The Empire of the Tale - The Homebrewery

https://www.gao.gov/assets/nsiad-91-114.pdf

Empire of the Tale has emerged over the last

The

of standard time as a major Prime power, on par

millenium

the most dangerous and powerful ancient polities.

with

five mortal empires recorded in the Hall of Records

Only

it in scope, and it is questionable if any mortal force

exceed

the collapse of the Illithid Empire could defeat it in

since

battle. It has declared war on no fewer than eighteen

open

powers or power-like beings, and appears to

inter-sphere

winning these conflicts. It utilises technology not

be

found anywhere in the known multiverse, and

otherwise

implements this technology whenever possible.

violently

Empire is a massive and powerful force for Law, and

The

rapidly increasing in scale. It also near-perfectly aligns

is

our views as a faction, that to take and use is by

with

good, and that what you can hold is what you

definition

Despite this however no conclusive study has ever

deserve.

performed into any aspect of the Empire, and little

been

known to us even now, after our return to the

remains

repository of lore in the multiverse and the

greatest

of so much we had previously thought lost.

reclamation

the last eighty-seven years I have conducted the most

For

investigation into the Empire of the Tale ever

thorough

the results of which you now hold in your

performed,

I hope that by commending this document to the

hands.

of Records I can in some way hope to shed a light on

Hall

fascinating ascendant power, and aid any who wish to

this

after me in determining what action, if any, should be

come

taken.

A Study on the Taleish Empire

By C.E.Byderway, Factor 2

of the Fated

C.E. Byderway, Factor 2

Bellevent 124/Hashkar 257/IMP 1021

and encompassing an estimated five

worlds

billion mortal souls. Its extraplanar

hundred

are limited, but not nonexistent. It has

ties

ties to Mechanus, especially to the

political

Creche, as well as the Nine Hells.

Inevitable

also enjoys the attentions of the Seven Heavens, who are

It

invested in the Empire in order to prevent it

principally

falling to evil.

totally

the Empire is divided amongst nearly five

Although

worlds most of these are considered peripheral

hundred

known to Imperials as "Notes". The most important

worlds,

or so worlds are known collectively as the "Page

eighty

worlds connected by permanent portals known as

Worlds",

Gates centred on the Imperial capital world of Tale.

Page

on the Page worlds of the Empire is as advanced and

Life

as anywhere in the multiverse, and Imperial

interconnected

is quite possibly the best anywhere outside of

technology

itself. The Empire is extremely adept at

Mechanus

this technology to achieve what appears to be its

leveraging

purpose- continuous expansion into new worlds

primary

it can feed into its ever-hungry maw.

which

Empire needs to expand more or less constantly. It

The

always either expanding, dealing with the results of its

is

or preparing for its next phase of expansion. For

expansion,

millenium it has been an ever-growing blot on the

a

a constant hungering maw that takes in the

multiverse,

resources that creation has to offer and turns them

infinite

progress and wealth and unity and war.

into

The Empire In Summary

Empire is a thousand year old force The

four hundred and eighty seven

spanning

There is nothing I can imagine more beautiful.

approximate date of the Emperor's birth. According to

The

Imperial history the Emperor is a mortal human

official

not descended from any Outsider or Elementals.

being,

Orgain accounts claim that the Emperor is in fact a

Some

a rare offspring of a human and dwarf, but this is not

mul,

corraborated.

Emperor conquers his homeland using early rimfire

The

and forms the Prelude Empire.

firearms

the face of an unrecorded Extraplanar threat the Tale

In

is signed between the Emperor's homeland of

Pact

the dwarven Clan Lords of the Greytide

Prelude,

and the orc Khans of the steppes. With

mountains,

technology, dwarven resources and orcish

Imperial

the threat is defeated.

warriors

Tale Pact controls the entirety of its world, absorbing

The

ravaged polities and conquering the remainders

various

early bolt-action weapons. The first reference to the

with

of Prelude is dated to this time, although no

Tower

Tale Pact has by this point reformed itself as the

The

Empire and uses early Page Gates to invade Kel.

Taleish

cultural transition to accepting and supporting

The

largely unjustified conquest is not documented

aggressive,

of Kel is completed. This is the first Imperial

Conquest

well documented by external sources due to the

event

presence of the church of Ioun on Kel, who

heavy

extracted many of the church's senior

successfully

Imperial soldiers are recorded as using late bolt

members.

weapons and heavy artillery, as well as experimental

action

of Evergloom is completed. Imperial soldiers are

Conquest

early automatic weapons and beginning to use

using

vehicles similar (although inferior) to the infernal

armored

machines of the Nine Hells. Evergloom nobility who

war

with the invaders are brought in as full partners of

sided

Tale Pact.

the

invasion of Orgain ends in failure due to betrayal by

First

Empire's native drow allies. Lolth is the first deity to be

the

invasion of Orgain ends with total destruction of

Second

native drow societies. First recorded use of gas

the

Imperial History

-31 IMP- The Emperor's Birth

-4 IMP - The Prelude Empire

0 IMP - The Tale Pact

86 IMP - Tale Conquered

reference to its construction is made.

107 IMP - The Invasion of Kel

and appears to have been purged.

