Gravity Sliders
Version 0.1 - Sept 2019 This is a hack of Lasers & Feelings.
Players are members of an international military organization that uses an alien device to travel to other planets. The device creates a wormhole in the floor that they can jump into to “slide” to another planet. It is similar to Stargate. It is rules-lite and uses player facing rolls. Based on a lasers & feelings style roll over/under system. It is meant for one-shot adventures and has limited character advancement.
Player Rules
Character Stats
There are 2 main stats and they are represented by a single number (between 2-9). A lower number means you are better at “Action” and a higher number means you are better at “Smarts”.
Smarts: Sneaking, Deceiving, Investigating, Hacking, Technology
Action: Aggression, Being Bold, Explosives, Chases, Shooting
The only other stat you need to track is your Health (starts at 6).
When you do something
Roll a d10:
Roll at or above stat number for Action
Roll at or below stat number for Smarts
Real Trouble:
so difficult that you have to roll the dice twice and have to succeed on both rolls.
Piece of Cake:
so prepared for a task that you get to roll twice and use either result.
Skills
Characters have 4 Skill “slots” that give them extra skills based on their history. Background Skills can be filled up front, or can be filled in while playing. They explain things like: I know all about… I always carry my… I hate…
These background skills can prevent Real Trouble or can make a task a Piece of Cake. They can be activated once per session unless improved (use twice per session).
Rewards
If you are playing a prolonged adventure, the GM will give out rewards as you progress through the story. Here are the different types of rewards:
Minor - Change their stat number
Minor - Be issued a new piece of gear
Major - Max HP increased by 2
Major - Improve a skill (use twice per session)
Major - Get another Skill “slot”
Special Bonus
Each character gets to pick one of the following bonuses:
Alien - you are not human and can pick 1 extra piece of alien gear
Soldier - +1 damage to all attacks
Scientist - Improve two of your skills
Specialist - gets 2 extra pieces of gear
Explorer - Extra improved skill: I will find my way
Medic - Start with a Med Kit, and you get 5 uses per kit
Combat
Combat goes back and forth between the players & allies and enemies & environmental effects. On your turn you can take 1 action (and optionally a minor action) and then play moves on to the next character.
Attacks: Roll Action. If you succeed you deal damage to the target based on your weapon. If they have armour then decrease the damage dealt by 1.
Defending: Roll based on the situation. If you succeed you dodge/block the attack and take no damage or effects.
Action Guide
Major actions: When it is your turn, you can do one of the following actions:
Attack - Perform an attack against a target in range using a weapon.
Aid - Help someone else with a task they are performing. This cancels a “Real Trouble” or makes it a “Piece of Cake”. Need to justify how you are helping.
Use an item - Interact with an object in close range. Or reload a weapon.
Move - Move up to 7 meters. (but some environments slow you down)
Draw or Stow an item - From/to your bag/belt.
Minor actions: are smaller actions that can be done while you perform a major action. You can perform one of the following on your turn:
Perceive - Roll Action to spot threats, roll Smarts to spot clues.
Talk - Speak to characters. Roll Smarts if you are trying to deceive, persuade, etc.
Remember - Roll Smarts to try and recall something your character might know.
Gear
Each player character gets some basic gear:
Clothing, a Pistol, a Flashlight, 1 Ration.
| You get 1 of the following: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Description | Name | Description | |
| SMG | Short Range, 2 Damage | Binoculars | ||
| Pistol | Short Range, 1 Damage | Flashlight | Battery lasts 12 hours. | |
| Sniper Rifle | Medium Range, 2 Damage | Radio | 2 way comm, long range. | |
| Grenade | Short Range, 4 Damage | Rations | 1 day of food and water | |
| Spare Ammo | Reload a weapon from earth. | Med Kit | Heals 3 HP, 3 uses per kit. | |
| Bullet-proof Vest | 1 armour vs ranged attacks. | Env Suit | Adv to resist envir effects. | |
| Repair Kit | Repair earth tech, minor dmg | |||
| Special equipment: (you can’t pick these but can find them) | ||||
| Alien Zapper | Short Range, Stuns/3 dmg | EM Field Gen | Immune to 3 stuns | |
| Alien Staff | Medium Range, 3 Damage | Alien Armour | Slow, 1 armour vs all | |
| Energy Cell | Reload/recharge alien tech. |
Restocking
In between missions the player characters can restock the gear they used (except Energy Cells). And will often be given a minor reward (see Rewards section).
Damage Guide
| Melee attacks | 1 damage | Alien Weapons | 3 damage | | Bullets | 2 damage | Explosions | 4+ damage |
Armour Guide
| Bullet proof vest | 1 armour vs ranged attacks | | Env suit | Resistant to some environmental effects | | Heavy armour | 1 armour to every attack |
Range Guide
| Close Range | 0-2 meters | Medium Range | 13-50 meters | | Short Range | 3-12 meters | Long Range | 51+ meters |
Obstacles and Enemies
Traps, minions, captured civilians, weird alien fauna, etc…
Name: Civilian Health: 4 Stat: 5 Armour: 0 Defense: Piece of Cake Attacks: Improvised, 1 dmg Gear: Clothing
Name: Alien Thug Health: 5 Stat: 2 Armour: 0 Defense: Normal Attacks: Zapper, short, stuns/3 dmg Gear: Uniform, Zapper
Name: Alien Leader Health: 6 Stat: 5 Armour: 1 vs all Defense: Real Trouble Attacks: Staff, medium, 3 dmg Gear: Alien Armour, Alien Staff
Name: Trip Mine Damage: 6 Detect: Normal Disarm: Real Trouble
Name: Alien creature Health: 3 Stat: 3 Armour: 0 Defense: Real Trouble Attacks: Bite, Close Range, 1 Dmg
GM Reference
Planet Generator
The list below is the details the player team was given when they were recruited for the mission. Roll on the table 3 times (or choose).
The planet…
- Has a stable climate
- Has intelligent indigenous life
- Has safe environment (acid rain, lava flow, etc)
- Has stable geology
- Isn’t controlled by the bad guys
- Has friendly Local fauna
Mission Generator
Roll on the table below 3 times (or choose).
The mission…
- Has been done before
- Shouldn’t take long
- Requires only a few people
- Has no missing equipment
- Has no missing information
- Isn’t time sensitive
Fast-forward
If a combat or obstacle is trivial it should be skipped. The GM should narrate what happened and keep the story moving. For example, if the characters way out number an enemy and the fight is going to be boring. Or skip the roll for an action when there is no real penalty for failure, or there is no time pressure.
GM Actions
Ways for the GM to mix things up. Each time a player uses a characters skill, you earn a point that can be used to trigger one of the following effects:
Weren’t you counting? A character suddenly finds their weapon is out of ammo. Or it malfunctioned.
Curse your inevitable betrayal! An NPC the players thought was on their side is discovered to be a double agent.
Stop, or my mom will shoot! A civilian the players are supposed to be protecting gets in on the action.
Surprise Attack! An enemy has snuck up on the players and they had no chance to detect them, but the first attack of the enemy barely misses its target.
Talk about luck. An enemy attack hits a piece of gear instead of the character. That piece of gear is damaged and will have to be repaired.
I went to school too! An enemy uses a skill that they wouldn’t be expected to have.
How could there be a pyramid here? A device/structure turns out to be an ancient alien device. It is almost magical because of how advanced it is.
Of course he’s here! A big baddie shows up just in time to taunt the players characters and escape.