:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:
:   Earth's Dreamlands    :  Info on: RPG's,  :(313)558-5024 : area code    :
:RPGNet World HQ & Archive: Drugs, Industrial :(313)558-5517 : changes to   :
:  1000's of text files   :  music, Fiction,  :InterNet      : (810) after  :
:   No Elite / No porn    :   HomeBrew Beer.  :rpgnet@aol.com: Dec 1,1993   :
:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:

=======================> GET FUDGE-ADDENDA.RULES
 
Getting File: SERVER:[GRASS]FUDGE-ADDENDA.RULES;1
Subject: FUDGE June19, Chapter 7

          FUDGE: Freeform, Universal, Donated Gaming Engine
                   A Free Role-playing Game (RPG).
                        By Steffan O'Sullivan
                        Version: June 19, 1993

1.2  Legal Notice
-----------------

Version: June 19, 1993

FUDGE is copyright 1992, 1993 by Steffan O'Sullivan.  It may be freely
copied and distributed by any means desired.  This legal notice must
be included with each copy of FUDGE.  No charge may be made for FUDGE
beyond a maximum US$6 fee (at 1993 rates) for materials and shipping,
without written permission from the author.

A publisher who wishes to include FUDGE in a book of copyrighted
source material or adventures may do so, so long as (1) the
publisher's copyrighted material is longer than the amount of FUDGE
material included, (2) at least Chapter 1 of FUDGE, including this
legal notice and the full Table of Contents, is included, (3) the
words to Chapter 1 of FUDGE, including this legal notice, are not
changed in any way, and (4) there is no extra charge for including
FUDGE in the book.

FUDGE was first published in 1992 on internet, and was written by
Steffan O'Sullivan (sos@oz.plymouth.edu) with an extensive amount of
high-quality input from Andy Skinner.  Other valued contributors
include Martin Bergendahl, Thomas Brettinger, Robert Bridson, Travis
Casey, Paul Jason Clegg, Peter F. Delaney, Jay Doane, Shawn Garbett,
Ed Heil, Bernard Hsiung, John H. Kim, Christian Otkjaer, Bill Seurer,
Larry Smith, Stephan Szabo, and others on rec.games.design on
internet.

Groo the Wanderer (TM) is a trademark of Sergio Aragones, and use of
the name does not challenge the trademark status in any way.


7  Addenda: Samples and Options
===============================

The Addenda consist of a variety of supplementary material for FUDGE.
Anyone may add to any sections beyond this point, including creating
brand new ones.

Chapters 1.3 through 5 represent plain, vanilla FUDGE - here you can
find and create fancier fare.  If you pass FUDGE around, please add
any of your customizations to this chapter (quoting Section number and
name, such as 2.33, Gifts), rather than change the original.
Suggestions for a specific genre also go in the Addenda.  Examples: a
list of sample superpowers, or a list of guns and their damage.

Please include a date and credit for the change, and, if possible,
notify Steffan O'Sullivan (sos@oz.plymouth.edu, or P.O. Box 465,
Plymouth, NH 03264), the original author of FUDGE.

7.1  Sample Magic System: FUDGE Magic
-------------------------------------

Date: November & December, 1992
By: Steffan O'Sullivan

Here is a sample magic system, based on the following premises
mentioned in Section 3.5, Magic:

Who can cast: Magicians only (supernormal power needed).
Levels of Power: yes.  The only game effect is as a reserve in case of
   severe failure, which temporarily drains Power.
Source of Power: manipulation of local area mana.
Reliability: Fair.
Time to cast spells: depends on potency of spell: 1 minute to days.
   This can be speeded up by taking a penalty to the roll.
Spells: improvised.  Exact wording isn't important, so magic books
   tend to be collections of effects, not formulae.
Material Components: none needed, but good use can give a +1 bonus to
   skill.
Drawbacks: casting non-trivial spells is fatiguing; severe failure
   causes distress.

This system is based on the conviction that a *player* using magic
should never be blase: there should always be some tension and
excitement when casting a spell, or the magic has gone out of the
game.  Too often in a roleplaying game, the player running a magician
uses tried-and-true spells so often that spell-casting becomes
mundane.  Since "mundane magic" seems a contradiction in terms, FUDGE
Magic attempts to instill a little excitement into spell-casting.

There are many ways to achieve this.  FUDGE Magic has chosen the
following limitations:

1) The mana available for a specific spell result gradually becomes
depleted as it used up.  That is, casting two fireballs in a row is
harder than casting one fireball and one lightning blast, for example.

2) Magic is an untamable force; there is a skill cap for casting
spells.

3) Magic is somewhat risky to use - there are penalties for severe
failure.

Options are provided to alter these, for any GMs who disagree.  In
fact, Section 7.193, Spell-Casting Skill Alternatives, is essential
for Faerie races and demigods, who have much more dependable magic
powers than humans.  (Such characters would have to buy it normally,
however, unless the GM is very generous.  Taking some superfaults to
balance it is quite in keeping with their nature.)

See Section 6.3 for sample characters using FUDGE Magic.

7.11  Magic Potential
---------------------

A character with at least one level of Magic Potential (usually
abbreviated to Potential, sometimes simply called Power) is referred
to as a magician in this text - substitute your favorite word.  Only
magicians may cast spells (but see Section 7.192, Magicians & Non-
Magicians).  Magic Potential may be taken more than once, but each
level counts as a separate supernormal power.  Thus, if the GM is
allowing three free powers, a character may have Magic Potential 3.  A
character may also trade 2 gifts (or 6 attribute levels, or 18 skill
levels) for one level of Potential.

Failing a spell miserably causes the temporary loss of a level of
Magic Potential (see Section 7.15, Resolution).  When this happens,
the magician faints for at least one combat round.  He needs a
Constitution Fair degree result to wake up, roll each round.  When he
comes to, the magician may function normally, even attempting to cast
the same spell again - *if* he hasn't dropped below 0 Potential.

If a magician drops to -1 Potential, he immediately falls into a coma,
lasting anywhere from an hour to a day (GM's decision).  When he
wakes, he must roll a degree task against his Constitution: on a
Mediocre or worse roll, he takes a wound.  He checks Constitution
again at the end of every day he is *active* - a failed result means
another wound.  These wounds *cannot* be healed until he recharges his
Magic Potential to level 0.

