TSSI - Selected Articles

Compiled from Top Secret/SI Players Guide and Commando

TTTTTTTTOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPP SSSSSSSSEEEEEEEECCCCCCCCRRRRRRRREEEEEEEETTTTTTTT////////SSSSSSSSIIIIIIII SSSSSSSSKKKKKKKKIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSTTTTTTTT SKILL COST BY LEVEL # SKILL ATT 0 1 2 3 4 5 PRE

1

MECHANICAL SKILLS 1 Basic Tool Use MOV 1 - - - - - 2 Carpentry DEX 2 3 4 5 7 9 1 3 Metalworking DEX 4 6 8 10 14 18 1 4 Construction DEX 4 6 8 10 14 18 2 or 3 5 Basic Mechanic DEX 4 6 8 10 14 18 1 6 Aircraft Mechanic DEX 5 8 11 14 20 26 5 7 Electronics* INT 4 6 8 10 14 18 8 Computer Technician* INT 5 8 11 14 20 26 7 9 Nuclear Technician* INT 5 8 11 14 20 26 7

COMBAT SKILLS 1 Blowgun MOV 1 4 7 10 16 22 2 Knife Throwing MOV 2 5 8 11 17 23 3 Spear Throwing MOV 2 5 8 11 17 23 4 Slingshot MOV 1 4 7 10 16 22 5 Bow and Arrow (Archery) DEX 2 5 8 11 17 23 6 Crossbow DEX 2 5 8 11 17 23 7 Basic Firearms DEX 1 - - - - - 8 Pistol DEX 2 5 8 11 17 23 7 8a Off-hand Firing DEX 2 4 6 8 - - 7 9 Rifle DEX 2 5 8 11 17 23 7 9a Sniper Rifle DEX 2 6 10 14 20 26 9 10 Submachinegun DEX 3 7 11 15 23 31 7 11 Shotgun DEX 2 5 8 11 17 23 7 12 Hand Grenade DEX 1 3 5 7 11 15 12a Grenade Launcher DEX 1 3 5 7 11 15 7 13 Basic Heavy Weapons DEX 2 - - - - - 7 14 Machinegun DEX 2 5 8 11 17 23 13 15 Recoilless Rifle DEX 3 7 11 15 23 31 13 16 Rocket Launcher MOV 3 7 11 15 23 31 13 17 Mortar INT 3 7 11 15 23 31 13 18 Tank Gun* INT 4 8 12 16 24 32 13 19 Artillery* INT 5 10 15 20 30 40 13 20 Missile* INT 5 10 15 20 30 40 13

21 Basic Melee STR

or DEX

1 - - - - -

22 Club/Ax/Blackjack STR 1 3 5 7 11 15 21

23 Knife DEX

or STR

1 4 7 10 16 22 21

23a Silent Kill INT 1 - - - - - 23 24 Fencing DEX 3 7 11 15 23 31 21 25 Sword MOV 2 6 10 14 22 30 21 26 Spear/Staff MOV 1 4 7 10 16 22 21 27 Boxing* STR 2 5 8 11 17 23 21 28 Oriental Martial Arts* MOV 3 7 11 15 23 31 21 29 Wrestling* MOV 3 7 11 15 23 31 21



2

SPECIALTY SKILLS 1 Ballistics* INT 3 6 9 12 18 24 2 Concealment INT 2 4 6 8 12 16 3 Cryptography INT 2 6 10 14 22 30 4 Demolitions* DEX 4 6 8 10 14 18 4a Atomic Demolitions Munitions* INT 4 10 16 22 30 38 4 4b Advanced Demolitions* DEX 4 - - - - - 4 4c Booby Traps INT 2 6 10 14 20 26 5 Disguise INT 3 6 9 12 18 24 6 Fingerprinting INT 3 6 9 12 18 24 7 Forgery DEX 4 8 12 16 24 32 8 Interrogation WIL 1 3 5 7 11 15 9 Lockpicking* DEX 4 7 10 13 19 25 10 Pickpocket REF 4 7 10 13 19 25 11 Safecracking* INT 5 9 13 17 25 33 12 Shadowing WIL 2 4 6 8 12 16 13 Stealth MOV 2 4 6 8 12 16 14 Surveillance INT 2 4 6 8 12 16 15 Survival 15a Arctic WIL 1 3 5 7 11 15 15b Jungle WIL 1 3 5 7 11 15 15c Desert WIL 1 3 5 7 11 15 15d Temperate WIL 1 3 5 7 11 15 15e Bush WIL 1 3 5 7 11 15 16 Tracking INT 2 4 6 8 12 16 16a Counter-tracking INT 2 - - - - - 16 17 Cartography INT 2 - - - - - 18 Forward Observer INT 1 3 5 7 11 15 19 Radar* INT 3 7 11 15 21 27 20 Sonar* INT 3 7 11 15 21 27 21 STANO INT 1 3 5 7 11 15

GENERAL SKILLS 1 Acting INT 2 5 8 11 17 23 2 Animal Training WIL 2 4 6 8 12 16 2a Animal Handling WIL 1 3 5 7 10 13 3 Climbing MOV 2 5 8 11 17 23 3a Rappelling MOV 1 3 5 7 11 15 4 Driving/Automobile DEX 1 4 7 10 16 22 5 Driving/Truck DEX 1 4 7 10 16 22 4 6 Driving/Motorcycle DEX 1 4 7 10 16 22 7 Driving/Off-Road Vehicle DEX 1 3 5 7 11 15 4 8 Driving/Snowmobile DEX 1 3 5 7 11 15 9 Driving/Boat DEX 1 3 5 7 11 15 9a Small Craft Handling DEX 1 2 3 4 6 8 10 Driving/Heavy Machinery DEX 3 6 9 12 18 24 5 11 Driving/Tank DEX 5 8 11 14 20 26 10



3

12 Fine Arts DEX 1 4 7 10 16 22 13 First Aid INT 2 5 8 11 17 23 14 Fishing INT 1 3 5 7 11 15 15 Horsemanship MOV 2 5 8 11 17 23 16 Hypnosis* WIL 5 8 11 14 20 26 17 Lip Reading INT 3 6 9 12 18 24 18 Mimicry INT 4 6 8 10 14 18 19 Musical Instrument INT 1 4 7 10 16 22 20 Navigation INT 4 6 8 10 14 18 20a Orienteering INT 1 3 5 7 11 15 21 Parachuting MOV 2 5 8 11 17 23 21a HALO MOV 1 - - - - - 21 21b Rough Terrain Jumping MOV 1 - - - - - 21 22 Photography INT 1 4 7 10 16 22 22a Photo Analysis INT 1 3 5 7 11 15 23 Piloting/Single-Engine DEX 3 7 11 15 23 31 23a Instrument Flying INT 2 5 8 11 19 27 23 23b Nap of Earth Flying/Airplane DEX 3 7 11 15 21 27 23 24 Piloting/Multi-Engine DEX 4 9 14 19 29 39 23 25 Piloting/Helicopter DEX 3 7 11 15 23 31 23 25a Piloting/Gunship DEX 4 9 14 19 29 39 25 25b Nap of Earth Flying/Helicopter DEX 2 5 8 11 17 23 25 26 Piloting/Large Helicopter DEX 4 9 14 19 29 39 25 27 Piloting/Jet DEX 5 10 15 20 30 40 23 28 Piloting/Multi-Engine Jet DEX 5 10 15 20 30 40 27 29 Piloting/Space Shuttle DEX 5 10 15 20 30 40 28 30 Radio Operator INT 1 2 3 4 6 8 31 Sailing DEX 1 3 5 7 11 15 32 SCUBA Diving INT 1 3 5 7 11 15 32a EMERSON INT 1 3 5 7 11 15 32 33 Sign Language INT 4 6 8 10 14 18 34 Skiing MOV 2 5 8 11 17 23 35 Sleight of Hand REF 4 7 10 13 19 25 36 Social Chameleon INT 1 3 5 7 11 15 37 Speed Reading* INT 3 7 11 15 23 31 38 Stage Magic* DEX 5 10 15 20 30 40 35 39 Swimming MOV 1 4 7 10 16 22 40 Throwing DEX 1 3 5 7 11 15 41 Ventriloquism* INT 4 8 12 16 24 32 42 Area Knowledge INT 2 4 6 8 12 16 43 Contact 4 - - - - - 44 STABO DEX 1 - - - - -

EDUCATION SKILLS 1 Basic Liberal Arts* INT 2 - - - - - 2 Anthro/Psych/Soc* INT 1 3 5 7 11 15 1 3 Business Economics* INT 1 3 5 7 11 15 1



4

4 History/PoliSci* INT 1 3 5 7 11 15 1 5 Lit/Journalism* INT 1 3 5 7 11 15 1 6 Philosophy/Religion* INT 1 3 5 7 11 15 1 7 Basic Science* INT 2 - - - - - 8 Astronomy/Math/Physics* INT 2 5 8 11 17 23 7 9 Biology/Botany/Zoology* INT 2 5 8 11 17 23 7 10 Chemistry* INT 2 5 8 11 17 23 7 11 Engineer/Civ/Elec/Mech* INT 2 5 8 11 17 23 7 12 Law* INT 2 5 8 11 17 23 4 13 Medicine* INT 2 6 10 14 22 30 9 14 Surgeon* DEX 3 8 13 18 28 38 13

LANGUAGE SKILLS 1 Language (new family) INT 4 5 6 7 8 12 2 Language ( same family) INT 2 3 4 5 6 10 1 3 Language (same group) INT 1 2 3 4 5 8 2

LANGUAGE GROUPS Family Group Languages Germanic Anglic English West Germanic German, Dutch, Yiddish, Flemish North Germanic Danish, Swedish, Norwegian Romance East Romance Italian, Romanian West Romance Spanish, French, Portuguese Old Romance Latin Celtic Goidelic Scots Gaelic Brythonic Welsh, Irish Gaelic Greek Greek Greek Balto-Slavic Baltic Lithuanian, Latvian East Slavic Russian West Slavic Polish, Czech, Slovak South Slavic Serbo-Croat, Bulgarian, Slovenian, Macedonian Albanian Albanian Albanian Armenian Armenian Armenian Indo-Iranian Indic Hindi-Urdu, Bengali, Romany (Gypsy) Iranian Taijik, Parsi (Persian) Caucasian South Caucasian Georgian Sino-Tibetan Sinitic Mandarin1, Cantonese1 Tibeto-Burman Thai, Burmese Semito-Hamitic Semitic Arabic, Hebrew Hamitic Berber, Hausa Dravidian Dravidian Tamil Japanese Japanese Japanese Altaic Turkic Turkish, Azerbaijani, Uzbek, Kazakh, Tartar, Chuvash, Kirzig, Turkoman Ulgric Hungarian Finnic Finnish, Estonian, Mordavian Vietnamese Vietnamese Vietnamese Mon-Khmer Mon-Khmer Cambodian Korean Korean Korean Bantu Bantu Swahili Mayalo-Polynesian W. Mayalo-Polynesian Malay-Indonesian Amerindian South Amerindian Maya Athabascan Navaho Uto-Aztecan Nahuati 1: These two languages are mutually unintelligible in their spoken form, but are 100% intelligible in their written form.

