Jan 5, 2020 3:23 am
Tesla Rangers is a Western set in the Robot Apocalypse of 1883. The rangers themselves are made up of volunteers from all walks of life. One can play as any familiar Wild West or Victorian-era archetype, be they cowboy, gunslinger, aspiring writer, or more. No dedicated human is turned away. Heck, they're even letting the clockwork cogs sign up! Use the standard rules for making characters with the following changes:
Humans are the only playable race (however, if one person would like to play a "Cog" please let me know).
You are exceptional and talented humans (Wild Cards) that are newly promoted Rangers. So, ask yourself why you wanted to be a Ranger and how did you end up at Fort Ohm (our starting location) which is near the northern reaches of the Mississippi River in Minnesota! :)
Hindrances
Doubting Thomas is not a Hindrance in Tesla Rangers. There is nothing supernatural lurking in the shadows, so not believing in magic is perfectly foundational.
All other Hindrances from Savage Worlds function exactly the same.
Skills
Shooting and Riding are added to the core skills to represent the basic training all heroes must go through to be accepted into the rangers. The Weird Science skill is called "Tesla Science," but its function is the same.
Edges
Other than Arcane Background and Gadgeteer (see below), all the Savage Worlds Edges are available, and function the same.
The following are new Edges available for this setting:
Journeyman Tinkerer
Requirements: Novice, Smarts d8+, Repair d6+
An hour of tinkering with a weapon lets you make a Repair roll and add one of the following bonuses with a success, or two with a raise +1 Damage, +1 to hit, +1 AP, +1 RoF, +1 Parry, +1 Reach, or +5 base Range. This effect lasts for 48 hours or until a player rolls a 1 on a skill die to use the weapon, at which point the weapon returns to normal operation. Each bonus can only be taken once. Subsequent tinkering removes any prior effects.
Galvanic Engineer (Weird Science)
Requirements: Novice, Special
~Arcane Skill: Tesla Science (Smarts)
~Starting Powers: 2
~Power Points: 15
While the advancement of Victorian-era, steam-powered robots might seem like magic, it ain’t. At least not as the Tesla Rangers see it. The only Arcane Background available to players in this setting is a variation of Weird Science that folks call the Galvanic Engineer. Galvanic Engineers are masters of the bleeding edge of Wired West technology. Constantly pushing the boundaries of the laws of science (and occasionally breaking them), Galvanic Engineers automatically have the Artificer Edge and must always use devices for their powers. Unless the inventor (or GM) decides otherwise, all damage-dealing galvanic devices count as Heavy Weapons and should use Trappings like magnetism, electricity, steam, or vibration.
~Galvanic Coils: All Tesla Science devices run off a compact power source called a galvanic coil. Galvanic coils look something like a radio tube crackling with electrical energy. Starting inventors have three coils, and each coil holds 5 Power Points. Each device must have one or more available coils to function. Swapping charged coils from one device to another is an action.
~Recharging: Galvanic Engineers recharge their coils by attaching them to a Teslic Dynamo—a device about the size of a toaster that collects electrical energy passively from the Earth’s magnetic field. Teslic dynamos generate 5 Power Points per hour in the wilderness, or every 15 minutes when within 100 yards of a Tesla tower. Dynamos can also be used to transfer power points between coils (See Tinkering in Savage Worlds).
~Malfunctions: If a character rolls a Critical Failure when using a device, it Malfunctions. All of the device’s active powers terminate instantly and it loses 1d4 of its remaining Power Points, spread out evenly across attached coils.
Coils can be targeted with a Called Shot (−4) and have an equivalent Toughness of 4 if hit. Shaking a coil generates the same effect as a Malfunction. A Wound causes it to overload and explodes in a Medium Burst Template, inflicting 1d6 electrical damage for each charge the coil still holds. Safety measures ensure that an overload is not instantaneous, however, so this explosion is subject to Evasion (see Savage Worlds). Alternatively, a character can attempt to toss the device away: Use the same rules as Evasion but substitute Athletics (throwing) for Agility. If successful, the hero can move the center of the blast 1d6" in the direction of their choice (2d6" with a raise).
Coils can be targeted with a Called Shot (−4) and have an equivalent Toughness of 4 if hit. Shaking a coil generates the same effect as a Malfunction. A Wound causes it to overload and explodes in a Medium Burst Template, inflicting 1d6 electrical damage for each charge the coil still holds. Safety measures ensure that an overload is not instantaneous, however, so this explosion is subject to Evasion (see Savage Worlds). Alternatively, a character can attempt to toss the device away: Use the same rules as Evasion but substitute Athletics (throwing) for Agility. If successful, the hero can move the center of the blast 1d6" in the direction of their choice (2d6" with a raise).
Gadgeteer
Requirements: Seasoned, Arcane Background (Galvanic Engineer), Tesla Science d6+
This Edge is slightly different in Tesla Rangers. Instead of investing Power Points, a Gadgeteer must scrounge parts from the wreckage of non-functional robots (or any reasonable collection of spare parts; Game Master’s call) in order to craft short-time or one-use devices. This allows her to use any power of her Rank or lower. This takes one entire turn, during which she can do nothing else but make a Tesla Science roll at −2 (she cannot take Multi-Actions that round). The device requires a charged galvanic coil to function, and once its initial Duration is finished the makeshift device falls apart into its component pieces.
