Credits Written by Eran Aviram Art by Aviv Or Editing and consultation: Keith Garrett and Helen Gould Proofreading: Logan Uber Graphic Design: Manuel Serra Saez Production: Amit Moshe Many thanks to Ruben Smith-Zempel for initial graphic design and layout work and to our playtesters: Abby Hipolito, Adam Anderson, Bill Ogden, Bobby, Bradley Haller, Brendan Ward, C Wilson, Craig Duffy, Curtis Takahashi, Danila Evstifeev, Dylan Rich, Emma Groom, Eric Even, Howard Brandon, Joe Thater, John Ackley, Jonathan Curtis, Jonathan Stroud, Karlen Kendrick, Krzysztof Zięba, Kyle Carty, Laurent Maedh, Michael Stone, Mike Strefford, Natalie Kate Ellis, Paul Hawkins, Paul Kießhauer, Phill Cameron, Rachael Cruz, Shebo Berger, Terry Hansen, Terry Hansen, Thomas Friedman, Tineke Bolleman, Tony White, Tyler Cormier, Zack Additional thanks to our final-proofreaders: Brendan Ward, Evyatar Amitay, Itam- ar Weisberg, Joseph Thater, Laurent Maedh and Paul Hawkins A huge thanks to the 700 people who backed this project on Kickstarter and al- lowed it to happen. Most of the Heroic Agents are based on concepts created by some of our Kickstart- er backers: Amit Moshe, Benjamin Lecrone, Brian Greer, Heinze & Rachel of Semi Co-op, Jeff Friedman, Kyle Raymond, Lloyd Gyan, Rob Towell and Uri Lifshitz Based on Lev Hakristal, a world created in collaboration with Gil Breger, Roi Gaash and Ben Shalom. Dedicated, with much love, to the best people we also get to play with: our spouses. This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at www.peginc.com. Savage Worlds and all associated logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Used with per- mission. Pinnacle makes no representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or suitability for purpose of this product. © 2019 Eran Aviram and Aviv Or, Up to Four Players www.uptofourplayers.com Player's Guide A Savage Worlds Setting by Eran Aviram and Aviv Or This is not a full product! The Player's Guide contains only the player-facing parts of the complete Crystal Heart book; the two are distributed in the same package. You have permission to share this book with your party. Welcome, Players! Welcome to Crystal Heart, a colorful adven- Get Inspired ture setting designed for the role-playing The world of Crystal Heart is inspired by game Savage Worlds! works such as Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn, Crystal Heart is based on a webcom- where magic is consistent and ingrained into ic by us—Aviv and Eran—which was in the world’s story; Pokémon, where bundles turn based on a setting first created for a of cool powers run around the world, wait- role-playing game. Full circle! It’s about ex- ing for you to capture them; Final Fantasy ploring a fantastic world as superpowered 7, where slotting a brightly-colored gem agents of a mysterious organization. If you gives you superpowers; and many more. don’t like your superpower, you can always But most importantly, all of these worlds have a change of heart. Literally! manage to combine the spirit of adventure There’s a lot to tell but we’re hoping most with light-hearted goofs and serious tones, of the telling will be done by you. This is why occasionally at the same time. They also all we try to avoid long-winded expositions and have deep secrets, hidden truths that shake focus on providing the tools and seeds nec- the way their people understand their worlds. essary to craft your adventures. There’s a lot of room for you to create new facts about the How to Play world, but not too much room, so you won’t Crystal Heart is meant to be used with Savage fall off the edge of the table like a stray die. Worlds Adventure Edition (SWADE), which is Just flip the page and get right into it. Go available in your local friendly gaming store on and get some Crystals, brave Agents! and on www.peginc.com. ~Aviv and Eran Explore Further Check out uptofourplayers.com/crystalheart for additional digital content, including: • The webcomic Crystal Heart, available for free. It’s a great introduction to this world, of course, but as an added bonus, it also teaches you how to play Savage Worlds. • A free Starter Set, with all the basic rules of the game, six ready Agents, and a starting adventure. • Full of Heart provides additional Crystals, their feral manifestations, and shards. • Living in Syn provides ways to tweak your playing experience with an emphasis on Syn: training rules, random events, men- tors and services, as well as new tales and adversaries. • Original Syn provides the webcomic-ap- proved canonical explanation for all the mysteries of Crystal Heart. • And several One-Sheets, adventures ready to play. Table of Contents Crystal Heart 6 The Five Lands 80 The Crystals 6 Setting Rules 80 The World 7 Life in the Five Lands 84 Bogovia 86 Agents of Syn 9 Fjordstad 89 Creating Your Agent 10 Islands 96 Step 0: Reasons to Join 10 Maseia 99 and Motivations to Stay Zingama 103 Step 1: Home Land 11 Step 2: Traits 12 Appendix: Step 3: Edges and Hindrances 14 Supervisors and Mentors Step 4: Gear 20 Step 5: Team Building 20 Step 6: Starter Crystal 22 Character Archetypes 22 Syn 29 Responsibilities and 29 Perks of an Agent Syn Facilities 32 Hierarchy Within the 34 Organization Requisition 35 Gear and Equipment 38 The Twelve Heroic Agents 46 Crystals and Hearts 53 Crystals 53 ›› Crystals in Society 53 ›› Anatomy of a Crystal 54 ›› Crystal Channeling 56 ›› Socketing a Crystal 58 ›› The Harness 59 ›› Feral Crystals 60 Starter Crystal List 63 Creating New Crystals 75 Shards 78 Human Hearts 79 Chapter Name Crystal Heart They say that a person’s heart is made from With their fearsome powers, the Agents of their dreams and desires. Syn became a symbol of authority through- The core begins to form in our youth, out the world. They travel the Five Lands growing alongside our aspirations, hard- in their never-ending search for old ruins, ening into a solid heart as we come into where they might find the mysterious Crys- our own. When we die, and our dreams tals—hidden behind countless traps, vicious are forever lost, our heart fades away as monsters, and ancient curses. well. Each person creates their own heart; These are the Agents of Syn. Relentless. their life experiences determine its color Fearless. Heartless. and shape. The number of possible shapes and colors is as varied as the people of the Five Lands. The Crystals In our world there are teams of Crystal Crystals are power, and until relatively Hunters, agents of the mysterious and pow- recently, they were uncontrolled. Creat- erful organization Syn. They seek out and ed sometime during the Bygone Age by collect ancient Crystals, relics from a bygone methods no one understands today, these age. In order to harness the incredible and fist-sized relics glow slightly with their own inexplicable powers of the Crystals, the per- unique light and color. son must sacrifice something dear indeed: Each Crystal changes the world around it their own heart. The Crystal Hunters under- in ways specific to that Crystal’s theme, as go a delicate surgery in which their hearts explained in the Crystals and Hearts chapter, are replaced with a harness into which they page 55. The exact manifestation depends on can insert the Crystals. the environment: an orange Crystal of flame 6 Introduction eruption might cause surfaces around it to It is important to note that animals have ignite, but the same Crystal on the ocean flesh-and-blood hearts. Weird, right? floor might create small volcanoes instead. Around thirty years ago, the people that eventually created the Syn organization in- The World vented a method to control Crystals. It re- The continent is divided into five Lands, quires removing one’s heart and implanting both geographically and ethnically. The den- a special harness. Any Crystal inserted into izens of each Land consider themselves part the harness can then function as an artifi- of the same “people”, despite not having an cial heart—and, more importantly, grants actual nation (except for Zingama, which has the person access to the Crystal’s theme a well-established unified government and and powers. a national identity). There’s one caveat, though. Each Crystal The Five Lands also influences its bearer’s personality, mak- Bogovia is the land of dark forests and bleak ing them feel unwanted emotions or think swamps, of wolves howling in the night alien thoughts. This mental baggage is called against gloomy scenery. Bogovian folk tales “disposition” and it can usually be held back are all about grim endings, bitter sacrifices with some effort, but on occasion it might and Pyrrhic victories, with a stubborn hero completely transform a person’s personality. who refuses to surrender at any cost. Bogo- Crystals have been around since at least vians dress in thick, well-worn fabrics and the end of the Bygone Age, around 800 years huddle in small villages, each with its own ago. They can be found in ancient structures, strange customs and superstitions. deep within caves, or even in a well in the Fjordstad is the land of ice and storms, middle of a village. Many have become an where the Eleven Cities fight each other integral part of their own small and strange over resources and respect. Fjordstadians ecosystems. In their “feral” state they tend will act either behind your back, with highly to be dangerous and unpredictable. Syn trained spies engaging in industrial espio- Agents, as the only people able to safely nage, or in your face with mad engineers subdue and tame a Crystal, are scouring the who’ll blow you up with their latest death world in search of these dangerous objects. ray. Fjordstadian nobles tend to dress in Your mentor in Syn is always reminding elaborate multi-layered suits with various you that Crystals are not “magical”—they are hidden compartments, whereas commoners simply utilizing natural forces in ways not yet are more likely to be seen in overalls. All of fully understood. But we’re working on it. them, regardless of social status, are known for being elitist and condescending—espe- The Hearts cially toward each other. In the world of Crystal Heart, human hearts The Islands are varied and eccentric, both are not flesh-and-blood. They are hard, culturally and geographically. Some islands gemlike objects, changing slightly in shape are large trading hubs that are among the and greatly in color from individual to in- most cosmopolitan and pleasant places in dividual. At birth, the heart is only a small, the world, while others are remote, isolated colorless pebble. As the person grows, de- and untamed. The islands vary in climate, veloping a personality and a world view, but loose clothing and simple jewelery are the heart solidifies into a unique shape common almost everywhere. Islanders are and hue. quick to relax, focusing on the here and now. The heart “beats” slowly by shaking light- Some of them, of course, are pirates. ly, enabling blood circulation in a way theo- Maseia is the land of open plains, count- rized by modern medical science to be sim- less lakes and naturally-occurring flying ilar to a magnet creating a magnetic field. mountains. Dozens of Maseian clans travel After a person’s death, their heart slowly the plains and valleys, focusing on self-dis- sublimates, turning into vapor. covery, enlightenment, and living off the 7 Introduction land. Their societies have tight structures, ars are making their first steps into the field with stiff traditions and strict social mores. of archeology, trying to uncover their own Maseians dress in ways that reflect their role past. Deep within the Bogovian forests, within their clan. high on Maseian mountains, in the jungles Zingama is the land of slithering and poi- of Zingama, beneath Fjordstadian ice, and sonous things, a huge jungle criss-crossed all across the Islands, countless secrets re- by the longest river in the world. A massive main hidden. government rules over more than a million One power in the world, however, seems people, who live mostly in urban settlements to be ahead of everyone else by a generation along the river. Zingamaians talk politics at least: Syn. all day and party all night, proud of being a world-class cultural and industrial pow- The Rise of Syn er. Dress, hairstyle, slang, and even pets all About 20 years ago, an organization named change on a seasonal basis, according to the Syn began recruiting and training special latest fads. Farther from the river, the jun- Agents, replacing their hearts with harnesses gles are thick and dangerous. —a never-seen-before technology. Syn existed for some time before this, but it was The Bygone Age the arrival of the Agents that brought the About 800 years ago, human civilization organization to the public’s eye. ended. Even the best experts know little Most Agents are trained as Crystal Hunt- about the people who came before, and no ers. Syn’s intelligence team provides them one knows why their powerful society was with a designated route to follow for several annihilated. The person on the street only months, usually passing through two Lands. knows that several centuries ago, history During a hunt the Agents are expected to began almost from scratch. follow the rumors Syn has gathered before- The Bygone Age left various remnants hand, as well as to explore on their own and throughout the world. Most are ancient, recover any Crystals found. At the end of a strange machines or structures half-bur- route the group returns to Syn’s headquar- ied in the ground. One island might have a ters: a huge, high-tech flying citadel. Bygone Age forcefield that keeps everyone Syn scholars discovered the secret to uti- inside healthy, or a village in Bogovia might lizing Crystals safely and predictably by way be built on a metallic platform that doesn’t of the harness, but they are far from being sink into the swamp. The most important the