A Swing and a HitAdditional combat techniques for the TOP SECRET/S.I. game

By Gary Van Binsbergen

The hand-to-hand fighting styles in the TOPSECRET/S.I. game allow for both realism andvariety. Agents are able to learn Boxing, OrientalMartial Arts, or Wrestling talents. Each of thesefighting styles has several special techniques foragents to use. The Combat Techniques Chartfound on page 78 of the Player's Guide lists 14different techniques that will cover most situationsin the game.

This list, however, is not complete. Secretagents always find themselves in predicamentsthat are not covered by the rules. It is then up tothe Administrator to resolve the situation at hand.One way to do this is to design additional combattechniques that are well balanced and addexcitement to your game.

This article offers several new techniques toadd to your campaign, each dealing with a varietyof situations not dealt with in the Player's Guide.For example, what if an agent is defending himselfagainst the wielder of a spear and decides tobreak the spear in half? What if an agent psychesherself up for a battle to the death? What if anagent wants to fake out his opponent in the middleof a fight? Some sort of bonus should be giventoward each agent's attacks.

These situations can be dealt with by addingnew techniques to your campaign. The formatused in this article is taken from Bruce Onder'sarticle, "Up Close and Personal," found inDRAGON issue #135. Unlike the presentation ofcombat techniques in the Player's Guide, bothBruce's article and this one have inclusions forLucky and Bad Breaks. In order to determinewhich fighting style each technique falls under, theCombat Techniques Chart on page 78 of thePlayer's Guide has been reproduced here for yourconvenience. The new techniques are listed withthose from the earlier article, "Up Close andPersonal."

Choke hold: This technique enables the agentto render an opponent unconscious, andeventually dead, by grasping the person aroundthe throat and applying pressure. The opponent

must be on the ground in order to use thistechnique.

The choke hold is attempted at a -30% penaltyto the attacker's chance of success. Oncegrasped, the victim suffers 1d6 points of CONdamage. Each turn the hold is applied, asuccessful skill check at full ability must be madein order to inflict another 1d6 points of damage. Ifthe skill check is failed, 1-3 points of damage areinflicted that turn.

When enough damage has been inflicted toreduce the victim's CON score to half normal, thevictim must make a CON check at his CON'scurrent total. If this check is failed, the victim fallsunconscious; if not, the struggle continues. Whenthe character's CON reaches one quarter normal,another CON check at that level is made. If theroll fails, the opponent finally falls unconscious. Ifthe CON check is successful, the victim continuestrying to break the hold. should the victim's CONreach zero, he dies. In order to break the hold, thevictim is allowed a one-quarter skill check everyturn, using either Basic Melee, Boxing, OrientalMartial Arts, or Wrestling. The results follow:

Success: The escape is successful, and id6points of CON damage are inflicted on theattacker.

Lucky Break: The victim escapes and inflicts2d6 points of damage on the attacker.

Failure: The escape attempt fails completely,or 1-3 additional points of damage are inflicted bythe attacker.

Bad Break: The escape fails, and the victimloses his orientation, taking a turn to recover.

Crushing Blow: This technique is used tobreak materials such as wood and brick. Forevery 1" of wood, or every " of brick throughwhich the agent must strike, the agent suffers a -10% penalty to his attack roll. When striking suchmaterials, the agent suffers one point of bruisedamage to either his hand or foot, whichever theagent used. For every 1" of wood or every 14' ofbrick beyond the initial amount, another point ofbruise damage is taken.

Success: The agent breaks the desiredmaterial.

Lucky Break: The agent breaks the materialand suffers no bruise damage.

Failure: The agent fails to break the material.Bad Break: The agent suffers twice the

amount of bruise damage and fails to break thematerial.

Disarm: This technique allows the agent todisarm another person by knocking a weapon outof his opponent's hands. The agent might beusing a weapon himself.

If the agent uses a weapon to disarm anopponent, the skill check is calculated differently.Because the agent is using both his weapon anda close-combat fighting style, inclusion for bothskills must be made. Add his weapon skill and his close-combat fighting style together. Apenalty of -20 % is then subtracted from this total(this penalty is the usual inclusion for using aspecial technique). An agent cannot disarm anopponent if the agent is not skilled with theweapon he is using. The agent cannot use theweapon at default or use the Basic Melee skillwith this technique.

If the agent does not use a weapon to disarmhis opponent, a successful skill check at a -20%penalty must be made. If successful, the agentmust use either his hands or feet to knock theopponent's weapon away.

Success: The agent disarms the opponent,and the weapon lands 2d6 feet away from itswielder.

Lucky Break: The agent disarms theopponent as per "Success." The opponent is sosurprised that he may take no action on thefollowing turn.

Failure: The disarm attempt fails, and theopponent retains his weapon.

Bad Break: The grip on the agent's ownweapon, if any, is lost, and that weapon lands 1d6feet away. If the agent wasn't using a weapon, theagent throws himself off balance and must take aturn to recover.

Feint: An agent using this technique isattempting to fake out his opponent on the firstturn, then follow up the next turn by striking withtotal surprise. The feint technique itself does nodamage, but the attack made on the following turnreceives a bonus.

The feint technique is attempted at a -20%penalty to the agent's chance of success. Ifsuccessful, the agent follows it up on the next turnby using another special technique. This second

technique does not suffer its normal penalty, butinstead is performed at a +10% bonus. The playermust announce that this special technique willfollow the feint prior to using the feint technique.The feint is not useful until the agent hasmastered 2nd level in his melee style.

Success: The feint works, and the agent mayuse the upcoming technique at a +10% bonus.

Lucky Break: The feint works so well that theupcoming technique may be attempted at a +20%bonus.

Failure: The feint technique fails, and theagent must attack the following turn using thetechnique previously announced. This techniqueis attempted at its full penalty listed within itsdescription.

Bad Break: The feint fails so badly that theagent loses the next turn and must spend the timegetting repositioned.

Incapacitate: The agent using this techniqueweakens his opponent's joints, such as the knees,elbows, and shoulders, by delivering smashingblows to those areas. A successful attack causesthe opponent to make all further attacks anddefenses at a -10% penalty. Using this techniqueseveral times in a row has cumulative effects. Theeffects of each use of this technique last one totwo turns, plus additional turns equal to theagent's level. The technique is applied at a -20%penalty.

Success: The attack succeeds, and theopponent must attack and defend with the abovepenalty.

Lucky Break: The attack succeeds as per"Success The duration of the penalty is doubled.

Failure: The agent fails to make a successfulattack.

Bad Break: The attack misses, and theagent's next initiative is made at a -5 penalty.

Meditation: This technique may be usedbefore and after a fight by those agents withOriental Martial Arts skill. If used before a fight,the agent must spend at least one hour in ameditative state. At the end of the meditation, theagent must make an Oriental Martial Arts skillcheck at a -30% penalty. If successful, the agentmay make all subsequent Oriental Martial Artsattacks in the next hour at a +10% bonus. If anyspecial techniques are used, they are performedat half their normal penalty. The duration of a fightis at the Administrator's discretion. If may be asingle fight or a series of brief encounters in oneextended battle.

When this technique is used after a fight, itallows the agent to heal damage taken. If theagent must make a successful skill check at a -30% penalty, he is able to heal 1d6 points ofbruise damage or 1d3 points of wound damage toany area desired. The player may decide whetherwound or bruise damage is healed. This healingmay only be used once per fight and will neverheal more damage than was taken in thatparticular fight. This technique may only be usedto restore the agent's hit points, not anotherperson's.

Success: The meditation works and has theaforementioned effects.

Lucky Break: The agent's attacks are made ata +15% bonus, as opposed to the usual +10%bonus, or all special techniques are attempted ata -5% penalty. If the special technique being usedhas a normal penalty of -10%, the technique isattempted without penalty. If the Lucky Break isrolled when restoring damage, the agent heals anextra two points of damage.

Failure: The meditation fails and provides nobonuses to the Oriental Martial Arts skill checks,or the agent fails to heal any damage sustained inthe fight.

Bad Break: The agent is preoccupied duringthe fight and makes all Oriental Martial Arts skillchecks at a -10% penalty. If the agent attemptsany special techniques, an additional -10%penalty is applied. Agents who try to healthemselves fail. Bruise damage of 1d6 pointsrequires an extra hour to heal, or wound damageof 1-3 points requires an extra day to heal.

Weapon: The technique allows the agent touse a weapon against an opponent whileemploying the Oriental Martial Arts skill. Theagent is able to attack twice in one turn, once withthe weapon and once with the Oriental MartialArts skill.

Because he is using both a weapon and anOriental Martial Arts, inclusion for both skills mustbe made. Add his weapon skill to his OrientalMartial Arts skill; the result is the agent's chanceof success.

The player must announce prior to initiativewhich attack will come first and which will besecond. The first attack is made at a -20%penalty, and the second attack is made at a -30%penalty. When the Oriental Martial Arts attack ismade, no special techniques are allowed; onlynormal punches and kicks are performed.

