trappings: Avoiding Surprise, Combat Initiative, Passive Awareness, Stealth Detection

Athletics Trappings: Climbing, Dodging, Falling, Jumping, Sprinting, Other Physical Actions

Burglary Trappings: Casing, Infiltration, Lockpicking

Contacts Trappings: Gathering Information, Getting the Tip-Off, Knowing People, Rumors

Cracking Trappings: Interfacing, Intrusion, Countermeasures, Subversion

Culture Trappings: Culture Savvy, Language, Adaptation, Lay of the Land

Deceit Trappings: Cat and Mouse, Disguise, Distraction and Misdirection, False Face Forward, Falsehood and Deception

Discipline* Trappings: Concentration, Emotional Control, Mental Defense

Engineering Trappings: Breaking, Building, Fixing, Tech Awareness

Driving/Piloting[Type] Trappings: Chases, One Hand on the Wheel, Navigation

Empathy Trappings: Reading People, A Shoulder to Cry On, Social Defense, Social Initiative

Endurance* Trappings: Long-Term Action, Physical Fortitude

Fists Trappings: Brawling, Close-Combat Defense

Guns [Tech Level] Trappings: Aiming, Gun Knowledge, Gunplay, Other Projectile Weapons

Hiving Trappings: Common Scripts, Sustaining Effect, Range, Counterhiving, Disassembly, Assembly, Hiver’s Perception

Intimidation Trappings: The Brush-Off, Interrogation, Provocation, Social Attacks, Threats

Investigation Trappings: Forensics, Eavesdropping, Examination, Surveillance

Medicine* Trappings: First Aid, Pathology, Implant Handling, Mitigate Injury

Might Trappings: Breaking Things, Exerting Force, Lifting Things, Wrestling

Performance Trappings: Art Appreciation, Composition, Creative Communication, Playing to an Audience

Presence* Trappings: Charisma, Command, Reputation, Social Fortitude

Rapport Trappings: Chit-Chat, Closing Down, First Impressions, Opening Up, Social Defense

Resources Trappings: Buying Things, Equipment, Lifestyle, Money Talks, Workspaces

Scholarship Trappings: Answers, Declaring Minor Details, Exposition and Knowledge Dumping, Research and Lab Work

Stealth Trappings: Hiding, Shadowing, Skulking, Camouflage

Survival Trappings: Animal Handling, Chimera Handling, Scavenging, Tracking

Tactics Trappings: Combat Maneuvering, Positioning, Cover Use, Ambush

Weapons Trappings: Distance Weaponry, Melee Combat, Melee Defense, Weapon Knowledge

CSC Characters

1. When creating a CSC Frame, first name the corporation that made the frame. The CSC character gains the Aspect “Made by [Corporation name]”, that can be free-tagged once per encounter by any PC or NPC that belongs to or has ties to the above mentioned Corporation (SM discretion advised). In addition, when said Aspect is compelled, the character can pay 1 Fate Point to resist, but gains no Fate Points for complying with the compel.

2. All Frames come with a Face Drone, a small remote-operated vehicle that is usually equipped with a monitor that displays an avatar of the CSC character. The Face Drone is used for social interaction in environments that the CSC character cannot physically access due to size constraints. The Drone is “loaded” with two Skills of the CSC character’s choice from their personal skill pyramid. When operating the Face Drone, the CSC character rolls those two skills using the values from the pyramid.

3. CSC characters are equipped with anti-nanite electromagnetic defenses that allow an Endurance roll to defend against a Hiving disassembly attack.

4. CSC characters are equipped with firewalls that require a Cracker attempting to hack the character to maintain physical contact with the CSC character.

5. CSC characters never roll Endurance to maintain a sustained action.

6. CSC characters can never be disarmed unless they choose to take “Weapon Disabled” as a Consequence.

7. CSC Frame characters must pick a specialization area for their Frame. Light Frames can choose between Speed and Armor. Heavy Frames can choose between Power and Armor.

8. Light Frames (cost: -6 Refresh):

8.1. Size: Large

8.2. Speed (example: scout vehicles, recon bikes, light aircraft):

8.2.1. Skills Affected: Athletics, Alertness, Stealth, and some other physical skills.

8.2.2. Scout’s Initiative. You always go first in initiative order in a conflict, regardless of your Alertness rating. If there are other Speed frames present, initiative order is resolved by Alertness rating.