141 IMP - Kel Conquered

aircraft which are largely unsuccessful.

fixed-wing

163 IMP - Evergloom Conquered

188 IMP - The Orgain Betrayal

by the Empire as a result of this.

proscribed

196 IMP - Orgain Conquered

weapons by the Empire.

Second Chapter of Imperial conquests begins.

The

soldiers are now making widespread use of

Imperial

weapons and armoured vehicles, as well as early

automatic

aircraft which can consistently win

rotary-wing

against manticore and wyvern-based aerial

engagements

although Evergloom dragon cavalry is still needed

cavalry,

population exceeds 8,000,000 twice that of the

Prelude's

of Brass.

City

expanding into the Thri-Keen dominated tunnel

When

of Indaero the Empire's armour, artillery and

world

infantry are found to be horribly ineffective. In

motorised

they develop the first Ironclads, which tear their

response

through the Indaeran armies with little to no

way

resistance.

begins to show the first signs of ecological collapse, as

Tale

native rainforest dies off of its own accord due to the

the

of the world's atmosphere. Tale begins moving its

ravaging

into the megalopolises that will become its

population

first Mind Cores are bound using the consciousness of

The

modrons. Although very basic the Mind Core

Monodrone

to be a more capable computer than the best valvebased

proves

Imperial computers.

third chapter of Imperial conquest and colonisation

The

in response to overcrowding in Prelude, which is

begins

faster than construction allows. At this point

expanding

legal population exceeds 90,000,000, ten times

Prelude's

forces join the Diabolic armies of Zariel in an

Imperial

on the Blood Tor in exchange for the locations and

assault

of a dozen valuable worlds. Although the Imperial

identities

contributes significantly to the succeses of the legions

army

Avernus the Blood War operates on a scale that not even

of

Empire can conceive, and the frequency of PTSD and

then

cases amongst the battle's survivors exceeds expected

CSR

by a factor of fifty.

levels

Empire is attacked in force by the Mantis Empire,

The

launches simultaneous assaults on no fewer than a

which

Taleish worlds, two of them Pages. Two Note worlds

dozen

lost, with the wars costing millions of Taleish lives and

are

of Mantid thri-keen. The Empire's failure to scuttle

billions

worlds allows the Mantids to capture Imperial weapons

its

fourth chapter of the Imperial Conquest begins with

The

invasion of the planet of Izmer, a world of powerful

the

and monsters. The first Imperial jet planes are used

mages

the war to devastating effect in the mountains of Izmer,

in

down dragons by the score, and the Empire

shooting

atomic weapons in the destruction of the Dragon

deploys

352 IMP - The Second Chapter

.

.

in many cases.

368 IMP - Prelude's Limits

381 IMP - The First Ironclads

402 IMP - Tale's Death

hallmarks.

456 IMP - Mind Cores

521 IMP - The Third Chapter

the estimated total population of Sigil.

603 IMP - The Battle of the Tor

591 IMP - The Mantis Wars

reverse-engineer Imperial bullets by the next battle.

and

726 IMP - The Fourth Chapter

A Moment of Quiet: A ranger and her Ironclad

enjoy a brief moment of quiet in a remote

swamp, hundreds of miles from civilisation.

Emperor's citadel.

allince of Proscribed Powers and Power-adjacents lead

An

the combined efforts of Lolth and an unknown Demon

by

leads a massive assault on half of Orgain Tome.

Prince

Page worlds and thirty Note worlds come under

Nine

attacks by an assortment of demons, slaad,

simultaneous

and abominations that test the Taleish armies

elementals

their limits and leave billions dead.

to

Imperial forces slowly lose ground over the course

The

nearly three decades until, in 869 IMP, the undead

of

forming the backbone of the invading armies

hordes

disappear, along with almost all information

spontaneously

their affiliation. The remaining armies are

regarding

up with extreme prejudice leaving Imperial

mopped

to wonder what exactly happened for the next

scholars

rearranging of the multiverse cuts every world of the

The

off from every other world instantly and without

Empire

Worlds remain seperated for between seven to

warning.

months, leading to widespread chaos that

fourteen

massive efforts to rectify. Food shortages on many

requires

worlds cause riots as rationing gets ever more

Imperial

and Tale's population drops for the first time since

severe,

beginning of the Second Chapter.

the

years after the events of the Great Reforming a

Thirteen

disaster strikes the multiverse, where all arcane

second

ceases functioning for a decade. Efforts to partially

magic

world autonomy taken after the Reforming allow

improve

Imperial worlds to survive, but the increased

most

and reduced capacity for communication

autonomy

the reliance on Tale. Eighty six worlds, twenty

undermines

of them Page Worlds, declare independence from the

seven

Imperial army returns to its old worlds in force, and

The

one third of the lost worlds in the first six years.

reconquers

death toll of the wars of these six years, civillians

The

is estimated at seven hundred million. These

included,

known as the Revising, last for the next thirty four

wars,

and claim another three billion lives.

years

world of Stoss, ever a thorn in the side of the Empire,

The

with six subordinate worlds which remained

secedes

connected due to the resurgent efforts of Annam All-

largely

to aid these giant-dominated worlds. In fact, not

Father

had these worlds seceded they had also colonised and

only

six additional worlds in the previous forty seven

conquered

The Empire enters a long and brutal war against

years.

