physical
Athletics (Body)
The Athletics Skill reflects the training and honing of the body necessary to perform extreme physical activities. May be used to increase running distance (see p. 108).
Default: Body Attribute
Specializations: Running, Climbing, Lifting, Jumping, Escape Artist, Swimming or by specific sport
The Athletics Skill reflects the training and honing of the body necessary to perform extreme physical activities. May be used to increase running distance (see p. 108).
Default: Body Attribute
Specializations: Running, Climbing, Lifting, Jumping, Escape Artist, Swimming or by specific sport
Diving (Body)
This skill covers all forms of underwater diving, including underwater swimming techniques and the use of scuba and other underwater gear. (B/R)
Default: Body Attribute
Specializations: Deep-water Diving, Mixed-gas Diving
UNDERWATER ACTIVITY
The overwhelming majority of metahumanity breathes air and must rely on gaseous oxygen to survive. There are exceptions— the merrow being one—but they are few and far between. The fluid properties of water differ substantially from the properties of air, which means that any would-be diver must adapt to a wholly different environment and set of circumstances.
Over the past sixty years, magic and technology have allowed humans and metahumans to explore deeper into the underwater world for longer amounts of time. Of the two, though magic has had some beneficial effect, technological advancements primarily allow air-breathers to survive and even prosper underwater.
Because of the wide array of technology available, underwater diving falls into one of three categories, based primarily on depth: shallow-water diving, scuba diving and deepwater diving.
SAFE DIVING TIME TABLE
depth in meters TG Safe Diving Time Maximum Safe Diving Time
0-10 3 240 minutes + 40 minutes per success 480 minutes
11 - 30 5 20 minutes + 20 minutes per success 150 minutes
31 - 50 6 5 minutes + 15 minutes per success 90 minutes
51 - 150 8 10 minutes per success 60 minutes
151 -300 10 5 minutes per success 30 minutes
Shallow Water Diving
Shallow water diving covers all dives descending no farther than 10 meters (30 feet). Most recreational and sport diving
falls into this category, because most of the undersea life attracting sport divers resides above this depth. The standard system for shallow water dives is the oxygen extraction system (OXSYS), a lightweight artificial gill that extracts oxygen dissolved in the water (see p. 57). Fitting over the mouth, the OXSYS system allows the user to spend an indefinite amount of time in the water without the risk of decompression sickness and does not require specialized training.
Scuba Diving
Despite numerous technological advancements, the self contained underwater breathing apparatus (aka scuba gear) remains the predominant underwater system for some sport and most commercial divers. Requiring some specialized training, the scuba system is the standard for dives up to 300 meters (984 feet), though safety precautions limit recreational diving to 33 meters (100 feet). For purposes of Shadowrun diving rules, dives deeper than 80 meters are considered deep water dives, regardless of the system used when making them (see Deep Water Diving).
The overall mechanics of scuba systems have remained unchanged for the past century. Scuba compresses air at high pressures (typically up to 4,000 psi) in a metal tank and slowly dispenses it at a reduced pressure (approximately 15 psi at
sea level) to a diver on demand (in other words, whenever the diver breathes in normally).
Deep Water Diving
Deep-water diving (below 80 meters) is a high-risk activity requiring extensive training in specialized systems. Due to the amount of training necessary (which is relatively expensive), primarily commercial divers practice deep-water diving techniques. To cope with the high ambient pressure of the surrounding environment, deep-water divers use one of two systems: JIM suits or LBA (Liquid Breathing Apparatus) systems. JIM suits (p. 57) consist of hardened, self-contained exoskeletons that maintain air at reduced pressure (one or two times normal atmospheric pressure). With the advent of ASIST technology in the 2020s, most JIM suits are wired for rigger operation.
The LBA system (p. 57) uses apparatus similar to scuba gear, except the tank contains a “light” super-oxygenated liquid. The liquid floods the user’s lungs, and the high concentration of dissolved, oxygenated gas makes it easy for the alveoli to draw it out of suspension. The system protects against the extreme pressure of the outside environment by compensating for its effect on the air cavities inside the body (the root cause of most diving hazards). The user needs an acclimation period prior to each dive to overcome the gag reflex and adapt to the liquid medium
.
Diving Time
The most critical aspect of underwater diving is the amount of time spent underwater. Not only are lungs incapable of extracting dissolved oxygen from water, but water creates a high-pressure environment that has adverse effects on the metahuman body. Both factors limit the amount of time characters can safely spend underwater.
Underwater divers breathe gaseous air with varying mixtures of oxygen, nitrogen, helium and other gases. Because of the near-infinite number of possible mixtures a diver can breathe, it is pointless for a gamemaster to track accurately how much time each mixture would allow a character to spend underwater and how deep it would allow him to dive. Rather than refer to several pages of diving tables applicable to different gas mixtures, the gamemaster may find it easier to use the system below to determine safe diving times.
