Cracken's Rebel Field Guide is a supplementfor Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game. Themarvelous technology of the Star Wars universeis one of the great curiosities for gamemastersand players. This book contains many new itemsfor Star Wars adventures, and explains howinhabitants of the universe alter and manipulatethat technology. New areas discussed includejury-rigged items, computer data and cybernetictechnology.

This supplement is presented courtesy of Gen-eral Airen Cracken, one of the many people whohave devoted long years to the cause of theRebel Alliance. Cracken's field experienceprovides valuable insight into the alteration anduse of the items in this book. His anecdotes canalso serve as the inspiration for Star Warsadventures.

This book is an aid for players as well asgamemasters. It is written for the Rebel out inthe field without much equipment at hisdisposal. Players should be allowed to readthrough the book.

Jury-RiggingAs described on page 29 of The Star Wars

Rules Companion, a character may increase theperformance ability of his equipment. He canmake his blaster more powerful or make hisairspeeder more maneuverable. Improvingequipment through skill points reflects the factthat the character is investing himself into theequipment. It is a long-term and costly process.

It is possible, however, to increase the perfor-mance of equipment without spending skillpoints and credits. Unfortunately, this short cuttends to make the improvement temporary, anddangerous when the equipment fails. Theprocess is called jury-rigging.

When a character jury-rigs a blaster powerpack into a bomb or alters the design of an airspeeder's mechanical air flaps, he is making themachine or item better - but by means that nohonest engineer would ever use. Jury-rigging

involves connecting wires that shouldn't be con-nected, taking out important safety features of avehicle, or putting together two kinds of elec-tronics that don't really belong together. Jury-rigged equipment provides a short term benefit,but it is predisposed to breakdown.

Jury-rigging something takes one hour, or thecharacter can rush, jury-rigging the item in oneminute, although the task becomes onedifficulty harder. Very difficult tasks can beattempted in one minute. There is no way tospend more time on jury-rigging to make thetask easier.

If the roll to jury-rig something is failed, itcan be tried again, but the second try alwaystakes an hour (even if the initial attempt wasonly one minute).

The Role of Jury-RiggingJury-rigging equipment often requires strange

bits of wire and odds and ends. The gamemastermust decide if the equipment to jury-rig some-thing is on hand if the Rebels did not specifythat they brought the equipment with them. Thegame master should keep in mind that it is inthe spirit of the jury-rigging rules that theRebels slap stuff together when they want to.This is why the break down rules exist: tobalance out the bonus the players get. A lack ofmaterials for juryrigging should be theexception, not the rule.

Improving Existing AbilitiesThe most common way to jury-rig an item is

to improve one of its existing die codes. For ex-ample, a blaster can be rigged for better damageor an airspeeder can be rigged for more speed.This kind of improvement only enhances a tool'sdie code (for example, a blaster can onlyimprove the damage code this way, while acapital ship turbolaser could have fire control ordamage increased).

An item can be made better by 1D, 2D, or3D. Thus, a sporting blaster's damage can beimproved from 3D+1 to 4D+1, 5D+1, or 6D+1.The maneuverability of an Aratech 74-ZMilitary

Speeder Bike can be improved from 3D+2 to4D+2, 5D+2, or 6D+2.

Jury-rigging requires a successful technologyroll. The difficulty is determined by the degreeof improvement.

Adding New AbilitiesSpecialized devices can be made from spare

parts or an existing item can be modified tohave an ability it never had before (for example,juryrigging a blaster so that the user gets bonusdice to hit a target). Changes of this nature aredescribed on a case-by-case basis in this book,with the difficulty listed in the description.

Equipment FailureJury-rigged equipment has a chance of failure.

The more a piece of equipment is pushed past itsoriginal design specifications, the greater thechance of failure. When someone is using a jury-rigged piece of equipment, he should roll theextra dice gained from the jury-rigging after thedice he would normally roll (alternately, usedifferent colored dice for the normal roll and thejury-rigged dice).

For example, a blaster with a base damage of4D and a jury-rigged additional damage of 1Dwould roll the four dice and then the bonus onedie separately.

If any of the bonus dice come up as a one (1),the jury-rigged device has been pushed beyondits limitations and may break down. Roll on theJury-Rig Breakdown Table.

The bonus dice must always be rolled whenthe jury-rigged device is used. Therefore, thereis always a risk of failure. Bonus dice are neverlost as a result of multiple actions in the sameround.

