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COMBAT
The combat system uses a d20 dice system that factors in character skills, abilities, and other modifiers. Combat actions are determined by skill level, with higher skill levels unlocking additional actions per turn.
In the game, combat employs a d20 dice system, which adds an element of randomness and uncertainty to each encounter. The outcome of actions is determined by rolling a twenty-sided die (d20) and adding relevant modifiers. These modifiers take into account character skills, abilities, and various situational factors.
Character skills play a significant role in combat. Each character has a unique set of skills that determine their combat capabilities. These skills include weapon proficiency, combat techniques, and special abilities. The skill level of a character influences the combat actions they can perform during their turn. For example, a character with high swordsmanship skill may be able to perform a flurry of attacks, while a character with high stealth skill may be able to hide from their opponents.
As characters progress and their skill levels increase, they unlock additional actions, enhancing their combat capabilities. This allows for more strategic and dynamic combat encounters. For instance, a character with a higher level of swordsmanship skill may be able to execute more powerful attacks or counter enemy attacks more effectively.
The d20 dice system introduces an element of chance into combat, ensuring that no two encounters are exactly the same. This can lead to exciting and unexpected outcomes, adding tension and excitement to every battle. The combination of character skills, abilities, modifiers, and random dice rolls creates a rich and engaging combat experience that keeps players engaged and on the edge of their seats.
Benchmark/Title is how the character is viewed with regard to the skill.
Skill Focus Features bonus is determined by the skill’s tier.
Skill Level Actions Benchmark / Title Focus Bonus
0 Full Round Untrained -
1 - 5 1st action at base score Novice / Studied +2
6 - 10 2nd action at base score -5 Professional / Trained +3
11 - 15 3rd action at base score -10 Expert +4
16 - 20 4th action at base score -15 Master +5
21-25 5th action at base score -20 Grand Master +6
26-30 6th action at base score -25 Pinnacle +7
INITIATIVE
Determined by Reflex Check
Modified by Features and possibly by the type of action and/or the situation and/or environment.
COMBAT ACTIONS
A character may attack with as many actions the used skill allows in addition to making as many Defense checks as allowed based on level of Defense Skill (all with a-5 subsequent penalty after the first action).
A skill level of 0 will have 1 action per turn and would likely be the only action available.
Action Progression for different Skills are determined separately
Attacks in combat (Combat Skills)
Defensive moves (Defense Skill)
ATTACK & DEFENSE
Opposed Roll
Defender’s Agility + Defense Skill (or relevant melee skill if applicable) and other modifiers vs. Attacker’s Ability + Combat Skill and possibly other bonuses
Attacker wins: a strike or success
Defender wins: the Attacker misses or an unsuccessful action
(DEFENDER WINS ALL TIES)
Unopposed Roll
Target is not defending, surprised or just still
Attacker’s Ability + Combat Skill and possibly other bonuses
vs. CR15 (Average) for a typical medium size target within short range (Modified for target’s Size, Range and Movement as usual)
RANGE CATEGORIES
CATEGORY Modifier
Melee * WITHIN REACH 0 (15)
Point Blank * ** WITHIN REACH +5 (10)
Short Base Range Listed 0 (15)
Medium up to 2x Base Range -5 (20)
Long up to 5x Base Range -10 (25)
Extreme up to 10x Base Range -15 (30)
* Melee Ranged is modified by Size - Tiny and Smaller 2ft, Small and Medium 5ft, Large and Huge 10ft
** Point Blank is Special Category for Ballistic and Energy Weapons - a shot striking a target at this range will inflict its Damage with Advantage (rolling damage dice twice and taking the highest result) in addition to the listed +5 Strike bonus and any other damage modifiers
AUTOMATIC WEAPONS
In the Tangent, automatic weaponry inflicts damage based on the weapon's damage dice and the character's relevant ability score, modified by enhancements and the target's stats. It functions similarly to other weapons but with special considerations for burst fire and full auto. Burst fire expends more ammo but increases hit chance, while full auto further increases ammo expenditure and hit chance, potentially inflicting maximum damage. Both modes increase weapon spread, affecting accuracy.
Ballistic Spray
Area Effect Attack firing several rounds
Divide number of shots fired by the number of targeted 5ft blocks, as evenly as possible any remaining rounds being stray shots for anything in the background
Roll to Strike the Area with a +1 Bonus for each 5ft block in the spread and a -1 Recoil Penalty for every 10 rounds fired
vs.
Defense checks as available
Damage to all targets is normal damage for the first round and an additional +1d per round after the first that hits
(if the Initial full damage will not Penetrate a Target’s DR then no extra damage is done for multiple shots)
Ballistic Burst
Single Target Attack firing several rounds (in controlled short burst or long bursts)
Roll to Strike as usual with a +1 Bonus for a Short Burst (3 rounds) OR -1 Recoil Penalty for every 10 rounds fired
vs
Defense check as available
Each point succeeded over the target’s Defense will have 1 additional round strike (up to shots fire)
Damage to target is normal damage for the first round and an additional +1d per round after the first that hits
(if the Initial full damage will not Penetrate a Target’s DR then no extra damage is done for multiple shots)
Energy Pulse Weapons
as Ballistic Weapons above but with no recoil penalty for multiple rounds
Spray (+1 Bonus for each 5ft Spread) or Burst (+1 Bonus for 3 round Burst)
(NO -1 Penalty per 10 rounds but all other effects apply)
Blasting Burst Weapons
This type or ordnance will follow automatic rules above but damage will be over the targeted area with all targets taking the base damage -
Targets in a general area will take +2 Damage Dice for each 5 made over the target CR of 10
Targets in a focused Blast Zone will take +100% Damage Dice for each 10 made over the Target CR of 15
NOTE - This can lead to quite devastating effects and ALL Range Penalties are doubled on ALL Automatic Weapons Fire
EDGE
Edge refers to tactical modifiers that characters can gain or lose based on their movements, positions, and the environment during combat. These modifiers can significantly influence the outcome of attacks and defense, making them a crucial aspect of tactical combat. Here's a breakdown of some of the Edge modifiers:
Aiming
Having the target in sights and time to steady and lead the shot, gain +2 to Strike per round of Aiming (up to 1/2 the attacker’s Skill Level)
Flanking
Advantage gained when an attacker has allies positioned on multiple sides of the target. This positioning creates an opportunity to exploit openings in the target's defenses, granting a +2 bonus to hit.
Advancing Target
Target approaching without Cover or Evasion. Extra Attack on target at -5 to Strike and re-roll Initiative if successfully moved into Melee.