Prior to making an underwater dive, characters will declare how long they intend to dive and the deepest depth (below sea level) they intend to reach. This declaration is not optional. Calculating diving time is preparation every professional diver (which players are supposed to be roleplaying) makes before entering the water. The only time characters should calculate diving time after entering the water is in an emergency, for example, when abandoning a scuttled submarine or a breached underwater habitat.
The Safe Diving Time Table (p. 109) lists a general range of safe diving times for a given span of depths. After declaring an intended depth and time, the player makes a test using an appropriate Knowledge skill (such as Diving Background or Underwater Operations) against the appropriate target number. The player then counts the number of successes and uses that number to determine the safe diving time.
Diving Movement
Characters attempting to swim underwater unaided (without fins) “walk” at a rate of 1 meter per Combat Turn and “run” at a pace equal to one-fifth their normal Running speed. Characters who swim with the aid of fins swim at half their normal walking or running rate. The Athletics skill may be used to increase this movement speed.
Ascent, Descent And Buoyancy
When diving underwater, the goal is neutral buoyancy (neither floating nor sinking). Achieving this state can be difficult, not only because of racial limitations and various augmentations, but also because the overall buoyancy of a diver, including equipment, tends to change with depth. To overcome the buoyancy problem, divers use a buoyancy compensator, an inflatable vest connected to the scuba tank. Combined with a weight belt, a buoyancy compensator allows the wearer to fine-tune his overall buoyancy until neutral buoyancy is achieved.
Without a buoyancy compensator, characters must spend extra effort to ascend, descend or maintain a constant depth. Reduce the character’s Running multiplier by 0.5 to reflect the effort wasted compensating for the effects of buoyancy. In addition, subtract 2 dice from the character’s available Combat Pool to reflect strength spent fighting buoyancy.
Hazards of Ascent and Descent
The deeper a character dives, the greater the ambient pressure. As long as a character ascends or descends no faster
than 1 meter per Combat Turn, pressure differences pose no threat. Normally, the body’s air cavities are flexible enough to accommodate significant pressure changes. However, if a character ascends or descends too rapidly, the body cannot adapt quickly enough, and damage occurs. The primary hazards of pressure imbalance are ear squeeze and air embolism.
Ear Squeeze: Ear squeeze occurs whenever the character descends or ascends too quickly. In this case, the imbalance between the outside water pressure and the inside air pressure creates an uncomfortable swelling of the eardrum. If the swelling is great enough, the eardrum ruptures and cold water rushes against the middle ear. This afflicts the character with feelings of vertigo. In game terms, if a character ascends or descends faster than 1 meter per Combat Turn, the player makes a Body (4) Test. Failure indicates that the character’s eardrum has ruptured and vertigo has set in. The character becomes disoriented and suffers a +4 modifier to all target numbers for the next minute (20 turns). After a minute, the character recovers. However, he will suffer a +4 modifier to all hearing-related Perception Tests for 24 hours.
Air Embolism: Air embolism occurs more rarely but is far more dangerous. If a character ascends too quickly, the lungs expand too fast and a tear occurs in the chest cavity. An air bubble escapes into the blood stream and rises upward through the carotid artery into the brain, where it becomes trapped in one of the capillaries and blocks the flow of blood to portions of the brain. The blockage causes an embolism. In game terms, an air embolism occurs only if the character rolls all 1 s when making a Body Test for ascending too quickly (see Ear Squeeze). Should this occur, the character must immediately resist 8D Physical damage every hour upon surfacing until placed inside a decompression chamber. If at anytime the character takes Deadly Physical damage and survives, make a Body (6) Test. Failure to achieve at least 1 success permanently costs the character 1 point of Intelligence from oxygen starvation.
Diving Hazards
Even in the Sixth World, the underwater environment is generally dangerous to metahumanity Special protection is required and special precautions must be observed to avoid potentially fatal effects.
If characters violate their safe diving time or go deeper than their planned depth (whether or not they are aware of doing either), they may fall victim to one of five possible diving hazards, shown on the Diving
Hazards Table. The effects of each hazard on the character are described below.
A character should only suffer one possible hazard at any given depth (though different characters in the same situation may suffer from different hazards).
The safe diving time does not apply when a character is using LBA, wearing a JIM suit, riding in a submarine or is inside an underwater facility. In the latter three cases, the outer hull resists the water pressure and surrounds the character with atmospheric pressure similar to the surface.
DIVING HAZARDS TABLE
Dept in meters Possible Hazards
0 - 10 Oxygen toxicity,
11 - 50 Oxygen toxicity; decompression sickness, nitrogen narcosis
51 - 150 Oxygen toxicity, nitrogen narcosis, decompression sickness, helium chills
151 - 300 Oxygen toxicity, nitrogen narcosis, decompression sickness, helium chills, HPNS
Oxygen Toxicity
Though the body needs oxygen in order to function, oxygen in excessively high concentrations or high pressure is toxic. Oxygen toxicity occurs whenever the character breathes pure oxygen at shallow depths or when the character breathes an air mixture too rich in oxygen at excessive depths. Characters breathing pure oxygen cannot dive below 7 meters without risking oxygen toxicity.