twelve worlds, but finds itself in battle against an

these

Privy Council announces the commencement of the

The

Chapter of expansion with an invasion of the planet of

Fifth

former capital of the Vodoni Empire, in search of

Vulkara,

arcane secrets discovered by the Vodoni. The

various

protrays this as a great victory over one of the

media

other great powers, but Vulkara has long since

Prime's

in power following its war against the Free Stars

declined

and the fact the Taleish have any difficulty with

Alliance

conquest at all shows what strains Stoss is putting on

this

military.

the

modern day. The Privy council is still prosecuting its

The

against the Stoss, the Empire's private industries still

war

its people in something approaching slavery. Time

hold

the multiverse moves on, and the Empire crawls

passes,

841 IMP - Vengeful Gods

920 IMP - The Revising

954 IMP - The Stoss Ordning

forty years.

897 IMP - The Great Reforming

advanced opponent entirely ready for the conflict.

equally

1000 IMP - The Fifth Chapter

910 IMP - The Dearth Arcane

1021 IMP

inexorably towards its future.

Empire in one capacity or another.

.

Ruby and Ebon: Imperial soldiers from the Ingress

world of Enelon fight to retake a city currently

under the control of cultists of Umberlee.

worlds in the empire are known as Pages, the

Major

the smaller peripheral resource extraction colonies,

others,

known as Notes.

are

the Empire’s population is around five hundred

Although

across nearly five hundred worlds, more than 90%

billion

the Empire’s population lives in the 76 Page worlds, 80%

of

Tale itself is excluded. The population of a Page world

if

from fifty to two billion, with an average of around

varies

billion, varying in race and government and culture.

five

are much much smaller than Pages, with

Notes

far below a hundred million in all cases. Unlike

populations

Notes are not permanently connected to the

Pages,

Gates, and are instead served by roving Link Gate

Chapter

which can go for weeks, months, or even years

connections

Empire has been called a great many things- one

The

would be entirely accurate would be a finely tuned

which

for the expansion into and subjugation of new

machine

The Empire’s structure is designed to facilitate this.

worlds.

Empire is connected by artificial portals known as

The

Gates. There are broadly three types of Page Gates-

Page

largest to smallest Chapter, Link, and Speculator

from

Unlike the portals used in much of the rest of the

Gates.

such as the portals used to enter Sigil- Page

multiversedo

not only transport cratures and what they bear

Gates

worlds, and instead function as open doorways

between

transfer all mass which passes through them.

which

Gates

Chapter

worlds within the Empire are connected by

Major

gates, massive and permanent portals through

Chapter

matter and energy can constantly flow. The

which

of a Chapter Gate is a vast undertaking, and the

producing

product stands around half a kilometre tall. As the

end

gates are so difficult and expensive to produce

Chapter

the Empire’s central authority is capable of building

only

Even if another authority could construct a Chapter

them.

it is not permitted to, as this would undermine the

Gate

control over its Tomes.

Empire’s

Gates

Link

Gates are portals usually about thirty feet across

Link

can connect between any two of their number to

which

a stable Gate connection. Technically Chapter Gates

form

a form of Link Gate, but the latter term is usually only

are

to refer to Gates which are only temporarily

used

often switching between other Link Gates

connected,

use of programmed runes.

through

Link Gate connection can last for up to an hour per

A

in most cases, with longer and more frequent

week

being ever more taxing for the Gate and ever

connections

expensive for the operator.

more

Gates

Speculator

Gates are used to connect to locations with

Speculator

Gates of their own, worlds the Empire is invading or

no

for the first time. Speculator Gates are very

colonising

to run and use huge amounts of magical power,

expensive

are similar to teleportation spells in their targeting.

and

Speculator Gate is usually opened for no more than

A

minutes, during which resources for the construction of

ten

Link Gate will be ferried through alongside any personnel

a

Imperial Structure

Pages and Notes

.

a time without being renewed.

at

The Gates

A Web of Worlds: A map outlining the network of

Imperial worlds. The presence and implications

of the chokepoints should be obvious.

required for conquest or settling.

capital of the Empire is Tale, which is also its most

The

world and the original home of its founder. Tale

populous

a population of fifty billion divided amongst a number

has

megacities scattered across its surface. Tale is beyond

of

and is the hub through which the Empire’s

metropolitan

run. All of the Empire’s greatest corporations call

logistics

home, and several of them very nearly run megacities

Tale

their own.

of

Tome is the term for an entire branch of the Empire.

A

Tome has a capital world, the world of its first

Each

which is directly connected to Tale. There are five

Chapter,

in total- Kel, Evergloom, Orgain, Bydlow, and

Tomes

each of approximately the same nominal size.

Ingress-

Tome is divided into Chapters- the world directly

Each

to Tale is the first Chapter, the worlds directly

connected

to that are the second Chapter, and so on. Each

connected

except the first is connected to two worlds of a newer

world

and one world of an older Chapter. As no world is

Chapter

to another of the same Chapter this creates

connected

choke points in the branching web of worlds that is

major

empire, with each world having control over those that

the

below it and Tale having control over all of them. This

come

choking of traffic ensures that Tale can keep a

artificial

central hand over the affairs of its empire, and limits

strong

Empire’s only rule for Page worlds is that they obey

The

authority, regardless of whether it comes from Tale

Tale’s

or from the world’s superior Chapters. Many

directly

generally in the earliest Chapters and in Kel Tome-

Pages-

extremely integrated into the Empire and are

are

little Tales that have no ambitions beyond the

essentially

and no identity beyond Taleish. These Pages are

Empire

authoritarian, with the government reserving the

highly

to intrude into every facet of life, but are still generally

right

favour of private enterprise and commerce.

in

these Pages however every world is different.