Retreating Target
Target quickly leaving the area forgoing any evasion or cover, Jog/Run/Sprint Speed. Extra attack on target at -5 to Strike and reroll Initiative.
High Ground
+2 to Strike and +2 to Critical Damage Range
Prone
On the ground
- vs an opponent in Melee/Point Blank Range they will have High Ground Bonus
- vs a Ranged opponent receive a +2 Defense Bonus for each Range Category after Point Blank for ground cover
(Opponent with High Ground at Range will reduce bonuses based on line of effect accordingly)
- with a successful Defense check the Prone Combatant may be able to take full cover from Ranged Attacks
Braced
Set to receive a Charge or to stay in place. Block usable as a counter attack on getting hit (or readied weapon) and bonus is gained for Advancing Target
Charge
on successful strike add +1d to Attack Damage and -1 to strike per stage of speed (walk, jog, run, sprint), also an additional +1 Point of Impact Damage per 10 ft of Speed (up to a maximum of +100% increase in the attack’s damage)
Close In
Guarded approach, defensive advancement at base speed. NO Modifiers and not counted as an Advancing Target
Withdraw
Pulling back, defensively at base speed. NO Modifiers and not counted as a Retreating Target
Evasive Movement
Fully Defensive while moving quickly, +1 Defense and another +1 per 10ft Movement Speed
Subtle
Condition which is for quiet, sneaky or low key actions trying to not draw attention. Used along with other conditions listed but required for availability of different Skill Actions.
Feint
An Attacker can make a Bluff check (vs Sense Motive) to lead the Target into a False Defense, forcing an opening for a Sneak Attack made at -5 to Strike (with the Target having NO Defense)
Surprise / Sneak Attack
The Target is unaware of an incoming Attack and will be unable to make any Defense check to Evade the Attack and subsequently reduce damage if not Evaded.
If an Attacker is able to catch a Target unaware they will also have the opportunity to inflict more damage or other effects if so trained.
This is the “Getting the drop on em’”, whether it’s from a literal backstab, sniper’s shot, waiting in ambush, to firing a pistol thru a pocket or casually stabbing someone in conversation - the attack went unnoticed until it happened with no defense allowed. Often due to Stealth (vs Insight) but may also be gained from a Bluff (vs Sense Motive) and / or situational/environmental factors.
Made at -5 to hit but with NO DEFENSE from the target, Damage is made at Advantage in addition to other effects.
Danger Sense Feature will allow an Advantageous check to be aware of an impending attack regardless of the source
DAMAGE
The attacker rolls a d20, adds their relevant Ability Score modifier and any applicable Skill modifiers, and compares the total to the target's Defense. If the total equals or exceeds the target's Defense, the attack hits.
Upon a successful hit, the attacker then rolls their weapon's damage dice, adds any relevant damage modifiers, and subtracts the target's Damage Resist (DR). The resulting number is the amount of damage the target takes.
Different weapons deal different damage types, which can be more or less effective against certain targets. For example, piercing damage is good against unarmored targets, while blunt damage is better against armored targets.
Core Mechanic
Damage is calculated by summing several components:
Weapon Die Damage
Determined by the weapon used and its inherent damage capabilities.
Relevant Ability
The character's strength, agility, or other relevant ability modifier is added, reflecting their physical prowess.
Precision Damage
This includes bonuses from skill level and additional effects like sneak attacks, rewarding accuracy and tactical positioning.
Target's Armor DR
The target's Damage Resist (DR) is subtracted, representing their armor's effectiveness in mitigating damage. Different armor types offer varying levels of protection against specific damage types.
Target's CON
The target's Constitution modifier is subtracted, representing their physical resilience and ability to withstand injury.
Damage Types
Tangent features a variety of damage types, including kinetic, energy, and other special types. Kinetic damage encompasses blunt, slashing, and piercing attacks, while energy damage includes fire, cold, and other elemental or exotic forms.
Armor and Penetration
Armor plays a crucial role in reducing damage, with different armor types offering specific DR against different damage types. Some weapons, however, have penetration effects that allow them to bypass a portion of the target's DR.
Critical Hits and Fumbles
A natural 20 on the attack roll results in a critical hit, doubling the weapon's damage dice and adding 30 to the base attack score. Conversely, a natural 1 results in a fumble, subtracting 10 from the base attack score and potentially causing additional negative consequences.
Location-Based Effects
Attacks can target specific body locations, with successful hits potentially causing debilitating effects like being winded, disarmed, or hobbled. Critical hits can even cause more severe consequences, such as unconsciousness or crippled limbs.
Healing and Recovery
Characters can recover from damage through rest, medical attention, or the use of metaphysical abilities. However, severe injuries may require extended recovery periods or even cause permanent disabilities.
Additional Notes
The damage system interacts with other mechanics, such as cover, movement, and tactical positioning, adding a layer of strategic depth to combat encounters. Furthermore, the system allows for customization through weapon enhancements, special abilities, and other factors, enabling players to tailor their characters' combat capabilities to their preferred playstyle.
METAFOCUS
An Invocation is considered the weapon with the damage and type determined accordingly
Attack is made with Attune Skill [Strike, opposed by the Defense score or sets the CR of an Effect]
Damage or Effect is then determined by the Invocation and Discipline Skill Level
Spontaneous Casting is included but use the Discipline’s Skill as appropriate
RELEVANT ABILITIES
Strength for most melee attacks and throwing heavy objects
Agility is finesse of light or natural weapons and most ranged physical attacks
Intelligence is key to magic directly weaving its effects
Charisma is key in more subtle and controlling factors
Stamina and Wisdom* are Abilities that are not generally used Offensively
(covering the body (Fortitude) and mind (Willpower) defensively)
* Wisdom may be used in place of Intelligence/Charisma in Metaphysic Skill checks if desired for faith based caster types
OTHER
Precision Damage is a bonus directly from the skill level of the attacker (relative Combat or Focus Skill)
A Target who is actively defending will reduce damage by their Defense score (in counter to Precision Damage)
Sneak Attack Damage is added only if at least 1 point of damage affects the target
(determine damage after Armor but before Sta modifier)
LOCATIONS
d10 for Hit Location (on a critical hit) or to make called shots: -2 to torso or leg or -4 to head or arm
Roll Location Effect on Called Shot or Crit
1 Head KO (Reason Save or Stunned for 1+ rounds*, failure by 10+ Unconscious)
2,3,4 Torso Winded (Fort Save or cumulative -2 on actions for 1+ rounds*, failure by 10+ Gasping/Incapacitated)
5 (R) or 6 (L) Arm Disarmed (Ref Save or drop held item, failure by 10+ Arm is Crippled/Non-Functional)
7,8 (R) or 9,0 (L) Leg Hobbled (Might Save or 1/2 speed for 1+ rounds*, failure by 10+ Leg is Crippled/Non-Functional)
In Melee and Unarmed, unless a Leg Attack or Maneuver is made, location will be determined by rolling 1d6
* Duration of Impediment will be 1 round per point under the save CR (based directly on the Damage done)
Disabled
Taking 1/3rd of the Health Score in Damage to A limb will disable it (or Unconsciousness if Head)
Sta Check with a CR of10 + the damage taken to keep using it
-4 on all actions for Head, -4 Str and Agility for an Arm or Half Ground Speed and no Rush Maneuver if Leg
Medical Attention or Metaphysics will be required to properly heal
Destroyed
Taking 2/3rds of the Health to an area will likely damage it beyond ANY further use (Brain Death** if Head)
NO Check, it’s mangled and little use (Traumatic Damage Control also needed for Shock, Bleeding, etc)
** Brain Death will be at the GM’s discretion (as any instant kill), IF they survive, they should still be Disabled and it will require intense recovery and downtime.