If a character suffers from oxygen toxicity, he takes 1 point of Physical damage each minute until he ascends above the safe depth (1D6 + 4 meters). Additionally, he suffers a +4 modifier to all target numbers because of the following additional symptoms: muscle twitching, blurred vision, nausea and breathing difficulties. These symptoms will last until the character is treated for oxygen toxicity.
Decompression Sickness
Decompression sickness (also known as DCS or the bends) occurs whenever the character spends excessive time at extreme depths while breathing compressed air containing nitrogen. In simple terms, the body dissolves some of the nitrogen gas it inhales into a solution within the body. The deeper a character dives, the greater the ambient pressure around him. At greater pressures, the body can dissolve more gas into its mass.
When the diver begins to ascend, pressure decreases and the nitrogen gas dissolved in the body condenses. If the diver ascends too quickly or absorbs too much dissolved gas, the gas is trapped in bubbles in the bloodstream, which has an adverse effect on the character’s central nervous system. The bends can be fatal unless the character is put in a decompression chamber, in which the pressure can be equalized slowly enough for the character to rid himself safely of dissolved nitrogen. The effects of decompression sickness do not set in until the diver has completed his dive and surfaced. Upon surfacing, the character takes 1 box of Physical damage per hour until placed inside a decompression chamber. Characters suffering from the bends are virtually incapacitated from the intense pain. Add a +4 modifier to all of the character’s target numbers (plus modifiers for any wounds the character may have taken). If the character exceeds his or her safe diving time, he or she can avoid DCS by making a decompression stop at 3 meters and waiting there for an amount of time equal to a quarter of the time the character was in the water. To find the decompression time, multiply the total time underwater by .25. For example, if a character was diving for an hour, he would need to wait 15 minutes at approximately 3 meters in order to decompress (60 minutes x .25 = 15 minutes). This allows the body to eliminate excess dissolved nitrogen before making the final ascent.
Nitrogen Narcosis
Nitrogen narcosis, also called “rapture of the deep,” results from breathing compressed nitrogen gas at low depths. In layman’s terms, as the partial air pressure of nitrogen increases, it has an intoxicating effect on the body similar to alcohol. In game terms, if a character suffers from nitrogen narcosis, the player must make a Body (6) Test every minute. If any of these tests fail, the character becomes intoxicated. While intoxicated, the character’s Judgment is impaired, and he or she will behave in a reckless and irrational manner. To reflect this, all target numbers for tests made by the character increase by +2.
Characters can eliminate the effects of narcosis simply by ascending 16 meters or more. Intoxicated characters must make a Willpower (6) Test to do this themselves, taking the +2 modifier into account. Once the character ascends far enough, he will shake off the narcosis in (10 - Body) Combat Turns
.
Helium Chills
Of all the gases involved in diving, helium has the highest thermal conductivity. Consequently, helium inhaled through the lungs absorbs even more body heat than nitrogen and oxygen. The deeper one dives, the more body heat is lost through the respiratory tract, leading to hypothermia over a prolonged dive. The use of helium for deep dives exacerbates this problem. Whenever a diver suffers from helium chills, the player must make a Body (8) Test every minute. Failure indicates the diver is suffering from hypothermia. He takes 1 box of Physical damage and gains an additional +1 modifier to all tests due to the numbing effects of the cold.
High Pressure Nervous Syndrome (HPNS)
High pressure nervous syndrome (HPNS) occurs whenever a diver spends an excessive amount of time at depths greater than 200 meters. Caused by the ambient water pressure around the diver, HPNS induces muscular tremors and shaking in the voluntary muscles. Theoretically, HPNS can lead to convulsions and possibly death, though no diver has remained at such a low depth long enough to find out (those who do usually succumb to other hazards first—drowning, hypothermia or oxygen toxicity).
If a diver succumbs to HPNS, the player must make a Body (8) Test every 5 minutes. Failure indicates the diver has partially succumbed to HPNS. Add a +1 modifier to all subsequent tests made by the character. Modifiers are cumulative and affect all successive tests, including those made for other diving hazards.
UNDERWATER PERCEPTION
One factor adding to the mystique of diving is the radically different environment of the underwater world. Water profoundly alters the properties of light and sound, thereby changing the way a diver sees and hears.
Vision
The refractive properties of water actually improve normal, unaided vision slightly. Objects underwater appear approximately 25 percent larger and 25 percent closer than normal. Water also absorbs light in gradual color stages. Shades of red disappear at 4 meters depth, shades of orange and yellow at 10, and shades of green and blue at 20 meters. The deeper a character dives, the murkier the ambient light becomes and colors drain away to a dull gray. Low-light vision corrects this effect somewhat. Thermographic vision, however, is confounded by it, as well as by the shifting thermal currents in water.
Ultrasound systems are also less efficient in denser and colder water and are less useful at great depths.
The Underwater Vision Modifiers Table lists modifiers for vision-based Perception Tests, based on the depth, type of water and type of vision.