The agent must be skilled with the weapon heemploys; he may not use a weapon at default orwith the Basic Melee skill. The Administrator must

determine which weapons are usable withOriental Martial Arts. No ranged weapons areallowed because the agent is in hand-to-handcombat.

Success: The attack is successful.Lucky Break: If the Lucky Break occurs on the

first attack, the second attack is made at a -20%penalty instead of -30%. If the Lucky Break isrolled on the second attack, the opponent suffersa -5 penalty to the next initiative roll.

Failure: The attack misses, and the secondattack is still allowed at its normal penalty.

Bad Break: If the Bad Break occurs on thefirst attack, the agent has overextended and loseshis second attack. If the Bad Break is rolled on thesecond attack, the agent suffers a -5 penalty tohis next initiative roll.

Weapon display: An agent using thistechnique is able to twirl his weapon in circles,over his head, under his arms, and behind hisback in an attempt to impress or intimidate theirenemy. The agent must be skilled with theweapon being used. Weapon Display cannot beused at default or with the Basic Melee skill. Inorder to determine the agent's chance of success,add his Oriental Martial Arts skill to hisweapon skill.

This technique is attempted at a -20% penalty.If the agent's skill check is successful, theopponent must make a WIL check to resistwatching the weapon display. If the WIL checkfails, the opponent must watch the entire display,which takes 2d4 turns. If the WIL check succeeds,the opponent may ignore the weapon display andattack the agent without pause. The agent maythen discontinue the display, and initiative isdetermined normally.

In the event that the WIL check fails, the agentproceeds with the weapon display. Once thedisplay is over, the opponent must then make a WIL check in order to enter the fight right away. Ifthis WIL check is failed, the enemy is not ableto attack or defend for another turn, enabling theagent to attack or perform some other actionduring that time. if the WIL check is successful,the opponent may enter the fight immediately.

Success: The agent has either intimidated orimpressed the enemy and delayed that person'sactions as above. A successful roll also allows theagent a free attack or other action if the enemy's WIL check is failed.

Lucky Break: The opponent is so intimidatedthat not only is the entire display watched, but theperson will not take action against the agent untila successful WIL check is made. The opponent

is allowed a WIL check every turn. Once thecheck is made, the individual may react normally.

Failure: The agent fails to impress orintimidate the opponent. The individual ignoresthe agent's efforts and attacks immediately.

Bad Break: The opponent attacks, and theagent must spend a turn repositioning theweapon. A skill check at full ability must be made.If failed, the agent drops the displayed weapon,and it lands 2d4 feet away.

Withstand blow: This technique allows theagent to be mentally prepared for a blow, therebytaking less damage. This technique is most usefulfor agents who have no other alternative and areunable to defend themselves, such as duringinterrogation when the agent is tied up. The agentis not able to take any other action during thisturn.

The technique is attempted at a -20% penalty.if successful, the agent suffers half damage fromthe blow (all fractions are rounded downward). Ifmultiple attacks are made against the agent withinthe same turn, the player is able to choose whichattack the agent attempts to withstand. When thistechnique is used against another technique,damage is halved as above, as is any duration ofthe effects from that technique.

Success: The agent suffers half damage fromthe opponent's blow.

Lucky Break: The agent makes one quarterdamage from the attack.

Failure: The agent takes the damage rolledon the die.

Bad Break: The blow was not prepared for,and the agent was struck for an additional twopoints of damage.

TOP SECRET/S.I. Revised Combat Techniques Chart

Technique Boxing Wrestling Martial artsAttack/Defend XBlind fighting X X XChoke hold XCrushing blow XDisarm X XDrop X XFeint X X XHold X XIncapacitate X X XInstant defense XInstant stand X XKnock down X X XLeap X XMeditation XMulti-attacks X XMulti-defense X X XStun X XSurprise action XThrow X XVital areas X XWeapon XWeapon display XWithstand blow X X X

There Are No Generic Black BeltsDefend yourself with variety in TOP SECRET/S.I. games

By Mark E. Smith

The TOP SECRET/S.I. game offers aworld of choices to the novice agent. Does heneed a handgun? There are pages of pistols tochoose from. Does she want a new set ofwheels? Everything from an Aston Martin to aYugo can be had, although options like airconditioning, tinted glass, and machine guns areextra. Fighting styles? Well, you have boxing,wrestling, and Oriental martial arts.

But what if your agent is a French ballerinawith a background in savate, or an Indonesiantrained in pentjak-silat? "Oriental martial arts"doesn't cover these possibilities. Even if youragent is trained in a fighting style from the FarEast, doesn't he deserve to know which stylehe's using? Imagine how these lines wouldsound in your campaign:

Lance: "Go ahead and get the car, Maggie.I'll take care of these guys."

Maggie: "But Lance, there are three of themand only one of you!'

Lance: "Don't worry about me. I'm a second-degree black belt in an Oriental martial art. Nowgo!'

Clearly, this is not the stuff of which greatdialog is made.

Another problem is raised by the methodused by an established character who wishes togain these fighting skills. Suppose Maggiedecides that she's tired of waiting for Lance torescue her. So she spends three Fame &Fortune points and, come time for the nextadventure, she's ready to tangle with the best ofthem.

What did she do, check out a couple ofkarate books from the library over the weekend?Not only does this method clash with reality, butit also cheats both player and Administrator outof the fun of roleplaying the climb from bumbling

beginner to trained fighter with the possibility ofspecializing in one style.

To avoid these problems, consider the followingsuggestions:

1. Allow established players to choose a styleof fighting and gain zero level one F&F pointat a time.

2. Let each player explore the possible martial-arts styles and choose one that fits hischaracter's background.

Let us assume that Maggie wishes to studygoju-ryu. She invests one F&F point and now mayuse this style of fighting ,at MOV (after all, she isonly a beginner).She now must play at least oneadventure before raising her skill level. At this level,she is probably more of a danger to herself than toanyone else, but a kindly Administrator may presenther with a chance to try her new skill-on a lockeddoor that must be opened quickly, for instance, oron a generic purse snatcher. It would be easier tojust pull a gun and start blasting away, but notnearly as much fun.

Adventure over, Maggie may now invest anotherpoint, raising her skill to MOV. Surviving the nextassignment, she may invest her third point for goju-ryu at her full MOV value, as described in thePlayer's Guide. For the sake of categorizing herlevel of skill, let us assume that zero level is equalto a red or brown belt (the level just below black).This means that she is familiar with the basic formsand movements of her chosen style. Her fighting isgood, but she is a long way from being an expert.

At level one, the character is considered a first-degree black belt, able to fight well and perform allbasic techniques and some advanced ones. Butcontrary to popular opinion, he is not considered anexpert in his art. Rather, he is regarded as anadvanced student.

At second and third levels, the agent is trained inall basic techniques and many advanced ones. He

may be able to teach his art at this point, but thetitle "expert" still does not apply.

A fourth-level agent is almost certainly ableto teach his martial-arts style and may, in fact,instruct other player characters. In this context,he may be able to give advice to lower-levelcharacters, helping them to fight at skill leveleven in the heat of battle. (See "Getting Adviceon Skills" in the Player's Guide, page 35.)

Only at fifth level can the term "expert" beapplied to the agent. Further promotion is notpossible, however, unless the agent leaves hisorganization and devotes his full time to trainingand teaching his art.

A second advantage of dividing up fightingstyles is that agents may study several styles,giving them different skill levels and offering theoption of specialization.

Case in point: Bill Klinger has a first-degreeblack belt in judo, but his real love is the Koreanart of hapkido, in which he holds a third-degreeblack belt. While he is able to hold, throw, andchoke using judo, he would rather fight with thekicks and strikes of his favored art; he may evendecide to specialize in this style, which wouldgive him + 10 to all hapkido techniques andspecial abilities at the cost of -20 when he useshis other styles. This is a decision that he mustweigh carefully.

Another decision the player must make iswhether or not to create a martial-artistcharacter. The point cost is high and the presentreturn is low. The Player's Guide states thateach additional skill level gives the PC +5 to theappropriate attribute score, which gives the PC amotive to gain levels. For example, a player whowishes his character to have a third-level pistolskill invests 12 points. Now his character can fireany pistol at +15 and his skill level.

But let's look at the cost of a martial artistcharacter Between basic melee, four levels ofOriental martial arts, and three specialtechniques (two to six points apiece), the costcomes to 31 points, far over the cost of the pistolskill. Clearly, the player who chooses to create amartial-artist character deserves more for hispoints. For this reason, I recommend that themartial-arts PC be allowed to:

1. Gain +5 per skill level, as per the Player'sGuide.

2. Gain a damage bonus of one point per skilllevel. (Believe me, being kicked by a brownbelt is not the same as being kicked by afifth-degree black belt.)

3. Be able to use spinning and flying kicks foradditional damage should their chosenstyles utilize such techniques.

4. Gain the advantages of ki, as detailedbelow.

Spinning kicks are used by several styles ofmartial arts, notably tae kwan do and hapkido.These kicks are delivered with either a half or fullspin of the body. Spinning kicks can be performedfrom any position and are very powerful becausethe force of the kick is combined with the force ofthe spin. In game terms, this amounts to anadditional 1-4 points of damage. Unfortunately,spinning kicks are also slow, and the agent musttake his eyes off his opponent, if only for an instant.The disadvantages have these effects:

Using a spin kick has a -10 modifier to the attackroll (with the exception of those arts that specializein these kicks). Upon throwing such a kick, no othermovements, either offensive or defensive, may beused, and the initiative for the following turn is lost.

Flying kicks are the most impressive tools in themartial artist's arsenal. The sight of a karatekasailing through the air toward his opponent usuallycauses the opponent to either freeze or runbackward to escape the attack. (Neither response iseffective.)

Unfortunately, should the agent miss hisintended target, he has little control of just where helands. The Administrator should calculate themovement value and see how far past the targetthe agent flies. Stairways, walls, and office furnitureall make interesting collision possibilities. On thepositive side, flying kicks are very powerful (add 1-6points to damage) and look great. To use the flyingkick, one must have the special technique Leap. Aflying spinning kick can gain damage bonuses forspinning (1-4) and for flying (1-6), but the playerwould also have to add both penalties as well (-20for the leap and - 20 for the spinning kick).