Technology Level 3+ Limb Replacements
A replacement limb will require a day of surgery and recovery whether Bio or Synth.
Bio Limb must be matched (+1 day) or grown (+2d4 days)
Synth Limb available can be prepped for installation during surgery time.
Body Replacement see Augmentations - Body Mods
Tech 4 Tran-Cerebral Venture
Tech 5 Consciousness Transfer
Note - Bio / Natural Limbs are the same damage capacity for being Disabled or Destroyed.
Synth Limbs can take 50% more damage before Disabled or Destroyed but may not get the Sta check to remain functional at Disabled.
DAMAGE TYPES
Tangent features a variety of damage types, primarily kinetic and energy-based. Kinetic damage includes blunt, slashing, and piercing attacks, with force damage as a subtype that ignores half of the target's Armor DR. Energy damage encompasses fire, cold, phased, sonic, voltic, corrosive, radiation, and disruptor damage, each with unique effects like burning, slowing, bypassing armor, or stunning. Armor provides Damage Resist (DR) against specific damage types, and some weapons have penetrating effects or ammunition to bypass DR.
Energy
Pyro / Fire Damage
This damage type focuses on burning and incinerating targets, causing immediate pain and potential long-term damage. It's particularly effective against flammable materials and creatures vulnerable to heat. Fire damage often inflicts ongoing burning damage, and critical hits can ignite the target, causing additional damage over time.
Metaphysical
Pyrokinesis: The ability to create and control fire with the mind. This includes conjuring flames, shaping them into various forms, and directing their intensity. Pyrokinesis can be used for both offensive and utility purposes, such as creating a wall of fire or igniting a distant target.
Fire Evocation: Summoning fire elementals or spirits to fight on your behalf. These creatures can unleash powerful fire attacks, are often resistant or immune to fire damage, and can provide tactical advantages in combat.
Fire Enchantments: Imbuing weapons or objects with fire magic. This can grant them the ability to ignite targets on contact, deal additional fire damage, or even provide protection against fire-based attacks.
Archaic Tech
Torches, Arrows, and Grenades: The simplest forms of fire weaponry. Torches can be used for melee attacks, arrows tipped with flammable substances for ranged attacks, and grenades filled with incendiary materials for area-effect damage.
Flamethrowers: Primitive flamethrowers project a stream of ignited fuel, dealing continuous fire damage to targets in a cone or line. They are effective at close range and can cause widespread panic.
Fire Traps: Mechanisms that use fire to damage or deter intruders. These can range from simple pits filled with flammable liquids to complex traps that ignite automatically when triggered.
Modern Tech
Flamethrowers: Modern flamethrowers are more advanced, with greater range, accuracy, and fuel efficiency. They can be mounted on vehicles or wielded by infantry, providing a powerful area denial weapon.
Incendiary Rounds: Ammunition for firearms can be designed to ignite upon impact, setting targets ablaze and causing ongoing fire damage. This is especially effective against flammable materials or creatures vulnerable to fire.
Fire Bombs: Explosive devices filled with incendiary compounds can be deployed to create large fires, damaging structures and causing widespread damage in an area.
Advanced Tech
Laser Weapons: High-energy laser beams can be focused to ignite targets, causing both immediate and ongoing fire damage. Laser weapons are known for their precision and range, making them effective at targeting specific body parts or vulnerable areas.
Plasma Weapons: These weapons project superheated plasma, dealing devastating fire damage and potentially melting through armor. Plasma weapons are powerful but often have shorter ranges and may require cooling periods between shots.
Energy Pulse Weapons: Advanced energy weapons can emit pulses of intense heat, setting targets on fire and causing damage over time. These weapons can have various firing modes, including burst and spray, allowing for tactical flexibility.
Additional Notes: Fire damage can cause ongoing burning damage, and some weapons may have additional effects like armor-piercing or increased critical hit chance against flammable targets. Characters can use fire weapons to target vulnerable areas for increased damage or to create environmental hazards that can hinder or damage opponents.
Cryo / Cold Damage
This damage type focuses on freezing and chilling targets, causing immediate pain, slowing movement, and potentially causing long-term damage like frostbite or hypothermia. It's particularly effective against creatures vulnerable to cold and can be used to create hazardous environmental conditions. Cold damage can inflict ongoing chilling effects, and critical hits can freeze the target, causing additional damage and hindering actions.
Metaphysical
Cryokinesis: The ability to create and control cold and ice with the mind. This includes conjuring chilling blasts, creating ice barriers, and even manipulating existing ice. Cryokinesis can be used for both offensive and defensive purposes, such as encasing an enemy in ice or creating a slippery surface to hinder movement.
Ice Evocation: Summoning ice elementals or spirits to fight on your behalf. These creatures can unleash powerful freezing attacks, are often resistant or immune to cold damage, and can provide tactical advantages in combat.
Cold Enchantments: Imbuing weapons or objects with ice magic. This can grant them the ability to freeze targets on contact, deal additional cold damage, or even provide protection against cold-based attacks.
Archaic Tech
Alchemical Cold Grenades: Primitive grenades filled with endothermic chemical reactions that release intense cold upon detonation. These grenades can be used to create a localized area of extreme cold, damaging and slowing enemies within the blast radius.
Ice and Snow: In cold environments, naturally occurring ice and snow can be used as improvised weapons, such as throwing snowballs or creating slippery surfaces to hinder movement.
Modern Tech
Cryo-Grenades and Mines: Explosive devices that release a blast of supercooled gas or shrapnel, rapidly freezing targets and causing cold damage. These weapons can be used to disable vehicles, freeze weapons, or incapacitate enemies.