Hearing
Sound travels approximately four times faster underwater than through the air. Though this aids hearing by making sounds seem louder, it also poses problems, because the sound travels too quickly for the brain to discern the time differential between the sound s arrival at the left and right ears.
Consequently, determining the location of a sound source is virtually impossible.
In game terms, characters receive a -1 modifier to Perception Tests for detecting sounds. Locating a sound source by sound alone is impossible without the aid of sonar equipment.
This skill covers all forms of underwater diving, including underwater swimming techniques and the use of scuba and other underwater gear. (B/R)
Default: Body Attribute
Specializations: Deep-water Diving, Mixed-gas Diving
UNDERWATER ACTIVITY
The overwhelming majority of metahumanity breathes air and must rely on gaseous oxygen to survive. There are exceptions— the merrow being one—but they are few and far between. The fluid properties of water differ substantially from the properties of air, which means that any would-be diver must adapt to a wholly different environment and set of circumstances.
Over the past sixty years, magic and technology have allowed humans and metahumans to explore deeper into the underwater world for longer amounts of time. Of the two, though magic has had some beneficial effect, technological advancements primarily allow air-breathers to survive and even prosper underwater.
Because of the wide array of technology available, underwater diving falls into one of three categories, based primarily on depth: shallow-water diving, scuba diving and deepwater diving.
SAFE DIVING TIME TABLE
depth in meters TG Safe Diving Time Maximum Safe Diving Time
0-10 3 240 minutes + 40 minutes per success 480 minutes
11 - 30 5 20 minutes + 20 minutes per success 150 minutes
31 - 50 6 5 minutes + 15 minutes per success 90 minutes
51 - 150 8 10 minutes per success 60 minutes
151 -300 10 5 minutes per success 30 minutes
Shallow Water Diving
Shallow water diving covers all dives descending no farther than 10 meters (30 feet). Most recreational and sport diving
falls into this category, because most of the undersea life attracting sport divers resides above this depth. The standard system for shallow water dives is the oxygen extraction system (OXSYS), a lightweight artificial gill that extracts oxygen dissolved in the water (see p. 57). Fitting over the mouth, the OXSYS system allows the user to spend an indefinite amount of time in the water without the risk of decompression sickness and does not require specialized training.
Scuba Diving
Despite numerous technological advancements, the self contained underwater breathing apparatus (aka scuba gear) remains the predominant underwater system for some sport and most commercial divers. Requiring some specialized training, the scuba system is the standard for dives up to 300 meters (984 feet), though safety precautions limit recreational diving to 33 meters (100 feet). For purposes of Shadowrun diving rules, dives deeper than 80 meters are considered deep water dives, regardless of the system used when making them (see Deep Water Diving).
The overall mechanics of scuba systems have remained unchanged for the past century. Scuba compresses air at high pressures (typically up to 4,000 psi) in a metal tank and slowly dispenses it at a reduced pressure (approximately 15 psi at
sea level) to a diver on demand (in other words, whenever the diver breathes in normally).
Deep Water Diving
Deep-water diving (below 80 meters) is a high-risk activity requiring extensive training in specialized systems. Due to the amount of training necessary (which is relatively expensive), primarily commercial divers practice deep-water diving techniques. To cope with the high ambient pressure of the surrounding environment, deep-water divers use one of two systems: JIM suits or LBA (Liquid Breathing Apparatus) systems. JIM suits (p. 57) consist of hardened, self-contained exoskeletons that maintain air at reduced pressure (one or two times normal atmospheric pressure). With the advent of ASIST technology in the 2020s, most JIM suits are wired for rigger operation.
The LBA system (p. 57) uses apparatus similar to scuba gear, except the tank contains a “light” super-oxygenated liquid. The liquid floods the user’s lungs, and the high concentration of dissolved, oxygenated gas makes it easy for the alveoli to draw it out of suspension. The system protects against the extreme pressure of the outside environment by compensating for its effect on the air cavities inside the body (the root cause of most diving hazards). The user needs an acclimation period prior to each dive to overcome the gag reflex and adapt to the liquid medium
.
Diving Time
The most critical aspect of underwater diving is the amount of time spent underwater. Not only are lungs incapable of extracting dissolved oxygen from water, but water creates a high-pressure environment that has adverse effects on the metahuman body. Both factors limit the amount of time characters can safely spend underwater.
Underwater divers breathe gaseous air with varying mixtures of oxygen, nitrogen, helium and other gases. Because of the near-infinite number of possible mixtures a diver can breathe, it is pointless for a gamemaster to track accurately how much time each mixture would allow a character to spend underwater and how deep it would allow him to dive. Rather than refer to several pages of diving tables applicable to different gas mixtures, the gamemaster may find it easier to use the system below to determine safe diving times.
Prior to making an underwater dive, characters will declare how long they intend to dive and the deepest depth (below sea level) they intend to reach. This declaration is not optional. Calculating diving time is preparation every professional diver (which players are supposed to be roleplaying) makes before entering the water. The only time characters should calculate diving time after entering the water is in an emergency, for example, when abandoning a scuttled submarine or a breached underwater habitat.