Beyond

worlds are completely planned economies ruled

Some

from the central authority. Others are liberal

entirely

or authoritarian theocracies, or techno-feudal

democracies,

All that matters is that they provide Tale what

aristocracies.

wants when it wants it, that it meets the demands of the

it

Tale’s demands vary wildly- in times of relative

Empire.

and prosperity all Tale asks is that law and order are

peace

and that channels of trade and communication

maintained

open. In times of strife or war Tale can demand

remain

or less any concession, and it is the responsibility of

more

Page to both provide it and make its people accept that.

the

world of Tale is governed from the world itself, by

Each

Page government, which is subservient to the Imperial

the

Even Tale itself is governed in this way,

Government.

on it and the First Chapters the distinction

although

the Imperial and Page government is blurred. The

between

government of Tale, which has the authority to

Imperial

any Page government, is actually quite small but

command

powerful, appointing its own members as it sees

extremely

It is headed by the Imperial Privy Council, the body of

fit.

Emperor’s ministers who between them oversee all

the

of the Empire. The Imperial Army is similarly

elements

but extremely well equipped and highly trained, with

small,

soldiers chosen from the best and most loyal elements

its

the Page armies.

of

.

Tale

Tomes

ability of subversive or secessionist activities to spread.

the

Governance

Emperor is an enigmatic figure about whom little is

The

Although Tale is authoritarian and at times brutal

known.

Emperor himself is not a deific or even revered man.

the

shows on many Pages poke light fun at him, and

Comedy

questioning his mission is forbidden questioning

though

is acceptable.

him

truth the Emperor has not been seen in public for

In

Some believe he is dead, or never existed in the

centuries.

place. The exact truth is closely guarded by the

first

Government, although no member of the Privy

Imperial

has ever alluded to his death or claimed him to be

Council

other than active.

anything

which fail Tale, people who oppose Tale and

Governments

who cause problems for Tale can expect serious

groups

The Empire does not tolerate opposition, and

retribution.

runs gulags and hard labour camps, and is more

openly

willing to send people to them. The Empire does not

than

hereditary slavery of any kind (at least on an

perform

level- individual Pages can and do differ from this

Imperial

but is entirely at home to the concept of debt or

policy)

slavery.

punitive

things become more serious however the Empire

When

and does deploy its military internally. At no point since

can

Empire has comprised more than a dozen Pages has it

the

not been fighting some internal strife with military

ever

Attempts at Secession, either in part of a Page, a

force.

Note, or in one case an entire Tome, is common

whole

in the Empire, and the suppression of these efforts

enough

one of the few things the Empire prioritises over

is

expansion.

Empire does not ever formally recognise Secession,

The

although some Pages have successfully separated

and

from their Tome and enjoyed peace for a time

themselves

have all eventually been reclaimed through force or

they

the Empire has no loose ends in the current day

coercionthe

Pages of Stross.

beyond

Empire has no state religion and does not interfere

The

matters of faith. This is to make it easier to acquire

with

worlds as conquered peoples are not forced to

new

their religion, and also allows the Empire to

abandon

conflict with the servants of various powers.

prevent

Taleish have a close working relationship with a

The

of powerful extraplanar entities, most notably the

number

of Mechanus who consider the Empire a useful

Modrons

for the propagation of law and sends them specially

force

Inevitables for the creation of Mind Cores. The

designed

of the Nine Hells also have ongoing relationships

fiends

many high-profile Imperial citizens, including

with

military personnel and major business holders.

governors,

Seven Heavens have also long made their presence

The

largely in counter to the presence of the baatezu.

known,

inter-sphere Powers and Power-adjacent

Eighteen

are currently proscribed by the Empire. This means

beings

the Powers in question cannot be worshipped by

that

citizens, usually on pain of death or imprisonment

Imperial

a gulag. The most prominent such figure is the drow

in

Lolth, who has been proscribed by the Empire

goddess

the second invasion of Orgain. Other proscribed

since

include Orcus, the recently resurgent Demon Lord

Powers

undeath, as well as Umberlee the destroyer of the sea

of

The Emperor

Punitive Action and General Strife

Religion

and the god of anarchy and strife.

industry is largely focused around a series of large

Imperial

guild-like entities known as "Corporations".

commercial

in the eyes of Imperial law, they are an ingenious

People

for wealth gathering with minimal personal

device

As a tool for pursuing the goals of the Takers

accountablity.

have never seen something so perfect.

