It’s time for some more details about the Cosmic Cutthroats system! I call it the R.E.C.I.P.E. system: Realms of Endless Challenge and Infinite Potential Engine. Or maybe it stands for Rules for Exploration, Combat, and Intrigue Practically
Everywhere. I honestly can’t decide, and either one sounds ridiculous and awesome.
In Cosmic Cutthroats, before creating your Character, the Game Master will give you the Campaign’s Awesomeness Level. Your Awesomeness Level gives you Upgrade Points that to spend on Attributes, Skills, Traits, and Powers.
There are six Attributes: Body, Reflexes, Brains, Guts, Charm, and Edge. Attributes are usually rated from 1 to 12, with 6 as the human average. Skills all have a Base Level, equal to 1/2 of one Attribute, or 1/4 of two Attributes. This is really the only thing that slows down Character creation a little, but it can be done instantly with a spreadsheet.
There are two kinds of Skills, Basic and Advanced. You get a Base Level in Basic Skills for free, but you don’t have any Levels in an Advanced Skill unless you buy at least one Level in that Skill.
For most actions, you’ll roll 2d12 and add a Skill, and try to exceed a difficulty number, a Challenge Severity. Successful actions that roll matched dice are a Triumph, a critical success, and failed actions that roll matched dice are a Mishap, a critical fumble. PCs and the GM will work together to decide what each Triumph and Mishap means. The higher the matched dice, the better, and the lower, the worse.
Traits are special abilities like unusual popularity, rank in an organization, wealth, special inventions, or martial arts maneuvers. Some Characters can purchase Powers, which give them superhuman abilities. Powers are highly customizable with Calibrations, which adjust the per-Level cost of Powers up or down.
Power damage is based on an escalating dice scale. Level 1 adds no real damage, only bruises. Level 2 adds 1 single point of damage, and Level 3 adds 1d4 damage. The damage die is 1d12 at Level 7, and from there, the scale starts over again, each +6 adding +1d12. Armor Protection stops incoming damage.
Characters also have Assets. Assets are calculated based on the Character’s Levels in Attributes, Skills, Powers, and Traits. You can’t make rolls with Assets, but they let you ignore or absorb damage, avoid getting hit, and other stuff. For example, Close Combat Defense is the difficulty to punch the Character, or hit them with melee weapons, while Ranged Combat Defense is the difficulty to hit them with bullets, arrows, energy beams, or thrown weapons. Tougher Characters have some Innate Protection against damage.
Characters absorb damage with Vigor Points, and when they take too much damage, they drop to a lower Injury State. At lower States, they’ll suffer penalties to their actions, and eventually they drop unconscious, or even die.
Characters have Qualities. Remember the Attribute called Edge? Characters can spend Edge to resist physical or social attacks, or to add a die to their action rolls. Characters can regain Edge by acting according to their personality Qualities, but they can lose their Edge if they fight their instincts.
All Abilities get a more expensive as their Level increases. The curve is gentle, but it adds up. Levels 13 to 24 cost twice as much, Levels 25 to 36 cost 3 times as much and so on. Each +12 Levels increases the multiplier by +1.
Some Abilities are Clustered, and let you take Cluster Options. Generous Clustered Abilities give you one Cluster Option for free for each Level. For example, the Martial Arts Trait gives you one free new martial arts move for each Level. Stingy Clustered Abilities let you pay the cost for 1 Level to get an extra Option. For example, when you buy the Firearms Skill, you can choose whether you know about Pistols, Rifles, or Energy Weapons. If you want to expand your training into another firearm category, pay the cost for 1 Level, and your firearms training becomes that much more valuable.
If you run low on Upgrade Points, you can take some Drawbacks to give you a few more points. Drawbacks represent special challenges your Character faces during the Adventure.
Attributes, Skills, Traits, Powers, and Drawbacks are sometimes packaged together, to reflect species, occupations, and superhumanly powerful origins. Packages come with a 10% Upgrade Point discount.
There are a couple of different kinds of NPCs. Bosses are usually built like full PCs, but Bystanders, Creatures, and Goons are built simpler and easier, more like OSR monsters. You don’t have to spend a point budget, and you only need to note the most important Skills they’ll need for combat. Bystanders, Creatures, and Goons have half he Vigor Points of a normal PC, and their ability to spend Edge is more limited. Bosses don’t have any such limits.
Soon, I’ll be ready to share the actual rules. I’m working with some great artists for the cover, and fixing some layout issues. More soon!