The Safe Diving Time Table (p. 109) lists a general range of safe diving times for a given span of depths. After declaring an intended depth and time, the player makes a test using an appropriate Knowledge skill (such as Diving Background or Underwater Operations) against the appropriate target number. The player then counts the number of successes and uses that number to determine the safe diving time.
Diving Movement
Characters attempting to swim underwater unaided (without fins) “walk” at a rate of 1 meter per Combat Turn and “run” at a pace equal to one-fifth their normal Running speed. Characters who swim with the aid of fins swim at half their normal walking or running rate. The Athletics skill may be used to increase this movement speed.
Ascent, Descent And Buoyancy
When diving underwater, the goal is neutral buoyancy (neither floating nor sinking). Achieving this state can be difficult, not only because of racial limitations and various augmentations, but also because the overall buoyancy of a diver, including equipment, tends to change with depth. To overcome the buoyancy problem, divers use a buoyancy compensator, an inflatable vest connected to the scuba tank. Combined with a weight belt, a buoyancy compensator allows the wearer to fine-tune his overall buoyancy until neutral buoyancy is achieved.
Without a buoyancy compensator, characters must spend extra effort to ascend, descend or maintain a constant depth. Reduce the character’s Running multiplier by 0.5 to reflect the effort wasted compensating for the effects of buoyancy. In addition, subtract 2 dice from the character’s available Combat Pool to reflect strength spent fighting buoyancy.
Hazards of Ascent and Descent
The deeper a character dives, the greater the ambient pressure. As long as a character ascends or descends no faster
than 1 meter per Combat Turn, pressure differences pose no threat. Normally, the body’s air cavities are flexible enough to accommodate significant pressure changes. However, if a character ascends or descends too rapidly, the body cannot adapt quickly enough, and damage occurs. The primary hazards of pressure imbalance are ear squeeze and air embolism.
Ear Squeeze: Ear squeeze occurs whenever the character descends or ascends too quickly. In this case, the imbalance between the outside water pressure and the inside air pressure creates an uncomfortable swelling of the eardrum. If the swelling is great enough, the eardrum ruptures and cold water rushes against the middle ear. This afflicts the character with feelings of vertigo. In game terms, if a character ascends or descends faster than 1 meter per Combat Turn, the player makes a Body (4) Test. Failure indicates that the character’s eardrum has ruptured and vertigo has set in. The character becomes disoriented and suffers a +4 modifier to all target numbers for the next minute (20 turns). After a minute, the character recovers. However, he will suffer a +4 modifier to all hearing-related Perception Tests for 24 hours.
Air Embolism: Air embolism occurs more rarely but is far more dangerous. If a character ascends too quickly, the lungs expand too fast and a tear occurs in the chest cavity. An air bubble escapes into the blood stream and rises upward through the carotid artery into the brain, where it becomes trapped in one of the capillaries and blocks the flow of blood to portions of the brain. The blockage causes an embolism. In game terms, an air embolism occurs only if the character rolls all 1 s when making a Body Test for ascending too quickly (see Ear Squeeze). Should this occur, the character must immediately resist 8D Physical damage every hour upon surfacing until placed inside a decompression chamber. If at anytime the character takes Deadly Physical damage and survives, make a Body (6) Test. Failure to achieve at least 1 success permanently costs the character 1 point of Intelligence from oxygen starvation.
Diving Hazards
Even in the Sixth World, the underwater environment is generally dangerous to metahumanity Special protection is required and special precautions must be observed to avoid potentially fatal effects.
If characters violate their safe diving time or go deeper than their planned depth (whether or not they are aware of doing either), they may fall victim to one of five possible diving hazards, shown on the Diving
Hazards Table. The effects of each hazard on the character are described below.
A character should only suffer one possible hazard at any given depth (though different characters in the same situation may suffer from different hazards).
The safe diving time does not apply when a character is using LBA, wearing a JIM suit, riding in a submarine or is inside an underwater facility. In the latter three cases, the outer hull resists the water pressure and surrounds the character with atmospheric pressure similar to the surface.
DIVING HAZARDS TABLE
Dept in meters Possible Hazards
0 - 10 Oxygen toxicity,
11 - 50 Oxygen toxicity; decompression sickness, nitrogen narcosis
51 - 150 Oxygen toxicity, nitrogen narcosis, decompression sickness, helium chills
151 - 300 Oxygen toxicity, nitrogen narcosis, decompression sickness, helium chills, HPNS
Oxygen Toxicity
Though the body needs oxygen in order to function, oxygen in excessively high concentrations or high pressure is toxic. Oxygen toxicity occurs whenever the character breathes pure oxygen at shallow depths or when the character breathes an air mixture too rich in oxygen at excessive depths. Characters breathing pure oxygen cannot dive below 7 meters without risking oxygen toxicity.