only ones who try. Other organizations remnants are, of course, the Crystals. and individuals have an active interest in gaining control over Crystals, using and mis- Present Day using them for their own ends. This usually The people of the Lands still don’t know a lot ends tragically...but not always. about their world. After spending hundreds of years in internal strife, rebuilding society on the skeletons of the past, they have only recently began to coalesce into what might be called proto-nations. The thirst for knowledge and progress is there, even if the means for establishing and maintaining production lines are still out of reach. One Fjordstadian city might have cars, and many of them have electric street lights, but these are seen as trade secrets to be kept hidden from rivals. There’s even a train between some of the Fjordstadian cities and Maseia—but it’s the only train line in the entire world. Zingamaian schol- 8 Agents of Syn Agents of Syn Agents of Syn Syn is a unique organization, somewhere Agent Training between a government, a commercial cor- After being recruited (see sidebar on the poration, and a private army. next page), the Agents go through sever- It is one of very few names that are known al months of training, first by themselves in all the Lands and in almost every village. and later with their teammates. Teams are It is the most respected, feared, and admired usually comprised of 3-4 Agents, but some organization in recorded history. You are its groups are larger. Two-thirds of the way into Agents in the field. training the Agents are fitted with a harness Here are the five principles of the Agent, that allows them to replace their heart with taken from Syn’s Agent Manual, aka The a Crystal, giving them access to its powers. Code. More details are available on page 30. The default assumption is that you begin • Go where directed, follow the route, but the game at the start of your active duty, show initiative. during which you will get missions and orders • Help when asked by local authorities with from Syn. You will usually be required to go which Syn has signed a contract. hunting for Crystals, but occasionally you’ll • Avoid unnecessary violence. The world is be asked to act as law keepers or specialists. dangerous; don’t make it more so. Simply be on alert and return fire; protect Syn assets. Signs of a Crystal’s Presence • Syn supplies most everything you need. The Code advises to keep an eye for: Money is not an issue. Go and get Crystals. ·· Physical forces manifesting in odd ways • Represent Syn and its agenda fairly and ·· Flora and fauna behaving suspiciously diplomatically. ·· Cruel or unusually interesting deaths 9 Agents of Syn Recruitment Every year, dozens of people apply to join Syn by approaching the closest Syn facility or a passing Agent. Agents are encouraged to look out for potential recruits and recommend them to the organization. Most recruits join Syn’s technical, logistics, or science branches. Only a dozen or so people apply to become Agents, and only a handful of those manage to pass the first evaluations. Most tests are meant to ensure the person is healthy and can work well with others, but some are unusual, to say the least. For ex- ample, Syn doesn’t explain why or how they use a person’s reaction to eating a banana as a relevant data point. Despite the careful screening pro- cess, almost every year a would-be Agent doesn’t make it through the har- ness implantation surgery. Their bodies are returned to their families, along with generous compensation. Creating Your Agent Character creation follows the same process it does mean they should be able to handle as in the Savage Worlds core book, except at least some Crystals beyond their starter as noted. one. Build a person who can grow and adapt Keep the Crystal for Last: We suggest you to new Crystals (or not; see the Crystal Spe- choose your starter Crystal only after you’ve cialization Edge on page 19). finished everything else. This might seem counterintuitive for many players—this is Step 0: Reasons to Join and Crystal Heart, why shouldn’t I immediate- ly go and choose a cool Crystal?—but it’s important to remember that this is a starter Crystal, and your Agent will be replacing it Motivations to Stay in the not-too-far future. Becoming an Agent requires you to literal- Your character should be someone inde- ly take your heart out and place yourself in pendent from the Crystal they bear, some- the care of a mysterious organization. Why one who interacts with, but is not defined by, would anyone ever do such a thing? the disposition of their Crystal. Otherwise It’s the right thing to do: You believe you’re not playing a person, but a container strongly in something greater than yourself: for exchangeable Hindrances. duty to your people, the greater good, or may- There is also a practical concern that you be peace among the Islands. You want to con- (and your character!) should consider: an tribute, but you lack the specialized training Agent should be able to handle themselves or the logistical backbone. Syn has all of this independently of a specific Crystal. This and more. When you become a Free Agent doesn’t mean your Agent needs to be able (see sidebar next page), you’ll use your powers to handle every Crystal at peak efficiency, but and Syn’s resources to advance the cause. 10 Agents of Syn Power unlike any other: You want to be Your Future Promotions strong. Or maybe you want to fly, or discover At the end of one to two years as a Crystal what lies at the bottom of the ocean. Crystals Hunter—and assuming you survive—you will allow you to do amazing things, and Syn is the graduate into one of the following roles. only place where one can have safe and near- Free Agents are given free reign when it ly unlimited access to Crystals. Maybe Syn comes to advancing Syn’s interests (as well as hasn’t yet found the Crystal that does what their own) and are among the most powerful you want—no worries, you’ll find it yourself. and influential people in the Five Lands. No other choice: Perhaps you were exiled Specialists use specific Crystals in the ser- from your tribe, angered the wrong people, vice of some organization in accordance with or happen to be the last survivor of a volcano Syn’s ever-shifting alliances. eruption on your island. You had no home Subduers are given the responsibility of and no hope, but Syn gave you a place to [further information is not available to Novice sleep and a purpose. Or perhaps your fa- Agents]. ther was one of the founders of Syn and he demanded that you follow in his wake; or maybe you had a terminal heart disease and Your choice of home Land increases one had no choice but to join in order to replace of your attributes by one step, as a result of your heart. Regardless, you’re with Syn now, both biological and cultural causes. Your so you better start appreciating it. maximum attribute limit is also increased by one step, to d12+1. Your choice of home Land Step 1: Home Land also determines the type of things you might know with a Common Knowledge check. In Crystal Heart everyone is human (gaining Bogovia: Strength starting at d6. Bogo- a free Novice Edge as usual), and everyone vians are known for their fighting spirit, comes from a specific Land. approaching most situations head on. The Five Lands represent the entirety of Fjordstad: Smarts starting at d6. Fjord- the known world. Each Land’s population is stadians are known as being cunning and made up of various cultures, but for the most clever, approaching most situations as puz- part, each Land has its own ethnicity. For zles to be solved. more details on the world and each Land, The Islands: Vigor starting at d6. The cul- see The Five Lands, page 80. tures of the Islands are more varied than in other places, but they tend to have great fortitude and patience. 11 Agents of Syn Maseia: Agility starting at d6. Maseians ing access to Syn’s full database; Syn has are quick to act and react, and are usually discovered many secrets it does not share regarded as more physically active than with its Agents. the rest. Athletics (Agility) Zingama: Spirit starting at d6. Zin- All Agents receive basic physical training. gamaians tend to see every problem as a small part of a bigger picture—one that re- Battle (Smarts) volves around people. This skill also covers team operations and squad-level techniques. Battle can be used to Requisition equipment and services from Name Conventions Syn (see page 36). Because all people speak the same language (see Languages, next page), there’s no real rea- Boating (Agility) son for things to have weird names. However, Very common among Islanders, but also since it’s fun and atmospheric, we recommend used by many river-travelers in Zingama and finding some excuse for this: remnants of Fjordstad, as well as fishermen and trad- linguistic constructs from before the Bygone ers in lake-heavy Maseia and swamp-heavy Age, old customs, local dialects, etc. Bogovia. Includes building and controlling canoes as well as giant ships. • Bogovian names tend to sound sharp and strong, with hard B, V, and K sounds. Common Knowledge (Smarts) • Fjordstadian names use mainly SCH, Z, and With communications technology still in its F sounds, with sudden dips into D and N. infancy, people aren’t very knowledgeable • Islanders have complicated names with lots about most of their Land, to say nothing of of R, W, K, and A sounds, with interesting other Lands. You might be required to roll to vowel combinations. see if you remember or are aware of specific • Maesians use many T and O sounds, with details, such as customs (what people tend both hard and soft Ks. to celebrate, when, why, and how), dangers • Zingamaians like R and I sounds, and names (hazardous weather conditions, fauna and are usually kept short. flora, and where and when they might be encountered) and history (major political up- Step 2: Traits heavals and wars, people in power, recent natural disasters). Agents gain the usual 5 points for attributes Rolling Common Knowledge on Lands oth- and the usual 12 points for skills. Skills not er than your own is usually done with a -1 pen- mentioned on the following pages do not alty on the check. History tends to be foggy exist in Crystal Heart. earlier than 300 years ago, so checks regarding Core Skills: Agents of Syn go through sev- those days are made with a -1 penalty. The eral months of training, during which they Bygone Age is beyond Common Knowledge. gain the following skills at d4: Athletics, You might know some specialized infor- Common Knowledge, Crystal Channeling, mation, thanks to your upbringing. Based Fighting, Notice, Persuasion, and Stealth. on your Land, the following topics can be These skills are marked with a star ( ) on considered Common Knowledge to you, in- the list. They can be further increased with stead of Academics: points as usual. • Bogovia: Farming techniques and diseases. Academics (Smarts) • Fjordstad: Scientific principles, mechanics. This skill is combined with Science to re- • The Islands: Trade and sailing. flect specialized knowledge of all kinds. • Maseia: Animal husbandry and weather. A check is required to know anything of • Zingama: Sociology and narcotics. importance regarding the Bygone Age or Crystal Channeling (Spirit) Crystals, including speculating on Crystal The arcane skill used for Arcane Background manifestations and abilities (see page 62). (Crystal Channeling), with which one activates Note that this skill does not signify hav- their socketed Crystal’s powers. Channeling is 12 Agents of Syn a mental exercise practiced with biofeedback • Bogovia has two distinct dialects (North techniques. See page 56 for the full details. Bog and South Bog) with a separate lan- guage for bog-dwellers (Mud Tongue). Driving (Agility) This skill is virtually non-existent outside of • Fjordstadians speak North with local ac- a few Fjordstadian cities and Syn; most peo- cents in every city. ple won’t even know how to turn on the wip- • There are about two dozen Old Tongue-de- ers. Driving isn’t needed for ordinary travel scended languages in the Islands, and the in the Tank (the Most-Terrain-Vehicle issued more isolated a society is, the less similar to each team of Agents), and all Agents re- to the Tongue their language is. ceive some lessons behind the wheel, allow- • Maseians speak four different dialects ing them to use the skill untrained. (Grass, Hills, Low, and Shadows). Engineering (Smarts) • Zingamaians speak Zingamaian, bor- This skill combines Electronics and Repair rowing a lot of words from the tribal Zin- into one. It’s about practical application of gamaian-descended languages that pre- technical knowledge, mainly to construct dated the modern nation, as well as from and repair devices. the major Island and Maseian dialects. Fighting (Agility) Notice (Smarts) Syn Agents get to train with several melee When seeing a Crystal in action, feral or weapons and also bare-handed, but most otherwise, a raise on a Notice check to study decide to focus on one or two weapons or its manifestation can give a clue to its theme. styles (usually inspired by their home Land). Performance (Spirit) This is encouraged, as Syn places a huge Syn Agents don’t usually try to pretend to emphasis on personal development and be someone else or entertain a crowd, but uniqueness brought together under unified stranger things have happened. You can’t use beliefs and goals. this skill to raise funds; getting things from Healing (Smarts) Syn requires a Requisition roll (see page 36). Healing is used for all physical operations Persuasion (Spirit) involving a Crystal, such as socketing un- Nobody in the Five Lands is indifferent to- der pressure (see page 58) and understanding ward you—see page 82 for the Setting Rule Crystal influence on the human body. Everyone