ProstheticsProsthetics are one of the many wonders of the

Star Wars universe. Prosthetics can replacebadly damaged tissue, limbs, or internal organs.

Other prosthetics actually enhance a person'sabilities, either by allowing him to link directlyto a computer (such as Lobot does) or makinghim stronger or faster.

However, while these prosthetics areavailable, they are not very widely accepted. Theaverage galactic citizen feels that the distinctionbetween being and machine must remaindefinite. As machine intelligence advances, thefeelings of mistrust and fear grow stronger andstronger. The memories of assassin Droids aretoo clear.

This judgment extends to the use of prosthet-ics. People with prosthetic replacements areconsidered a little less than human (or whatevertheir race), and are often viewed with pity ormistrust. Prosthetic recipients reportedly are lessin tune with their natural motivations, attitudesand emotions.

For these reasons, prosthetic recipients oftengo to great lengths to hide artificial limbs andother alterations (Luke Skywalker's artificialhand is a secret to all but his closest friends).

The use of prosthetic enhancements is anabomination to most people. It is widelybelieved that no amount of improvement isworth giving up part of oneself and one's being.Tools are available to make you a better shot orgive you a better computer programming skill -why permanently mutilate yourself?

Enhanced beings often face persecution andcurtailment of common civil rights if the en-hancement is known. Incidents of mental imbal-ance among prosthetic recipients are wellknown. Those with enhancements will often tryto hide the fact to make their comings andgoings less conspicuous.

These cybernetic enhancements are not meantto be a shopping list for characters. Criminalsand others who don't care what society thinkswill be outfitted with this machinery, but theplayers' characters shouldn't be.

Installing ProstheticsBecause of the dangers involved, prosthetics

replacements are closely regulated on mostworlds, with a long counseling and observationperiod mandated for recipients. Prostheticenhancements have been banned or are restrictedto those who can afford very expensive permits.Darth Vader is a well known example of boththe corrupting influence of enhancements andthe ability of the powerful to receive specialprivileges.

Often, individuals seeking enhancementsmust go to renegade doctors and risk receivinginferior equipment. Others, such as Lobot, areable

to secure financing from a large corporation orother wealthy entity. The sponsor assures qual-ity enhancements and psychological counseling,while the recipient must agree to an extendedperiod of servitude. After the period of serviceis completed, the individual is free, but stillfaces discrimination throughout the galaxy. TheEmpire has also covertly equipped some of itsagents with cybernetic enhancements, althoughthe number of agents is unknown.

ReplacementsThe primary use of prosthetics in the Star

Wars universe is to replace limbs and organsdamaged beyond repair. Replacements dupli-cate the abilities of the natural organ or limb.They do not enhance performance in any way.Replacements are fully explained on Datapage29, "Replacement Prosthetics." The cost listed isthe flat fee for the replacement. The cost is notfigured by the pip, as enhancements are, becausereplacements do not increase attributes andskills.

Enhancements`He's more machine, now, than man -twisted,

and evil. "- Obi-Wan Kenobi,

speaking about Darth Vader

Cybernetic enhancements are available to thedesperate of the galaxy. They represent technol-ogy at its twisted worst. The technology im-proves a person's abilities, but reduces theirhumanity. A cybernetic enhancement makes therecipient less empathic toward other beings andincreases his chance to be consumed by theDark Side of the Force.

An enhancement can be an attachment (suchas Lobot's cyborg construct) or a package, whichincreases an attribute and the related skills. Thefollowing section explains the costs forenhancement packages.

Enhancement CostsWhen a person buys an enhancement

package, he increases one attribute by a numberof pips or die codes. Every skill under theattribute increases by the same number of pipsor die codes.

Every package has a base cost. Use thefollowing formula for the attribute and everyskill under the attribute:

Base cost x pip increase x startingdie code of attribute or skill (ignore pips)Each individual skill must be paid for in addi-

tion to the attribute. For purposes of determiningcosts, each full die code of increase equals threepips. The operation must include all skills andthe attribute - a character cannot avoid payingthe full price of the operation.

Temptation of EvilThe use of prosthetics is especially dangerous

to those who believe in and use the Force. Theunnatural combination of man and machinemakes tapping the Force harder, but also opensthe person to the temptations of the Dark Sideonce the Force has been called upon. Each pros-thetic has a set number of cyber points.