Cryo-Guns: Firearms that fire projectiles filled with cryogenic agents, freezing targets on impact and potentially causing embrittlement, making them more susceptible to shattering.
Cryo-Sprayers: Weapons that project a continuous stream of cryogenic liquid, rapidly cooling and freezing targets in a wide area. These weapons can be used to create frozen barriers or hinder the movement of large groups of enemies.
Advanced Tech
Cryo-Lasers: High-energy laser beams focused to rapidly cool targets, causing both immediate and ongoing cold damage, potentially leading to structural failure in mechanical or biological systems.
Cryo-Blades: Melee weapons with supercooled edges or cryogenic chambers, dealing cold damage on contact and potentially freezing or shattering targets. These weapons can be particularly effective against armored opponents, as the extreme cold can weaken or even shatter metal.
Cryo-Mines: Proximity or remotely activated devices that release a burst of cryogenic energy, flash-freezing targets in a localized area. These mines can be used to create ambushes or control choke points.
Additional Notes: Cold damage can cause ongoing chilling effects, and some weapons may have additional effects like slowing movement or increased critical hit chance against cold-vulnerable targets. Characters can use cold weapons to target vulnerable areas for increased damage or to create environmental hazards that can hinder or damage opponents.
Spectral / Phase Damage
This damage type, also known as incorporeal or ghost damage, bypasses physical armor and directly affects the target's essence or life force. It's particularly effective against incorporeal entities like ghosts, spirits, and phased creatures, but can also harm corporeal beings by disrupting their internal energies or causing psychological distress. Phase damage can ignore a significant portion of a target's Damage Resist (DR), making it a powerful tool against heavily armored or ethereal foes.
Metaphysical
Phasing: The ability to shift between corporeal and incorporeal states, allowing the user to pass through solid objects, avoid physical attacks, and deliver phase damage by attacking the target's incorporeal form.
Ghostly Touch: Attacks that pass through armor and directly affect the target's health or inflict other debilitating effects, such as draining life force, causing fear, or disrupting the target's concentration.
Spirit Weapons: Summoning or creating weapons made of spiritual energy that can bypass armor and deal damage directly to the target's essence. These weapons can take various forms, from spectral blades to ethereal blasts.
Archaic Tech
Blessed Weapons: Weapons imbued with spiritual or divine energy, granting them the ability to harm incorporeal beings or bypass armor to deal phase damage. These weapons may require special rituals or materials to create and maintain.
Ghost-Banishing Artifacts: Items or rituals that create areas where incorporeal beings cannot exist or are weakened. These can be used to protect against phase-based attacks or to drive away ethereal enemies.
Modern Tech
Phase Disruptors: Weapons that emit fields or projectiles that disrupt the phasing ability, forcing incorporeal beings into corporeal form and making them vulnerable to physical attacks. These can be used to neutralize phased enemies or prevent them from using their abilities.
Ghost-Detecting Equipment: Devices that can detect the presence of incorporeal beings, allowing characters to locate and track them. This can be crucial for investigating hauntings, tracking down ethereal enemies, or navigating areas with high spiritual activity.
Advanced Tech
Phase Rifles: Firearms that fire projectiles capable of shifting between corporeal and incorporeal states, bypassing armor and dealing damage directly to the target. These weapons can be highly effective against both corporeal and incorporeal foes.
Phase Blades: Melee weapons with phasing capabilities, allowing them to pass through armor and strike the target's internal organs or vital systems. These weapons can be devastating in close combat, as they can bypass even the toughest armor.
Phase Fields: Devices that generate areas of phasing energy, disrupting the phasing ability of enemies or allowing the user to pass through solid objects. These can be used to create tactical advantages in combat or to bypass obstacles.
Additional Notes: Phase damage can cause a variety of effects depending on the source and the target, including fear, pain, disorientation, and even death. Some weapons may have additional effects, such as draining life force, disrupting magical abilities, or banishing spirits. Characters can use phase weapons to target vulnerable enemies or to bypass defenses that would otherwise be impenetrable.
Sonic / Sound Damage
This damage type focuses on utilizing sound waves and vibrations to harm targets. It can cause a range of effects, from mild disorientation and discomfort to intense pain, internal injuries, and even disintegration of matter. Sonic damage is particularly effective against creatures with sensitive hearing or delicate structures. It can also be used to disrupt machinery or communication.
Metaphysical
Sonokinesis: The ability to create and control sound waves with the mind. This includes generating sonic blasts, manipulating sound for subtle effects like disorientation or communication, and even creating complex sonic constructs.
Sound Evocation: Summoning creatures with sonic powers or creating constructs made of pure sound energy. These entities can unleash devastating sound attacks, are often resistant or immune to sonic damage, and can provide tactical advantages in combat.
Sonic Enchantments: Imbuing weapons or objects with sound magic. This can grant them the ability to emit sonic vibrations, deal additional sonic damage, or even create sonic barriers for defense.
Archaic Tech
War Horns and Drums: Primitive instruments used to create loud, disorienting noises that can demoralize enemies, disrupt their coordination, or even cause minor physical discomfort.
Whistling Projectiles: Simple projectiles designed to produce a loud, piercing whistle upon launch or impact, causing distraction, disorientation, and potentially minor pain.
Modern Tech
Sonic Grenades and Mines: Explosive devices that release a powerful burst of sound energy, causing disorientation, pain, internal injuries, and potentially rupturing eardrums or causing concussive effects.
Sonic Cannons and Blasters: Weapons that emit focused beams or pulses of sonic energy, capable of stunning, incapacitating, or even killing targets by causing severe internal trauma or disrupting vital bodily functions.
Sonic Emitters and Disruptors: Devices that generate continuous or intermittent sound waves, disrupting communication, causing disorientation, interfering with electronic systems, or even inducing nausea and vomiting.
Advanced Tech
Sonic Lasers and Masers: High-energy sonic weapons capable of cutting through materials, disrupting molecular bonds, or causing targeted internal damage with extreme precision.
Sonic Shields and Barriers: Defensive technologies that use sound waves to deflect or absorb incoming projectiles or energy attacks, protecting the user from harm.
Sonic Cloaking and Stealth Devices: Advanced systems that use sound manipulation to mask a character's presence or create auditory illusions, making them difficult to detect or track by both technological and biological means.
Additional Notes: Sonic damage can cause a variety of effects depending on the intensity and frequency of the sound waves, and the target's vulnerabilities. Some weapons may have additional effects, such as causing deafness, disorientation, or even psychological trauma. Characters can use sonic weapons to target vulnerable enemies, disrupt communication, or create area-denial effects that can hinder or damage opponents.