I

are extremely powerful and can operate

Corporations

near-impunity when it comes to the people on the

with

but must still concede to the Imperial authority,

ground,

anjoy no special protections in this regard.

and

generally pay taxes to the world they are

Businesses

on and follow the laws of that world even

incorporated

operating abroad, making it very hard for Page

when

to control companies from Tale. A lot of this is

governments

design, as the Imperial government uses relentless

by

expansion and the hunger for an infinite supply

capitalistic

fresh resources as its primary methods of achieving its

of

goals of expanding the Empire infinitely. The people

actual

to expand the Empire because they want to (or at

work

because their boss wants to), not because the

least

forces them to, which seems to be much more

government

efficient.

Taleish Empire expands through three principal

The

colonisation of uninhabited (or barely inhabited)

methods-

conquest of worlds with native populations, and

worlds,

with native governments and peoples in the

collaboration

of the Bydlow Tome. This former method is

manner

engaged in by Imperial Corporations.

extensively

least a dozen Imperial corporations utilise Speculator

At

to find and colonise worlds with their own workers.

Gates

corporations generally aim to create Note worlds by

These

and scouting out worlds with their gates, aiming to

finding

arable land, empty space and rich mineral deposits.

find

found these Corps will build Link Gates and offer

Once

colonisation opportunities to inner-city Imperial

attractive

usually from Ingress Tome. These colonists are

citizens,

allowed to build up to a population of around half a

then

during which they build infrastructure and export

million,

for the Corp, before the entire world is sold to the

goods

for billions of dollars.

Taleish

worlds remain private indefinitely, although these

Some

are usually small and resource poor. They become

worlds

estates of the richest Imperial citizens, or resort

private

or testing sites.

worlds,

note is that the entirety of the Ingress Tome was

Of

by private enterprise in this way, and that that

colonised

and varying Tome remains partially owned by the

wild

which originally colonised it.

corporations

phenomenal wealth of the Empire's uppermost classes

The

ridiculous, and there is little that is not commodified in

is

worlds of Tale. Immortality itself is available to anyone

the

sufficient wealth, with reserve clones and resurrection

with

extremely common amongst the wealthy. A

being

clone costs one million dollars, and most would

functioning

this is entirely worth the price to live for another of

agree

race's full lifetimes.

your

of wealthy individuals therefore involves

Assassination

the location and destruction of clones and the

both

of remains, as well as soul trapping and

annihilation

Clone Forts exist as a result of this, protecting the

disposal.

.

Corps

Private Worlds

Death, Immortality, and Assassination

clones of the wealthy for staggering sums.

from the heart of Evergloom, Marawall and

Hailing

(M&N) is perhaps the most ‘elegant’ of the arms

Noblemen

in the empire. Unlike most companies that

corporations

on producing sheer bulk goods, Marawall and

focus

prefers more personal items; Blending the

Noblemen

and practical needs of the Empire with traditional

martial

Artistry and Craftsmanship. Personalized to the

Elven

no one piece of M&N equipment is exactly alike, be it

buyer,

detailing work and trigger pull on a carbine to the panel

the

on a suit of body armor. What is most famous

designs

is their ironclad models, which follow the

however

and design ideas of more common equipment to

principles

next level. Everything is tailored to the pilots

the

down to even cup holders and family crest.

requirements

such pieces can go for tens of millions of gold, each

While

is one of a kind and cutting edge; Including the

one

so much a corporation as an extension of the Imperial

Not

ImpAr is responsible for outfitting the central

military,

Army with its heavy equipment. From Armored

Imperial

Carriers to 4th generation Spellweaver

Personnel

without Imperial Armor it is said nothing would

magicraft,

done. While they primarily focus on conventional heavy

get

and armor, they are also well known for the roster of

arms

clads unique to the armed forces. From the

combat

class sentry units seen in the coreward worlds

Homeguard

the Cavalier class multi-role combat platform seen

to

from war zones to frontier towns. Without

anywhere

if you served (mandatory or otherwise) you

question

Land and Oil Concern is the wealthiest and most

Tale

world speculator concern in the Empire.

powerful

formed as a composite of various Taleish oil

Originally

TLOC was born in order to pool as many

concerns,

resources as possible to form the first privately

corporate

Gates and colonise the world of Ingress.

built

still partially owns Ingress and runs its

TLOC

even after its acquisition by the Empire, and is

government,

is perhaps one of the largest weapons and armor

I.A.I

in the empire. Originally Ifverman Arms

manufacturers

they were one of the first guilds to spring up in the

Guild,

arm of the future Empire. As a pioneering guild

industrial

major rise to initial fame was in the production of a

their

but mass-produced combat knife that even

simple

later continues to see use from military to

generations

work through the realm.

utility

dozens of smaller guilds in the process of

Consuming

massive up scaling in production, IAI would become a

this

player in arming both the imperial army, but the

major

militias as well. As time wore on and the nature of

Outland

and armor evolved, so too did IAI; Often scalping

arms

or pioneers in the field to keep their edge. Even now

talents

image isn’t as prestigious as Imperial Armor Works,

IAI’s

they are synonymous with reliable, plentiful and rugged.

but

was also the primary contractor for the Titan

IAI

of Imperial armoured vehicles, and the most

generation

modern Ironclad models, known collectively as

common

Ifverman Titan Trifecta, are all I.A.I models.

the

Marawall and Noblemen

of the Emperor’s Royal Guard.

ironclads

Imperial Armorworks

have fond stories of the war machines of ImpAr.

probably

TLOC

the leading force for colonisation of new worlds.