A magician with 0 Potential may still cast spells; a magician at -1
Magic Potential, however, cannot attempt any magic spells.

Magic Potential may be recharged *only* by resting for one week per
level.  (GMs may alter this time to taste, of course: resting for one
day might be sufficient for more epic campaigns.)  For example, a
magician falls to -1 Potential.  Resting one week will bring him up to
0 Potential (and cure any wounds incurred by being active while at -1
Potential).  A second week of rest will bring him up to +1 Potential.
However, no character may gain Magic Potential levels beyond his
starting level except through Character Development - see Chapter 5.

7.12  Spells
------------

When a magician wishes to cast a spell, he describes the result he has
in mind.  The GM assesses how powerful such an effect would be, based
on how prevalent magic is in her campaign.  In a low-magic campaign,
even a simple spell such as levitating the jail keys over to an
imprisoned character would be taxing.  In a high-magic campaign,
however, that would be a trivial spell, and even shooting forth a
flash of lightning from a fingertip wouldn't be out of the ordinary.

Spells, then, are either Trivial, Average, or Potent.  (And they may
be Very Trivial, or Very Potent, of course.)  The GM tells the player
what the potency of a proposed spell is - a magician would have a
sense of this.

The GM also decides the duration of the spell, if it succeeds -
seconds, minutes, hours, days, etc.  The GM and player may try to
adjust this: the magician can voluntarily take more fatigue for a
longer duration, or reduce the scope of the effect, etc.  Rolling a
higher relative degree means it lasts longer.  Some spells might have
permanent effects, such as healing (until wounded again), busting a
hole in a wall (until repaired manually or by magic), teleporting to a
distant place (until you come back), and so on.  Of course, even these
spell effects may be temporary in a given GM's world: healing only
lasts a day and the wound reappears, or a hole in the wall fixes
itself after a few minutes, or a teleported person automatically
returns after an hour in the other location . . .

The GM also needs to determine if there are any drawbacks to casting a
spell.  FUDGE Magic assumes that spells are tiring to cast, and a
magician reduces his Fatigue attribute when casting.  The more potent
the spell, the more the fatigue.  (Fatigue is regained by resting, of
course.  If Fatigue goes below Terrible, the character passes out.)

You may not like this idea, and either skip it entirely or change the
drawback to something else.  Perhaps a magician has a limited number
of spells he can cast in a day, or in an hour.  Or maybe each spell
affects his Sanity attribute, and he needs to convalesce to restore
it.  (Reduced Sanity can manifest in many amusing ways in the
meantime, of course!)

7.13  Skill
-----------

Spell-casting is a skill that must be learned.  The default is Non-
Existent, and, due to the element of uncertainty in FUDGE Magic (see
Section 7.1, FUDGE Magic), the maximum base skill level is Fair.  This
cannot be raised permanently - but see Section 7.193, Spell-Casting
Skill Alternatives.

One generic Spell-Casting skill is assumed, but the GM may require
more if she breaks magic down into different types.

Spell-casting skill may be modified (to a maximum of Great) by the
following:

Casting a Trivial spell: +1 or +2.
Casting an Average spell: +0.
Casting a Potent spell: -1 or more.

Taking an average time to cast a spell: +0.  (Note: the GM assesses
   the average time for any given spell proposed.  Potent spells might
   take all day, or even longer, while Trivial ones might take one to
   five minutes.)
Taking a long time to cast a spell carefully: +1.  (Relative to each
   spell, of course.  For a Trivial spell, this might mean taking a
   half an hour or more.)
Casting a spell much more quickly than normal: -1.  (For a Trivial
   spell, this could mean as quickly as one combat round of
   concentration.)

Using normal effort to cast a spell: +0.
Using extra effort to cast a spell (more fatigue than normal, or
   counts as two spells cast if there is a limit per day, or reduces
   Sanity more than normal, etc.): +1 or +2.
Using less effort than normal to cast a spell: -1 or more.  (Reduced
   fatigue, or it only counts as half a spell against a daily limit,
   etc.)

First spell-casting of a particular effect in a given area within 24
   hours: +0.
Additional spell-castings of a particular effect in a given area
   within 24 hours: -1 per casting.  (The size of the area is defined
   by the GM.  For most fantasy worlds, assume it's about 50 yards or
   meters in diameter.  In a low-level magic campaign, the area might
   be the size of town or even city, while a high-level magic campaign
   might be so mana-rich that the magician can simply take a step or
   two and be in a new area.  Note that the *area* governs which
   spells can be cast without penalty: if one magician casts a healing
   spell, a second magician will be at -1 to cast a healing spell in
   the same area within the next 24 hours.  Note also that a magician
   may be unaware of what spells were cast in an area before he
   arrived . . .)

For using authentic magic formulae: +1.  (The Law of Contagion or the
   Law of Similarity, for example - see Frazer, _The Golden Bough_.
   Both Laws require some physical component: a feather to cast a
   flight spell, a piece of the subject's hair to heal or hurt her, a
   drop of water that becomes a water jet, a stick that becomes a
   staff, a bearskin to change the magician into a bear, etc.
   Drafting the spell in poetical form might also earn +1 level, if
   the GM is willing.)

Multiple magicians casting a spell that they have *all* tried before:
   +1 (for 2 to X magicians) or +2 (for more than X magicians).  (X is
   set by the GM, anywhere from 2 to 10, or even more for low-magic
   campaigns.  One magician is assumed to be the primary caster: roll
   only once against his skill.)

Other modifiers may also apply, such as in a spell to search the
mountains magically for someone you love (+1) or searching for someone
you've never met (-1).

7.14  Natural Magic Resistance
------------------------------

Each area has a Natural Magic Resistance, simply called Local
Resistance, or just Resistance.  Resistance is described as a level,
ranging from Terrible to Superb, with an average of Fair for most
*fantasy* campaigns.

The GM sets the Resistance level based on how prevalent magic is in
the game.  The general Resistance level is probably Great or Superb in
a setting like modern earth, while a fantasy campaign with high levels
of magic might have a Mediocre or even a Poor Resistance level.  There
may be worlds in which the Natural Magic Resistance level fluctuates
from place to place, or possibly even with the phases of the moon.
There may even be "currents" or "tides" of low or high Resistance that
change course periodically, even invading totally new areas.  Thus,
even here on high-Resistance modern earth, there will be places and
times of the year when cultists gather to call forth unseen powers ...