Voltic / Electrical Damage
This damage type focuses on delivering electrical shocks and arcs to targets, causing immediate pain, disrupting nervous systems, and potentially overloading or damaging electronic systems. It's particularly effective against creatures with conductive tissues or those reliant on technology. Electrical damage can inflict ongoing stun or paralysis effects, and critical hits can overload circuits or cause system-wide failures in technological targets.
Metaphysical
Electrokinesis: The ability to create and control electricity with the mind. This includes generating electrical arcs, manipulating existing electrical currents, and even storing electrical energy within one's body. Electrokinesis can be used for both offensive and utility purposes, such as disabling electronic locks or powering devices.
Electricity Evocation: Summoning creatures with electrical powers or creating constructs made of pure electrical energy. These entities can unleash devastating electrical attacks, are often resistant or immune to electrical damage, and can provide tactical advantages in combat.
Electrical Enchantments: Imbuing weapons or objects with electrical magic. This can grant them the ability to shock targets on contact, deal additional electrical damage, or even provide a measure of protection against electrical attacks.
Archaic Tech
Leyden Jars: Primitive capacitors capable of storing static electricity, which can be discharged to deliver a non-lethal shock. These were among the earliest devices used to harness electrical energy for practical purposes.
Modern Tech
Stun Guns and Tasers: Weapons that deliver a high-voltage, low-amperage electrical shock, temporarily incapacitating targets by disrupting their nervous systems. Law enforcement and security personnel commonly use these.
Electrical Projectiles: Ammunition for firearms can be designed to deliver an electrical charge upon impact, stunning or disrupting the target's nervous system. This can be especially effective against cybernetically enhanced opponents or those wearing powered armor.
Electrical Traps and Mines: Devices that deliver an electrical shock when triggered, often used to guard areas or deter intruders. These can range from simple pressure plates to more complex systems that detect movement or other stimuli.
Advanced Tech
Railguns: Weapons that use electromagnetic forces to launch projectiles at incredible speeds, dealing massive kinetic damage and potentially delivering an electrical charge upon impact. These weapons are known for their long range and armor-piercing capabilities.
Electrical Cannons and Blasters: Weapons that project powerful beams or arcs of electricity, capable of stunning, incapacitating, or even killing targets by overloading their nervous systems or causing internal burns.
Electrical Fields and Barriers: Defensive technologies that use electrical energy to create protective fields, deflecting or absorbing incoming projectiles or energy attacks. These can be used to shield individuals, vehicles, or even entire structures.
EMP Devices: Devices that emit a powerful electromagnetic pulse, disabling electronic systems in a wide area. These can be used to neutralize enemy technology, disrupt communications, or create chaos on the battlefield.
Additional Notes: Electrical damage can cause ongoing stun or paralysis effects, and some weapons may have additional effects like armor-piercing or increased critical hit chance against technological targets. Characters can use electrical weapons to target vulnerable areas for increased damage or to disable opponents without killing them.
Corrosive / Disintegration Damage
This damage type focuses on breaking down and dissolving the target's physical structure, causing immediate pain and potentially long-term debilitation. It's highly effective against most materials, including armor, flesh, and even some energy shields. Corrosive damage often ignores a portion or all of the target's Damage Resist (DR), making it particularly deadly. It can inflict ongoing damage, and critical hits may cause severe structural damage or even complete disintegration.
Metaphysical
Acid Manipulation: The ability to create and control acid with the mind. This includes generating acid splashes, shaping acid into various forms, and even directing its flow. Acid manipulation can be used for both offensive and utility purposes, such as dissolving locks or creating a barrier of acid.
Acid Evocation: Summoning creatures with corrosive powers or creating constructs made of acid. These entities can unleash devastating corrosive attacks, are often resistant or immune to acid damage, and can provide tactical advantages in combat.
Corrosive Enchantments: Imbuing weapons or objects with acid magic. This can grant them the ability to melt through targets on contact, deal additional corrosive damage, or even provide a limited form of protection against acid-based attacks.
Archaic Tech
Alchemical Acids: Primitive concoctions of strong acids or bases, thrown as splash weapons or applied to weapons for a corrosive effect. These acids are often unstable and dangerous to handle, but can be effective at damaging armor and causing painful burns.
Natural Acids: Utilizing naturally occurring corrosive substances, such as acidic plant extracts or animal venoms, for offensive purposes. While less potent than alchemical acids, natural acids can still be effective at causing damage and pain.
Modern Tech
Acid Grenades and Bombs: Explosive devices that release a spray of highly corrosive acid upon detonation, melting through armor and causing severe damage to organic tissue. These weapons can be used to clear obstacles, disable vehicles, or inflict widespread damage on groups of enemies.
Acid Guns and Launchers: Weapons that fire projectiles filled with corrosive agents, delivering acid damage upon impact and potentially causing ongoing corrosion. These weapons can be used to target specific areas or weak points in armor, causing structural damage and weakening the target's defenses.
Acid Sprayers and Projectors: Devices that project a continuous stream of corrosive liquid, rapidly melting through targets in a wide area. These weapons can be used to create hazardous zones, disable large groups of enemies, or even dissolve structures and fortifications.
Advanced Tech
Molecular Acid Weapons: Advanced weapons that utilize highly reactive acids capable of breaking down matter at the molecular level, bypassing armor and causing catastrophic damage. These weapons can disintegrate targets almost instantly, leaving little to no trace behind.
Corrosive Energy Weapons: Energy weapons that emit beams or pulses of corrosive energy, melting through targets and causing damage over time. These weapons can be used to target specific areas or components, causing structural damage and weakening the target's defenses.
Nanite-Based Corrosive Weapons: Weapons that deploy swarms of microscopic nanites programmed to consume and dissolve target materials, bypassing conventional defenses. These weapons can be particularly insidious, as the nanites can infiltrate even the smallest cracks and crevices, causing widespread damage from within.
Additional Notes: Corrosive damage can cause ongoing damage, and some weapons may have additional effects like armor-piercing or increased critical hit chance against vulnerable materials. Characters can use corrosive weapons to target specific areas or components for increased damage or to disable opponents by destroying their equipment or weapons.
Ra-D / Radiation Damage
This damage type focuses on the harmful effects of ionizing radiation on living organisms and technology. It causes immediate damage to cellular structures and can lead to long-term health consequences like radiation sickness, genetic mutations, and increased risk of cancer. Radiation damage is particularly effective against unshielded targets and can also disrupt or damage electronic systems.