Has an Opinion About Syn. Per- Intimidation (Spirit) suasion can be used to Requisition equip- Syn’s reputation tends to precede the ment and services from Syn (see page 36). Agents, as naturally many people find the Networking: Instead of paying with mon- organization intimidating. Depending on ey an Agent can pay with Requisition, gain- the situation this can be a blessing or a ing +2 per point spent. hindrance; on occasion, even kind Agents find themselves resorting to the “Do you Piloting (Agility) know who I am?” approach. See page 82 for A rare skill, which can never be used un- the Setting Rule Everyone Has an Opinion trained. Syn has several pilots who can control About Syn. the autoplanes when needed. In Fjordstad, some engineers are inventing various types Language (Smarts) of mechanical flight, and Maseian sky-skiffers By default, this skill doesn’t exist as there’s use gliders to reach the floating mountains. only one language in the Five Lands, called the Tongue. The occasional expert also Repair knows some Old Tongue, the language of See Engineering. the Bygone Age. A character learns some Research (Smarts) basic Old Tongue when they take the By- This skill is very much influenced by the im- gone Age Expert Edge (page 18). mediately available books and reports, which If your group enjoys playing with many (unless you’re in the Syn citadel) tend to focus languages, use the following guidelines: on the Land you’re currently in. Agents in a 13 Agents of Syn Syn facility can spend Requisition to add +4 Familiarization to the roll (see page 38) Research can also be Most people in the Lands don’t venture beyond used to Requisition equipment and services their home Lands, and even Agents are only from Syn, see page 36. considered well-traveled when they become Seasoned. Riding (Agility) Very common in Bogovia and Maseia, and Until the Agent gets around a bit, consider practiced in Fjordstad with the white horse making the following skill checks with a small (page 174). Some Islanders use Riding to ride penalty whenever they are made outside of dolphins and hull leviathans (page 175), and the Agent’s home Land: some Zingamaians ride delivery snakes (page Knowledge skills: Terrain, weather phenom- 181). ena, and flora and fauna all change quite dra- matically between Lands. Science See Academics. Social skills: Local dialects, different pro- nunciations, and unusual euphemisms make Shooting (Agility) it harder to get your point across. The vibe of As with Fighting, Syn provides Agents with a Bogovian town is very different from that of several types of weaponry but encourages a Zingamaian city. specialization in a chosen form. It’s expected that all Syn Agents who don’t specialize at Step 3: Edges throwing things take Shooting to have some ranged combat ability. Stealth (Agility) and Hindrances The world is surprisingly filled with places You gain one free Edge for being human. people don’t want you to go to. On occasion, You can spend Hindrance points to gain Agents even try to pretend they never went additional Edges, as usual. there. For being a Syn Agent, you gain the Edge Survival (Smarts) Arcane Background (Crystal Channeling) A key skill in all Lands, Survival is essen- (page 16) and the Hindrance Vow (Major): tial for a group of Crystal Hunters who run The Agent’s Code (page 30). These are above around in the wilds on a regular basis. The and beyond the usual allotment of Hindranc- Tank is equipped with some basic survival es and Edges. Because this is a given for all tools (see page 45), but a team shouldn’t rely Agents, it’s not repeated in the stat blocks solely on them. in this book. Taunt (Smarts) Taunt is also used for boasting. As with In- Hindrances timidation, Agents occasionally find that the Agents don’t have to be entirely healthy or locals expect a certain behavior from them; clear of mind. In fact, having Bad Eyes or see page 82 for the Setting Rule Everyone being Yellow or Elderly can all be excellent Has an Opinion About Syn. reasons to become an Agent in the first place to look for a Crystal to overcome whatever’s Thievery (Agility) troubling you. When disabling traps, being quick and care- That being said, Syn cannot afford to let ful is what’s important. a Bloodthirsty Agent ruin its reputation of being fair (scary, but fair), and they’ll never accept someone who is Driven or under a Vow which leads them to create internation- al incidents or political catastrophes. There’s a place for everyone at Syn—except those who are destructive to it. The following hindrances are modified for Crystal Heart. 14 Agents of Syn Enemy: Can be an Agent from a rival team or someone else in the organization, in which case they don’t wish you death but certainly want to hinder your efforts. Obligation: Normally can’t be chosen— you’re obligated to Syn—but some rare cases might qualify. A famous Agent named Ma- tias is a single parent and had his eleven- year-old daughter accompanying him on adventures before he became a Subduer. A Major Obligation indeed! Also see the new Hindrance, Dependant. One Arm: This is a Minor Hindrance, since Syn supplies a light and mostly effec- tive prosthetic. Tasks that require two hands are made at a -2 modifier. Outsider: In the world of the Five Lands, all non-natives tend to draw a respectful amount of suspicion, but some cultures are considered so out-there that they deserve the Minor version of this Hindrance: Bogovian bog-dwellers, Fjordstadian barbarians, eccen- tric Islanders, Maseians from the Desert Pen- insula, and Zingamaian jungle villagers. See The Five Lands (page 80) for more details. By belonging to Syn you automatically get some respect and some legal rights, so the Major version of this Hindrance can’t be chosen. Slow: Syn provides a prosthetic for Agents with the Minor version, and an ultralight wheelchair for Agents with the Major version. Wanted: Running away from the law to join Syn is not unheard of. Syn Agents are vote one action this turn to satisfying your able to shrug off many accusations, but they disposition. If you are unsure what to do, you don’t actually have diplomatic immunity. can just waste an action in repetitive thoughts. The Major version of this Hindrance can only be chosen if the authorities are active- Dependant (Minor) Someone or something is depending on ly hunting for the Agent throughout their your support. You asked Syn to provide that Land and beyond. support, but the organization isn’t a char- Unused Hindrances ity—someone needs to pay for the service, The following Hindrances aren’t used in and that someone is you. You start the game Crystal Heart, because they make no sense with one less Requisition (so you have zero if in the setting: Doubting Thomas, Greedy, you’re a Novice Agent) and must pay a point Illiterate, Poverty. of Requisition every few months. New Hindrances Harness Rejection (Major) Your body and your harness don’t get Compulsive Behavior (Major) along, and pushing their connection too far Your Crystal’s disposition has a powerful in- isn’t recommended. When you maintain a fluence over you. When you are dealt a Heart power you must make a new Crystal Chan- as your Action Card, your Crystal’s intrusive neling check every ten minutes to keep the thought patterns take hold and you must de- power going. In addition, whenever you 15 Agents of Syn choose to take a level of Fatigue instead (page 35). To have a connection with a pow- of failing a Crystal Channeling roll, you erful individual inside the organization, see instead take two. the new Edge Mentor. Lingering Disposition (Minor) Trademark Weapon: All Syn-issued It’s hard for you to shake off the effects of a weapons are custom-made, but that doesn’t Crystal you’ve socketed, even after replac- mean they’re custom-awesome. An Agent ing it. When you switch a Crystal, choose with Trademark Weapon has either brought one Minor Hindrance (or a Minor version their own weapon from home, or undergone of a Major Hindrance) of the former Crystal. specific training with a special weapon You keep this Hindrance until you switch which is always fancier-looking than others Crystals again. You can make a Smarts roll of its kind. This does not require a Requi- to try and overcome this Hindrance when it sition roll. comes into play. Unused Edges Even a starting Agent has a lingering dis- The following Edges aren’t used in Crystal position, from the Crystal they used during Heart, as they make no sense in the setting: training; it can be any reasonable Minor All Power Edges, Arcane Resistance (and Hindrance of your choice. Improved), Champion, Chi, Linguist, Rich (and Filthy Rich). Edges The following Edges are used differently in New Edges Crystal Heart. The following edges are especially appro- Arcane Background: No Arcane Back- priate for use in Crystal Heart. grounds are allowed except for Crystal Channeling (see page 56) which all Agents Background Edges get for free. The only exception is Weird Sci- Arcane Background: ence, which is available exclusively to NPCs, Crystal Channeling mostly Fjordstadian mad scientists; see the Requirements: Novice No Magic Setting Rule, page 83. While the You are equipped with a harness. You are common person might have various super- able to take ranks in the Crystal Channeling stitions, and the world is indeed filled with skill, which is based on Spirit. See page 56 wonder, Syn Agents are taught that there’s for the full details. All Syn Agents get this no “magic” in the Five Lands—only poorly Edge for free. understood Crystal technology. Fierce Forward Aristocrat: Each of the Five Lands, with the Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+ exception of the Islands, has an aristocracy of People in the Lands tend to be fierce; you’re sorts. The differences in style and etiquette an excellent example of that. between Lands might reduce the bonus giv- en by this Edge to +1 at the Game Master’s Once per day, when something you believe discretion. Generally speaking you left your in is on the line, you can upgrade your Wild position behind, but you are still expected by Die by one step (d6 to d8), or get a d4 Wild the people of your Land to behave according Die if you don’t have one. This upgrade lasts to your status and fulfill some relevant duties; for a scene. A mercenary won’t be able to use you still belong to the cultural elite. this Edge simply for fighting, but she does get it when she fights a foe who opposes her Command: Syn training focuses on small belief that people should be free to make a unit tactics. All Leadership Edges that apply living however they choose. only to Extras instead apply to Wild Cards as well (effectively negating the need for On the other hand, when retreating or Natural Leader). avoiding a conflict in which your personal beliefs are challenged, you downgrade your Connections: You can’t have Connections Wild Die to a d4 (or get a -1 penalty on all with Syn as your relationship with the orga- Trait rolls, if you don’t have one) for the next nization is covered by the Requisition rules 1d6 hours, or until you come back and fight. 16 Agents of Syn Mentor ed devotion to the task at hand. When you Requirements: Novice recover from being Shaken, you gain +2 on All Agent teams have a supervisor, but you your next Trait roll this turn. also have a personal mentor. They can be the Fjordstadian Scrutiny same person or someone else in Syn. The Requirements: Novice, Fjordstadian two of you have a special relationship—not Fjordstadians are taught from childhood to necessarily a nice one, but one based on mu- assume the unknown and suspect the obvious. tual respect. At best, they are cautious; at worst, paranoid. You gain a skill point (but not above the This Edge counts as Danger Sense, except connected attribute) in one skill that is rel- that the character rolls her Smarts instead evant to your mentor, their teaching style, of Notice. It can also be used to recognize or their relationship with you. You also in- non-physical sources of surprise. For ex- crease your Requisition by 2 points, reflect- ample, if the baron at the party is giving ing your mentor’s connections and willing- a speech about Syn’s magnificent achieve- ness to shift some things around for you. ments but is in fact about to mock the See Appendix B (page 214) for a list of rec- Agents, this Edge can be used to recognize ommended mentors. that something bad is about to happen. Cultural Edges Because this Edge casts a wide net, it oc- casionally triggers for no reason. The GM Each of the following Edges represents an is encouraged to call for a Fjordstadian ability that the character gained by going Scrutiny roll at least once per session, and through some sort of ceremony or by whole- especially during times of calm. heartedly adopting a custom or way of life. While it’s possible for a person of one Land If you already have Danger Sense, replace to get initiated into the customs of another, it with a different Edge. it’s a rare occurrence which requires justi- Island Diet fication in the story. Requirements: Novice, Islander The trappings for each cultural Edge You know how to eat well, and more impor- change according to local variants. For ex- tantly, what and when. Even if your Land’s ample, one Maseian clan’s Rite of Passage fruits, grains, and meats aren’t around, you’ll has the youngsters go through a series of find suitable replacements. You’ve gained caves and confront mask-wearing elders, while another requires a person to sit alone in a hut for three days. These trappings also set the requirements for each Edge. In the example above, the first clan takes all the youngsters of a calendar year through the Rite at an appointed date. In the second, every clansperson chooses when they’re ready to go through the trial, with some people doing so late in life. Bogovian Fire Drill Requirements: Novice, Bogovian