A PC magician would know the general Resistance level for at least his
home area.  He may or may not know whether it fluctuates periodically,
or if far lands have different Resistance levels.  In order to
determine the specific Resistance of the local area at a given time, a
magician needs to cast a spell specifically to that end.

7.15  Resolution
----------------

Each spell is then resolved as an Unopposed action: the degree task is
equal to the Natural Magic Resistance of the area.

If the magician *surpasses* the degree task, he has overcome the
area's natural magic resistance and the spell occurs as he described
it.  The better the relative degree, the better the result.  The
magician suffers -1 (or more) to his Fatigue attribute *if* the GM
deems the spell is fatiguing.  (If the GM has chosen some other
drawback, of course, that is applied instead.)

Sometimes a skill roll is then needed to *do* something with the end
result of a spell.  For example, a fireball needs to be thrown
accurately: use the Throwing Skill and Ranged Weapon rules.

If the magician *equals* the degree task, then a watered-down version
of the spell occurs.  Either it will have a very short duration, or
reduced potency, or there is a time lag before the spell takes effect,
etc.  There may be an unexpected side effect, though it won't be
harmful to the magician.  There is no penalty for the magician beyond
a possible -1 or -2 to Fatigue, at worst.

If the magician rolls *below* the degree task, however, he is
adversely affected.  The Natural Magic Resistance of the area has
resisted his attempt to manipulate mana, and his psyche is jolted
because of it.  There may (or may not) be some magical effect, but it
will *not* be the desired effect, and, if he rolled poorly enough, it
may even be inimical to the magician's goals - or health . . .

On a failed roll, the magician is stunned for one combat round (no
actions or defense) and takes at least -1 Fatigue.

If he rolls a result of -3 or -4, the spell automatically fails (no
matter what the rolled degree) *and* he also temporarily drains one
level of his Magic Potential - see Section 7.11, Magic Potential, for
effects.  (This is the "riskiness" of magic mentioned in Section 7.1,
FUDGE Magic.)

Examples: Barny casts a spell of Average potency in a Fair Resistance
area and gets -2: a Poor result.  The spell fails and Barny is stunned
for a combat round, but he does *not* drain a level of Magic Potential
because he rolled better than -3.  Later, in an area of Poor
Resistance, Barny takes a long time (+1) to cast a Trivial spell (+1),
raising his skill by +2 temporarily to Great.  He rolls a -3 result,
which is a Mediocre rolled degree.  Although the rolled degree is
greater than the Resistance, the spell still fails because he rolled a
-3 result.  Barny also exhausts 1 level of Magic Potential - ouch!

7.16  Personal Magic Resistance
-------------------------------

If the spell is one which attempts to Control another being, either
mentally, physically or spiritually, then Opposed action rolls are
*also* called for.  First, the magician needs to overcome the Local
Resistance of the area (as above); then he has to overcome the
Personal Magic Resistance of the subject.  Personal Resistance may be
an attribute or gift, as the GM wills; it may even be a different
attribute for different types of spells (a mental attribute for
attempts to control the mind, etc.).  Note that this second roll is
Opposed - the subject of the spell gets a chance to resist it, and so
can influence the result.

If the GM is willing, the magician may roll against the degree result
he rolled to cast the spell.  That is, if he rolled a Great result on
the spell, he rolls the Opposed action as if his skill were Great.
Otherwise, he uses the same level he rolled initially against.

"Control" can mean many things to different GMs.  Personal Resistance
would resist an attempt to read someone's mind to one GM, but not to
another.  Personal Resistance does *not* resist any spell that calls
or creates physical energy to lash out at another being, though.  If
the magician successfully creates lightning at his fingertips to blast
at the subject, that is not resisted by Personal Resistance; it is
treated as a physical weapon.

7.17  Certain Spell-Casting
---------------------------

Sometimes a magician desperately needs a certain result.  In this
case, he may opt not to roll the dice at all, and simply drain one
level of Magic Potential for a guaranteed success.  He takes the usual
penalties for losing a level of Potential - see Section 7.11, Magic
Potential.

The GM may restrict this to Trivial spells, or non-Potent spells, or
have no restrictions at all, beyond requiring the normal fatigue (or
other) penalties.

If the spell is one that could logically be resisted by the subject,
however, the subject still gets a Resistance roll.  In this case, the
magician rolls as if his skill were Great.

7.18  Enchanting Items
----------------------

Items may be permanently enchanted in this system.  The magician works
for a number of weeks or months as required by the GM, depending on
the number and potency of the spells desired, and the general
availability of magic items in the campaign.  At the end of *each*
month (or week), the magician rolls against two degree tasks: one to
overcome the Resistance of the area, and the other to overcome the
Resistance of the item.  The usual penalties apply on failing to
overcome Resistance.  If he surpasses the degree task, the spell is
slowly being set into the item, one stage at a time.  On a tied degree
task, the work counts as only half a time period, but does progress
the enchantment.

Obviously, an area with low Natural Magic Resistance (Poor or even
Terrible) will attract magicians, especially enchanters.

7.19  FUDGE Magic Options
-------------------------

One of these options offer a way to limit FUDGE Magic for those who
think it is too sweeping.

The others make magic more reliable and less risky, and even make it
available to non-magicians.

7.191  Specialized Magic Potential
----------------------------------

In this option, each Magic Potential level must be bought as a
specialization.  A specialization can be suggested by the player or
set by the GM.  The categories can be as broad or as narrow as the GM
wishes: the broader the terms, the more powerful the magicians.
Examples of specialized Potential: Augury, Combat Magic, Communication
Magic, Defensive Magic, Elemental Magic, Flying Magic, Healing Magic,
Illusion, Information-Gathering Magic, Mind Control, Necromancy, Only
Affects Living Beings, Only Affects Sentient Beings, White Magic
(cannot harm anyone, even indirectly), etc.

Very narrow specializations should probably cost less than 1
supernormal power: perhaps each very specialized Potential is worth 1
gift.

If the GM allows it, a character may have Power levels in more than
one specialization.