Metaphysical
Radiokinesis: The ability to mentally generate, control, or manipulate radiation. This includes sensing radioactive emissions, projecting harmful rays, and inducing radiation sickness in others. Advanced users might even be able to manipulate the half-life of radioactive materials or transmute elements.
Radiation Evocation: Summoning entities composed of or empowered by radiation. These beings can emit radioactive auras, project energy beams, and may possess resistance or immunity to radiation damage. They can be used for offensive, defensive, or utility purposes, such as scouting areas with high radiation levels.
Radiation Enchantments: Imbuing items with radiation-based effects. This could involve enhancing a weapon's damage with radiation, creating protective barriers against radioactive environments, or even granting the ability to see or sense radiation.
Archaic Tech (Limited due to the nature of radiation)
Radioactive Materials: Utilizing naturally occurring radioactive substances, like pitchblende or radium, in crude weapons or traps. These would be highly dangerous to handle and have limited tactical applications due to their unpredictable nature and the risk of self-harm.
Modern Tech
Radiological Weapons: Devices designed to disperse radioactive materials over a wide area, causing long-term contamination and radiation sickness. These weapons are often considered unethical due to their indiscriminate nature and lasting environmental impact.
Radiation Guns: Firearms that emit focused beams of radiation, causing immediate damage and potential long-term health effects. These weapons can be used to target specific areas or individuals, but their use often carries significant ethical concerns.
Radiation Grenades: Explosive devices that release a burst of radiation upon detonation, affecting targets within the blast radius. These grenades can be used to create temporary hazardous zones or to weaken enemies over time.
Advanced Tech
Neutron Weapons: High-energy particle weapons that emit neutron radiation, capable of penetrating armor and causing severe damage to living tissue while leaving structures relatively intact. These weapons are often considered controversial due to their potential for causing widespread casualties and long-term environmental contamination.
Gamma-Ray Weapons: Devices that emit focused beams of gamma radiation, causing cellular damage, genetic mutations, and potentially even death. These weapons are incredibly powerful but also highly dangerous, requiring sophisticated shielding and safety measures.
Radiation Emitters: Devices that generate a continuous or pulsed field of radiation, creating hazardous zones or debilitating enemies over time. These emitters can be used to control areas, deter intruders, or weaken enemies before engaging in direct combat.
Additional Notes: Radiation damage can cause both immediate and long-term effects, and some weapons may have additional effects like armor-piercing or increased critical hit chance against unshielded targets. Characters can use radiation weapons to target vulnerable enemies, create hazardous environments, or even induce mutations in living organisms for experimental or nefarious purposes. However, the use of radiation weapons often carries significant ethical and environmental concerns, and their deployment may have far-reaching consequences for both the user and the world around them.
Force Pulse / Disruption Damage
This damage type focuses on disrupting the fundamental forces that hold matter together, causing targets to weaken, destabilize, or even disintegrate. It is highly effective against a wide variety of targets, including living beings, structures, and energy fields. Force disruption damage often bypasses conventional armor and can inflict ongoing effects, such as weakening structural integrity or causing malfunctions in technological systems. Critical hits can cause catastrophic failures, causing targets to collapse, shatter, or explode.
Metaphysical
Disruption Field: The ability to create a field of energy that disrupts the molecular bonds of matter, causing it to weaken or even disintegrate. This can be used to damage enemies, disable devices, or create openings in walls or barriers.
Force Manipulation: The ability to manipulate fundamental forces like gravity, magnetism, or inertia. This can be used to pull enemies towards you, repel attacks, or create localized gravitational anomalies.
Disruptive Enchantments: Imbuing weapons or objects with disruptive energy, causing them to deal damage that bypasses armor and weakens the target's structural integrity. This can make targets more susceptible to subsequent attacks or cause them to fail under stress.
Archaic Tech (Limited due to the nature of force manipulation)
Crude Disruption Devices: Experimental devices that utilize unstable energy sources to create localized disruption effects. These would be highly unpredictable and dangerous to handle, with potential side effects like radiation or uncontrolled energy release.
Modern Tech
Disruptor Pistols and Rifles: Firearms that fire bolts of disruptive energy, bypassing armor and weakening the target's molecular bonds. These weapons can cause targets to become brittle, increasing their vulnerability to physical attacks, or even cause them to disintegrate if their structural integrity is compromised.
Disruption Grenades and Mines: Explosive devices that release a burst of disruptive energy, affecting targets within the blast radius and potentially disabling electronic devices or weakening structures. These weapons can be used to create breaches in walls, disable vehicles, or disrupt enemy formations.
Disruption Fields: Devices that generate a localized field of disruptive energy, weakening or disintegrating matter within its area of effect. These fields can be used to create barriers, disable traps, or even tear apart enemy fortifications.
Advanced Tech
Disruptor Cannons and Beam Weapons: Powerful weapons that emit focused beams or pulses of disruptive energy, capable of disintegrating targets or causing widespread structural damage. These weapons can be mounted on vehicles or starships, providing devastating firepower against enemy forces or installations.
Disruptor Shields and Barriers: Defensive technologies that use disruptive energy to create protective fields, weakening or disintegrating incoming projectiles or energy attacks. These shields can be used to protect individuals, vehicles, or even entire areas from harm.
Molecular Disruptors: Advanced weapons that target the molecular bonds of specific materials, causing them to weaken or disintegrate without affecting surrounding matter. These weapons can be used to selectively disable enemy weapons, sabotage critical systems, or even cause targeted structural failures in buildings or vehicles.
Additional Notes: Force disruption damage can cause a variety of effects depending on the intensity and focus of the attack, as well as the target's composition and vulnerabilities. Some weapons may have additional effects, such as causing radiation, weakening energy fields, or disrupting technological systems. Characters can use force disruption weapons to target heavily armored opponents, disable enemy equipment, or even create breaches in otherwise impenetrable barriers.
Kinetic
Blunt Damage
This damage type focuses on crushing and bruising targets, often causing widespread trauma, broken bones, and internal injuries. It is particularly effective against unarmored or lightly armored opponents, and can also be used to damage structures or disable machinery.
Archaic Tech
Clubs and Staves: Simple, yet effective weapons made from wood, bone, or stone. Clubs offer raw power and can be wielded with one or two hands, while staves provide greater reach and versatility.
Maces and Flails: Metal-headed weapons designed to crush armor and bone. Maces typically have a solid head, while flails feature a hinged head for increased striking power.
Hammers and War Picks: Tools adapted for combat, hammers offer blunt force trauma, while war picks feature a pointed end for piercing armor or hooking opponents.
Modern Tech
Shock Batons and Truncheons: Law enforcement tools that deliver non-lethal electrical shocks, often used for crowd control or subduing individuals.