now

Ifverman Arms Incorporated:

Imperial Broadcasting Organisation is the semi-private

The

arm of the Empire. Answering directly to the Privy

media

with the IBO Commisioner General having a

Council,

seat of their own, the IBO broadcasts officially

Council

and approved television and radio across the

licensed

Empire. It is responsible for providing Imperial

entire

with both fictional and factual media, and

citizens

all official proclamations of the central

dispensing

as well as developing new methods of

government,

and transmission.

communication

IBO also collects the notorious Receiver's Fee on all

The

worlds, which must be paid to legally receive any

Imperial

or radio broadcast within the Empire. Although

television

the Fee is extremely easy no effort is made

circumventing

prevent this, as failure to pay the Receiver's Fee is an

to

way for the Imperial authorities to arrest anyone they

easy

Shiawasena Neko's smiling feline face shines out of

Ōkina

estimated twenty million neon signs across the Empire,

an

the Big Happy Cat loudly proclaiming that the food

with

whatever building it is spread across is both

inside

AND delicious. Though it rarely is either healthy

nutritious

tasty the sheer ubiquity of Big Happy Cat food chains

or

low cost of their meals means that OSN is a staple of

and

culture.

Imperial

tried OSN meals myself out of curiosity I found

Having

noodles tasted like parchment and the soy sauce was

the

painfully acidic. I have no idea why anyone would

almost

choose to eat at these places repeatedly, and

willingly

Empire's thorny relationship with flight has lead to a

The

progression into aerial and wildspace technologies.

stunted

progress has been made to leave the ground has

What

made by Mockingbird Aeronautics, which has

been

a stranglehold on Imperial aviation since it

maintained

the Mockingbird Gunship in 591 and the jet engine

created

662. in

consider themselves the masters of

Mockingbird

that leaves the ground, and produces everything

everything

passenger planes to military helicopters to the rockets

from

Empire uses to launch communications satellites.

the

current crowning glory is the Máni program,

Mockingbird's

a largely technological Mockingbird rocket

where

transported a living human to the surface of

successfully

primary moon.

Tale's

is also conducting experiments into

Mockingbird

technology, which are some of the most

Spelljammer

inept I have ever witnessed. This is unsurprising,

laughably

the Empire is well served by its Gates and has no need

as

wildspace travel beyond its satellites.

for

formed by a merger between Evergloom and

Originally

corporations, Hexiron is a byword for cutting

Amatsukamin

arcana and technica. Hexiron is the current Imperial

edge

for advanced weapons design, responsible for

sweetheart

development of the next generation of armoured

the

and energy weapons.

vehicles

rarely makes anything itself, barring prototypes,

Hexiron

instead sells its designs back to ImpAr for mass

and

with an expensive license and a rule that its

manufacture

remain stamped with the Hexiron roundel.

designs

.

IBO

feel needs arresting.

Ōkina Shiawasena Neko

no idea why I kept going back to them.

similarly

Mockingbird Aeronautics

Hexiron

official tagline is "Arigakof, Engineering

Arigakof's

In Scope and Specification". A better slogan

Excellence

be "Arigakof; Because If It's Worth Doing It's Worth

might

With Wrought Steel".

Doing

is the Empire's premiere supplier of heavy

Arigakof

especially power generation and resource

engineering,

Originally founded by an alliance of Duregar

extraction.

Dwarven clans shortly after the conquest of Orgain,

and

words "Subtlety" and "Finesse" are not in Arigakof's

the

Arigakof builds it big, builds it relatively cheap, and

lexicon.

it when it breaks with some pipe it found behind the

fixes

shed.

has dabbled with military equipment, and has

Arigakof

tanks, Ironclads and personnel carriers for the

produced

Army. These machines tend to be solid and

Imperial

and above average in reliability if a bit poor in

oversized,

Golden Mile is a (many) mile-long street in Prelude,

The

site of the original Imperial stock exchange. The

the

operates under a relatively standard post-capitalist

Empire

system, where companies can float themselves in a

stock

for capital and unscrupulous men and women can

search

and sell theoretical numbers that make your eyes water

buy

your wallet shrivel up like a beaten animal. The Golden

and

exchange is not the only such stock exchange in the

Mile

but it is the biggest both in terms of companies

Empire,

and value traded.

represented

surprisingly (or perhaps not) the Empire

Perhaps

a strong central hand in the Mile's affairs, and

maintains

calls the Exchange Master to report to the Privy

regularly

to the point of giving him a seat of his own. While

Council,

Empire has few direct moral concerns it does despise

the

to enrich a small few without producing actual

activity

and comes down heavily on exploiting the markets to

value,

what it describes as "non-value added capital

perform

This means that playing the Golden Mile is a

aggregation".

risky business, where your fortune is only one of the

very

Building Better Beings."