Ki (or chi) means breath or "spirit,' and is used inmost martial arts as well as in everyday life. Beachdown and pick up a heavy box. The first thing youdo is grunt as you lift it-you have just used ki. But ki,as used by the martial artist, does much more than

that. With ki, more power is obtained for attacks,damage from an opponent's attack is reduced,unusual actions are attempted and achieved,and opponents are startled into immobility. Thelast is covered under the Surprise Action specialtechnique in the Player's Guide, page 79.

Other uses of ki can be put into game terms.A karate practitioner (karateka) usually yells(kiaps) when he attacks. This concentrates hisforce, both mentally and physically, on the objectbeing struck. Also, a karateka who is about to behit can kiap. This tightens his muscles andreduces the damage from the attack. (Needproof? Poke your finger into your stomach. Nowgrunt and try it. Feel the difference?) Somemartial-arts styles perform breathing exercisesthat allow this effect to last for minutes ratherthan seconds.

In TOP SECRET/S.I. games, the gameeffects of a kiap are as follows:

1. Any character with martial-arts abilitymay kiap during any attack. This addsone point of damage to a successfulattack.

2. Any character with martial-arts abilitymay kiap as part of his defensemovement. The intention to yell must beannounced before the opponent's attackroll is made. If the attack is successful,two points of bruise damage areremoved from the total damage taken. Ifthe attack fails, the character merelymakes a lot of noise. This brings us toanother point about the kiap: It is loud.Treat it as a gunshot in terms ofattracting unwanted attention.

3. A character with martial-arts training mayfocus his ki in an attempt to achieve anunusual physical action, such as kickingout the window of a sinking car orbreaking a pair of handcuffs. Using ki inthis manner gains a 1-5 bonus per skilllevel, added to whatever roll is beingattempting (the bonus is decided by theAdministrator). For example, kicking outthe window of a sinking car would be at +5 bonus per level, while breakinghandcuffs would probably be at a + 1 perlevel-an excellent time to invest a luckpoint.

4. Any character with martial-arts trainingmay attempt to drive off an attacker byusing a kiap in conjunction with an

attack. Should the attack fail, the opponentmust make a WIL check or flee (see theAdministrator's Guide, page 27, "ThugTactics"). Should the attack succeed ineither killing or stunning one opponent, anyremaining opponents must make WILchecks. Note: This may be used only on thefirst attack of an encounter, and it is effectiveagainst only those using Thug Tactics.Against more motivated foes, this techniquesingles out the PC agent as someone to bedealt with quickly and at a distance.

Now, let's look at several fighting styles, Orientaland otherwise, and at the accompanying specialtechniques and advantages they offer.

Arnis -- Originally known as kali, arnis is themartial art of the Philippines. Techniques areperformed empty-handed or using a stick or blade.An akan (male black-belt holder; a female of thisrank is known as a dayang) can use a stick, cane,knife, and kicking and striking techniques in anycombination. Agents choosing arnis as a fightingstyle get both knife fighting and ax/club/blackjackskills at no cost. Also, because the art stressesalertness to the point of learning not to blink forextended periods of time, PCs gain a +5 bonus totheir checks to avoid surprise. Finally, it is a maximin arnis that "the hands of an opponent are like thefangs of a snake: break them and he cannot harmyou!' Thus, attacks to areas 6 and 7 are at + 10.

Special techniques: Attack/Defend, Drop,Instant Defense, Multiple Attack, Multiple Defense,Stun, Surprise Action, Vital Areas.

Capoeira -- The national (though unofficial)gymnastic art of Brazil, capoeira was developed inthe 16th century by slaves who converted aceremonial dance into a form of combat. Unusualtechniques include standing on the hands whilefighting with the feet (this stems from the slaves'need to defend themselves while in chains).Capoeira makes great use of the Surprise Actiontechnique. Between the spinning kicks and thebizarre attacks, an opponent may not even knowthat he is in danger until it's too late. For gamepurposes, the Surprise Action technique starts at -10 rather than - 20.

Special techniques: Instant Defense, InstantStand, Knock Down, Multiple Defense, MultipleAttacks, Stun, Surprise Action.

Gaju-Ryu -- This art was developed in the1930s in Japan, when "hard" and "soft" styles werecombined to create a new fighting style. Goju-ryu

uses low stances and a circular line of force incombination with all standard strikes and kicks.Goju-ryu uses both flying and spinning kicks,although hand attacks are preferred. Trainingincludes concentration and breathing exercisesthat give the user the same damage reductionadvantage as ki, but the effects last as long asthe character maintains his concentration.

Special techniques: Attack/Defend,Blindfighting, Drop, Instant Defense, KnockDown, Stun, Surprise Action, Vital Areas.

Hapkido -- This is a Korean art thatcombines the throwing and holding tactics ofjujitsu with the kicking and striking techniques ofkarate. Students are trained to avoid an initialattack and counter where most effective.Advanced students train with cane fighting aswell. Hapkido uses holding and throwingtechniques as effectively as does jujitsu, andspinning and flying kicks are also used. PCschoosing hapkido gain the staff/spear skill foruse with the cane only.

Special techniques: Attack/Defend, Blind-fighting, Hold, Instant Defense, Multiple Attack,Multiple Defense, Stun, Surprise Action, Throw,Vital Areas.

Ishinryu -- This combat form originated inOkinawa. Fancy techniques, high kicks, andwasted motion have all been eliminated toproduce a fast, hard-hitting, no-nonsensefighting style. Agents using ishinryu gain a +10bonus on all kicks thrown at body areas 3, 8,and 9; this reflects the practical low-kickapproach of this style.

Special techniques: Attack/Defend, Drop,Hold, Instant Defense, Knock Down, MultipleAttacks, Multiple Defense, Surprise Action, VitalAreas.

Jujitsu -- The traditional martial art a ofJapan, jujitsu employs kicking, striking, kneeingthrowing, choking, joint locking, holding, andtying, as well as the use of certain weapons. Thename means "art of suppleness andgentleness". Jujitsu kicks are generally low(anykicks above the waist are at - 21 to hit), butjujitsu's greatest effect is in using holding andthrowing techniques to do wounding damage toan opponent.

For example: Miko is a third-degree blackbelt in jujitsu. Using Surprise Action, shesucceeds in placing Sheperd in a hold. As sheused surprise, she gets a + 2 damage bonus.She then does one point of damage, using kiap

for another one point bonus. To this she. adds threepoints of rank bonus for a total of seven points ofwounding damage to Shepherd's arm. On the nextturn she plans to throw him, then stamp kick whenhe lands, leaving Shepherd with a broken arm andmultiple bruises. Had Miko chosen to attackShepherd's neck instead of his arm, she could haveused the unarmed Silent Kill technique as set forthin the TOP SECRET/S.I, supplement, Commando.

Special techniques: Blindfighting, Drop, Hold,Instant Stand, Stun, Throw, Multiple Attacks, VitalAreas.

Kobu-jutsu -- This is the Okinawan art of usingthe staff (bo), short sword (sai), sickle (kama),handle (tonfa), and flail (nunchaka). Kobu-jutsushould be taken only as a second form of fighting,as its movements are based on empty-handedmovements that it is assumed the student hasalready learned. Ratings for the weapons of kobu-jutsu are listed in the TOP SECRET/S.I. accessoryThe G4 File, with the exception of the kama (whichdoes 1-6 points of bruise damage).

Mu-Tau -- developed from the ancient Greekfighting style of pankration, mu-tau uses low kicks,boxing techniques, holds, and jointbreaks. Mu-tauphilosophy advocates free expression, allowing thestudents to select the aspects of the style mostsuited to them. As a result, any of the specialtechniques may apply, depending on the student'schoices. Mu-tau practitioners gain + 10 on all kicksto areas 8 and 9, and gain the ability to use the holdspecial technique as does jujitsu.

Special techniques: All.

Pentjak silat -- Pentjak silat is a group name forthe fighting arts of Indonesia (over 150 styles exist).Head, hands, feet, fingers, and hips are used in thisstyle, much as in karate, but many blade weaponsare also employed. Pentjak silat practitioners gainboth knife and staff skills. In addition, they alsogain the use of the rante, a chain weapon with asharp, gearlike end.

Special techniques: Blindfighting, InstantDefense, Multiple Attack, Multiple Defense, Stun,Vital Areas.

Savate -- Created over 200 years ago by Frenchsailors who had visited the Orient, savate hasconstantly upgraded itself so that it is now a popularand effective sport and self-defense system.Savate uses both high and low kicks, boxing-stylehand strikes, and the cane as a weapon. Savateuses the Multiple Attack special technique by half (-10 for the first attack, -15 for the second, etc.)

These abilities are rounded out with the additionof spinning kicks and staff skills (using the caneonly).

Special techniques: Attack/Defend,Blindfighting, Knock Down, Multiple Attack,Multiple Defense, Vital Areas.

Tae-Kwan-Do -- This Korean-based art,once almost unknown, is now the most popularfighting style in the world. Although thespectacular flying and spinning kicks are theart's claim to fame, it also uses numerous hand-attack techniques. It should be noted that afterthe 1988 Olympics in Seoul, the chances areexcellent that this art will become an Olympicsport.

Tae kwan do makes great use of kickingtechniques, which are introduced early intraining. For this reason, all kicking attacks areat +10 and there is no penalty for spinning kicks.

Special techniques: Attack/Defend, InstantDefense, Knock Down, Leap, Multiple Attacks,Multiple Defense, Stun, Surprise Action, VitalAreas.

Thai boxing (Muay thai) -- This is thenational fighting art of Thailand. Students workout daily, and all matches are full contact, so thisart should appeal to those agents with theToughness advantage (and the tougher thebetter). For every level a character gains in thisart, he also gains a level of Toughness.However, should the PC break training for morethan two weeks, he loses these points at a rateof one per week. Points lost may be regained atthe same rate when training resumes. N Thaiboxing, both the hands and feet are used, andevery place is considered above the belt!(Fortunately, practitioners no longer glue groundglass to their hand wraps.)