Humans are the only playable race (however, if one person would like to play a "Cog" please let me know).
You are exceptional and talented humans (Wild Cards) that are newly promoted Rangers. So, ask yourself why you wanted to be a Ranger and how did you end up at Fort Ohm (our starting location) which is near the northern reaches of the Mississippi River in Minnesota! :)
Hindrances
Doubting Thomas is not a Hindrance in Tesla Rangers. There is nothing supernatural lurking in the shadows, so not believing in magic is perfectly foundational.
All other Hindrances from Savage Worlds function exactly the same.
Skills
Shooting and Riding are added to the core skills to represent the basic training all heroes must go through to be accepted into the rangers. The Weird Science skill is called "Tesla Science," but its function is the same.
Edges
Other than Arcane Background and Gadgeteer (see below), all the Savage Worlds Edges are available, and function the same.
The following are new Edges available for this setting:
Journeyman Tinkerer
Requirements: Novice, Smarts d8+, Repair d6+
An hour of tinkering with a weapon lets you make a Repair roll and add one of the following bonuses with a success, or two with a raise +1 Damage, +1 to hit, +1 AP, +1 RoF, +1 Parry, +1 Reach, or +5 base Range. This effect lasts for 48 hours or until a player rolls a 1 on a skill die to use the weapon, at which point the weapon returns to normal operation. Each bonus can only be taken once. Subsequent tinkering removes any prior effects.
Galvanic Engineer (Weird Science)
Requirements: Novice, Special
~Arcane Skill: Tesla Science (Smarts)
~Starting Powers: 2
~Power Points: 15
While the advancement of Victorian-era, steam-powered robots might seem like magic, it ain’t. At least not as the Tesla Rangers see it. The only Arcane Background available to players in this setting is a variation of Weird Science that folks call the Galvanic Engineer. Galvanic Engineers are masters of the bleeding edge of Wired West technology. Constantly pushing the boundaries of the laws of science (and occasionally breaking them), Galvanic Engineers automatically have the Artificer Edge and must always use devices for their powers. Unless the inventor (or GM) decides otherwise, all damage-dealing galvanic devices count as Heavy Weapons and should use Trappings like magnetism, electricity, steam, or vibration.
~Galvanic Coils: All Tesla Science devices run off a compact power source called a galvanic coil. Galvanic coils look something like a radio tube crackling with electrical energy. Starting inventors have three coils, and each coil holds 5 Power Points. Each device must have one or more available coils to function. Swapping charged coils from one device to another is an action.
~Recharging: Galvanic Engineers recharge their coils by attaching them to a Teslic Dynamo—a device about the size of a toaster that collects electrical energy passively from the Earth’s magnetic field. Teslic dynamos generate 5 Power Points per hour in the wilderness, or every 15 minutes when within 100 yards of a Tesla tower. Dynamos can also be used to transfer power points between coils (See Tinkering in Savage Worlds).
~Malfunctions: If a character rolls a Critical Failure when using a device, it Malfunctions. All of the device’s active powers terminate instantly and it loses 1d4 of its remaining Power Points, spread out evenly across attached coils.
Coils can be targeted with a Called Shot (−4) and have an equivalent Toughness of 4 if hit. Shaking a coil generates the same effect as a Malfunction. A Wound causes it to overload and explodes in a Medium Burst Template, inflicting 1d6 electrical damage for each charge the coil still holds. Safety measures ensure that an overload is not instantaneous, however, so this explosion is subject to Evasion (see Savage Worlds). Alternatively, a character can attempt to toss the device away: Use the same rules as Evasion but substitute Athletics (throwing) for Agility. If successful, the hero can move the center of the blast 1d6" in the direction of their choice (2d6" with a raise).
Coils can be targeted with a Called Shot (−4) and have an equivalent Toughness of 4 if hit. Shaking a coil generates the same effect as a Malfunction. A Wound causes it to overload and explodes in a Medium Burst Template, inflicting 1d6 electrical damage for each charge the coil still holds. Safety measures ensure that an overload is not instantaneous, however, so this explosion is subject to Evasion (see Savage Worlds). Alternatively, a character can attempt to toss the device away: Use the same rules as Evasion but substitute Athletics (throwing) for Agility. If successful, the hero can move the center of the blast 1d6" in the direction of their choice (2d6" with a raise).
Gadgeteer
Requirements: Seasoned, Arcane Background (Galvanic Engineer), Tesla Science d6+
This Edge is slightly different in Tesla Rangers. Instead of investing Power Points, a Gadgeteer must scrounge parts from the wreckage of non-functional robots (or any reasonable collection of spare parts; Game Master’s call) in order to craft short-time or one-use devices. This allows her to use any power of her Rank or lower. This takes one entire turn, during which she can do nothing else but make a Tesla Science roll at −2 (she cannot take Multi-Actions that round). The device requires a charged galvanic coil to function, and once its initial Duration is finished the makeshift device falls apart into its component pieces.