If a character suffers from oxygen toxicity, he takes 1 point of Physical damage each minute until he ascends above the safe depth (1D6 + 4 meters). Additionally, he suffers a +4 modifier to all target numbers because of the following additional symptoms: muscle twitching, blurred vision, nausea and breathing difficulties. These symptoms will last until the character is treated for oxygen toxicity.
Decompression Sickness
Decompression sickness (also known as DCS or the bends) occurs whenever the character spends excessive time at extreme depths while breathing compressed air containing nitrogen. In simple terms, the body dissolves some of the nitrogen gas it inhales into a solution within the body. The deeper a character dives, the greater the ambient pressure around him. At greater pressures, the body can dissolve more gas into its mass.
When the diver begins to ascend, pressure decreases and the nitrogen gas dissolved in the body condenses. If the diver ascends too quickly or absorbs too much dissolved gas, the gas is trapped in bubbles in the bloodstream, which has an adverse effect on the character’s central nervous system. The bends can be fatal unless the character is put in a decompression chamber, in which the pressure can be equalized slowly enough for the character to rid himself safely of dissolved nitrogen. The effects of decompression sickness do not set in until the diver has completed his dive and surfaced. Upon surfacing, the character takes 1 box of Physical damage per hour until placed inside a decompression chamber. Characters suffering from the bends are virtually incapacitated from the intense pain. Add a +4 modifier to all of the character’s target numbers (plus modifiers for any wounds the character may have taken). If the character exceeds his or her safe diving time, he or she can avoid DCS by making a decompression stop at 3 meters and waiting there for an amount of time equal to a quarter of the time the character was in the water. To find the decompression time, multiply the total time underwater by .25. For example, if a character was diving for an hour, he would need to wait 15 minutes at approximately 3 meters in order to decompress (60 minutes x .25 = 15 minutes). This allows the body to eliminate excess dissolved nitrogen before making the final ascent.
Nitrogen Narcosis
Nitrogen narcosis, also called “rapture of the deep,” results from breathing compressed nitrogen gas at low depths. In layman’s terms, as the partial air pressure of nitrogen increases, it has an intoxicating effect on the body similar to alcohol. In game terms, if a character suffers from nitrogen narcosis, the player must make a Body (6) Test every minute. If any of these tests fail, the character becomes intoxicated. While intoxicated, the character’s Judgment is impaired, and he or she will behave in a reckless and irrational manner. To reflect this, all target numbers for tests made by the character increase by +2.
Characters can eliminate the effects of narcosis simply by ascending 16 meters or more. Intoxicated characters must make a Willpower (6) Test to do this themselves, taking the +2 modifier into account. Once the character ascends far enough, he will shake off the narcosis in (10 - Body) Combat Turns
.
Helium Chills
Of all the gases involved in diving, helium has the highest thermal conductivity. Consequently, helium inhaled through the lungs absorbs even more body heat than nitrogen and oxygen. The deeper one dives, the more body heat is lost through the respiratory tract, leading to hypothermia over a prolonged dive. The use of helium for deep dives exacerbates this problem. Whenever a diver suffers from helium chills, the player must make a Body (8) Test every minute. Failure indicates the diver is suffering from hypothermia. He takes 1 box of Physical damage and gains an additional +1 modifier to all tests due to the numbing effects of the cold.
High Pressure Nervous Syndrome (HPNS)
High pressure nervous syndrome (HPNS) occurs whenever a diver spends an excessive amount of time at depths greater than 200 meters. Caused by the ambient water pressure around the diver, HPNS induces muscular tremors and shaking in the voluntary muscles. Theoretically, HPNS can lead to convulsions and possibly death, though no diver has remained at such a low depth long enough to find out (those who do usually succumb to other hazards first—drowning, hypothermia or oxygen toxicity).
If a diver succumbs to HPNS, the player must make a Body (8) Test every 5 minutes. Failure indicates the diver has partially succumbed to HPNS. Add a +1 modifier to all subsequent tests made by the character. Modifiers are cumulative and affect all successive tests, including those made for other diving hazards.
UNDERWATER PERCEPTION
One factor adding to the mystique of diving is the radically different environment of the underwater world. Water profoundly alters the properties of light and sound, thereby changing the way a diver sees and hears.
Vision
The refractive properties of water actually improve normal, unaided vision slightly. Objects underwater appear approximately 25 percent larger and 25 percent closer than normal. Water also absorbs light in gradual color stages. Shades of red disappear at 4 meters depth, shades of orange and yellow at 10, and shades of green and blue at 20 meters. The deeper a character dives, the murkier the ambient light becomes and colors drain away to a dull gray. Low-light vision corrects this effect somewhat. Thermographic vision, however, is confounded by it, as well as by the shifting thermal currents in water.
Ultrasound systems are also less efficient in denser and colder water and are less useful at great depths.
The Underwater Vision Modifiers Table lists modifiers for vision-based Perception Tests, based on the depth, type of water and type of vision.
Hearing
Sound travels approximately four times faster underwater than through the air. Though this aids hearing by making sounds seem louder, it also poses problems, because the sound travels too quickly for the brain to discern the time differential between the sound s arrival at the left and right ears.