Special techniques: Attack/Defend, InstantDefense, Instant Stand, Knock Down, MultipleAttacks, Multiple Defense, Stun, Vital Areas.

If one of your players is interested in a stylenot mentioned in this article, let him research theart and work out an agreement with you. Thenmaybe Maggie can go off and rescue Lance fora change.

[More information on martial-arts styles maybe found in: "Marshaling the Martial Arts", inissue #122; "Kicks and Sticks", in issue #124;"Wrestling with Style", in issue #156; "WhereThere is One Sumotori..." and "...There's BoundTo Be Another!", in issue #157; and "Rhythm

Warriors", in issue #159. These articles are for theAD&D game, but suitable conversions might bemade.]

At Close Quarters"Reality rules" for combat in theTOP SECRET/S.I. game

By Jeffrey A. Sullivan and Bruce W. Onder

While the combat rules in the TOPSECRET/S.I. game are more than adequatefor most situations, some Administrators andplayers might like a little more realism in theirencounters. Presented here for yourconsideration are a handful of "reality rules" youcan incorporate into your campaign.

Gun-drawing speeds

Normally, a gun may be drawn during a turnin which no other action is taken by thatcharacter. However, the character may alsomake a combined action of Draw/Attack, whichresults in the attack being made at skill level.It stands to reason that, all other things beingequal, a gun holstered at the hip (a la the OldWest) will be drawn and fired more quickly thanone bolstered at the ankle or shoulder.

The Initiative Modifiers table herein issuggested to account for drawing speedsassociated with various holster positions."Location" indicates the location of the holster,and "Penalty" refers to the penalty applied to theinitiative roll for the round in which theDraw/Attack action occurs. For unusual gunplacements, extrapolate from the table. If youuse this table, you should also use the"Modifying Initiative Rolls" reality rule in theboxed set's Player's Guide, pages 63-64. Inaddition, agents should exercise forethought instowing weapons; while the front waistband is afast-draw location, it is also very visible. TheAdministrator should take exception (and rightlyso) if everyone keeps their weapons in plainsight.

Example A: Nick Li (Orion) bumps into theinfamous Tom Dobson (Web) during a routineinfiltration mission. Both agents go for theirguns in Draw/Attack actions. Nick has his gunbolstered at the shoulder (-1). Tom, on theother hand, is well known for keeping a .45 withdum-dum slugs in his rear waistband (-2). Nickrolls a 6, adds 4 (his DEX bonus), then subtracts1 (the initiative modifier) to get 9. Tom also rolls6, adds 4 (he's just as quick as Nick!), butsubtracts 2 from his initiative due to his gun

location. He gets an 8, so Nick shoots first.Getting the jump on Tom may just have savedNick's life! Tom, should he survive thisencounter, might rethink his gun placement.

Ranged weapons

Those of us whose characters are highlyskilled in the use of ranged weapons, but whosecharacters' hand-to-hand combat skill checksare embarrassingly low, have woefully regrettedthe ruling that states no ranged weapons can beused in close combat. The following is a realityrule that allows such actions. Only one-handedranged weapons can be thus used, and onlyuntil they need to be reloaded. A weaponcannot be reloaded while a character is engagedin close combat. Note that the use of guns andother ranged weapons in close combat is adangerous proposition. In hand-to-handcombat, your opponent can make a grab foryour possessions. If the enemy you've beentrying to plug succeeds in wrestling your gunfrom you, you've got problems!

Reality Rule 1: A character may use anyone-handed ranged weapon (pistol, dart gun,etc.) while engaged in close combat with othercharacters. Due to the harried nature of closecombat, all attacks made with the weapon atclose quarters are at skill level (plus the point-blank bonus of +30). It is assumed that theopponent is either actively seeking to control oravoid the firer's gun arm. In addition, on a BadBreak, the ranged-weapon user has accidentallyshot himself (the opponent jammed the gun intothe firer's stomach at the last possible moment,for example). On a roll of 96-98, the wound issuperficial, causing only one point of wounddamage to a randomly rolled body area. On a99, however, a normal damage roll is taken.

In this situation, agents cannot bump or callshots. Prepared and braced shot bonuses donot apply, and scopes cannot be used. This ispurely a "take it as it comes" technique. Whenthe gun is empty, the firer must choose a close-combat option (no reloading allowed).

Example B: Randall Scott (Orion, Pistol 2,total skill of 76) encounters martial artist Xiao Mi(Web). Mi rushes forward as Randall draws hisgun. In the first turn, Randall gets his only shot(Players Guide, page 76). Normally, on the nextturn, Mi would force him into close combat, butsince Randall has a measly 25 in Basic Melee,he decides to stick to his gun. In turn two,Randall needs a 49 to hit Mi [(76/4) + 30= 49] atpoint-blank range. But Randall rolls a 96 - alight wound to himself! He rolls a 3 for woundlocation, and takes one wound to his abdomen(Mi wrestled his gun hand into a bad position).In turn three he rolls a 35, a hit to Mi's left arm.Normally, Randall could bump this hit two areas,but since he's in close combat, he must takewhat he gets.

The combat continues until one of thecombatants is neutralized or the gun is emptied.In the latter case, Randall must then select aclose-combat technique.

Multiple actions

The game system allows for multiple actionsto be chosen in a single turn of combat (e.g.,Move/Attack). It is occasionally very importantto know exactly when in a turn each of the twoactions occurs.

Example C: John Calhoun (Orion) is runningfor his life from the gun-toting assassin Mel"Whitey" Whiteford (Web). John's movementallows him to run 50' in a turn, and he is 25' froma cliff from which he plans to jump. Mel is hot onhis trail, 25' away. Mel chooses Move/Attack,and John chooses Move. Mel wins initiative.According to the standard rules, he would closewith John and shoot before John could move.What can be done?

Reality Rule 2: In a situation in which acharacter performs more than one action in aturn, the character must list the specific order inwhich he will perform the actions (e.g.,Move/Attack, Attack/Move, etc.). The first actionoccurs at the point indicated by the initiative roll,including the optional modifiers for such thingsas DEX and injuries. Each subsequent actionoccurs at a point equally spaced between therolled initiative point and 0 (the end of the turn).

Example D: Mel (as above) rolls 8 for hisinitiative, and John rolls a 5. Mel makes his firstaction (Movement) at 8, and his second at 4 (8/2= 4, 8 - 4 = 4). Since John moves at 5, he has achance to escape. If Mel had rolled a 12initiative or higher, both of his actions would

have occurred before John's, and the pointwould have been moot (12/2 = 6).

Expanded luck-point use

In the standard TOP SECRET/S.I. rules,Luck Points can only be used to keep acharacter from being killed or disabled. Thefollowing reality rule allows for an expanded roleof luck points in a campaign. [This idea wasdiscussed during the creation of the TOPSECRET/S.I. game but was discarded becauseof the potential for abuse by players.Administrators who use this concept should beaware of this potential problem.]

Reality Rule 3: In addition to their normaluses, Luck Points may be used to ensure that acharacter's actions succeed. The player muststate before an action roll is made if a Luck Pointwill be used to aid the success of that action.The result of using a Luck Point is that the actionwill fail only on a roll of 99. Such a failure is nota Bad Break; the action only failed. Only oneaction may be so modified.

Thus, a character may ensure that a lock ispicked, a message is decoded, a jump issuccessful, a prisoner is successfullyinterrogated, etc. In combat, the player mayensure only that his character's attack hits.However, using other Luck Points after theattack hits allows the player to determine theamount of damage done (within normal limits)and where the attack hit (one Luck Point each).Critical hits cannot be inflicted on an opponent inthis manner. This rule may not be used toexplicitly kill a PC or NPC (although the result ofthe action might be the death of said person).

Example E: Roy "Ug" Lee (Orion) runs intothe nefarious Doctor Fremdliebe (Web) inHolland. The evil doctor usually carries acustomized rifle cane; indeed, Roy notices, thedoctor swings his cane up as if he's about to fire.Roy slips his own .22 Beretta autoload from hisrear waistband and grimaces as the doctorfires; the bullet whizzes past Roy's ear.

"I'd better use a Luck Point to kill him," Billsays. He knows that Fremdliebe is dangerous,and he doesn't need or want a drawn-out battle.

"Sorry, it doesn't work that way," theAdministrator tells Bill, "but you can use a LuckPoint to hit him and another to do maximumdamage."

Bill elects to shoot without using a Luck Pointin hopes of hitting the doctor, but if he hits heplans to use Luck Points to guarantee hitlocation and maximum damage. Roy does hit -

and six points of damage are done to thedoctor's chest.

The Administrator looks at his records. Thedoctor has seven damage boxes. "Well, you hithim pretty good, but he's still up. In fact, it lookslike he's getting ready to shoot again."

Bill groans. Sometimes even the best of luckis not enough.

Initiative Modifiers for Draw/Attack Actions

Location PenaltyAnkle -3Back (rifle only) -4Coat pocket -1Hip 0Pants pocket -2Shoulder -1Waistband (front) 0Waistband (rear) -2

Copyright TSR, Inc. All Rights reserved.

Darkest SecretsWhat you don't know could kill you in the TOP SECRET/S.I. game

By Marcus L. Rowland

TSR's TOP SECRET/S.I. character-generation system suggests some interestingpossibilities for creative refereeing that aren'texplicitly developed. One aspect can easily addmany new facets to the game: the advantagesand disadvantages discussed in chapter 2 of thePlayers Guide. The rules require playercharacters to take one advantage and onedisadvantage, and optionally allow multipleadvantages and disadvantages. Players alwaysknow that their PCs have these traits - but in thereal world, we don't always know everything aboutourselves. Can anyone be absolutely sure that hedoesn't have a secret enemy, unknown admirer,unsuspected allergy, or hidden talent?