In order to cast a spell of a given result, the magician *must* have
at least +1 Potential specialized in that type of magic (on the
character sheet, that is: he may be temporarily reduced to 0
Potential).  Someone with +1 Potential: Combat Magic and +2 Potential:
Information-Gathering could not cast a spell to control someone's
mind, for example.

Note that specializations can also be handled as faults: see Section
6.3, Character Examples.

7.192  Magicians & Non-Magicians
--------------------------------

The GM may allow non-magicians to cast spells.  In this case, it is
*very* risky, as there is no Magic Potential "cushion" - one severe
failure is enough to devastate the character.  Still, in an emergency,
it may be worth the risk.  Such a character would still need to have
some Spell-casting skill, however.  (But see Section 7.193, Spell-
casting Skill Alternatives).

The GM may choose to define a spell of "average" potency differently
for a magician (anyone with at least 1 level of Magic Potential on the
character sheet) and a non-magician.  In this case, a non-magician is
at -1 or -2 to cast what a magician can cast with no penalties.

For an even greater difference between magicians and non-magicians,
rule that a non-magician can only cast a spell that a magician
considers Trivial.  (That is, the spell is so Trivial that a magician
gets a bonus for casting it, as stated in Section 7.13, Skill.)  The
non-magician may even be at -1 or -2 for trying such a powerful (to
him) spell.

7.193  Spell-Casting Skill Alternatives
---------------------------------------

Since tastes differ, and FUDGE Magic tends to be undependable (see
Section 7.1, FUDGE Magic), three options are provided for more
reliable spell-casting:

1) Use the basic FUDGE Magic system, but allow a magician to improve
   his chances of casting a spell beyond Fair.  At a cost of one
   *supernormal power,* this may be raised to Good.  At a cost of *two
   more* supernormal powers, casting skill may be raised from Good to
   Great, the maximum.

2) GMs who want magic to be a *lot* more reliable can simply treat
   Spell-casting as any other skill.  That is, it costs the usual
   skill costs to raise it to Good or even Great.  Superb Spell-
   casting is not recommended for any but inherently magical races,
   however, even in high-level magic campaigns.

3) Another possibility for potent magic is simply having Spell-Casting
   equal to the Will attribute.  (There may still be a ceiling of
   Great, Good, or even Fair.  In the latter case, this is still a
   potent option because the player doesn't have to buy Spell-casting
   skill.)  This is especially appropriate for games in which non-
   magicians can cast spells - see Section 7.192, Magicians & Non-
   Magicians.

7.194  Less Risky Spell-Casting
-------------------------------

To make spell-casting less risky (not necessarily a good thing - see
Section 7.1, FUDGE Magic), make it harder to drain a level of
Potential.  Examples (apply as many or as few as desired):

1) 1 level of Potential is drained only on a -4 result;
2) A magician cannot deplete a level of Magic Potential if he is
   attempting a Trivial spell;
3) A magician cannot exhaust a level of Magic Potential if he is
   attempting a Trivial or Average spell;
4) A magician cannot deplete a level of Magic Potential if he takes
   enough time to get a +1 bonus for slow and careful spell-casting;
5) 1 level of Magic Potential can only be depleted on a hurried spell-
   casting attempt that fails badly;
6) A magician cannot drain a level of Magic Potential on the first
   spell cast each day, or when the moon is full, or if the Natural
   Magic Resistance is Mediocre or worse, etc., etc.

7.2  Sample Miracle System: FUDGE Miracles
------------------------------------------

Date: December, 1992
By: Steffan O'Sullivan

Here is a sample miracle system (not generic), based on the following
premises mentioned in Section 3.6, Miracles:

Can miracles occur by petition: yes.
Who can petition: anyone.  Holy persons have an advantage, however.
   (A holy person is one with the supernormal power: Divine Favor,
   *plus* character behavior must be in synch with deity's goals - GM
   decision on how the player is roleplaying.)  Religious Investiture
   is not required, and, in fact, does no good if behavior is
   inappropriate.  It is primarily a social advantage that may or may
   not coincide with Divine Favor.
Certainty of petitioned miracles: Mediocre.
Broad or specific requests: specific requests are more likely to be
   granted.

7.21  Divine Favor
------------------

Divine Favor is a supernormal power that can be taken more than once.
Each time Divine Favor is taken, it is dedicated to a single deity.
It is possible to have Divine Favor from more than one deity in a
polytheistic world, or you can have multiple steps of Divine Favor
from a single deity.

Each step of Divine Favor counts as *two* supernormal powers.

Divine Favor can be temporarily lost if the character does not act in
accordance with the deity's desires.  Usually a period of atonement is
required to regain Divine Favor.  This may be instantaneous for a very
merciful deity, or it may take up to a month for stricter deities.
All steps are lost and regained as a unit when this happens.

7.22  Petitioning a Miracle
---------------------------

A character may petition a miracle at any time.  However, some deities
do not like to be disturbed for trivial matters, and may ignore
requests when it is obvious the character hasn't even tried to help
himself.

In FUDGE Miracles, the petition should be fairly precisely worded.
Rather than a simple, "Please help me," the character should focus the
plea: "We are starving, please feed us," or, "My friend is dying,
please heal him."  A holy character can petition for any miraculous
result desired, however - there is no established list of miracles.

Characters without Divine Favor have a Petitioning skill of Poor (or
Mediocre, if the GM wants a more deity-active game).  Those with one
or more steps of Divine Favor have a Petitioning skill of Fair.
Petitioning skill cannot be raised.  (If the GM wants a high-level
deity-active campaign, Petitioning skill can be raised to Good at the
cost of one supernormal power.)  Petitioning skill *can* be modified,
however - see the next section.

To resolve a petition, make an Unopposed action roll against
Petitioning skill.  Each step of Divine Favor grants the holy
character one extra chance to roll the dice in a petition to his
deity.

On a Fair or worse result, the roll is a failure.  If the character
has any steps of Divine Favor from the same deity, he may roll again
for each step (this does not count as a separate petition).  He can
stop at any point: only the last result rolled counts.  This means a
character with two steps of Divine Favor can try one, two, or three
rolls.  If he gets Good, Fair, and Mediocre results, in that order,
the result of the petition is Mediocre.