Telescopic Batons: Collapsible batons that extend to provide greater reach and striking power. Law enforcement and security personnel often use these.
Impact Weapons: Blunt weapons designed to deliver kinetic energy, such as batons with weighted ends or spring-loaded impact devices.
Advanced Tech
Power Fists and Gauntlets: Mechanically augmented gloves or gauntlets that increase punching power and can be equipped with additional features, such as built-in stunners or energy projectors.
Force Hammers and Mallets: Weapons that utilize force fields or other advanced technologies to amplify their striking power, capable of crushing armor and causing internal damage.
Gravity Weapons: Devices that manipulate gravitational fields to pull, push, or crush targets. These can range from handheld devices to large-scale weapons systems.
Additional Notes: Blunt damage can cause stunning or knockdown effects, and some weapons may have additional effects like armor-piercing or electrical shock. Characters can use blunt weapons to target vulnerable areas for increased damage or to disable opponents without killing them.
Slashing Damage
This damage type focuses on cutting and tearing targets, often causing wide, jagged wounds and potentially severing limbs or causing significant bleeding. It is particularly effective against unarmored or lightly armored opponents, and can also be used to target vulnerable areas or exploit gaps in heavier armor.
Archaic Tech
Axes and Hatchets: Versatile tools adapted for combat, axes offer powerful chopping attacks, while hatchets are smaller and more agile. Both can be used for slashing or hacking attacks, cleaving through flesh and bone.
Swords: A classic weapon with various forms, swords excel at slashing and thrusting attacks. Different blade lengths and designs offer advantages in reach, speed, and cutting power. Curved swords like scimitars and katanas excel at slicing through targets, while straight swords like longswords and rapiers can deliver precise thrusts as well as cuts.
Sickles and Scythes: Agricultural tools repurposed for warfare, sickles are curved blades ideal for hooking and slashing, while scythes feature long handles and large blades for sweeping attacks that can cut down multiple opponents at once.
Modern Tech
Machetes and Kukris: Large, heavy knives designed for hacking and slashing. Machetes are versatile tools with long blades, capable of delivering powerful cuts, while kukris have curved blades that excel at chopping and slashing attacks.
Chain Weapons: Weapons with segmented blades linked by chains, offering a combination of reach and flexibility. Examples include chain whips, which can be used to disarm or trip opponents, and kusarigama, which combines a sickle with a weighted chain for both slashing and blunt force attacks.
Vibroblades: Swords or knives with vibrating blades, increasing their cutting power and allowing them to slice through materials more easily. These weapons can be particularly effective against armored opponents, as the vibrations can help to bypass or weaken armor.
Advanced Tech
Monomolecular Blades: Swords or knives with incredibly sharp, single-atom-thick edges, capable of slicing through most materials with ease. These weapons can cut through even the toughest armor, and their wounds are often difficult to heal due to the precision of the cut.
Energy Swords: Weapons that generate a blade of pure energy, often with adjustable length and intensity. These can cut through armor and flesh with devastating efficiency, cauterizing wounds as they cut to prevent bleeding.
Plasma Swords: Similar to energy swords, but utilizing superheated plasma instead of pure energy. These can cauterize wounds, prevent bleeding, and deal additional heat damage to targets. Plasma swords can also melt through armor, making them highly effective against heavily armored opponents.
Additional Notes: Slashing damage can cause bleeding effects, and some weapons may have additional effects like armor-piercing or increased critical hit chance. Characters can use slashing weapons to target vulnerable areas for increased damage or to sever limbs, potentially disabling or incapacitating their opponents.
Piercing Damage
This damage type focuses on puncturing and penetrating targets, often causing deep, narrow wounds. It is particularly effective against unarmored or lightly armored opponents, but can also be used to exploit weak points in heavier armor.
Archaic Tech
Arrows and Bolts: Projectiles for bows and crossbows, designed to penetrate flesh and light armor. Different arrowheads can be used to inflict various effects, such as bleeding or poison.
Spears and Lances: Polearms with sharp points, ideal for thrusting attacks. Spears offer versatility in melee and thrown combat, while lances are primarily used by mounted combatants for greater impact.
Daggers and Stilettos: Small, concealable blades designed for stabbing attacks. Daggers offer quick, close-quarters combat options, while stilettos are specialized for deep, precise thrusts.
Modern Tech
Bayonets: Blades attached to firearms, providing a melee option when ammunition is depleted or close combat is necessary.
Flechettes: Small, fin-stabilized darts fired from shotguns or specialized launchers. Flechettes are aerodynamic and can penetrate light armor with ease.
Armor-Piercing Ammunition: Specialized bullets or projectiles designed to penetrate heavier armor, often featuring hardened cores or special materials.
Advanced Tech
Gauss Rifles and Coilguns: Weapons that use electromagnetic fields to accelerate projectiles to incredible speeds, delivering devastating kinetic energy and deep penetration.
Needle Guns: Firearms that fire tiny, high-velocity needles, capable of bypassing armor and delivering toxins or other payloads with precision.
Railguns: Similar to Gauss Rifles, but utilizing a sliding conductive armature instead of coils. Railguns can achieve even higher projectile velocities and penetration, making them effective against even the toughest armor.
Additional Notes: Piercing damage can cause bleeding effects, and some weapons may have additional effects like armor-piercing or toxin delivery. Characters can use piercing weapons to target vital areas for increased damage or debilitating effects.
Concussive / Impact Damage
This damage type primarily focuses on kinetic energy and physical impact from something generally larger than the target’s main body. It represents attacks that deliver an immense amount of kinetic energy (smashing, crashing, crushing, etc), often ignoring a portion, if not all, of the target's Damage Resist (DR).
Concussive Damage is unique in that it is Heavily Traumatic but dispersed over the entire body. This damage can be divided equally between Vitality and Health if the character attempts to reduce the damage, regardless of whether the attempt is successful. This reflects the potential for both non-lethal and lethal injuries from falls, explosions, crashes, etc.
Archaic Tech
Crashing: High-impact collisions with a large object or vehicle.
Half DR if Hard Armor (without Crash Suit option), Force Field DR is half effective.
Falling Damage: The most basic form of impact damage, inflicted when a character falls from more than their own height. The damage increases with the distance fallen.
Ignore DR of physical protection and force fields.
Siege Weapons: Large, heavy weapons designed to break down fortifications or cause widespread damage. Examples include catapults, trebuchets, and battering rams.
Half DR if Hard Armor, Force Field DR is half effective.
Modern Tech
Explosives: Devices that release a sudden burst of energy, creating a shockwave and causing force damage in an area. Examples include grenades, bombs, and mines.