When a character calls upon the Force, hemust roll a die. If the number is higher than thecharacter's total cyber points, the Force may beused as described in the game. If the roll is equalto or lower than the point total, the charactercannot use the Force.

Characters with any cyber points receivedouble the normal amount of Dark Side points.

TraumaCharacters with prosthetics also risk severe

mental trauma as a result of becoming part ma-chine. The effects of trauma should be deter-mined on an individual basis by the gamemaster.

Computer LanguagesIn our world, a piece of information is either

in a computer file or it isn't. The computertechnology of the Star Wars universe is verydifferent, thanks to the development of ArtificialIntelligence (AI) brains for Droids. By workingwith Droids, programmers and computerlinguists created what they called Holistic DataTransfers, or HDTs.

HDTs are a means of writing data files in akind of "information shorthand." HDT languagesare so sophisticated they take up very littlememory, but they allow a dataflie to give acomputer user more data about a topic than itactually has.

HDTs build an element of artificialintelligence directly into datafiles. In effect, itmakes a "guess" about the information requestedbased on the data it possesses. The more data itpossesses, the more accurate the deductions andthe broader the scope of the deductions.

The larger the file, the less chance the com-puter will have to guess. Large files can bebroken down into smaller files if necessary.

The Death Star technical readout of lOD (suchas the one carried by R2-D2 in A New Hope)will have just about any information the user islooking for. The file could be broken down intotwo 4D files and a 2D file. Each one of thesesmaller files would have less chance ofproviding the necessary information.

Data in the GameAll files are rated in terms of die codes. For

simplicity there are no pip values - just straightdie codes: 1D, 2D, 3D, 4D, and so on up to 13D.Most

files will have a die code of 4D or less, althougha few files have more complete information.

Computer files are very specific. Examples offiles include the Death Star, X-wing fighters, R2Astromech Droids and Hoth system. The cost forsuch files varies depending upon the importanceof the information and the power of the program.Files with larger die codes are much moreexpensive than smaller files. It will be nearlyimpossible for Rebels to buy a file greater than4D without resorting to underground contactsand other illicit means.

Typical file costs:1D 100 Credits2D 400 Credits3D 600 Credits4D 1,000 Credits5D 4,000 Credits6D 6,000 Credits7D 10,000 Credits8D 40,000 Credits9D 60,000 Credits1OD 100,000 Credits11D 400,000 Credits12D 600,000 Credits13D 1,000,000 Credits

Currents limits of technology do not allowfiles greater than 13D.

In addition to cost, the Rebels must go tosomeplace where they can get the file. A questcould be built around retrieving several differentdatafiles.

Data StorageComputers have a limitation on the amount of

information they can store. Common pocketcomputers can store 5D at most (although manystore less), while portables can store up to 20D.

Computers on capital starships can store up to30D, while planetary computer systems store upto 100D of information.

Reading the FileThe player may make a standard computer

programming roll or have the datafile do thesearch for him. To have the datafile search forinformation, the character needs to make a VeryEasy computer programming roll. If hesucceeds, the computer calls up the datafile. Thegamemaster then sets the difficulty number forgetting the requested information, and theplayer rolls the datafile's die code to see if theinformation is available. If the roll succeeds, thegamemaster gives the information to the player.The Rebel may not spend a Force Point toincrease the value of the roll.

PortablesMost decent computer programmers will be

better at manipulating a datafile than the file isat manipulating itself. With pocket computers (or datapads) and most other computers, thememory die code may be substituted for thecharacter's die code.

However, expensive portable computers ac-tually enhance the programmer's skill by addingadditional dice to the character's computer pro-gramming roll.

Combining FilesCharacters can combine files on the same

topic. Because of the strange computer languageof the Star Wars universe, breaking files downinto small chunks is easy, but reassembling themis hard. To reassemble two files, a computerprogramming roll is required. The difficulty isset by the total die codes of the files that theRebel is trying to combine. Both files must bewithin one die code of each other, and the newfile is increased by only one die.

TotalDie Code Difficulty

2D Easy3D Moderate4D Difficult

5D or more Very DifficultIf the roll is failed, each file loses a die code

of information.For example, a character has a 3D file on

Bespin and another 2D file on Bespin. The diecode total is 5D, so the character must make aVery Difficult computer programming roll tocombine the files. If he succeeds, the newBespin file will be 4D. If he fails, each file willlose a die code, so he will have one 2D file andone 1D file on Bespin.