On a Fair or Mediocre result, the petition isn't answered by the
deity, but the deity isn't annoyed by the petitioner.  On Poor or
worse result, however, the deity is angry with the character, and
there will be a -1 on the next petition attempt.  If the deity is
evil, a miracle may actually occur, but not one the petitioner is
likely to enjoy . . .

On a Good or better result, the petition is granted.  The better the
rolled degree, the better the answer to the prayer.  For example, a
Good result might heal one wound, while a Superb result would totally
heal the character.  A Good result might call a wolf to defend the
petitioner, while a Superb result might call three lions.  And so on.

7.23  Modifiers to the Petitioning Skill Level
----------------------------------------------

All modifiers are decided by the GM:

The petitioner's behavior lately has been strictly in accordance with
   the deity's desires: +1
The petitioner's behavior lately has not been in accordance with the
   deity's desires: -1 or more

The petition is specific to furthering the deity's desires: +1
The petition goes against the deity's desires: -1 or more

The petition involves the specific sphere of influence of the deity:
   +1 (Calling for a fireball from a fire god, for example.  This is
   not appropriate for a Supreme God, whose sphere encompasses all
   things!)
The petition involves an element antagonistic to the deity: -1 or more
   (asking the Fire deity to use water, for example.)

The petition is phrased too generally: -1 or more
The petition is too trivial to bother the deity with: -1 or more
The petition is a simple, but important, request: +1, provided the
   petitioner has exhausted his own abilities to accomplish this task.
   (An example might be requesting a piece of chalk, which is
   trifling, but simply cannot be found anywhere near the character.
   In this case, chalk would have to be essential to the character's
   state of body, mind or soul.)

The petitioner has not tried to help himself first: -1 or more.
The last petition was a Poor or worse result: -1
The deity feels the petitioner is calling for help too frequently: -1
   or more  (This is optional, and may be invoked by a GM annoyed at
   constant requests for miracles . . .)

7.3  Sample Psionic System: FUDGE Psi
-------------------------------------

Date: February, 1993
By: Shawn Garbett

This sample FUDGE psionics system is based loosely on FUDGE Magic.
Only a skeletal outline is provided here.  GMs can use this as a basis
to expand as needed.

In this system, only psionicists can *use* psi powers, though everyone
has latent abilities.  There are two attributes known as Psychic
Ability and Psychic Reservoir, which are defined below.  Like most
attributes, these start at Fair unless deliberately changed.  The GM
may change this, though, depending on the level of psi she envisions:
the defaults may be Poor or Terrible, for example, and there may be a
ceiling on how high they can be set.

However, merely having the attributes does not mean the character is
capable of actively using psi.  There are an indeterminate number of
psionic skills - as many as the GM wishes to include.  It is the
presence of these skills that separates a psionicist from mundane
people.

7.31  Psychic Attributes
------------------------

Psychic Ability is used to activate psychic skills, draw on one's
Psychic Reservoir and to defend oneself against psychic attacks.

Psychic Reservoir is a measure of power available.  A low Psychic
Reservoir can negatively modify your ability, while a high Reservoir
allows you to tap it to increase your chances of success.

Individuals with a large Psychic Reservoir and a low Psychic Ability
are sought out for their power, which can be tapped by skilled
psionicists.  Such a person is also a prime candidate for possession,
a rich fertile target with little resistance.

A psionicist taps his Psychic Reservoir when he uses a psychic skill.
Continued use will gradually drain a Reservoir, but normal quick use
doesn't.  However, a rolled degree of Terrible on a psionic skill roll
will always lower Psychic Reservoir by one level, at least.

A psionicist can also deliberately drain his Psychic Reservoir.  After
using his Psychic Ability (including defending against a psionic
attack), a character may attempt to improve the results by sacrificing
a level of his Psychic Reservoir for each +1.  This "extension" of his
skill is not automatic, however.  The character must exceed a Fair
degree task Unopposed roll versus his Psychic Ability.  For each level
the individual surpasses the Fair Task Degree, one level of Psychic
Reservoir can be converted into a +1 level for his result, thus
extending the action and changing the initial outcome by straining his
psyche to the limits.  A rolled degree below Fair means one level of
Psychic Reservoir is drained anyway, but no bonus is added to the
roll.  A rolled degree of Terrible at this point can be disastrous,
*lowering* the previous roll by 1, as well as draining the Psychic
Reservoir by as many as the GM sees fit.

There is no immediate penalty per se for dropping a level of Psychic
Reservoir, as long as it remains Terrible or higher.  There is a -1
modifier for each level below Fair Psychic Reservoir on all subsequent
uses of Psychic Ability, however.

A character can regain one level of his Psychic Reservoir for each
week of rest, up to his current maximum level.

If the Psychic Reservoir is drained to below Terrible, the character
immediately loses consciousness.  It requires a Good degree task
versus Psychic Ability to regain consciousness, which may be attempted
every turn.

Even after regaining consciousness, a character at negative Psychic
Reservoir is in trouble.  The GM can optionally impose any type of
affliction she desires on such a character until the Psychic Reservoir
reaches at least Terrible.  The affliction can range from mild
insanity (hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, etc.) to physical
debility (drooling, shaking, twitching, etc.) to attribute reductions
to negative modifiers even for non-psi actions.

7.32  Psychic Skills
--------------------

While no rolls are made against psychic skills, they are very
important.  You cannot attempt any psionic action unless you have the
specific skill at degree task or better.  In addition, you can earn up
to +2 if your skill is higher than the degree task.

All psionic skills are normally Non-existent, but may be taken as high
as Fair at the beginning of the game.  They may be improved through
normal character development, and new ones may be added if the GM is
willing.  The player should have a good story concerning awakening new
skills, however.

Skills can range from very broad groups, such as Telekinesis, ESP,
Telepathy, etc., to very precise psi skills within each group: Mind
Reading, Thought Sending, Mind Shield, Emotion Sensing, Emotion
Control, etc.  The GM sets the level of skill detail, of course.

7.33  Psionic Actions
---------------------

Two kinds of psionic action are possible, Opposed and Unopposed.

An Opposed action is a psionic attack upon an unwilling subject.  The
attacker rolls against his modified Psychic Ability level, and the
defender against his modified Psychic Ability level.