Half DR of Hard Armor, without Blast Suit Option, Force Field DR is half effective.
Advanced Tech
Gravity Weapons: Devices that manipulate gravitational fields to pull, push, or crush targets. These can range from handheld devices to large-scale weapons systems.
Ignore DR, Force Field DR is half effective.
Weaponized Force Fields: Weapons that generate localized force fields, capable of repelling or crushing, causing target-wide damage.
Ignore DR of solid protection, Force Field DR is fully effective.
Note: Concussive Damage in Tangent typically ignores half or more of the target's armor DR, making it effective against heavily armored opponents. However, some creatures or materials may have specific resistances or immunities to concussive damage.
Bleed Damage
ARMOR
Armor in Tangent is a crucial aspect of character defense. It provides Damage Resist (DR), which directly reduces damage from successful attacks. DR varies based on armor type and the specific damage type inflicted. Armor only protects specific body locations, and layering armors will increase DR. Some weapons possess penetration effects, allowing them to bypass a portion of the target's DR. Environmental conditions and special abilities can also affect armor effectiveness.
Damage Resist (DR)
DR is a defensive attribute that reduces the damage received from a successful attack that is not evaded. This means that even if an attack hits its target, the DR will lessen the amount of damage that is actually inflicted. DR is an important consideration in combat, as it can significantly reduce the impact of enemy attacks.
Penetration
Some weapons, such as those that utilize high-energy discharges or special ammunition, possess a Penetration effect that bypasses a certain amount of DR. This means that these weapons are more effective at damaging opponents with high DR. Penetration can be a valuable asset in combat, as it allows characters to bypass enemy defenses and deal more damage.
Location-Specific Armor Protection
Armor protection is location-specific, meaning that armor in one area of the body does not protect other areas. This means that it is possible for an attack to bypass armor and hit an unprotected area, thereby dealing full damage. It is important to consider the location of an attack when choosing what armor to wear.
DR and CON Modifiers
DR reduces the attack's damage before applying any CON modifiers. This means that DR is more effective at reducing damage than CON modifiers. This is because CON modifiers are applied after DR has already reduced the damage.
Special Effects and DR
If the armor's DR absorbs all remaining damage, the defender will not suffer any special effects from the attack, such as sneak attacks (unless considered a Touch Attack for non-damage effects). DR can effectively negate the damage from the attack, and special effects are only applied if the attack deals at least 1 point damage.
Damage Resistances (DR)
Atmospherics
Medium change, thick atmosphere, heavy dust, aerosols, strong current (Energy Weapons especially)
Fields
Screens and force fields - may or may not be visible to the naked eye
Outer Armor
Heavier weave, shell or hard plates - obvious armor
Inner Armor
Light layer of attire - general clothing
Augmentations
Artificial addition - Dermal Weave, Prosthetic Casings, etc
Racial
Natural Exoskeletons (or other tough hide)
FORCE FIELDS
Force fields are a form of advanced technology that creates a barrier of energy to protect against attacks. They function by utilizing a power source to generate a Damage Reduction (DR) effect, reducing the damage inflicted by each attack. However, force fields also have a limited number of Ablative Points (AP) that represent the field's ability to withstand sustained assault.
Power Source
The power source for a force field can vary depending on its technology level. The active matrix of a forcefield requires it to recalibrate and refresh after being disrupted through damage, with AP being restored as long as power is available - generally a number of AP are replenished equal to the DR of the field per round.
Tech 3 Repulsion Field Emitters typically rely on a dedicated power source, notably a starship's power plant. These are not solid projections but repulsion waves which still reduce damage in similar mechanics but with a different effect.
Tech 4 Force Field Projectors can be powered by smaller, more portable sources, such as personal power cells or integrated energy systems in armor, vehicles or installations.
Tech 5 Energy Constructs Modules (the framework for portable holophotonic technology) utilize even more advanced and compact power sources, such as miniature reactors or zero-point energy modules.
Meta Barriers (Mystical, Magic, Psionic, etc) devices are empowered by a Meta power source or they are created by the user with Energy Discipline (Force Skill for a barrier which will resist kinetic energy attacks and the Elemental Skill to create barriers to resist various energy types).
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Damage Reduction (DR)
The DR value of a force field depends on its technology level and the specific device generating it.
Medium sized personal fields base scores -
Tech 4 - DR 10 with 50 AP.
Tech 5 - DR 20 with 100 AP.
The DR reduces the damage of each attack that hits the force field.
Ablative Points (AP)
AP represents the force field's ability to withstand multiple attacks or sustained damage.
The number of AP a force field has depends on its technology level and the specific device generating it.
Each attack that hits the forcefield with damage exceeding the DR will reduce the AP by the amount absorbed. Attacks that do not overcome the fields DR will not reduce the AP.
Once the AP reaches zero, the force field collapses and no longer provides DR.
If an attack's damage exceeds the DR, the remaining damage is applied to the protected target’s next layer of defense, and the force field's AP is reduced by the amount of damage absorbed.
Disruption Weaponry and similar attacks have special penetration value against fields and even if the attack doesn’t penetrate the field the AP will be reduced by this value by disrupting the field’s matrix.
Special
Immunity to Reactive Damage: Force fields would be inherently immune to damage types that rely on biological or chemical reactions, such as poisons, diseases, acids and bases, including disintegration weaponry (which breaks down molecular bonds).
These damage types simply can't interact with the force field's energy matrix, while still effectively solid the field blocks the attack appropriately. An attack with a special effect is reduced as typical, the special effect is triggered only when damage is taken by the target - regardless of how many layers of defense.
Precision damage from a skill rank is counted toward damaging a field but a sneak attack’s extra damage is only added if the target takes any damage from the base attack.
Example
A character is protected by a Tech 4 personal force field (with a DR of 10 and 50 AP). They are attacked by an enemy who hits them with a laser blast that deals 12 damage.
The force field's DR of 10 reduces the damage to 2.
The remaining 2 damage strikes the character.
The force field's AP is reduced by 10 (the amount absorbed), leaving it with 40 AP. Field will take 4 more shots of that and it stings.
Alternatively another character in their Tech 5 Field (with their DR 20 and 100 AP) are attacked by the same enemy with a laser blast doing 12 damage.
The force field’s DR absorbs all the damage.
Character is unharmed.
AP is not reduced. The attacker will run out of ammo or annoy the character into action.
Additional Notes
Characters with the appropriate skill, such as Technology Knowledge or Artificer Vocation can attempt to repair or reinforce a force field, restoring its AP or possibly upgrading it.
Force fields can interact with other technological or metaphysical elements in the game, creating unique challenges and opportunities for creative problem-solving.