An additional optional rule can be used toallow for such surprises: At the Administrator'sdiscretion, and with the player's consent, theAdministrator may secretly award an agreednumber of points in advantages anddisadvantages to each PC, but without initiallyrevealing their effects to the players. These traitsare recorded by the Administrator, not the players,and their effects are only revealed in play.

For example, a player might agree to take fivepoints in unknown disadvantages to buy five extraskill points, or to gain an unknown three-pointadvantage and an unknown three-pointdisadvantage. The Administrator needs to dosome extra record-keeping, but the effect is to adda little more tension, always useful in anadventure game like this one. Usually, secretadvantages and disadvantages are more specificthan their overt equivalents; for example,someone would know that he was afraid of dogsbut might not know about his fear of octopi until anoctopus was encountered.

The remainder of this article describes secretversions of some of the Players Guideadvantages and disadvantages, including somenew ones. In some cases, you may need to referto descriptions in the Players Guide. TheAdministrator should try to ensure that thesesecrets are occasionally important; they aremeaningless if they are never used. To ensuretheir secrecy, the Administrator should change

some of these secrets slightly in game play oreven add new ones.

Secret advantages

Acute smell (1 point): The PC is verysensitive to a specific scent (e.g., jasmine,chloroform), even if it is very weak. He willautomatically notice it without making an INTcheck. In all other respects, his sense of smellis normal with no modifiers to INT rolls. TheAdministrator chooses the scent when allocatingthis advantage. The PC has no knowledge ofthis ability until the scent is first encountered andwon't automatically know what has beensmelled.

Acute taste (1 point): The PC is sensitive tothe taste of a specific chemical or drug (e.g.,cocaine, chloral hydrate) in extremely smallconcentrations and will automatically detect thesubstance without making an INT check. In allother respects, his sense of taste is normal. TheAdministrator chooses the chemical; the PC isunaware of this ability until the chemical is firstencountered and won't necessarily know what isbeing tasted.

Animal friendship (1 point): The PC isunusually attractive to one specific class ofanimals (e.g., snakes), which will never harm thePC unless such creatures are attacked first.This advantage can be combined with acontrasting phobia or allergy, with amusingresults; for example, cats seem to like to be nearpeople who are allergic to them. A PC won'tknow that he has this ability until he encountersthe animal, and it can't be improved by theAnimal Training skill.

Bilingual background (1 point): This is aforgotten ability; the PC learned a secondlanguage as a child (e.g., he was brought up inChina) but forgot it for some traumatic reason(e.g., the death of a parent caused a suddenmove to another country). Nothing of thatlanguage is remembered on a conscious level.The PC has the language skill at zero level, butan equally traumatic triggering event (e.g.,torture by Chinese agents) is required to bring it

into play. If the PC tries to learn this languagebefore the block is resolved, it's much harder thanusual; all language checks are at -10%! TheAdministrator selects the language and triggeringevent when the PC is generated.

Language ability (1 point): This is atraumatically blocked version of the normalLanguage Ability; the PC has an unconscious giftfor languages, but some forgotten event (e.g., ahostile teacher at school) has stopped conscioususe of this talent. A triggering event orpsychotherapy may remove the block. Until then,the PC learns languages normally. TheAdministrator selects a suitable trigger event (e.g.,the death of the teacher is reported in a schoolnewsletter) when allocating this advantage.

Obscure knowledge (1-2 points): The PC hasa limited form of the usual Obscure Knowledgeskill. For example, a knowledge of an oldscience-fiction TV series might be worth onepoint and a broad knowledge of science fictiontwo points. Introduce this skill at an appropriatemoment; the PC always had it but never thoughtof it as a useful talent until the need arose. It's upto the Administrator to ensure that this talent isactually helpful occasionally; perhaps the agentsmust infiltrate a group of Trekkies with plans forglobal domination.

Wealth (1-3 points): The PC is unknowinglyrich, being the lost heir to some vast estate, ownerof some forgotten shares that have rocketed invalue, or holder of the winning ticket in thePeruvian national lottery.

1 point: Potential annual income of $10,000.2 points: Potential annual income of $50,000.3 points: Potential annual income of

$100,000.

Each level of wealth costs one point less thanin the normal form of this advantage, becausePCs start with no income from this advantage andshould encounter difficulties in claiming theirrightful riches. And don't forget the tax man.

New advantages

Connection in high places (1-3 points): Thiscan be either a normal or secret advantage. ThePC has unusual links to an NPC holding influentialoffice:

1 point: Mayor, low-level diplomat, etc.2 points: Senator, member of Parliament,

Congressman, senior diplomat, etc.

3 points: President, Prime Minister,ambassador, etc.

If this advantage is used normally, the link isknown to the PC and may be commonknowledge (e.g., the two share a commonbackground at school or in the armed services,are related by blood or marriage, etc.). If thisadvantage is secret, the PC doesn't know aboutthe relationship but the NPC does (e.g., the PCis the illegitimate son of a senator). The PCwon't know why he occasionally receivespreferential treatment, such as early promotion,and he can't ask for favors from his helper.

Criminal connection (1-4 points): This canbe a normal or secret advantage. The PC hasunusual links to a criminal NPC:

1 point: Minor thug, street criminal, etc.2 points: City-level criminal (e.g., organized

crime boss).3 points: National crime leader (e.g.,

organized crime "godfather").4 points: Head of international criminal

organization (e.g., leader of a terrorist orcriminal group planning to hold the world toransom, etc.).

Normally, the link is known to the PC andmay be common knowledge (e.g., the two sharea common background in the old neighborhood,are related by blood or marriage, etc.). Theseconnections will help the PC by providingequipment, thugs, or information to the limits oftheir resources, provided that the PC isn't tryingto interfere with "business." If the advantage issecret, the PC doesn't know about therelationship but the NPC does (e.g., the PC ismarried to the illegitimate child of a Mafiachieftain). This may occasionally mean thatNPCs try to destroy a PC they would normallyhelp, but no true master criminal would let suchsentimental details stand in the way of business.

Contacts everywhere (2 points): This is bestdescribed as the Indiana Jones advantage; thePC knows someone in any area, though theperson known is rarely as useful or reliable asthe connections described previously. Forexample, Agent X needs to investigate a gang ofParisian thugs; he checks his address book, andthe Administrator says that he finds the numberof a gendarme he once met at a policeconference in Miami. Contacts aren'tnecessarily friendly and may occasionally proveto belong to rival organizations.

If the advantage is secret, the PC meets suchacquaintances with no advance warning. A PCwith this advantage might crash a plane in thedesert, encounter nomads, then discover that heand the Arab chieftain once went to the sameuniversity.

Reputation (1-3 points): People respect theagent. A one-point advantage means that seniorofficials of the PC's agency respect the PC; twopoints mean that everyone in the agency admiresthe PC; and three points mean that other alliedagencies respect the PC. The NPCs concernedwill do their best to ensure that the PC gets thebest equipment, good seats on airliners,comfortable hotel rooms, etc. Reputation alsoacts as a modifier on reaction rolls; each pointadds 5% to WIL when trying to persuade orcoerce someone who is aware of the agent'sreputation.

If this is a secret advantage, the PC isunaware of the preferential treatment. Don't allagents get rooms at the Ritz? Doesn't everyone'sWalther PPK have ivory inlay on the grips?Naturally, players will catch on in time; if theystart to expect preferential treatment or to abuseit, you should reduce the points in this advantageor offset them with the Notoriety disadvantagethat follows.

Supernatural help (2, 4, or 6 points): This isan extremely rare advantage that should only beused if it fits the setting of your campaign, andthen only if players will not abuse it. The PC hassupernatural powers or contacts.

2 points: The PC is a medium and canoccasionally obtain information from theBeyond by intense concentration, hypnosis,seances, etc.

4 points: The PC can frequently tap intomystic information sources with relative ease.Remember that supernatural informationwon't be admissible in court!

6 points: The PC has a spirit companion - ahelpful ghost! Naturally, there should bestrict limits on the usefulness of such apowerful advantage; most ghosts aredescribed as unable to move large objects,unable to appear in daylight, etc. Mostpeople should be unable to see or hear thespirit. Ghosts may be able to move smallobjects and supply limited amounts ofinformation, but they should beundependable allies, easily offended ordistracted.

If you want to make this a secret advantage,the PC isn't consciously aware of such help.The 2-point and 4-point advantages should bepresented as lucky guesses, the 6-pointadvantage is presented as a combination ofhallucinations and lucky accidents.Alternatively, this power might only come intouse after some preselected traumatic event,such as the death of a friend or after training byan NPC mystic.

Secret disadvantages

Allergies (1-2 points): These work exactlylike normal allergies, but the PC is unaware ofthem until they occur. Secret allergies alwaysrelate to relatively obscure substances, so theycan't be worth three points (for a commonsevere effect), since the PC would know aboutthe allergy if the triggering substance wascommon. For example, a PC might be unawareof an allergy to bearskin until he impersonated aCanadian fur trapper.

Cowardice (2 points): The PC isn't afraid ofevery source of danger, but he has anexaggerated fear of one form of attack or oneparticular attacker, and he must make a WILcheck to avoid freezing or fleeing in panic. Forexample, a PC might have an unusual fear ofrazors, guns, ninja, chain saws, etc. TheAdministrator should not choose the attack formor attacker until the PC has been wounded atleast once; it seems likely that the trauma of awound will cause such a deep-rooted fear.Perhaps Agent X was once severely beaten byOtto Schlumpf, a sadistic East German hit man.He now has an irrational fear of Schlumpf andmust make a WIL check whenever he isencountered. If Schlumpf is killed, theAdministrator must find a new nemesis, such asSchlumpf's brother, etc.

Ego signature (2 points): The PC isunconsciously leaving behind clues such aschewed pencil stubs, distinctive cigarette ends,gum wrappers folded into complex origamishapes, etc. These clues aren't as readilytraceable as those left by PCs with the normaldisadvantage of this type but may still reveal alot to forensic science.