An Unopposed psionic action is usually on an inanimate object.  Of
course, an Unopposed action could still be an attack.  Telekinetically
hurling an object at a foe is an Unopposed action because the object,
not the foe, is the subject of the psionic skill.  An Unopposed action
could be as simple as examining an object psychically, or as complex
as opening a dimensional door at one's feet.

Psionic abilities are sometimes dangerous to use.  A rolled degree of
Terrible may result in brain hemorrhage, loss of sanity or a similarly
gruesome outcome.  The GM should determine these effects based on the
situation at hand.

When a Psi wishes to use an ability, the player describes the result
he wants to the GM.  For an Unopposed action, the GM then assesses how
powerful such an effect would be and assigns a degree task to it.  If
this an Opposed action, the degree task is the other individual's
Psychic Ability plus any modifiers.  (A defending modifier might be a
high Mind Shield skill against a Mind Reading attack, for example.
However, the defender never takes a negative modifier for skills below
his Psychic Ability level.)

The Psionicist then compares the degree task with his skill level in
the appropriate skill.  If his skill is lower than the degree task, he
cannot attempt it.  (Exception: see Desperation Psionics, Section
7.35.)  If he can attempt the action, he adds a +1 modifier for each
level above the degree task his skill is, to a maximum of +2.

The time required to activate a psionic ability depends on the potency
of the desired effect, and is set by the GM.  This can range from a
single combat round to hours of concentration.  The individual can
also vary the time concentrating (which must be uninterrupted) to
speed up the results or increase the chances of success - see Section
7.34, Psi Modifiers Summary.

The Psi then applies any other modifiers and rolls against the degree
task using his Psychic Ability.  Remember that an extension of the
outcome can occur at this point by anyone using Psychic Ability as
described above.

If more than one Psionic is using an ability that they have all used
before against an opponent, the opponent is at -1 for each additional
opponent.  Each individual in the action rolls only once (except for
an extension) and all the results compared.

The GM also decides the duration of the effects - the better the roll,
the better the results.  Continuous concentration may be required to
sustain the effect and this could also slowly drain one's Psychic
Reservoir.  Exceeding the task degree can increase the effect and/or
cause it to last longer.  Of course, some effects will be permanent,
such as Healing and others described in Section 7.12, FUDGE Magic
Spells.

A rolled degree of Terrible will usually result in the exact opposite
of the desired outcome, or some other entertaining backfire.

7.34  Psi Modifiers Summary
---------------------------

For each Level of Psychic Reservoir below Fair: -1
For each Skill Level Mastery above Task Degree: +1 (max +2)

Normal amount of spent concentrating: +0
Half normal amount of spent concentrating: -1
Double normal amount of time spent concentrating: +1

Successful Extensions (see Section 7.31): +1 or more
Rolled degree Terrible on Extension attempts: -1

Desperation attempts (Section 7.35): -2 per level of Psychic Reservoir
   spent

Certain drugs, devices, fields, star alignments, locations, etc., can
   also have modifiers.

Optional: All psionics are blocked by metals which dissipate their
   forces into the crystal lattice of the metal.

7.35  Desperation Psionics
--------------------------

A psionicist may wish to use a skill that is beyond his capability.
While not recommended, it *is* possible.

For each level of Psychic Reservoir drained, a psionicist can increase
his skill level +1.  Simply getting the skill level to the degree task
level is all it takes to try the skill - *BUT* he is at -2 to his
Psychic Ability for *each* level of Psychic Reservoir he drained for
this attempt.  This is obviously not for casual use: the risk of a
Terrible outcome is much higher than normal, as well as the guaranteed
drain on Psychic Reservoir.  Nonetheless, if one were being attacked
by the Spawn of The Other, a demon of tremendous power, one might try
anything to survive.

7.36  Psi Examples
------------------

Yardmower Man wants to mow the lawn without exerting himself
physically.  He's not lazy, it's just the ego satisfaction he's after.
He currently has a Good Psychic Reservoir and a Fair Psychic Ability.
The GM decides that to move and control the yard mower is a Great
Telekinetic degree task.  This requires at least a Great Telekinetic
skill, which Yardmower Man currently has.  Yardmower Man declares he's
going to spend twice as much time concentrating (+1) and is also under
the influence of Batch-5, a psi-enhancing drug (+1).  He rolls a Fair
result, which is modified to Great.  (There is no modifier for his
skill, since it equals the degree task.)  He just met the degree task
and mows the lawn telekinetically, but not too neatly.  Since this is
a continued use, the GM then decides that for each hour spent mowing
he reduces his Psychic Reservoir by one level.  It takes him two
hours.

The next day, Yardmower Man decides the director the local government
psionic research facility is beginning to get on his nerves.  He's
always snooping around, and has been known to lock up psis in the
past.  Yardmower Man decides that the director should be Molecularly
Rearranged.  The GM decides that the Molecular Rearrangement is a
Superb Task Degree and will be opposed by the director's psyche.
Coincidentally, Yardmower man has the Molecular Rearrangement skill at
Superb level.  He also consumes a double dose of Batch-5, giving him a
+2 in the Opposed action, but severely risking side effects.  However,
his Psychic Reservoir is down to Mediocre from activities the night
before (-1 to skill).  Yardmower man rolls a Great Result.  This is
modified -1 for low Psychic Reservoir, and +2 for Batch-5, giving him
a Superb Result.

The poor director has a Fair Psychic Ability and a Fair Psychic
Reservoir.  He gets lucky and rolls a Great result.  But Great is not
good enough, so he tries to extend to hold on his existence.  His
extension roll is a Good Result, so with a Fair Psychic Ability he
extends his result to Superb.  He's still holding on, but just barely.
Also, his Reservoir will now be reduced to Mediocre after this round
of psychic combat.

Yardmower Man not to be outdone, extends himself further.  He started
the combat with a low Psychic Reservoir and full of Batch-5, so he
still applies the +1 modifier to his Fair Psychic Ability on his
extension roll.  With the modifier, he achieves a Good Result, and he
therefore extends *his* result to Superb+1.  (After this round, his
Reservoir will also drop.)