"Torell-Yomari:

and golems are uncommon in the Empire,

Automata

a sour spot due to being too small to contain a

occupying

Core and far less effective and intelligent than a Core-

Mind

factory or other facility. A single golem costs as

operated

as a Mind Core, and while one Mind Core can

much

dozens of advanced machines with capable

operate

a golem can just about follow basic instructions.

intuition

is the leading creator of what it calls

Torell-Yomari

life", but are generally known as TY-Forged. These

"artificial

humanoid beings are expensive, but much more

man-sized

and capable than golems and able to operate

intelligent

more or less any conditions- knee deep in liquid

under

in the middle of a necrostorm, while they shovel

poison,

mithril with their bare hands. Under such

molten

the million dollar automata remain far, far

circumstances

expensive than the apparatus required to support a

less

mortal.

remain relatively rare, usually toiling out of

TY-Forged

of biological life. Their intelligence is high and they

sight

sapient by necessity, but their work is beyond dull. The

are

ramifications of this have not been, in my opinion,

possible

Arigakof

their performance.

Golden Mile Exchange

you can lose on a bad deal.

things

Torell-Yomari

terribly well considered.

Imperial Automata Championships grew out of the

The

Android Combat tourneys of Kordon, a series of

World

in which various profesional and home-built

contests

and Ironclads fought to the destruction or the

automata

in great televised spectacles. The WAC began in 460,

death

by as soon as 471 the IAC had secured exclusive rights

but

the inter-world distribution of the bouts as well as the

to

rights to host new bouts of their own.

intellectual

contests are held on most Imperial Page worlds, and

IAC

amongst the most popular spectator sports in the

are

of Tale, although baseball remains more popular in

entirety

and it is a stupid man who gets between an

Bydlow

orc and his rugby. The tourneys have gotten ever

Imperial

elaborate with ever bigger prizes being awarded to

more

winner, with the biggest and greatest tourneys still

the

held on Kordon by the WAC itself. Arms corps use

being

tourneys as opportunities to advertist and test their

the

and amateurs use them to prove their designs

equipment,

prospective employers. It is rumoured that the contract

to

of the Imperial Army watch the matches closely

nagotiators

a result of this, and base at least some of their decisions

as

the results of the tourneys.

on

most Imperial blood sports the chances of death in

Like

IAC are small, as infrastructure is set up to resurrect

the

who are unlucky enough to be killed in the fights. This

any

course does little to nothing to help with the pain of

of

pasted across the ground by the boot of a twenty-ton

being

robot.

walking

began as the Washington Arms Company, one of

WC&K

Empire's larger contractors for small arms and light

the

vehicles before the Indaero wars. The WAC was

armoured

big, but exploded when it invented the Bunyan, the

always

mass-manufactured Ironclad, and gained sufficient

original

to fundamentally change the Empire's entire

clout

model to the Standard Length Contract

manufacturing

which was itself based on the centuries of the

system,

god, the Teotlan.

WAC's

became a rolling juggernaut after the Bunyan,

WAC

and buying out various smaller arms

assimilating

as they appeared to make their mark on the

companies

army. This attitude of poaching the best designers

Imperial

ideas houses has long lead to WAC (and later W-C and

and

cornering the market on many crucial pieces of

WC&K)

equipment, the most famous of course being the

military

tank and its variants which served for a total of

Lafayette

hundred and sixty years.

two

strategy of course lead to name changes and

This

to Washington-Cheolgongso after acquiring the

rebranding-

of the Ban'Go in 542, and WC&K after buying out

makers

makers of the Lafayette's replacement, the Kunlun

the

Unit, in 894- but WCK is still the same old

Manufacturing

Arms Company at its heart, and is now by far

Washington

richest and most powerful arms and armour company

the

the Empire, with WC&K designs making up a whopping

in

of all non-aviation military hardware produced

56%

in the Empire. WC&K makes everything, from

anywhere

Imperial Automata Championships

WC&K

guns to missiles to tanks to grenades to Vitae Cores.

the capital world of the Empire and the hub from

Taleis

everything springs. With a population of fifty billion

which

may be the most populous world in all of creation. The

it

city Prelude revels in its position as the largest city

capital

to exist anywhere in all the planes, possessing as it

known

a population of nine billion. The centre of Prelude is

does

by the massive monolithic Tower of Prelude, a pair

pieced

shining white spires bridged with a lattice of black glass

of

forms the home of the Emperor. Although the Tower

that

to be entirely modern there are no records of its

appears

or of having ever been modified in any way,

construction,

yet it shines with solar panels designed only last year.

and

of Tale is wilderness dotted with the ruins of cities

Most

long ago for the megalopolises of the Empire,

abandoned

spanned by the Empire’s famous and beloved bullet

and

that connect Tale’s twelve great cities. Tale’s

railways

are long since run dry, and much of the world is

resources

partial or total ecological collapse. The cities are

suffering

from this disaster, but whatever remains beyond

spared

is largely wasteland. Tale as a result must import

them

of its food from other worlds, particularly the worlds

most

the Tome of Evergloom.

in

was the first world conquered by the Prelude authority

Kel

it was then known, the first Page to be added to the

as

story.