Enemy (1, 2, or 4 points): This is anunknown enemy, someone that the PC knowsnothing about. For example, the wife ofsomeone the agent has killed might try to getrevenge by discrediting the PC (1 point). A lonesurvivor of a gang that has apparently beenwiped out might try to kill the agent who

uncovered them (2 points). A large or dangerousorganization might have an obscure reason toseek revenge on a hapless agent (4 points). In allother respects, this is identical to the normalEnemy disadvantage, but it may take some timeto learn who is involved and why the PC is beingattacked.

Phobia (1 point): This is identical to a normalphobia, but the PC has no conscious knowledgeof the disability. It can only be a one-point phobia(the fear of a rare or unlikely occurrence orobject), because the PC would know aboutanything that occurred more frequently. Fear oftigers or fear of nuclear weapons (seen close up)are suitably rare; PCs are unlikely to run intoeither in everyday life.

Traumatic flashbacks (2 points): As withphobias, secret flashbacks can only be triggeredby some rare occurrence. The PC would havelearned to expect the flashbacks if the triggeringcircumstance was at all common.

Vision impairment (2 points): The PC isunknowingly suffering from some sort of visualabnormality (such as tunnel vision) that hasn't yetbeen diagnosed. Roll under 1/2 skill when usingany skill that depends on the aspect of visioninvolved in the disability. Naturally thisdisadvantage shouldn't be combined with anyincompatible visual advantage.

New disadvantages

Dyslexia (1 point): The PC isn't illiterate, buthe has trouble reading and making sense of whathas been read. Whenever anything is read, thePC must roll under INT to understand it, or makea language roll under 1/2 normal skill whendealing with another language. If the roll is failed,give the PC slightly misleading information, suchas a wrongly spelled address or formula, or atelephone number with two digits transposed. Ifthis is a secret disadvantage, avoid tipping off thePC too quickly by asking all players to make INTor language rolls whenever anything is read (butignore the results for normal PCs).

Notoriety (1, 2, or 3 points): The PC has apoor reputation from a record of damagingaccidents, mistakes, or unnecessary violence. Aone-point disadvantage means that senior officialsof the agency dislike the PC; two points mean thateveryone in the agency despises the PC; andthree points mean that other allied agencies areaware of the PC's reputation. The NPCsconcerned will do their best to ensure that the PCgets the worst equipment, lousy seats onairliners, uncomfortable hotel rooms, etc.

Notoriety also acts as a modifier on reactionrolls; each point takes 5% off WIL when trying topersuade or coerce someone who is aware ofthe agent's poor status.

If this is a secret disadvantage, the PC isunaware of the unfavorable treatment. It's oddthat all the other agents get rooms at the Ritzand Walther PPKs with ivory inlay on the grips,while the PC stays at rat-infested boardinghouses and is issued a rusty Luger, but thereare bound to be occasional administrative foul-ups.

Naturally, players will catch on in time andmay attempt to buy off this disadvantage by actsof heroism and other activities that tend toimprove their reputations. Encourage the otheragents to accuse them of being glory hogs orclaim that their grand-standing endangers theteam!

Unearned fame (1, 2, or 4 points): This isthe gunfighter's disadvantage. There's alwayssomeone out there who wants to gain fame bytaking out the champion.

1 point: The reputation is only slightlyexaggerated (e.g., the PC is rumored to bea black belt in karate, not just a reasonablycompetent martial artist).

2 points: Gross exaggeration of one ability(e.g., there are stories that the PC can hit afly with a single bullet at 50', when the PCcan barely hit a car at that range).

4 points: This is bad news. For somereason, the PC is treated as a virtualsuperman, hypercompetent in every area ofphysical and mental activity. This is veryconfusing if the PC happens to be a rookieagent on his first assignment! Thesesituations can be the result of mistakenidentity, agency or media hype,exaggeration, or misleading records. Anagent might be given an impressive recordto decoy the opposition and draw fire whilethe real master spy does the dirty work. Ifthis is a secret disadvantage, the PC learnsof it only when challengers start to crawl outof the woodwork, eager to take on the"master agent." If this seems at allexaggerated, remember that there are quitea few people around named James Bond,and most have trouble if they have to gothrough Customs or deal with otherofficials! [I never have any trouble. - Theeditor].

Copyright TSR, Inc. All Rights reserved.

A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To the MissionSpies should hope for the best-but prepare for the worst!

By Merle and Jackie Rasmussen

Agent Lafayette True is having a bad day.After a briefing on the need to recover apoisonous briefcase accidentally issued to aBritish agent, he was late getting to the airport.Fortunately, his flight was delayed and heboarded-just in time to be skyjacked to Beirut.Then Jordanian officials detected his fakepassport, and the secret police are nowdetaining him indefinitely. So far he's receivedtwo pieces of mail. One informs him that hisluggage arrived safely in Athens but was stolenfrom the airport. The second piece of mail is aDear John letter from his wife.

Have you ever run a TOP SECRET/S.I.mission in which each agent's well rehearsedsplit-second actions occurred on schedule-butyou wished something exciting would happen toliven things up? Now, Administrators, wait nolonger: The following material will provide youwith plenty of unplanned, unexpectedcomplications to disrupt a smooth-sailing butboring espionage campaign!

If you do not have unexpected events builtinto a mission you are Administering, thefollowing checklists may be used for added plotdevelopment. These should not be used inkeyed, programmed missions, but they areuseful in adventures that you have not otherwiseplanned out.

Our only recommendation is that you do notgo overboard and throw one mindbogglingdisaster after another at a team of shell-shockedagents. At most, use only one occurrence fromeach complication chart per mission.

Once an agent has survived a hurricane, aforest fire will stretch his suspension of beliefpast the breaking point. Use one complicationat a time during the development of the story tosee how the players react to it.

Complications during the exposition, climax,and coda of a story should be used sparinglybecause they will confuse or frustrate agentsduring these critical periods.

Take a look at the AD&D Dungeoneer'sSurvival Guide, page 99, and note the types ofplayers described therein. (it's out of the spy

genre, but the player types are universal.) If yourplayers are of the adventurer type, they will enjoy aseries of these events just for the sake ofexcitement.

The right kind of distractions and red-herringevents will also work with role-players. Problem-solvers are least likely to appreciate unexpectedevents that do not advance the plot, though theymay like the mystery involved in some events.

These complications can be interspersed withthe main plot's story elements to provideforeshadowing, mystery, pacing, timing, andchallenge, as well as a taste of the unusual. Thesecomplications can be used with linear, open, andmatrix story lines and may reduce the hugeinvestment of time for research and preparationneeded for an open story line.

To use these checklists, examine the MasterDisaster Checklist first. Chose one of thecategories, check it off the list, and find theaccompanying complication checklist. Pick one ofthe events on the chart, check it off, and work it intothe mission. Those complications not checked offbecome possibilities for the next mission. Neveruse the same complication twice in the samecampaign!

Working some events into the mission may bedifficult or impossible. For example, if an agent'splane is supposed to be hijacked but the agent onlytravels by train, the event should modified.Someone the agent knows might be involved,though he was not there. in the case of criminalactivity, the victim of a crime might be the agenthimself, a fellow team member, a family member, afriend, an enemy, or the agent's contact for themission. The agent might be blamed for crimescommitted against any of the above. For example,an agent might have a difficult time explaining theuntimely demise of his superior after a noisyargument with the superior about a payoff.

Do not overcomplicate these events. A playermay be confused enough trying to figure out whathis agent's domestic problems have to do with themission. Do not explain things to the player; let himtry to sort out his character's complex life. And donot have one agent on a team take the brunt of allthe bad news. Spread the difficulties among

everyone. A really big event might affect themall, like having a tsunami hit the beach on whichthe agents are camped.

As always, provide the agents with a way outof their predicament. Devastating, difficult,mysterious complications will test your players'resiliency, stretch their imagination, and givethem a sense of accomplishment. They mighteven thank you mission.

Agency high jinks

Agency complications may be planned oraccidental. If they are planned, they might havebeen designed by someone with maliciousintent. Perhaps the agent had offended asuperior years before, or the agency has beeninfiltrated and the superior is merely followingorders from higher up. Perhaps there has beena simple, typographical, paper-shuffling,bureaucratic blunder, and the agent will sufferbecause of it. Life is hard.

The agent is underinformed or misinformedabout the number of persons present at thetarget site, a security system, the number ofguards present at target site, the amount fransom to demand, the target's armament, theconsequences of discovery, or specialidentifications, signs, passwords, rituals, tests,or rites.

The human target of the mission is adouble, or the object target of the missionis a fake.

The agent has been paid in counterfeitcurrency.

The agent has been issued faultydocuments: identity papers, passport,driver's license, orders, etc.

The agent has been issued incorrect,faulty, or sabotaged equipment for themission.

The agent has been framed as an enemyor a criminal.

The agent is to be sacrificed in a deal toprotect another mission or another agent.

The agent's cover is about to bedeliberately or accidentally blown by a

friend or the agency. The agent is the unwitting decoy or bait

for another mission. The agent's contact or superior

disappears, is incapacitated, arrested,captured, or killed.

The agent's contact, teammate, or superioris an enemy agent.

Serious slip-ups

At the site of a mission , an agent might fail todo one of the following cover-up activities.Additional slip-ups can be created by theAdministrator if the mistake is one the agent wouldobviously not have made-but we all make mistakes.

Make a clean sweep, combing the job site toremove all incriminating materials or clues(including fingerprints and bullets), andeither vacuuming, sweeping, or moping jobsite for hairs, soil, and trash.

Sanitize, removing all references that mightidentify the source or motive of an action, orthe places and people involved.

Plant false, confusing, or misleadinginformation (to include misleading messagesfrom a "victim") to create a frame up, allowfor escape time, or misdirect authorities.

Disguise an operation as a naturaloccurrence or random event.

Leave (or take) a rope, ladder, or climbingdevice hanging out of a window.

Tape (or remove tape from) door latches toprevent latching.

Loosen, open, or lock man-size gratings,access panels, window, or doors from themost likely sides.

Fake a suicide (leaving note or deathweapon within reach), a self-defense killing(leaving two or more bodies involved inbelievable positions), or a natural death.

Destroy a target or weapon to ensure itcannot be found.