The director tries to extend again, but rolls a Fair result: he can't
extend.  Yardmower Man rearranges the director into a lovely bush, and
stares blankly at the outcome.  Yardmower Man is now left with a Poor
Psychic Reservoir; he'd better not be trying anything this difficult
for a while.  Also, the GM demands a Constitution Good degree task to
avoid any unpleasant side effects from the Batch-5 overdose.  He gets
a Mediocre result, missing by two levels.  The GM just smiles to the
player, and secretly jots down that the next time he uses Batch-5,
he'll hallucinate that the director has returned to human form and is
out to get him . . .  In the near future, Yardmower Man may be
spending his Psychic Reservoir fighting someone that isn't there.

7.4  Alternate Rules
--------------------

It is one of FUDGE's basic premises that people have different tastes.
Here are a collection of alternate rules sections for doing things
slightly differently.  Just in case you might be confused by finding
Section 2.2 following Section 7.41, each of these sections has a
general two-space indentation to distinguish it from the original
section it replaces.

7.41  Alternate Section 2.2:  Levels
------------------------------------

Date: May, 1993
By: Steffan O'Sullivan

  2.2  Less Granular Levels
  -------------------------

  Instead of using words (Terrible ... Fair ... Superb) to describe
  Levels, a GM may wish to use numbers.  This allows a less granular
  system to be used, but the numbers tend to dehumanize the characters
  to some people.  It also makes for a more awkward non-human scale
  system.

  As an example, a fairly familiar system would be to make 8 to 13 a
  Fair attribute, 2 Terrible, and 19 Superb.  This way, two characters
  could both be of Fair Strength, but one have a Strength 9 and
  another a Strength 11.  The players and GM can fine-tune the
  characters more, hence the phrase "less granular" - or "finer
  resolution," if you prefer.  You could even try a greater range, if
  desired, but you would need to use percentile dice.  Under the
  current dice methods, someone with a skill of 25 could not make a
  degree task of 40 without a *lot* of modifiers, and someone with a
  skill of 55 couldn't fail such a degree task.

  Assuming you might want to try the 2 to 20 scale (which includes
  Legendary), the following changes would be necessary:

  A rough correlation of the words becomes:

  Terrible        2
  Poor            3-4
  Mediocre        5-7
  Fair            8-13
  Good            14-16
  Great           17-18
  Superb          19

  Any die results, such as +1 or -1, are applied directly to the
  numbers, not to the adjectives.  However, continue to use the
  adjectives for Strength when calculating damage modifiers.  (That
  is, Superb Strength gives +3 bonus to damage, not +19!)

  Degree tasks are numbers, not adjectives in this system.  The GM
  might say you need a result of 14 to succeed at something, for
  example.

  However, the Scale changes.  Instead of each number being 1.5 times
  as strong as the previous number, for example, it is roughly 1.2
  times as strong.  This would make for an awkward system for very
  high and low Scale characters if the progression continued.

  Therefore, if you are using any non-human Scale characters, you have
  to change the progression beyond Legendary (20) and Human Terrible
  (2).  At Strength 21 and above, each level is 1.5 times as strong as
  the previous level: e.g., Strength 21 is 1.5 times as strong as
  Strength 20, Strength 26 is 1.5 times as Strong as Strength 25.
  Each level of Strength starting with 21 adds +1 Mass.  So Strength
  25 would be +5 Mass (usually - see below).  Since Human Legendary
  already has a +4 damage bonus, Strength 21 has +5 damage bonus, and
  Strength 25 would have +9.

  Likewise, for very small characters, each level below Human Terrible
  is 2/3 the Strength of the next higher level, and has a -1 Mass.
  You will have to use zero and negative numbers, which will look
  funny, but there are very few creatures that small that require
  character sheets.

  There is no reason to use the word Scale at all in this system.  It
  is best simply to list the Strength level and both Damage and Mass
  bonus on the character sheet.  Examples: Giant, Strength 30, +14
  Damage, +10 Mass.  Leprechaun, Strength 0, -5 damage, -1 Mass.  For
  any character beyond the human range, the Mass bonus will usually be
  4 closer to 0 than the Damage bonus.  Of course, an individual can
  vary this: Mongo the Leprechaun, Strength 3, -2 damage, -1 Mass.
  When fighting another leprechaun, though, damage bonuses should be
  listed relative to Leprechaun Fair Strength: in this case, Mongo
  would have a +3 to damage, not -2.

  Damage Capacity also changes.  It would be best simply to add one
  wound-level sequentially for each new level, cycling through
  Scratch, Hurt, Very Hurt and Incapacitated in that order.  (Near
  Death never changes.)  Thus, Damage Capacity 10 has 2 Scratch, 2
  Hurt, 2 Very Hurt, 2 Incapacitated and 2 Near Death.  Damage
  Capacity 11 adds one Scratch to that, while Damage Capacity 12 adds
  one Hurt to what 11 has.  Damage Capacity 18 would look exactly like
  Superb Damage Capacity in the main text, in this case.

7.42  Alternate Section 2.4:  Creation Methods
----------------------------------------------

Date: November, 1992
By: Steffan O'Sullivan

  2.4  Random Character Creation
  ------------------------------

  If the GM allows random determination of traits, have the player
  roll 2d6 for each *attribute*.  The results are:

  2 = Terrible
  4 = Poor
  3,5 = Mediocre
  6-8 = Fair
  9,11 = Good
  10 = Great
  12 = Superb

  The player still gets the standard number of free levels, but the GM
  may restrict trading levels.

  For *skills*, the results are read as:

  2-5,12 = Terrible
  6-8 = Poor
  9-10 = Mediocre
  11 = Fair

  The player still gets the standard number of free levels.

7.43  Alternate Section 2.4:  Creation Methods
----------------------------------------------

Date: December, 1992
By: Ed Heil

  2.4  On-the-Fly Character Creation
  ----------------------------------

  Instead of creating characters before starting the game, create them
  as the game progresses!

  The GM assigns a number of *skill* levels available to a PC during a
  session.  This should be based on how finely the GM defines skills:
  about 15 to 20 for very broad skill-group games, and maybe twice
  that for very fine skill-group games.  These may be traded at the
  regular rate of 3 skill levels = 1 attribute level, or 6 skill
  levels = 1 gift.  Faults may also be taken, subject to GM approval.