In the Land of endless mud and musty swamps, fire can be surprisingly danger- ous because nobody expects it. But you? You’re ready for anything. You’ve been through too many jump scares and had more than enough people shout- ing at you to get going. You now show a fierce, almost narrow-mind- 17 Agents of Syn healthy stores of energy, and your diet has Great Focus guided your metabolism to access that en- Requirements: Veteran, Crystal Channel- ergy quickly and efficiently. ing d8+, Focus You are able to survive without food for Activating powers is second nature to you. two days (instead of one) before needing to You get a free reroll on Crystal Channeling roll Vigor for hunger. If given proper ingre- checks. dients and appropriate tools, you can create a tasty and nourishing meal. Anyone who Imbue With Power eats it while enjoying a relaxing atmosphere Requirements: Seasoned, Crystal Chan- is able to ignore one point of penalties from neling d6+ Fatigue for the next 8 hours. You are trained in the tricky but useful tech- You can usually restock quality ingredients nique of imbuing an object with some of at Syn facilities (no Requisition roll required). your Crystal’s power, so it can be used by someone else. Maseian Rite of Passage The object must be a fist-sized item that is Requirements: Novice, Maseian relevant to your Crystal’s theme. You touch You went through a tough trial during which it for several seconds (an action, no roll you learned to broaden your horizons and needed) and place one of your Crystal’s pow- connect with the earth. You have the uncan- ers in it. That power becomes unavailable to ny ability to notice small details that others you until it’s used, but you are considered seem to miss. This might be thanks to the to be maintaining it. You can place several spirits intervening on your behalf, or a result different powers into several different items. of being highly perceptive because of your Anyone holding the item can release its belief that spirits are helping you. power with a Crystal Channeling check. Once per session you can Influence the Non-Agents can roll the skill untrained, but Story without spending a Benny. This new they become Stunned in the case of a Critical detail must be a new feature or item that Failure (Agents suffer desync as usual; their couldn’t have been immediately obvious at Crystal’s resonance comes into conflict with the start of the current scene. the power they're releasing!). If the power Zingamaian Nationalism isn’t used within a week, the effect dissipates Requirements: Novice, Zingamaian and you get the power back. Zingama is the best! Be proud, Zingamaians! Retain Power All the other peoples only believe in their Requirements: Novice, Crystal Channeling d4+ families, tribes, cities. They don’t really un- You can ignore one point of penalties from derstand what’s it like to be part of some- maintaining powers—in other words, you thing larger, grander than themselves. can maintain one power for “free”. This Edge counts as Strong Willed and Brave. If you already have either of these Professional Edges Edges, replace it with a different Edge. Bygone Age Expert Note: The Game Master can allow Fjord- Requirements: Novice, Academics d6+, En- stadians to take this Edge regarding their gineering d6+ city-states, as they have something resem- You gain +2 on Academics and Engineering bling national pride toward them. checks made to understand and activate By- gone Age technology. You also know some Power Edges basic Old Tongue, the language of the pre- Focus historic people. Requirements: Novice, Crystal Channeling d6+ Crystal Expert When you keep still, everything is much clear- Requirements: Novice, Academics d6+, er. If you don’t move at all during your turn, Healing d6+ you can ignore up to 2 points of penalties on You gain +2 on Academics and Healing a Crystal Channeling roll you make this turn. checks made to analyze and understand 18 Agents of Syn Crystals, their manifestations, and Crys- tal-corrupted creatures. A raise can re- veal the unique powers and weaknesses of such creatures. You also know by heart the themes, benefits, dispositions, and powers of all the Crystals in the Syn database (re- freshed whenever you have a day to study in a Syn facility). Crystal Specialization Requirements: Seasoned, must have kept the Crystal slotted for most of a Rank, or learned a new power with the Crystal through a Power Stunt For whatever reason, you really like a specific Crystal. Maybe you want to gain mastery over this aspect of real- ity, maybe you have a specific task in mind, or maybe the Crystal’s theme is just your sort of thing. Choose a Crystal. You immediately learn a new power for it or add a new Edge to its benefit. Decide with the GM which power or Edge to add. As usual, it must work well with the Crystal’s theme. instead of Healing, and you don't get the In addition, your greater understanding of usual -2 penalty for doing so. Succeeding the Crystal’s theme allows you to ignore up to with a raise gives you the additional benefit 2 points of penalties from Power Modifiers of ignoring up to 2 points of penalties on when activating the powers of this Crystal. your next Crystal Channeling check before This Edge can be chosen multiple times, the end of your next turn. with different Crystals. However, because of your emotional dis- connection from the Crystals you are using, Improved Specialization it’s harder for you to learn to understand Requirements: Veteran, Crystal Special- each of them individually. You require 3 ization raises in order for a Power Stunt to “click” You gain a new power with the Crystal you’ve (see page 58), and whenever you use at least specialized with. When you attain Heroic one power Modifier on a roll, you have an Rank, you gain an additional new power. additional -1 penalty. The Right Crystal For the Job Tomb Robber Requirements: Seasoned, Crystal Chan- Requirements: Novice, Agility d8+, Notice neling d8+ d6+, Thievery d6+ You have no special sentimentality for Crys- Getting into ancient ruins is pretty easy; tals. They are tools to be used and changed getting out alive is a different matter. You as needed. add +1 to Notice rolls when traveling in Syn allows you to carry one other Crys- and around ancient structures, always on tal at all times (usually you’re supposed to the lookout for common hazards and hid- only have one). You’ve learned to change den traps. You also add +1 to Thievery rolls Crystals on your own, quickly and effec- when disabling traps and unlocking barri- tively, probably by taking a well-timed ers. Finally, your fascination with ancient long breath or simply enduring through tombs led you to study many tales and my- the sudden system shock. You can make a thologies, so they’re considered Common self-socketing check using Spirit or Vigor Knowledge for you. 19 Agents of Syn Weird Edges Second Breath Step 4: Gear Requirements: Seasoned, Vigor d6+ Agents of Syn get everything they need from the organization. If they need to You gain an extra level of Fatigue, with a -1 trade with someone from outside the or- penalty. You only become Exhausted after ganization, they do so by promising fu- you take a third level. ture help or using favors. In both of these Signature Move cases, they use Requisition. See page 35 Requirements: Seasoned for the rules. You are practiced with a unique and awe- The following is standard-issued gear for some technique, usually a combat move but Novice Agents on Crystal Hunter teams. not necessarily. It must include a motto—the See the equipment tables on page 42 for name of the attack, a whispered idiom, or details. something similar—and a signature chore- • One or two weapons of your choice, from ography. When you select this Edge, choose any of the weapon lists. the set-up (an attribute) and the execution • Three Syn suits, custom-made. (a skill). • A backpack with some basic, yet modern, When you make your signature move, you adventuring gear. Think flashlights and first roll the set-up. For every success and thermal blankets. raise, you gain +1 for the skill roll—the execution—which you then roll normally. • Basic Crystal capture gear: an empty Crys- Failing the set-up inflicts a -2 penalty on tal container and gloves. the execution, and a Critical Failure for- • Any assistive technology required by the feits the execution completely. The whole Agent, such as a prosthesis or a wheel- move is considered a single action, and chair. These are light and effective, but you can perform Multi-Actions this turn not powered. as normal. The team is also issued a Most-Terrain-Vehi- All moves have a requirement that must be cle, fondly named the “Tank.” The Tank can met, the trigger that allows them to activate. seat three in the front and four in the cabin, Here are some suggestions: with enough supplies and ammunition for • When you act first in the round about a month. The Tank also has storage • As a response for six Crystals and comes equipped with • When you’re above/behind/under the target a first aid kit. See page 45 for more details • After saying an excellent quip or pun on the Tank. Example: Muna’s Leaping Strike (Agility + Fight- Starting Requisition ing) requires her to climb on something large, like Novice Agents begin the game with one a table or a pile of rocks, and then jump onto an point of Requisition. Before starting your enemy while shouting “Battle strike!” first adventure, you can make a single re- quest for gear. Example: Heuberger’s Sneering Gaze (Smarts + Step 5: Taunt) can only be used as a retort. He turns toward the target with a sneer, pushes his glasses back up with one finger as he examines the lesser person, and mutters something demeaning. Team Building Example: Toho’s Disappearing Act (Agility + Now that you have a few Agents, you need to Stealth) requires the target to be Distracted by bring them together and form a team. something. He can try to distract them on his Your Supervisor own (“Hey, look over there!”) with a Taunt Test, Syn training places a focus on mentorship, but he’s not great with these skills, so he usually having a more experienced Agent help the asks one of his teammates to do it for him. new ones. Create your own supervisor, or pick or roll from the list in Appendix B, page 214. 20 Agents of Syn As a group, think about the following: before being implanted with a harness and • What’s unique, annoying, or inspiring becoming full Agents. This session has sev- about your supervisor? eral benefits: • What’s their position in the organization? • You get to get to know your character’s natural self, sans-Crystal. Remember, from • Are they seasoned Crystal Hunters, Spe- now on they’ll always be influenced by the cialists, or Free Agents? Crystal they’re socketing, so this is your Your supervisor has no mechanical effect only chance to play them as-is. on the game, but they are usually the first • You get to test out your character’s skills person you’ll go to for advice or information, and abilities. If anything isn’t to your lik- and your main connection to the rest of Syn. ing, you still have time to switch some Team Training points around. Your team has spent several months training • You get to create some group dynamics together. Go around the table and have each and understand each other’s abilities player tell the others about their Agent’s and styles, meaning that on your first ad- relationship with another player’s Agent, venture you’ll already feel like a team of perhaps by describing an event from their Agents working together. training. • The Game Master has a chance to lay out You can draw a card and use it as inspiration: the basic themes for the upcoming cam- • Spades: You share some aspirations. You paign, introduce some important NPCs, both want to see the fabled Invisible Isle, and maybe provide some foreshadowing. want to be the best at the same thing, or The Game Master has more information and maybe you really want your parents to be suggestions on page 112. proud of you. • Hearts: You share some habits or skills. Perhaps you’ve found a surprising com- mon ground (“You love baking? I love bak- ing!”), or maybe you have an honest ap- preciation of each other’s skill or outlook. • Diamonds: You envy something about them—their skill, their attitude, their upbringing. Are you using this to push yourself to become better, or do you in- stead become bitter? • Clubs: You share a common enemy. Per- haps it’s a rival Agent or team of Agents, maybe it’s a common dislike of lazy peo- ple, or maybe you just both really hate it when it rains. • Joker: You both experienced the same strange event. Maybe you were stranded alone for a week during survival training, were part of the same accident, or maybe you both saw the same strange shadow in the mirror. The Training Session Now that you have your team ready, we rec- ommend you play an hour-long game that represents one of your team’s training ses- sions from the first few months of training, 21 Agents of Syn Step 6: Character Starter Crystal Archetypes Choose a Crystal from the Starter Crystal Here are some common archetypes of peo- List on page 63 and get your Game Master’s ple from the Five Lands, and common roles approval. This can be a Crystal you’ve been in a team of Crystal Hunters. They have all training with for some time, or a newly is- become Agents, so these are above-average sued Crystal you haven’t had much chance people taken up to Step 3 of the Character to try out. Creation process. You can also spend 1 Requisition to upgrade Statistics for common NPC archetypes ap- your starter Crystal from Novice to Seasoned. pear in the Adversaries and Challenges chap- ter, starting on page 159. Replacing Crystals: When and How Bogovia As you adventure, you’ll discover new Crystals. You’ll also accumulate Requisition points, Bog-Dweller allowing you to “purchase” Crystals from Syn. You were once one of the strangest and most reclusive people found in Bogovia— You might want to switch to a new Crystal and that’s saying something. Living off dan- because it has curious powers or because you gerous Bygone Era tech, deep in the stinky grew bored with your old one. Sometimes you swamps, you barely had any connection with will even be ordered by Syn to switch to a Crystal the outside world. And yet, now you’re an that needs testing (see page 62 for ways to test Agent. How did that happen? out new Crystals) or to return your currently socketed Crystal because it’s needed elsewhere. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, The switch itself is dangerous if done in Strength d6, Vigor d8 combat conditions, but pretty straightforward Skills: Academics d6, Athletics d4, Com- otherwise. The full rules are given on page 58. mon Knowledge d4, Crystal Channeling d6, Engineering d8, Fighting d4, Notice In any case, most Agents are not allowed to d8, Persuasion d4, Research d6, Shooting carry an extra Crystal beyond the one they’re d6, Stealth d4 bearing—they risk losing both Crystals should Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 6 they go down in the field. Whenever you arrive Hindrances: Habit (Major; must breathe at a Syn facility, you’ll be asked to deliver all special fumes), Outsider (Minor), Quirk the extra Crystals you keep stored in the Tank. (Uses archaic idioms) If you enjoy switching Crystals on a regular Edges: Bygone Age Expert, McGyver basis, or grow to feel especially connected to a specific Crystal and don’t want to switch it, Church Acolyte check out The Right Crystal for the Job Edge The Faith’s dogma commands the acolyte or the Crystal Specialization Edge, on page 19. to protect the Bogovians from the wrath of the heavens. And also wolves. What would make a devout acolyte, with a bright future in the Church, turn to Syn? Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d8, Vigor d6 Skills: Academics d6, Athletics d4, Com- mon Knowledge d6, Crystal Channeling d8, Fighting d6, Healing d6, Intimidation d6, Notice d4, Persuasion d8, Stealth d4 Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5 Hindrances: Code of Honor, Delusional (Minor; the moon is magic), Vow (Minor; protect pious Bogovians) Edges: Aristocrat, Common Bond 22 Agents of Syn Peasant It’s hard to raise crops and rear farm ani- mals when your land is a swamp and the wolves are closing in. But it’s even harder to leave your homestead and family behind to become an Agent. So why did you do it? Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vigor d8 Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge d4, Crystal Channeling d6, Fighting d8, Intimidation d6, Notice d6, Persuasion d6, Stealth d4, Survival d6 Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6 Hindrances: Mean, Phobia (Minor; some superstition), Thin Skinned (Major) Edges: Brute, Nerves of Steel Woodsman As a person who’s made their living track- ing beasts into the deepest forests and killing them, you’re always ready to take the initiative and stare danger in the face. Was the forest not dangerous enough for you, so you decided to replace your heart with a Crystal? Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vigor d6 Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge Church Acolyte d4, Crystal Channeling d6, Fighting d8, Notice d6, Persuasion d4, Shooting d6, Stealth d6, Survival d8 Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 5 Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 5 Hindrances: Curious, Quirk (Speaks in jar- Hindrances: Ruthless (Minor), Stubborn, gon), Tongue-Tied Phobia (Major; some superstition) Edges: Calculating, Mr. Fix It Edges: Quick, Woodsman Mountain Barbarian Fjordstad Who are the mountain people? Survivors from the cities of olden days? Those who Engineer remained behind when Fjordstadians moved Whether you were an electrician, engine de- to the cities? Banished criminals? Regard- signer, botanist, sewage systems specialist, less, they have no place in proper Fjordsta- or something similar, you have the tools and dian society. But in Syn... the knowhow to create and repair. The world is a mess, but you can make it work for you. Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Is this why you want to channel Crystals? Strength d6, Vigor d8 Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, d4, Crystal Channeling d6, Fighting d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6 Notice d6, Persuasion d4, Shooting d8, Skills: Academics d4, Athletics d4, Com- Stealth d6, Survival d6, Thievery d6 mon Knowledge d6, Crystal Channeling Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 6 d6, Driving d6, Engineering d8, Fighting Hindrances: Enemy (Major; one of the cit- d4, Notice d6, Persuasion d4, Shooting d8, ies), Mean, Outsider (Minor) Stealth d4 Edges: Thief, Two-Gun Kid 23 Agents of Syn Noble Hindrances: Arrogant, Shamed (Minor; To be someone in Fjordstad, you need to something you “had to do” to climb the belong to one of the noble houses. But the ranks), Vow (Minor; your noble house) meaning of the word “noble” is changing Edges: Aristocrat, Command as more and more people are accepted into the houses by merit. Are you one of them? Scientist If so, why would you leave after working so You’ve learned just enough to understand hard to become a member? Or are you of how much more there is to know. Is that why noble birth, expected to be loyal, to behave, you joined Syn—to discover more than the to participate in the games of espionage and people of your city allowed you to explore? sabotage? If so, did you leave because it was Or were you kicked out because you’ve al- too much…or not enough? ready gone beyond the limits of acceptable research? (Each city-state specializes in a Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, specific field; see page 92). Strength d6, Vigor d6 Skills: Academics d6, Athletics d4, Com- Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit d6, mon Knowledge d6, Crystal Channeling Strength d6, Vigor d6 d6, Fighting d4, Notice d6, Persuasion d8, Skills: Academics d10, Athletics d4, Com- Shooting d6, Stealth d4, Taunt d8 mon Knowledge d6, Crystal Channeling Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 5 d8, Engineering d4, Fighting d4, Notice d8, Persuasion d4, Research d8, Stealth d4 Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 5 Hindrances: Big Mouth, Overconfident, Pacifist (Minor) Edges: Investigator, Scholar (Academics) The Islands Eccentric There are many Islands and they are all different—but some are even more dif- ferent than others. Way out, beyond the trade routes, where explorers rarely dare go, there are those who are called “eccentric” by the common Islander. Yes, they’re still one of us—but they’re weird. Not bad, but… Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d8 Skills: Athletics d8, Boating d4, Common Knowledge d4, Crystal Channeling d6, Fighting d8, Intimidation d6, Notice d6, Persuasion d4, Stealth d6, Survival d6 Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6 Hindrances: Clueless, Outsider (Minor), Quirk (a strange custom) Edges: Brute, First Strike Gastronome To the Islanders, food is a big deal; so by knowing food, one becomes a big deal. This is true only in the Islands, so why did you leave? After learning the culinary arts—a rare and difficult feat—you turned your back Mountain Barbarian 24 Agents of Syn on the archipelago and joined Syn. Did you Channeling d6, Fighting d4, Notice d6, have a fight with your mentor? Or are you Persuasion d8, Performance d6, Stealth trying to bring a gastronomic revolution to d4, Taunt d6 the other Lands? Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 5 Hindrances: Driven (Major; must leave an Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, amazing inheritance for my family/clan); Strength d4, Vigor d8 Hesitant Skills: Academics d6, Athletics d4, Com- Edges: Bolster, Connections mon Knowledge d4, Crystal Channeling d6, Fighting d6, Healing d6, Intimidation Maseia d6, Notice d6, Persuasion d8, Stealth d4, Survival d4 Sky-Skiff Rider Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 6 Admired, daring, cocky—the skiffers roam Hindrances: Clumsy, Jealous (Minor; I’m the around Maseia on special wind-powered best chef), Stubborn boards, belonging to no clan but accepted by Edges: Fame (in high society), Island Diet all. They deliver mail and bring news from afar, returning every few months to their Pirate secret hideouts on the flying mountains YARRRRRrrrrr!! above. Since the sky skiff is useless outside of windy Maseia, and Agents (unlike skiffers) Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, are usually suspected rather than admired, Strength d8, Vigor d6 why did you join Syn? Is windsurfing simply Skills: Athletics d8, Boating d4, Common not extreme enough for you? Knowledge d4, Crystal Channeling d6, Fighting d8, Notice d6, Persuasion d4, Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Stealth d6, Taunt d6, Thievery d6 Strength d6, Vigor d6 Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 5 Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge d4, Hindrances: Overconfident, Ugly (Major) Crystal Channeling d6, Fighting d4, Notice Edges: Acrobat, Feint d6, Persuasion d4, Piloting d8, Shooting d8, Stealth d4, Survival d4, Taunt d6 Trader Pace: 6; Parry: 4; You’ve spent your life on the move Toughness: 5 as one of the trading cooperatives or as an independent. Why leave this life and join Syn? Maybe you’ve seen many strange things around the Islands, but you’re looking for things stranger still. Maybe your trading partners betrayed you, Pirate and you lost it all. Or maybe everything you own was eaten by a shark. Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spir- it d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6 Skills: Athletics d6, Boating d4, Com- mon Knowledge d8, Crystal 25 Agents of Syn Hindrances: Delusional (Minor; everything Trailblazer revolves around me), Jealous (Minor; I’m While the scout is forging new paths, the the best acrobat around), Overconfident trailblazer is forging new alliances. It’s not Edges: Ace, Provoke uncommon for a clan to be in contact with about a dozen neighbors who keep coming Craftsperson (Herbalist) and going with the seasons. This means Many clans are not self-sufficient, specializ- treaties constantly need to be revised, alli- ing in several crafts and trading their unique ances reconsidered, and social status proved. goods with their neighbors for whatever Trailblazers are almost exclusively chieftain they need. In the Maseian stratified soci- princes and princesses—so how come you ety, many are born into their craft and are turned to Syn? expected to master it in order to prove their adulthood; others choose a role and are re- Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, quired to change their whole lifestyle to fit Strength d6, Vigor d6 it. Most Maseians are content with their sta- Skills: Academics d4, Athletics d6, Com- tion—but apparently, you think otherwise. mon Knowledge d6, Crystal Channeling Or were you pushed out of the clan for doing d6, Fighting d6, Notice d4, Persuasion d10, something they simply won’t accept? Riding d4, Shooting d6, Stealth d4 This is an example of an herbalist, a crafts- Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5 person who specializes in treating ailments. Hindrances: Driven (Major; everything can be solved if we just sit and talk this out), Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Enemy (Minor; a clan who feels slighted Strength d6, Vigor d6 by you), Pacifist (Minor) Skills: Academics d6, Athletics d6, Com- Edges: Aristocrat, Charismatic mon Knowledge d4, Crystal Channeling d6, Fighting d4, Healing d8, Notice d4, Zingama Persuasion d6, Shooting d6, Stealth d4, Assassin Survival d6 In Zingama, killing people is a respected Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 5 job. It’s also very dangerous because people Hindrances: Clueless, Loyal, Mild Mannered apparently don’t want to be killed, so they Edges: Bolster, Healer employ traps, guards, and even other assas- Hunter sins to prevent this from happening. Maybe Being surrounded by boundless wilds this ever-escalating arms race became too means two things. First, there’s lots of much for you. All of these new techniques good stuff out there, let’s hunt it; and sec- are taking the art out of the job, you know? ond, there’s a lot of dangerous stuff that Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, can come from any direction, let’s scout. Strength d6, Vigor d6 Equipped with an invaluable set of skills Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge for both your clan and Syn, what made you d4, Crystal Channeling d6, Fighting d8, leave your family behind with one fewer Notice d8, Persuasion d4, Shooting d6, hunter to help them? Stealth d8, Thievery d6 Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 5 Strength d6, Vigor d6 Hindrances: Cautious, Ruthless (Minor), Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge Wanted (Major; your last mark) d4, Crystal Channeling d4, Fighting d6, Edges: Assassin, Thief Notice d6, Persuasion d4, Shooting d8, Entertainer Stealth d6, Survival d8 In Zingama, culture is all around you—usu- Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5 ally deafeningly loud and blindingly color- Hindrances: All Thumbs, Heroic, Quirk ful. If you’ve got the talent, you’ll have the (uncouth) audience! Did you leave for Syn to reach Edges: Free Runner, Woodsman new crowds? Or was it because you failed to achieve the recognition you were craving? 