Consequently, determining the location of a sound source is virtually impossible.
In game terms, characters receive a -1 modifier to Perception Tests for detecting sounds. Locating a sound source by sound alone is impossible without the aid of sonar equipment.
Stealth (Quickness)
The Stealth Skill governs sneaking around, sleight of hand and eluding a tail. This skill also covers camouflage and disguises. In almost all cases, the Stealth Skill requires an Open Test. See Using Stealth, p. 95.
Default: Quickness Attribute
Specializations: Alertness, Hiding, Sneaking, Theft
The Stealth Skill governs a wide range of sneaky activities, and its various specializations suggest many different uses. The Sneaking specialization covers moving quietly as well as tailing someone without being spotted. Hiding refers to physically hiding from view, camouflaging your appearance, blending into crowds and even disguising yourself. Alertness covers a character’s ability to notice the use of Stealth by others. Theft includes sleight of hand, picking pockets and other such skullduggery.
These different specializations function in slightly different ways.
When sneaking or hiding, a character should make an Open Test to determine how well he or she pulls it off. The high number rolled becomes the target number for Perception Tests by anyone who might conceivably notice the sneaking or hiding character.
Because theft is often a more difficult task to accomplish than hiding, using the Stealth Skill to pick pockets or pocket something without an opponent noticing usually requires an Opposed Test, pitting the thief’s Stealth Skill against the victim’s Intelligence. If the thieving character succeeds, he or she has successfully spirited away the item or picked the victim’s pocket.
The Alertness specialization is best treated as a Complementary Skill (see p. 97) for Perception Tests. Characters can use this Complementary Skill only when applicable to stealth in some way: spotting a tail, keeping someone they are tailing in sight, spotting a camouflaged person or item, recognizing that the waiter is really a disguised assassin, and so on
Parachuting (Body)
Used when parachuting (see p. 102).
Default: Body Attribute
Specializations: Standard jump, HALO Jump, Low- Altitude Jump
When someone jumps, falls or is pushed out of an airplane, off the roof of a high rise or from any other high altitude spot and uses a mechanical device (not magic) to slow his descent, he’s considered to be parachuting. A character with no means of controlling his rate of descent simply falls (see p. 47, SRComp). In some cases, parachuting is a matter of survival, but in most cases it is a matter of accuracy. Touching down in a designated landing zone can be quite difficult, even for trained parachutists. A parachuting character makes a single Parachuting Test to determine how well and how accurately he lands. His success will depend on the type of jump being made as well as several other conditions.
- Types of Jumps
When parachuting, a character has a choice of types of jumps: standard, low-altitude or HALO (high altitude, low opening).
In effect, the character’s choice reflects the minimum altitude at which he intends to safely open his parachute. Different types of parachutes exist for different jumps.
A standard parachute jump gives the parachutist enough time to deploy the parachute and land safely. The minimum opening altitude for a standard jump is 500 meters.
A low altitude jump is where the jump begins from an altitude of less than 500 meters. In this case, the minimum safe opening altitude is only 200 meters.
A HALO jump typically starts extremely high and attempts an extremely low opening. HALO jumps are primarily used by those who wish to sneak past radar and sensors and safely drop into an area unobserved. By not opening the parachute until the last second, the parachutists’ Signature remains reduced (see Signature of Biological Forms, p. 104). The minimum safe opening altitude for a HALO jump is 100 meters.
- The Parachuting Test
To determine how successfully a character parachutes, she must make a test using the Parachuting skill. The target number for this test is equal to 10 - (opening altitude -r 100). Apply any appropriate modifiers from the Parachuting Modifiers Table (p. 103). A single success means the parachute has been deployed. Additional successes can be used either to reduce the jump’s scatter or to help resist landing damage, whichever the player chooses.
To determine the base distance a parachutist scatters from her landing zone, divide the height at which the jump was initiated (in meters) by 2. Divide this distance by any additional successes achieved on the Parachuting Test that the player wishes to apply for accuracy. The result is the final distance the character lands from her intended landing zone. When a parachutist lands, she must resist 4M damage to represent the shock of touching down. Only Body dice may be used and armor has no effect. Any successes allocated from the Parachuting Test count as automatic successes on this test.
If a character fails her Parachuting Test, her parachute fails to open or deploy properly. Modern parachutes have a secondary rip cord, so the character gets one additional chance.
Before making this second test, the gamemaster should first determine how much farther the character has fallen. Assume the character falls at a rate of about 40 meters per Initiative Pass (or approximately 160 meters per Combat Turn).
A character who fails her second Parachuting Test is in trouble, and may only survive if the gamemaster invokes the Hand of God rule (p. 248, SR3).
- PARACHUTING MODIFIERS TABLE
Condition
Type of Jump
Standard 0
Low-Altitude +2
HALO +4
Bad weather (rain, windy, snow) +2
Terrible weather (storm) +4
Restricted landing terrain (small buildings, trees) +2
Tight landing terrain (city buildings, forest or jungle) +4
Combat landing environment +2
Parachute opened below the minimum safe opening altitude +1 per 250 meters
Military |ump (rip cord pulled as leaving plane) -2
The Stealth Skill governs sneaking around, sleight of hand and eluding a tail. This skill also covers camouflage and disguises. In almost all cases, the Stealth Skill requires an Open Test. See Using Stealth, p. 95.