8.2.3. Agile Frame. All your Athletics checks are made at +3, including dodging. When sprinting, this bonus is increased to +6.

8.2.4. Zoom!. Whenever moving as part of another physical activity, you may move up to three zones without taking the –1 penalty for a supplemental action.

8.2.5. Like the Wind. No one ever gets a bonus to spot you when you’re using Stealth, no matter how fast you’re moving.

8.2.6. Mounted Medium Weapon. Light Speed CSC’s can equip any one weapon of Category 5, or two weapons of Category 4.

8.3. Armor (example: IFV’s, light gunships, Armacor Paladins):

8.3.1. Skills Affected: Endurance, other physical skills.

8.3.2. Hard Nut to Crack. You naturally have Armor: 4 against all physical stress, except for damage from sources that satisfy your Catch (see below).

8.3.3. Soakin’ It Up. You have six additional boxes of physical stress capacity.

8.3.4. Transport Capacity. You can transport up to 3 non-CSC characters in a specialized compartment. Increased transport capacity costs -1 Refresh per additional person carried.

8.3.5. Mounted Medium/Heavy Weapon. You can equip two weapons of Category 5 as well as two weapons of Category 4. Alternatively, if Transport Capacity is removed, you can equip one weapon of Category 6 and no other weapons.

9. Heavy Frames (cost: -8 Refresh):

9.1. Size: Huge

9.2. Power (example: Tank hunters, heavy gunships)

9.2.1. Ohhhh Yeahhh. You gain a +12 to your Might score for breaking through walls, destroying support pillars or otherwise wreaking havoc on buildings.

9.2.2. Supreme Strength. Whenever using your Might to modify another skill, it always provides a +3 regardless of the actual comparison of your Might score to the skill in question.

9.2.3. Crush the Puny Humans. +6 to melee attacks, increasing the stress dealt by six on a successful hit.

9.2.4. Mounted Heavy Weapon. You can equip two Category 6 weapons and two Category 5 Weapons.

9.2.5. Storm of Fire. Once per combat encounter, you may spend a fate point to fire all your equipped weapons simultaneously during one turn.

9.3. Armor (example: transport gunships, spider tanks, APCs)

9.3.1. Impervious. You simply do not take damage from any weapon under Category 5 that does not satisfy your Catch (see below). For all other physical stress, you have Armor 6.

9.3.2. Soakin’ It Up, Too. You have eight additional boxes of physical stress capacity.

9.3.3. Get Behind Me!. Allies using you as cover gain +1 on all defense rolls.

9.3.4. Transport Capacity. You can carry up to 6 non-CSC characters or 1 Light CSC character. Additional slots for 1 non-CSC character cost -1 Refresh each.

9.3.5. Mounted Heavy Weapon. You can equip one Category 6 weapon and two Category 5 Weapons.

10. The Catch: The CSC character must specify one condition that negates the special abilities of the frame. This provides a Refresh cost discount. Discounts do not stack; taking multiple Catches does not provide additional discounts.

10.1. The character’s abilities only function under a specific condition (+2) Example: A wheeled Light Speed Frame that can only use its Speed abilities on a road.

10.2. A vulnerability to an easily accessible weapon (example: Low-tech small arms or LMG’s) or an easily accessible item of technology (example: high visibility to Low-tech radar) (+2)

10.3. A vulnerability to a rare weapon or piece of technology (Pre-Fall or High tech level) (+1)

10.4. A vulnerability that is commonly known or obvious (example: easily detectable structural weakness) (+2)

10.5. A vulnerability that requires access to restricted material or specific technical knowledge (+1)

10.6. A negative Aspect (such as Limited Firing Arc or Glitchy Radar) that can be free-tagged once per combat encounter to give a disadvantage to the CSC character or an advantage to its opponents (+2)

10.7. Vulnerability to Nanites: by default, a CSC character can defend against Hiving attempts with an Endurance roll. Removing this option grants +2.

10.8. Vulnerability to Cracking: by default, a CSC character cannot be interfaced with unless the Cracker is in physical contact with the frame. Allowing for wireless Cracking attacks grants +2.

10.9. Other options: Get creative with your SM!