26 Agents of Syn Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d10, Strength d6, Vigor d6 Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge d6, Crystal Channeling d6, Fighting d4, Notice d6, Persuasion d8, Performance d8, Stealth d4, Taunt d6 Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 5 Hindrances: Habit (Minor; smokes), Impul- sive, Vengeful (Minor) Edges: Elan, Fame (In Zingama) Officer All Zingamaians join the army; some even stay. As an officer, you went through com- mand training and served for longer than average. In a way, this “proved” your nation- al pride. Strange that you chose to join Syn, then. Were you dishonorably discharged, or was the Zingamaian army too corrupt or unprofessional for your taste? Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6 Skills: Athletics d8, Battle d6, Common Knowl- edge d4, Crystal Channeling d6, Fighting d8, Healing d4, Intimidation d6, Notice d6, Persuasion d4, Stealth d4, Survival d4 Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 5 Hindrances: Mean, Quirk (Speaks in mil- itary terms), Vow (Major; protect Zin- gamaians) Edges: Command, Soldier Officer Vexed If you want to know what’s wrong with Zin- Crystal Hunter Team gama, ask a Zingamaian from outside of the Here are some classic roles one can find in nation. Despite what most people believe, a well-rounded group of Agents. there are a lot of people who are ethnically Note: Bump up one of the attribute dice but not culturally Zingamaian, collectively according to your chosen Land. called “vexed” or “displeased” by the “prop- er” Zingamaians. In the streets of Zingama City, the displeased only ever come up in a Crystal Expert conversation when “primal” aesthetics are You know Crystals, their manifestations, and back in fashion. how to use them well. Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d8, Vigor d6 Strength d6, Vigor d6 Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge Skills: Academics d6, Athletics d4, Com- d4, Crystal Channeling d6, Fighting d8, mon Knowledge d4, Crystal Channeling Healing d4, Intimidation d6, Notice d6, d8, Fighting d6, Healing d6, Notice d6, Persuasion d4, Stealth d6, Survival d6 Persuasion d4, Research d6, Stealth d4; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 5 two more points Hindrances: Outsider (Minor), Suspicious Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5 (Minor), one other Major Hindrances: One Major, two Minor Edges: Danger Sense, Fierce Forward Edges: Crystal Expert, one other 27 Agents of Syn Engineer Leader You can fix it, drive it, and build it. You guide your teammates and help them work like a well-oiled machine. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6 Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Skills: Academics d4, Athletics d4, Com- Strength d6, Vigor d6 mon Knowledge d4, Crystal Channeling Skills: Academics d4, Athletics d4, Battle d6, Driving d4, Engineering d8, Fighting d6, Common Knowledge d4, Crystal Chan- d6, Healing d6, Notice d6, Persuasion d4, neling d6, Fighting d8, Healing d4, Notice Stealth d4; two more points d6, Persuasion d6, Shooting d6, Stealth d4; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5 two more points Hindrances: One Major, two Minor Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 5 Edges: Mr. Fix It, one other Hindrances: One Major, two Minor Edges: Command, Reliable Face You can calm down the angry commoner and manipulate the arrogant elite. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6 Skills: Athletics d4, Common Knowledge d4, Crystal Channeling d6, Fighting d6, Intimidation d8, Notice d6, Persuasion d8, Stealth d4; four more points Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5 Hindrances: One Major, two Minor Edges: Attractive, one other Fighter You’ll subdue, destroy, or kill it while pro- tecting your teammates. Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6 Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge d4, Crystal Channeling d6, Fighting d6, Notice d4, Persuasion d4, Shooting d8, Stealth d4, Taunt d6; two more points Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 5 Hindrances: One Major, two Minor Edges: Provoke, one other Infiltrator You’ll steal—erm, stealthily acquire much needed information, disable traps, and stalk from afar. Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6 Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge d4, Crystal Channeling d6, Fighting d6, Notice d6, Persuasion d4, Shooting d4, Stealth d8, Thievery d8; two more points Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5 Hindrances: One Major, two Minor Edges: Thief, one other 28 Syn Syn Welcome, would-be Agents, to your orienta- in recorded history, and you are its Agents tion course. Please stay close to your guide in the field. and be careful not to cross into areas desig- nated “Restricted Access.” Be advised that Legal Jurisdiction all information provided in this course and The Five Lands are ruled by various govern- during the rest of your training is classified ments or similar powers, such as lords, vil- “Agent Only”. It must not be discussed with lage councils, or ancient customs accepted people from outside of the organization or by the locals. Syn is powerful and far-reach- non-essential Syn personnel, under penalty ing, more so than any other political pow- of six months’ incarceration. er in the world, so everyone likes to know Welcome to Syn. where they stand with the organization. Most local governing bodies have signed Responsibilities and agreements with Syn allowing for coopera- tion, though the exact wording varies from Perks of an Agent settlement to settlement. Generally they allow the following perks to traveling Syn Syn is the world’s only global organization. Agents once they have identified themselves It’s well known throughout the Lands for by showing their harnesses: being powerful and aloof, using amazing technology and expert Agents to free the Perks world from the danger of Crystals. It has • A show of respect, such as being invited way stations throughout the Lands, public to important events as guests of honor. connections, and secret agendas. It is the • Free lodging for a week, including meals, most respected and influential organization once per month. 29 Syn • The right to use force against those who a Vow Hindrance (Major) by all Syn Agents break local laws. Syn Agents are occasion- during their training (see page 14). ally called in to help with local policing The manual’s main concerns can be sum- efforts. marized by the following points. Not ful- • The right to use force against those who filling these responsibilities might result in interfere in Syn operations (subject to temporary negative modifiers on Requisi- many restrictions, depending on local tion rolls at the GM’s discretion. agreement). Go where directed, but show initiative. While not technically a perk, Syn Agents The route is only as good as the information also enjoy an unspoken, near diplomatic-like used to plan it, and most of it is based on immunity. While Syn Agents are required rumors. Be aware of the signs of a Crystal’s to abide by local laws just like anyone else, presence (see page 9) and follow the leads. most power groups would like to avoid get- Help when asked by local authorities. ting into trouble with Syn, so they’ll allow Local agreements almost always allow au- Agents to get away with some surprisingly thorities to ask the Agents—who are usu- uncouth behavior. ally more capable, better trained, and more It is important to remember that while prepared than local law enforcers—to act as Agents can indeed escape justice in many a policing force. Lands, they can’t escape Syn, who takes very Avoid unnecessary violence. You, the har- unkindly to Agents who soil its reputation ness, the Crystal you carry, and all of your unnecessarily. equipment represent hundreds of hours of Safe Crystals: It is generally agreed that investment. Don’t endanger them without Crystals belong to Syn even before being a good cause. recovered, meaning Agents can claim own- Syn supplies most everything you need. ership over any discovered Crystal and use You are not allowed to invest in commercial reasonable force to retrieve it, if necessary. ventures. If you require something, Syn will However, several towns have come to be de- provide it. pendent on one or more elements of their Represent Syn. Protect Syn’s agenda and environment which were created or influ- present it fairly and diplomatically. Remem- enced by a Crystal. Although rare, Syn oc- ber: Crystals discovered in territories with casionally acknowledges that removing such which we have an agreement are considered Crystals would have disastrous or even fatal Syn assets even before recovered. consequences. In these cases they allow the Crystals to remain where they are, designat- Crystal Hunter ing them “safe” (though some Agents joking- ly claim this is an acronym for Suspended, Duty: The Route Awaiting Future re-Evaluation). Crystal Hunters operate under a single mandate: find and retrieve Crystals. These Varying Degrees of Access: Usually Agents are tasked with a route planned by Agents have the same basic rights as every Syn’s intelligence officers and based on visitor to an area, but there are exceptions. clues and rumors. A route is usually a five In many places Syn Agents are handled with or six month journey with eight to ten stops, silk gloves and escorted at all times (but also assuming about a week spent at every ma- followed and spied on). Elsewhere they are jor stop. This can fluctuate depending on unwelcome interlopers, allowed only a min- weather patterns, being asked to deal with imal stay in town. And there are some iso- local issues, having to report to Syn way sta- lated settlements where Agents are seen as tions, and other such interruptions. enemies to be shot on sight. Syn recruits two new teams every year or The Agent’s Code so. Each team is assigned hunting duty for The Agent’s Code is a 216-page manual de- a route or two, so at any given time there scribing the procedures and guidelines all are about four Hunter groups in the world. Agents are expected to follow. It’s taken as Different teams are usually given mutual- 30 Syn ly exclusive routes, although occasionally all rumors are true, not all information is ac- routes might converge in certain places— curate, and not every team survives retrieval especially if Syn suspects more firepower (but your team, of course, is not just any team!). might be needed for a certain mission. See the Chasing Leads Setting Rule (page 80). Debriefing: Agents are required to con- Advanced Duties tact an operator in one of the many Syn way Veteran and Heroic Agents are assigned to stations or facilities once every six weeks one of three roles. or so. During these check-up meetings, the Free Agent: Despite what many Novice Agents: Agents believe, Free Agents aren’t given • File reports on their missions. complete free rein to do what they want. • Provide all Crystals and shards gath- They must submit a plan and occasionally ered during the previous period. These report on their achievements. Their efforts new Crystals need to be brought back to should help Syn in some way, either by pro- Syn’s citadel to be evaluated. An Agent viding resources, establishing connections, can socket a Crystal that they found, but getting Crystals (always good!), etc. The de- since Agents are only allowed to keep one tails of the plan are left very much up to the Crystal at a time—the one in their har- Agent, as they are people who have proved ness—they’ll need to return their previous that they are capable and can be trusted. one. Occasionally, teams “forget” to report That being said, being Free is still a desig- a Crystal, even up until the very end of nation, which can be changed depending on their route. the Agent’s desire and Syn’s needs. • Requisition new gear, Crystals, dossiers or Specialist Duty: A team of Specialists is maps. (See Requisition, page 35). given a goal and sent on a mission, usually • Receive new orders. If this way station is in service of a major political power, but oc- on your designated route, you might find casionally to accomplish some goal of Syn’s. new orders waiting for your group. Many such missions are time-sensitive or require specific Crystals; others are less • Review bulletin board requests. Each Syn defined, or have vague success conditions. facility has a bulletin board with open re- quests by local authorities asking for help. Subduer Duty: As far as Novice Agents Taking one of these missions is an accept- have managed to figure out, Subduers are ed detour from your designated route. just like Specialists, except the missions Finishing a mission successfully might they’re on are top secret and only serve Syn. reward you with Requisition. When they return, they tend to require long- term medical treatment. All further infor- Many routes end with only a single Crystal mation is classified. being found, along with a shard or two. Not 31 Syn Syn Facilities 4.Workshop and garage: Grants +2 on En- gineering rolls to create or repair devices Syn maintains two to three main facilities as well as vehicles. in each Land, mostly in the big cities, along 5.Clinic: This medical center adds +2 to all with several small way stations in remote Healing rolls and Vigor rolls for Natural areas. The main headquarters of Syn is its Healing. famed flying citadel, which is always on the 6.Training room: Agents using this room move. These facilities support all Syn per- gain a Benny that can be used during the sonnel, whether Crystal Hunters on a route, current or the following session. This re- Specialists on loan to local powers, or Free quires at least several days of training. Agents going through the area. Each Syn facility has a bulletin board with Services open requests by local authorities, see page Main facilities offer two of the following ser- 36 for more details. vices; way stations offer only one. Choose or roll randomly: Quirks All Syn facilities also have their own unique 1.Formal meeting rooms: Agents meeting quirks. The first time the Agents visit a with non-Syn guests in these rooms re- main facility or way station, roll on the fol- ceive +2 on social interaction rolls. lowing table: 2.Local library: Several well-stocked shelves 1.State of the Art: One of the services of- of books and documents provide +2 to Re- fered in this facility is among the best Syn search rolls. can provide, increasing the bonus to +4. 