Default: Quickness Attribute
Specializations: Alertness, Hiding, Sneaking, Theft
The Stealth Skill governs a wide range of sneaky activities, and its various specializations suggest many different uses. The Sneaking specialization covers moving quietly as well as tailing someone without being spotted. Hiding refers to physically hiding from view, camouflaging your appearance, blending into crowds and even disguising yourself. Alertness covers a character’s ability to notice the use of Stealth by others. Theft includes sleight of hand, picking pockets and other such skullduggery.
These different specializations function in slightly different ways.
When sneaking or hiding, a character should make an Open Test to determine how well he or she pulls it off. The high number rolled becomes the target number for Perception Tests by anyone who might conceivably notice the sneaking or hiding character.
Because theft is often a more difficult task to accomplish than hiding, using the Stealth Skill to pick pockets or pocket something without an opponent noticing usually requires an Opposed Test, pitting the thief’s Stealth Skill against the victim’s Intelligence. If the thieving character succeeds, he or she has successfully spirited away the item or picked the victim’s pocket.
The Alertness specialization is best treated as a Complementary Skill (see p. 97) for Perception Tests. Characters can use this Complementary Skill only when applicable to stealth in some way: spotting a tail, keeping someone they are tailing in sight, spotting a camouflaged person or item, recognizing that the waiter is really a disguised assassin, and so on
Parachuting (Body)
Used when parachuting (see p. 102).
Default: Body Attribute
Specializations: Standard jump, HALO Jump, Low- Altitude Jump
When someone jumps, falls or is pushed out of an airplane, off the roof of a high rise or from any other high altitude spot and uses a mechanical device (not magic) to slow his descent, he’s considered to be parachuting. A character with no means of controlling his rate of descent simply falls (see p. 47, SRComp). In some cases, parachuting is a matter of survival, but in most cases it is a matter of accuracy. Touching down in a designated landing zone can be quite difficult, even for trained parachutists. A parachuting character makes a single Parachuting Test to determine how well and how accurately he lands. His success will depend on the type of jump being made as well as several other conditions.
- Types of Jumps
When parachuting, a character has a choice of types of jumps: standard, low-altitude or HALO (high altitude, low opening).
In effect, the character’s choice reflects the minimum altitude at which he intends to safely open his parachute. Different types of parachutes exist for different jumps.
A standard parachute jump gives the parachutist enough time to deploy the parachute and land safely. The minimum opening altitude for a standard jump is 500 meters.
A low altitude jump is where the jump begins from an altitude of less than 500 meters. In this case, the minimum safe opening altitude is only 200 meters.
A HALO jump typically starts extremely high and attempts an extremely low opening. HALO jumps are primarily used by those who wish to sneak past radar and sensors and safely drop into an area unobserved. By not opening the parachute until the last second, the parachutists’ Signature remains reduced (see Signature of Biological Forms, p. 104). The minimum safe opening altitude for a HALO jump is 100 meters.
- The Parachuting Test
To determine how successfully a character parachutes, she must make a test using the Parachuting skill. The target number for this test is equal to 10 - (opening altitude -r 100). Apply any appropriate modifiers from the Parachuting Modifiers Table (p. 103). A single success means the parachute has been deployed. Additional successes can be used either to reduce the jump’s scatter or to help resist landing damage, whichever the player chooses.
To determine the base distance a parachutist scatters from her landing zone, divide the height at which the jump was initiated (in meters) by 2. Divide this distance by any additional successes achieved on the Parachuting Test that the player wishes to apply for accuracy. The result is the final distance the character lands from her intended landing zone. When a parachutist lands, she must resist 4M damage to represent the shock of touching down. Only Body dice may be used and armor has no effect. Any successes allocated from the Parachuting Test count as automatic successes on this test.
If a character fails her Parachuting Test, her parachute fails to open or deploy properly. Modern parachutes have a secondary rip cord, so the character gets one additional chance.
Before making this second test, the gamemaster should first determine how much farther the character has fallen. Assume the character falls at a rate of about 40 meters per Initiative Pass (or approximately 160 meters per Combat Turn).
A character who fails her second Parachuting Test is in trouble, and may only survive if the gamemaster invokes the Hand of God rule (p. 248, SR3).
- PARACHUTING MODIFIERS TABLE
Condition
Type of Jump
Standard 0
Low-Altitude +2
HALO +4
Bad weather (rain, windy, snow) +2
Terrible weather (storm) +4
Restricted landing terrain (small buildings, trees) +2
Tight landing terrain (city buildings, forest or jungle) +4
Combat landing environment +2
Parachute opened below the minimum safe opening altitude +1 per 250 meters
Military |ump (rip cord pulled as leaving plane) -2