Travel Problems

Travel problems are divided into four sections:air, water, rail, and highway. Enjoy your trip.

By air The agent's flight is delayed or cancelled

just before boarding due to mechanicalfailure or weather conditions.

The agent does not clear health certificateinspection, passport inspection, or customsinspection.

The airline does not have the agent'sflight reservation, is overbooked, or hasbumped the agent for other reasons.

The agent (or a companion) smokes in arestricted area or makes an inappropriatejoke about bombs or skyjacking, resultingin his detainment and possible arrest.

The aircraft has an accident during take-off or landing (tires blow, skids on ice,strikes ground wires or vehicle,overshoots runway hits wind shear,encounters fog or whiteout, etc.).

The aircraft is skyjacked by terrorists or amadman.

A bomb threat is received, or anunexploded bomb is found aboard theaircraft.

A fight breaks out or a murder or thefttakes place aboard the aircraft.

The food served on the flight is tainted orpoisoned, resulting in illness among thecrew and passengers.

The aircraft accidentally or deliberately(but without the agent's knowledge) fliesinto restricted airspace.

The aircraft has an onboard explosion orfire, caused by a bomb, lightning,mechanical failure, or dangerous cargo.

The aircraft flies into turbulent air, aviolent storm, or icy conditions.

The aircraft's wing, tail, cargo door,engine, or landing gear falls off in flight.

The aircraft is shot at accidentally or byhostile forces, using bullets or missiles.

The aircraft must make an unscheduledlanding at the nearest available airportdue to bad weather, mechanical failure,poor passenger health, closing of thedestination airport, or other problems.

The aircraft must make a crash landingdue to bad weather, mechanical failure,action, or pilot error or incapacitation.

The aircraft collides with a mountain,trees, power lines, antennas, tall building,second aircraft, or UFO.

The aircraft ditches in water and beginsto sink.

The burning aircraft lands safely, but thepassengers are unable to escape.

The aircraft lands safely but at the wrongairport due to pilot error.

The agent's luggage is lost, temporarilyor permanently

By water The vessel runs aground on a sandbar or

shore. The vessel sinks or capsizes, taking on

water either across its decks, through a leakbelow the waterline, through a large hole, orfrom the breakup of the hull (see followingfor causes).

The vessel strikes an iceberg, buoy, reef,dock, sea mine, or second vessel.

The vessel is struck by a waterspout, freakwave, high winds, heavy seas, or hurricane.

The vessel encounters an unfriendly whale,sharks, or sea monster.

The vessel explodes or catches fire; thecause is located in either the engines, fueltanks, boiler, cargo hold, or the passengercompartment (and may be sabotage).

The vessel is targeted by a torpedo or aland-, sea-, or air-launched bomb or missile,either accidentally or by hostile forces.

The vessel is attacked by modern pirates orterrorists using high-speed boats, minisubs,aircraft, agents aboard the ship etc.

The vessel loses all power andcommunications, and is adrift on the opensea with no S.O.S. sent.

A barge explodes, causing clouds of smokeand fumes.

A sunken vessel or collapsed bridge blocksthe waterway.

Select an appropriate problem from the "Byair" section (hijacking, missed or delayedboarding, etc.).

By rail The train is grossly delayed by bad

scheduling. Mud, rocks, or trees, or snow, block the

railroad tracks after a slide, avalanche,earthquake (cows can block a track, too, ascan a child with a bar of soap).

The train encounters a major grass or forestfire.

The train is switched to the wrong track,leading to a derailment, collision, or simply along delay in getting on the correct routeagain.

The train is forced to stop by military forces,terrorists, or bandits.

The train is shot at accidentally or by hostileforces

The train derails but does not tip over,coming to a halt in a canyon, on a trestle, inthe wilderness, or in the middle of a town;

the derailment resulted from high winds,a tornado, sabotage, human error, orsimple mechanical failure.

The train has a severe derailment, withcars falling over a cliff, into deep water,etc.

The train collides with a vehicle at acrossing, with debris on the track, withanother train standing still, with anothertrain head on, or with an end-of-lineobstruction.

The train passes through an opendrawbridge or downed bridge.

The train stalls in a tunnel withoutadequate ventilation, causing masssuffocation.

A gas leak causes an explosion in thesubway.

Wooden platforms catch fire at anoutdoor or subway station.

The train does not stop at your station. Select an appropriate pro6lem from the

"By air" section (hijacking, missed ordelayed boarding, etc.).

By highway Mechanical failure causes the vehicle to

not start, to stall in traffic, to lose itsbrakes, or to develop any one of manyother serious problems.

The vehicle runs out of gas, oil, brake ortransmission fluid, or coolant, possiblyfrom a puncture.

The vehicle has a flat tire. Thieves break into the car while it is

parked, possibly slashing the tires orsmashing the windows.

A severe traffic slow-down is caused byan accident or decreased visibility due tosnow, fog, fire, or smoke.

Mud, snow, flood waters, ice, lava, farmanimals, or rocks block the road,stranding the agent's vehicle only.

A traffic jam is caused by a vehicleaccident, mine explosion, stopped train,raised bridge, blocked or destroyed road,bandits, farm animals, rush hour,construction, or bad weather.

The agent encounters a poorly designedand dangerous highway (narrow bridges,sharp curves, no center-lane divider,unmarked railroad crossings, largepotholes, etc.).

A strong wind or a tornado blows the vehicleoff the road-and possibly off a bridge.

Snow or ice forces the vehicle off the road orcauses a collision with a railing, sign, orvehicles.

A bridge collapses; it may have beenoverloaded, struck by a passing ship, orundermined by high water or an earthquake.

The vehicle is hijacked or stolen by thieves,terrorists, armed robbers, desperatecitizens, children, or a madman.

The vehicle is shot at accidentally or byhostile forces, possibly by the police or byrioting or careless citizens.

The agent is threatened by a drunken orcareless driver, an armed hitchhiker, or adisturbed passenger.

The agent is involved in a vehicle accidentor traffic violation, possibly leading to hisdetainment or arrest.

The vehicle is correctly (or incorrectly)reported to be stolen or to have a violationpending.

The agent or driver becomes intoxicated orovertired while driving,

The agent cannot find his car keys or locksthem in his vehicle.

Criminal activities

The agent, or someone the agent knows, isassumed to be the victim of one of the following(attempted) crimes. The offenses are divided intoviolent crimes, property crimes, and other crimes.The crimes in this checklist might be avoided if theagent has taken proper precautions. (Imagine thelook on a mugger's face if an agent defends herselfby drawing an automatic weapon!) Of course, it ispossible for the agent to have actually committedsuch crimes and be sought for them-or else theagent is believed to have committed them (perhapshe has been framed).

The agent might also be an unexpected witnessto a crime, being thereafter sought by criminals andpolice alike.

Violent crimes Murder or non-negligent manslaughter Robbery Aggravated assault

Property crimes Burglary Larceny-theft

Motor vehicle theft Arson

Other crimes Other assaults Forgery and counterfeiting Fraud Embezzlement Stolen property-buying, receiving,

possessing, etc. Vandalism Weapons-smuggling, possession, etc. Commercial vice Drug abuse violations Gambling Offenses against family and children Driving under the influence Liquor laws Public drunkenness Disorderly conduct Vagrancy Curfew and loitering violations Runaways All other offenses, except traffic (see

"Travel problems: By highway")

Domestic stress

The events on this checklist were taken fromthe Life Change Units Scale developed by Drs.Thomas H. Holmes and Richard Rahe,psychiatrists at the University of WashingtonMedical School. The events are listed in orderof descending stress value. These are generallysevere disruptions of an agent's private life andare in addition to any number of other personalproblems an agent might have (bills, taxes,arguments, etc.). The stress produced may bephysical, mental, or emotional, but not all stressis bad (even good things can cause stress andupheaval). Role-player types of players thriveon this detail.

It is recommended that Administrators goeasy when using this particular checklist,especially if the player seems to be quiteattached to the NPCs in his character's life.However, consider the possibility of having oneor more of the following faked by enemies of theagent (e.g., a false Dear John letter) or appearin (false) rumors that might surprise the agent.

Death of spouse Divorce

Marital separation Jail term Death of close family member Personal injury or illness Marriage Fired from job Reconciled marriage Retirement Illness in family Romantic difficulties Pregnancy Gain new family member Change in business Change in financial state Death of close friend Change in line of work Change in number of family fights Mortgage over $10,000 Mortgage or loan foreclosed Grown Child leaves home Change in job duties In-law troubles Outstanding achievement Spouse begins or stops work Begin or end school Change in living conditions Change in personal habits Trouble with boss Change in work hours or conditions Move to new home Change in schools Change in recreation Change in church activities Change in social activities Mortgage loan under $10,000 Change in sleeping habits Change in number of family get togethers Change in eating habits Vacation Christmas Minor violations of the law

Natural disasters

The adventurer and the problem-solver types ofplayers thrive on big problems like these, which canaffect the entire team. It is a good idea to limit thenumber of natural disasters to one per campaignunless the players particularly enjoy survivingagainst the elements or will not notice that MotherNature is always acting against them. These

natural disasters can also be combined with"Travel problems."

An avalanche changes the course of ariver, buries skiers, or buries buildings.

An earthquake triggers a volcaniceruption, destroys buildings, causescitywide fires, starts a tsunami, rupturesgas lines, bursts water pipes, causesmass hysteria, causes a mud slide orrock slide, destroys railroads andhighways, destroys bridges and tunnels,or triggers geothermal activity in thevicinity (geysers, hot springs, fumaroles,etc.).

A fire spreads through a forest or acrossa prairie.

Flooding occurs as melting snow orheavy rains cause the sea or a river tooverflow, which causes starvation(because food is destroyed), disease(cholera and malaria), mass drowning ofanimals, contamination of the watersupply (from bodies and debris), landslides, or mud slides.

One or more of the following occur,causing widespread damage or danger:hurricane or cyclone; tornado orwaterspout; sudden high winds; duststorm; sandstorm; blizzard; icestorm;hailstorm; monsoon; thunderstorm;electrical stor

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