  The players start with mostly blank character sheets - simply write
  out a brief sentence or two about the character in a very general
  way.  ("Jeb is a surly dwarf, a good fighter, who is out to make a
  name for himself as a mean customer - and pick up some loot on the
  way.  He likes to talk tough, and doesn't care much for halflings.")

  As the character is confronted with challenging situations, the
  player must decide the level of the trait in question.  For example,
  the PCs are confronted with a ruined castle to explore, and they all
  state they are looking for hidden passageways.  At this point, each
  player must set his PC's skill in finding hidden passageways
  (however the GM defines such a trait: Perception attribute, or Find-
  Hidden skill, or Architecture skill, etc.).  Those who are not yet
  willing to set such a trait must stop searching: if you use a trait,
  you must define it.  Since setting an initial skill at Fair level
  uses up two skill levels, and setting it at Superb uses up five
  levels, one must carefully weigh spending levels on skills as they
  are used vs. saving them for emergency situations.

  As usual, attributes are considered Fair unless altered, and most
  skills are considered Poor.  Taking a trait at a level below the
  default adds to your available skill level pool, of course.
  However, you may only define a trait as it is used in a game
  situation.

  Experience points are given out as usual, but unused skill levels
  after each session are subtracted from from the amount of EP
  awarded.  (Never below 1, however, except for poor roleplaying.)
  EP, in this case, can be used either to raise existing skills, as
  discussed in Section 5.2, Objective Character Development, or they
  can be used to add new skills, as discussed in this section, above.
  Note that it costs more EPs to raise an existing skill than it does
  to define a previously undefined skill in this on-the-fly system.
  EP should be slightly higher under this system than a regular
  character creation system, perhaps a range of up to 10.

7.44  Alternate Section 4.2:  Rolling the Dice
----------------------------------------------

Date: January, 1993
By: Andy Skinner

  4.2  Open-Ended Dice
  --------------------

  As a simple variation on either dice mechanism, allow players who
  roll a +4 result to roll again.  If the result is positive, add it
  in to the +4 already rolled.  If the result is negative or zero,
  ignore the second roll.  This allows a small chance of results up to
  +8, especially nice in truly dire situations!

  Only a pitiless GM would balance this by requiring additional rolls
  to see how miserably a person can do on a -4 result, however.

7.45  Alternate Section 4.2:  Rolling the Dice
----------------------------------------------

Date: December, 1992
By: Andy Skinner

  4.2  2d10 Method
  ----------------

  This method works best if you modify the die rolls instead of the
  traits.  Instead of 2d6, use 2d10 and the following table:

  Roll: <1  1-2  3-4  5-6  7-8   9-13  14-15  16-17  18-19  20-21  22+
  --------------------------------------------------------------------
  Lvls: -5   -4   -3   -2   -1    +0     +1     +2     +3    +4    +5

  This spread means that die modifiers are less severe than in the the
  2d6 method.  A +/-4 is a moderate amount to affect a trait, and +/-7
  becomes the new maximum you should allow.  Note the two categories
  of "Less than One" and "22+."  These categories can only be reached
  with a modifier to the roll.

  A result of double ones can still be considered Critical Failure,
  and double zeros Critical Success. (See Section 4.8, Critical
  Results).

  Chance of achieving your trait level or better: 72%.
  Chance of achieving your trait level exactly: 44%.
  Chance of getting above or below your trait level: 28% each.

  Specifically:
  Chance of getting trait level +/-1: 13% each.
  Chance of getting trait level +/-2: 9% each.
  Chance of getting trait level +/-3: 5% each.
  Chance of getting trait level +/-4: 1% each.

  While this system allows a greater use of die modifiers, the table
  is much harder to memorize.

7.46  Alternate Section 4.6, Combat
-----------------------------------

Date: January, 1993
By: Jay Doane, Andy Skinner, Steffan O'Sullivan

  4.6  Offensive/Defensive Combat
  -------------------------------

  Instead of simultaneous actions, melee combat is handled as a series
  of attacks and defenses.  Each combat round has two actions,
  therefore: the fighter with the higher initiative attacking while
  the other defends, then the second combatant attacking while the
  first defends.

  [Initiative can be determined with a single d6 die roll.  However,
  if the GM has an Initiative attribute or skill, treat it as an
  Opposed Action.  If the GM allows a gift such as Combat Reflexes,
  that grants a +1 to initiative, whichever system is used.  Surprise
  may grant a bonus to the roll, or give automatic initiative.
  Initiative could be rolled once for each battle - the simplest way -
  or once each round.  Or the character who did the best the previous
  round could automatically have the initiative in the next round.]

  Each attack is an Opposed Action: the attacker's Offensive skill
  (Sword, Melee Weapon, Martial Art, etc.) against a defender's
  Defensive skill (Shield, Parry, Dodge, etc.).  This makes combat
  take longer, but some players like the control it gives their
  character over his fate.

  In this case, Defensive skill is a separate skill that must be
  bought independently of an Offensive skill.  Simply taking Sword at
  Superb implies only *offensive* use of the sword: the character must
  also take Parry with Sword for defensive capability.

  Obviously, the GM must tell the players at character creation which
  method she is using - or allow them extra levels on the fly to
  adjust their defensive abilities.  The GM may also allow Parry
  w/Weapon Skill to default to Weapon Skill minus two levels: that is,
  a Great Sword skill automatically means a Fair Parry skill.  While
  some GMs might restrict Parry to being no higher than Weapon skill
  (or even to a maximum of one less than Weapon skill), others can
  imagine a defensive specialist who might parry Superbly, but attack
  Poorly!  The default for animals depends on their type: carnivores
  will usually have a Defense value one level less than their Offense,
  while this is reversed for most prey species.

  Note that some weapons, such as an Axe, are poor parrying weapons.
  Such fighters should have decent Shield or Dodge skills.  Each
  player should ask the GM at character creation if a weapon may be
  used to parry, and still be used to attack without penalty in the
  next turn.

  All-out offensive and defensive tactics still work with this system:
  a character simply forfeits his attack for a round if he chooses
  All-out defense.  Likewise, a fighter is at -2 on his defense on his
  opponent's next turn if choosing All-out offense (-3 if using the
  2d10 method).

-- 
  - Steffan O'Sullivan		         sos@oz.plymouth.edu
 