3.Crystal examination chamber: Grants +2 Roll randomly or choose. In case of a train- to Academics rolls to discover the abilities ing room, it gives two Bennies. of Crystals. 2.Lacking: This facility is understaffed, suf- fers from a corporate culture of bad work ethic, or is very new or very old. The staff is barely helpful. The Tank can only resup- ply two levels here (see page 39). 3. Reputation: The facility is known for some reason (roll or choose): 1. an important, pos- itively-received event happened here; 2. an important, negatively-received event hap- pened here; 3. a major disaster was averted, thanks to the facility or visiting Agents; 4. a huge scandal happened here, and the facility or visiting Agents were to blame. 4.Secretive: This facility is hidden and is considered a “black ops site,” either as part of a close relationship with the local politi- cal power or completely unknown to them. 5.Multi-purpose: This facility also serves as a different kind of thing altogether, such as a mercenary outfit, a fort, a theater, a dam, an observatory, etc. 6.Weird: The facility is built or staffed in an unusual way: underwater, filled with robots, using a shard, etc. Other Syn Facilities On paper, Syn also maintains five research labs in remote locations around the conti- 32 Syn nent. Specific coordinates, as well as the restricted areas include the following: projects they are working on, are classified. • Crystal Database: A computer server dis- Persistent rumors also mention “the End- connected from the main servers, contain- game,” but Agents who have shared these ing all available information on retrieved rumors have either disappeared or pro- Crystals and shards. Also includes all sensi- gressed to become one of the twelve He- tive research data regarding Crystal theory. roic Agents—who now hunt such Agents • Crystal Repository: Dozens of rows of themselves. shelves housing all Crystals not currently in use, kept under highly-regulated condi- The Syn Citadel tions. It is rumored there’s a sub-basement Everyone in the Five Lands knows that Syn in which Syn keeps all of the hearts it has is a technological power to be reckoned removed from its Agents, even though with, even without their Crystals. The sight there’s no known method to keep a heart of the gigantic Syn citadel floating quietly from evaporating (or is there?). behind a cloud will alarm just about anyone. • Situation Room: The main operation hub The Syn citadel (occasionally referred to for high-Ranked Agents and administra- by Agents as the Syntadel) is a large struc- tive personnel, where analysts turn data ture combining a Bygone Age building with into intelligence. modern architecture, built on a floating • Main Servers: Syn uses a sophisticated rock. Many suspect the citadel was built on computer network to automate as much a Maseian floating mountain, but any spe- as possible, but this network only oper- cific details about it are kept secret, even ates within the citadel—radio-based data from Agents. communication is still in its infancy. The The citadel has a comfortable barracks server rooms are also the offices of ad- capable of hosting thirty Agents, as well as ministration personnel, where mountains mess halls, study rooms, armories, and the of orders, receipts, and instructions are like. The main garage holds four Tanks that printed and sent out into the world. are not currently on duty, as well as Syn’s three • Council Chamber: The strangest thing famous autoplanes: airplane-like vehicles that about the five leaders of Syn is that they are used to get on and off the citadel. seem to never leave their chamber. It could About a third of the citadel is restricted, be that this is not only where they meet, requiring a special clearance which Novice but also where they are kep—erm, live. Agents can only get on a limited basis. The 33 Syn • The Cells: When an Agent has done some- thing seriously wrong, Syn sockets them Hierarchy Within with a very weak Crystal and keeps them locked up in a deep sub-basement, usually the Organization for several months. At least three Agents, Not every Syn member is an Agent, and not however, are incarcerated for life. all Agents are the same. Facilities: The citadel offers all types of ser- Administrative staff: These are the people vices one can find at a Syn facility, and they’re who keep the gears moving and the organiza- all State of the Art. It has no quirks; although, tion organized. There are about two hundred in a way, it has all of them. of them spread throughout the citadel and land facilities. They include managers, office Communication and administrators, talent hunters, diplomats, Transportation trainers, teachers, doctors, researchers, me- All main facilities, as well as the citadel, chanics, legal advisors, guards, and the like. have a radio tower, but this technology can Agents: Any person who is equipped with be unreliable: weather has a big impact on a harness is an Agent. The five Ranks of Sav- broadcast quality and the range is limited. age Worlds characters correspond to Agent With the citadel being in high altitude and ranks within Syn (and to Crystal power lev- constantly on the move, these are big issues. els; see page 54). Therefore, most communication with the Agents in training: Very few people apply citadel and between the facilities is made to become Agents every year, and of them, via the autoplanes. even fewer can be equipped with a harness— Syn’s autoplanes are always on the move, not everyone passes the required tests. Only visiting every main facility two to three times about eight Agents join Syn each year, be- a week, bringing supplies, moving Agents coming two teams of three or four. They train and Crystals around, and delivering reports. for six months, two teams at a time, receiving Even some remote way stations get visited, their harness around half-way through this usually once a week—but seeing as Syn only period. has three autoplanes, a place needs to be Novice Agents: These new and inexperi- really out of the way to justify this privilege. enced Agents are all Crystal Hunters, given a With landing strips being rare and only route and tasked with finding Crystals. It’s a usable by Syn, the preferred mode of travel dangerous job: about a third of the Hunters is by Tank. Special aerial pickups are some- don’t make it past their second year, dying in times authorized, especially when a mission various horrible ways in some ancient tomb demands it (Specialists tend to travel around or by some unknown beast. a lot), but in general the autoplanes Seasoned Agents: Having survived a have a standard flight plan and year or so (which equals one or two routes, they stick to it. generally speaking), an Agent graduates to Seasoned. Some of them become Special- 34 Syn ists, but many continue Hunting. There are around thirty Novice and Seasoned Agents in about eight groups. Veteran Agents: Syn employs about twenty-five Veteran Agents, most of whom are Specialists or Free Agents, with some Subduers. Heroic Agents: There are only twelve He- roic Agents, and they are well-known among the Novice Agents as paragons of Agent- ness. Most Heroic Agents use Veteran Crys- tals, as Heroic Crystals are highly regulated and usually kept in the vaults. The Council of Syn: Legendary founders and leaders of Syn, the five councilmem- bers are aloof and remote. Only two of them are known (and feared) among the Novice Agents; the other three keep to themselves. They are the only people allowed to carry the only five Legendary Crystals ever discovered. Death of an Agent Agents almost always work in teams. Even Free Agents like working together (perhaps because their fellow Agents are the only people who can Requisition relate to them). When an Agent is incarcerated When an Agent needs something from the or killed, a replacement must be found. organization, they Requisition it. Requisi- Fortunately, a replacement is almost always tion is an abstract measure of how much available. Teams of equal-Ranked Agents Syn believes you can be trusted with costly can be disbanded by Syn because of infight- equipment and valuable information. It’s ing, because they suffered some casualties also used instead of money when paying for themselves, or some arcane reason. They goods and services outside of Syn: it’s seen say that Syn psychologists occasionally bring as your promise on behalf of Syn to provide certain people together for experiments in money, goods, or services in return. Syn al- team dynamics. ways honors promises made by its Agents, and agents know that if they promise too The newly-arrived Agent is usually at least much they might not get to see another somewhat known to the others, since all Syn point of Requisition for a long, long time. Agents have a vague familiarity with each other. Still, Syn might decide to bring the team back Your Requisition score can be used in to the citadel for a week of training to have two ways: as currency when buying things them get to know each other better. outside of Syn, and as a modifier to a skill roll when asking for things from within Syn The dead, meanwhile, are not forgotten. If (Crystals are a special case; see below). The the dead Agent's body can be retrieved, and if highest it can go is 10. It can be reduced to enough of it is left, and if Syn scientists haven’t zero and even become negative (In which confiscated it, then the family of the deceased case, Syn doesn’t allow you to even ask for is presented with their remains—usually by new equipment until you prove yourself and their teammates. get back to at least 1). Requisition can’t be transferred between Agents. 35 Syn Gaining Requisition Novice Agents begin the game with one point of Requisition, and gain a point when- ever they advance a Rank. Requisition also increases as you prove yourself in the fol- lowing ways. Doing your duty: Whenever a group of Agents arrives at a way station or a Syn fa- cility (see page 31), they file a report of their journey and get debriefed. The Agents need to show that they participated in active duty and went through meaningful events (had an adventure!). Crystal Hunters usually gain one Requisition point every two months on duty. Specialists gain 2 points when return- ing from a mission. Free Agents need to report on their progress, and gain 2 points whenever they achieve a goal they set for themselves. Completing a bulletin board request: Syn facilities keep track of requests by local au- thorities. Successfully completing a bulletin board request rewards each participating Agent with one or two Requisition. Successful missions can usually be reported to any Syn facility, not necessarily the one that issued the bulletin board request. Syn goes to great ef- This is a regular skill check. It can Ace, you forts to keep all Syn facilities up-to-date with get your Wild Die, and you can spend Ben- the latest information. (See Communication nies on it. You can even Support one another and Transportation, page 34). (see Responsibility, below). Consult the fol- lowing for the result: Retrieving a Crystal: When a new (or pre- viously lost) Crystal is delivered to a Syn fa- • Success: The Agent gets issued the piece cility, all Agents in the team gain a point of of gear they requested or the service they Requisition per Rank of the Crystal. asked for. Reduce their Requisition by 2. • Raise: The Agent gets everything they Rolling for Gear wanted, and reduces their Requisition by 1. Syn supplies most of the basic things an Agent • Failure: The Agent gets what they wanted, needs: lodging, clothes, food, ammo, and more. but there are complications; draw a card When you want to get something from the and consult the table on the opposite page. Gear and Equipment section (see page 38), They also reduce their Requisition by 1. roll one of the following skill checks and add • Critical Failure: The Agent doesn’t get your Requisition as a modifier. Some items anything, but doesn’t lose any Requisi- may be temporarily unavailable, GM’s call. tion. They might have gained an enemy, • Battle: Justifying the need for an item or though, and they’re told to never again ask service by showing how it’s going to be for whatever they requested. used in the field. Each attempt represents several hours, or • Persuasion: Talking through the bureau- occasionally several days, during which the cracy, finding the right people and saying Agent is busy with the request. the right things to them. Penalties: Syn expects Agents to ask for • Research: Finding, filling, and filing the something once every few weeks (once per right forms in the right order. adventure, more or less), usually a single 36 Syn You got it, but... Card suit Complication The item is fine but the maintenance is a killer. As long as you have the item, someone on the team must make an Engineering roll every morning or it inflicts a -1 penalty Spades on every Trait roll made with it. This stops when you get a raise on the Engineering roll, but might return depending on the GM’s decision. For whatever reason, your current Crystal doesn’t resonate well with the new piece of gear. As long as you have the item, you must make a Spirit roll every morning. If you Hearts fail, then after every Crystal Channeling roll made that day you become Distracted. This stops when you get a raise on the roll, but might return when the GM decides so. Your request forced Syn to pull the item from someone else who was asking for it Diamonds or already using it. They’re not happy. Take them as a Minor Enemy. The GM can decide their displeasure is satisfied by having them reduce your Requisition by 1d4. The piece of equipment is flawed. Until you manage to repair the item (Hard Engineering Clubs roll with specific materials) you become Vulnerable whenever you draw Clubs in combat. A serious misfiling accident leads to you having received the latest prototype! It’s Joker better by one point, or twice as quick or effective. item or a kit. Making more frequent requests Noelani considered Requisitioning the winter or asking for more things is considered un- gear for the whole team by herself, but the GM usual, and the GM should apply a -1 to -2 informed her she’ll have a -4 penalty on the roll modifier on the roll. Note that rare or ex- (-1 per other Agent), meaning should she fail they pensive items incur additional modifiers, as might all get faulty gear… None of the others is noted under Gear and Equipment. likely to be able to Support her successfully, so Responsibility: The equipment you roll she decided against it. for becomes your responsibility. While it’s possible for an Agent to Requisition things Buying Things With for other Agents, Syn discourages this (in Requisition Points the form of a -1 penalty per other Agent) as Some special services need to be bought they prefer each Agent to take responsibility with Requisition by spending an appropri- for their own gear. ate number of Requisition points. Several An Agent can Support another Agent’s Agents can spend points together on the Requisition roll, but this means they both same purchase. You can’t pay with what you share the responsibility for the item. A Sup- don’t have, so your score can’t be brought porting Agent adds their own Requisition down to a negative number—unless some modifier to their roll. interesting skill rolls are involved! If a piece of gear that you’re responsible Access, favors, and purchases: When for is ruined or lost, you might be penalized dealing with people from outside of Syn, several Requisition points. Requisition can be spent as a combination of money and influence in order to gain ac- Example: The team gets ready to head into the cess to restricted places (the VIP section of Fjordstadian Wilds, and they all Requisition win- a club), pay for services (go and guard the ter survival gear; the GM references the Savage caravan until morning), or purchase items (I Worlds gear chapter, and decides the modifier is need three hundred chicken eggs right now, -1. Beuford’s Requisition skills are all either low don’t ask why). or non-existent, so they’re worried they’ll get a faulty coat. Noelani comes to their rescue with As a guideline, a point of Requisition can be her d8 Persuasion and Supports their roll, helping spent to buy something uncommon or costly. them get a success. Should this coat be ruined, It’s the equivalent of around $250 from the Sav- both Beuford and Noelani will be penalized for it. age Worlds core book. A point of Requisition can also be paid to add +2 to Networking rolls. 37 Syn Syn’s Involvement in Your Game Availability is up to the GM, but as a gen- Some groups will want to have Syn less “in their eral rule, most Novice and Seasoned Crystals face,” keeping the organization as a background should be available while most Veteran Crys- story and nothing more. Others may want to tals should not. If another Agent is carrying have complicated relationships with the orga- the desired Crystal, they can perhaps be per- nization, perhaps even focusing their campaign suaded with a promise of favors, Support rolls on exploring Syn and its many secrets. on future Requisition requests, etc. It takes Dropping some elements is easy (“We about a week for the request to be sent to the don’t need Requisition, let’s just get what citadel and for the Crystal to be brought back seems plausible”) but increasing Syn’s in- from the Repository; twice as long if corre- fluence requires extra effort. The Living in spondence with another Agent is required Syn expansion has lots of options that’ll en- (provided that Agent is available at all!). rich your Syn experience: training rules, ran- Asking for Heroic Crystals always requires dom events, more mentors, services, Edges, justification. An Agent must come to the cita- storylines, and more. It’s available through del for an interview in which they explain their uptofourplayers.com/CrystalHeart. need for the Crystal. These Crystals are given on a limited-time basis, and cost 6 Requisition. It can be safely assumed that Agents have Legendary Crystals cannot be requisitioned. enough local money to buy simple and com- mon things. Beyond that, the rarer the ob- ject, the less likely its owner is to agree to Gear and Equipment sell or trade it. Syn supplies everything you need, most of the time. Dossiers and maps: Requisitioning spe- cial information can only be done at Syn Getting Gear facilities and way stations. As a guideline, All Agents begin with some basic gear as a point of Requisition can be spent once per described in the Agents of Syn chapter. Research check to add +4 to the roll (not in- cluding Research rolls made as Requisition Availability: Most mundane pieces of gear requests). The more obscure the informa- are available for Requisition in the main facili- tion, the less likely it’ll be available in the fa- ties, but way stations are not as well-equipped. cility, and therefore will need to be brought The Requisitioning Agent might need to wait from the citadel or some other location. This a few days for their request to be received at usually takes a few days, a week at most. the citadel and brought by an autoplane. All Way stations only have information about Syn gear technically belongs to Syn, and is the Land they’re in. only loaned for the duration of the Agent’s mission. Agents are expected to return any Known Crystals: Requisitioning for Crys- piece of gear ASAP if asked to. tals can only be done at Syn facilities and way stations. You can ask for a specific Crys- Requisition Modifier: Each item has a tal from the list of known Crystals, provided Requisition modifier which is subtracted it’s currently available (not used by another from the roll (or occasionally added, if it’s Agent or allocated to research). The cost in easy to make or readily available). The rarer Requisition is 1 + the Crystal’s Rank. or more specialized the gear an Agent asks for, the higher the penalty. Asking for many Since each Agent is only allowed to carry units of an item may incur additional pen- one Crystal, you must return your previous alties at the GM’s discretion. Crystal after receiving the new one (no, you don’t get a “refund”). If you want to carry Replacement Gear: Once you are issued two, you’ll need to persuade some higher an item, it means Syn thinks you deserve to ups you have good reasons to carry both, always have it (until returned). If it’s lost or and will probably be asked to return the ex- damaged you’ll get a replacement, no Req- tra one after a while. Or, you can take The uisition roll needed. If you lose too much Right Crystal For the Job Edge (page 19). gear or something unique, you might be pe- nalized a Requisition point or two, though. 38 Syn Most personal gear in Syn is custom-made especially for the Agent. Should a replace- ment be needed, it can be quickly fab- ricated in the citadel and delivered to the facility where the request was made within two to three days. If Syn has giv- en you a great axe, you will always be delivered a replacement if you need it—but if someone else wants one, they’ll need to make a Requisition roll (there are no great axes just lying around in Syn facilities). Note that nothing prevents you from carrying around five rocket launchers should you be able to find and wield them. However, Syn will not provide ammo, maintenance, or replace- ments to items it did not issue. Returning Gear: Once you’re done with a piece of equipment and have no more use for it, you can simply re- turn it at the next Syn facility you visit. You don’t get any “refund”, but at least you’re no longer responsible for the item. On occa- sion, you might be asked to return an item you’re not finished with if it’s needed some- where else or has scheduled maintenance. Ammo and Supplies way. If the visit was unexpected, the GM To track consumables, such as ammo and can rule that some types of supplies are grenades, we suggest a variation on the Al- unavailable (usually those that originate in lies ammo rule from Savage Worlds. other Lands). The GM might deem it possi- ble to refill some types of consumables in Any Agent who uses guns, grenades, throw- the field by purchasing goods or salvaging. ing knives or any other weapon that can “run out” has a supply level of High. After each Protection fight the supply level goes down by one, first Combat Armor: The epitome of Syn de- to Low and then to Out. If an Agent is dealt a fensive technology has ballistic protection Two during an action scene, their supply level (-4 damage from bullets) and an adjustable drops down by one after that round. helmet. There are only a handful of these in The Tank carries enough stuff to resupply existence. any consumable issued to the Agents, but its Environmental suit: This full-body suit space is limited to eight levels of supplies. provides immunity to several specific Haz- Whenever an Agent resupplies from the Tank, ards and grants +2 to Vigor checks against reduce the Tank’s supply by one and increase others, depending on the specific suit. It is the Agent’s supply to High. cumbersome, making you Clumsy. The Tank is fully restocked whenever Reinforced suit: Same as the Syn suit, but it arrives at a Syn facility, no Requisition reinforced with ceramics and extra protec- roll required (if the facility is lacking, it tion for sensitive areas. While the regular resupplies only two levels; see page 32). It Syn suit is custom-made and therefore is assumed that the facility received be- cool-looking, the reinforced suit is like a forehand a list of ammo types required by custom-made battle upgrade, and therefore the Agents, knowing they’ll be coming this super-cool-looking. 39 Syn Protection Armor/ Requisition Type Min Str. Weight Cover Modifier Syn suit (torso, arms, legs) +1 d4 8 +0 Reinforced suit (torso, arms, legs) +2 d6 20 -2 Combat armor (head, torso, arms, legs) +4 d8 25 -4 Helmet (head) +3 d4 3 +0 Shield +2 / -2 d4 2 -1 Environmental suit (entire body) +2 d6 30 -3 Syn suit: Each Agent is issued 3 cus- significance to the owner, such as a reminder tom-made suits tailored to their measure- of her village or a symbol of his religious sect. ments. The suit is made with reinforced fab- Simply wielding this weapon in combat pro- ric which provides one point of Armor, and vides the Bogovian owner with the Strong has various pockets or sashes so the wearer Willed Edge (or an additional +1 on the rolls can carry their favorite weapon with ease. if they already have it). Anyone else will roll The suit is also insulated, providing basic Fighting with -2 because of the strange bal- protection in harsh weather. ance of the weapon. Bogovian Fourstaff: Also nicknamed Melee Weapons “false staff”, the fourstaff is made of four The Five Lands are varied and strange, but pieces of hollow, hard wood. Each piece is Syn’s fabricators are flexible. Many types of about a foot in length and internally con- weapons are available to the Agents. nected with a thin chain or rope. When You can use any Medieval or Modern extended, it looks like a regular staff. Orig- weapon from the Savage Worlds Melee Weap- inally used by shepherds to knock over an ons list. When Requisitioning a weapon from escaping sheep and carry it back on their these lists, the GM should apply any Requisi- shoulders, the fourstaff became a common tion modifier that seems reasonable (at least farmer weapon. -1 if it’s Modern). It can be used to knock someone off their The following is a list of weapons gen- feet, usually by hitting the knees. The attack- erally available from Syn or unique to the er makes a Called Shot against the target’s Crystal Heart setting. leg (-2). On a success, the target must make Syn Knife: Stainless steel, good grip, elon- a Strength check against the damage of the gated shape. You can get up to five. attack or fall prone. When used in grappling, an Entangled or Bound victim must make Syn Sword: These statistics represent a their breaking free roll with -2. generic sword, but it’s possible to Requi- sition some modifications. Any of the fol- Island Walrus: The walrus is a yard-long lowing can be added, up to twice each: AP staff with a curved walrus tusk at both ends. 1; Parry +1; Reach 1; increase damage die by In the Islands, the walrus is an important one step. Each modification costs 1 point part of a Capoeira-style martial art form. of Requisition (2 if taken a second time) When used to attack with the Frenzy Edge, which is spent after the roll. Having more it allows you to roll an extra Wild Die. As than one modification increases the sword’s with your regular Wild Die, the extra one minimum Strength requirement to d8. doesn’t add an additional attack, but instead Bogovian Charm Mace: Bogovians are su- can replace a Fighting result. Extras get a perstitious and poor. The charm mace is the single Wild Die. When used to hang on high natural result of these two aspects: it’s a re- branches, it can grant +1 on Athletics checks. purposed heavy item, usually an old hammer, Maseian Slash: An elegant scimitar-like metal pan, or even a mail post. It is adorned sword, carved from animal bones. It’s sur- with half a dozen charms, each with some prisingly sharp when held correctly. When 40
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