Empire’s

the Empire’s arrival Kel was a humdrum world of

Before

lords, adventuring heroes, ancient ruins and

feudal

gods. The Authority chose it largely at random

enigmatic

a list of identical worlds which its speculator wizards

from

found, and crushed its old orders into dust over the

had

of three decades of warfare. Kel was then

course

to new forms of industry, and flooded with

introduced

settlers who arrived to take advantage of its

Taleish

empty lands.

relatively

Kel is as Imperial as any world can be. It has little

Now

no culture of its own, and its people live in megalopolises

to

like those of Tale. Like Tale Kel is also largely a

just

wasteland, and like Tale Kel is beginning to see

plundered

first signs of total ecological collapse.

the

Kel Kel’s servant worlds are largely focused on

Like

masses of Imperial citizens, expanding into easy

housing

settling these new worlds, overpopulating them,

conquests,

is a bizarre world where the sunset is eternal,

Evergloom

trees grow higher and faster, and wildlife is beyond

the

It was the second world to which Tale expanded, a

prolific.

of elves which is partially merged with its own

land

giving the planet’s natural forces an extreme

Feywild,

in power. Evergloom’s winds blow stronger, its

increase

rise higher, its quakes dig deeper, and its fires burn

tides

hotter.

the Empire invaded Evergloom it was facing an

When

well seasoned in the use of magic and monsters

enemy

early automatic weapons and armoured vehicles,

with

that it had to rely extensively on diplomacy in

meaning

to turn native groups against one another and ally

order

the moist amenable. As a result of this Evergloom’s

with

is still extremely aristocratic, based on the old

government

kingdoms who chose to side with the Taleish and add

elven

hiss of their arrows to the resounding boom of Taleish

the

artillery.

Tale (50 bln)

Kel (31 bln)

them, and repeating the cycle anew.

housing

Evergloom (15 bln)

worlds are the breadbaskets of the Empire,

Evergloom’s

Evergloom selects its expansions based on which

and

can best provide it with the vast orchards and fields

worlds

it requires to meet its obligations. It also prides itself

which

creating the best products of the empire- the most

on

weapons, the most efficient vehicles, the most

powerful

buildings and arts. Whether this pride is wellfounded

beautiful

is arguable, but being made in Evergloom’s tome is

stamp of quality all across the Empire.

a

culture is a blend of old elven attitudes and

Evergloom’s

Imperial changes, creating a deeply stratified and

new

imperialistic society. At the top are the old

utterly

families and those who they choose to take in

Evergloom

their conquered worlds. At the bottom are the

from

of beings who require natural surroundings to

diaspora

sent to Evergloom’s worlds to toil in the farms.

survive,

is one of the five first chapter worlds, directly

Orgain

to Tale by the Mountain Gate. Orgain is a

connected

cold world with an almost uninhabitable

mountainous,

which was locked in constant warfare between the

surface

duergar and drow kingdoms. When the Empire

native

Orgain it allied with the drow against the duergar,

invaded

armies drawn from Evergloom to promote

using

The drow were promised premiere roles in

cooperation.

empire, to rule Orgain on behalf of their masters on

the

This proved to not be enough, and the drow betrayed

Tale.

Taleish as the war against the duergar began to grow to

the

close in a series of slaughters. In response the Empire

a

massive drafts across all three of its words and

issued

a massive army to re-invade Orgain.

raised

are now almost no drow on Orgain, which is run

There

the duergar and Taleish dwarven clans who coexist well

by

the mutual bonds of greed and capitalism. Orgain’s

in

are devoted to heavy industry and the acquisition of

worlds

and fuels, and new expansions traditionally look for

metals

with expansive underdarks. This produces a near-

worlds

flow of drow , elven, firbolg and centaur diaspora

constant

Orgain destroys the local order, elevates any local

as

and duergar to run the world, and discards anyone

dwarves

cannot tolerate the ravaging of nature.

who

was first discovered in the earliest days of the

Bydlow

by the first Rangers, who stumbled across it while

Empire

the Planes. It was noted and catalogued as a

exploring

of middling technology, using early steam power and

world

weapons alongside basic magic, before being

musket

forgotten about.

quickly

years after the conquest of Orgain Bydlow was

Eighteen

by the Vodoni Empire, a fleet of airborne craft

invaded

a vast horde of lycanthropic horrors. Although the

carrying

was not yet sufficiently recovered to conquer

Empire

it saw this as an opportunity, and aided the Bydlans

Bydlow

repelling their invaders in exchange for their vassalage.

in

Bydlans were given Imperial technology which they

The

adapted to and used to drive out the spacefaring

quickly

For their part the Bydlans accepted Imperial

monsters.

and protection from future threats.

dominion

Bydlow became a Tome it remained the most free

When

independent, with the greatest capacity for autonomy.

and

which the Empire coerces into joining with trade

Worlds

diplomacy are usually offered positions in Bydlow

and

and similar independence, although it is rare for a

Tome

to forever be allowed this freedom.

world

are mostly drow and firbolgs, and almost slaves.

These

Orgain (11 bln)

Bydlow (21 bln)

Weave permeates the Empire as much as it does

The

but traditional magic has long fallen out of

anywhere,

with the Empire. Although wiards and sorcerors do

favour

and the old arcane colleges of Tale remain in various

exist

the Empire works on economies of scale which

capacities

individual spellcasters like myself partially obsolete

make

a strategic level.

on

magic in the Empire could better be called

Most

blendings of arcane and mechanical systems to

artificery,

devices more powerful than either aspect could

create

alone. Referred to within the Empire as Technica,

create

achievements of these methods are truly remarkable,

the

surpass anything I have ever seen elsewhere in the

and

except possibly for the foundries of Mechanus

Planes,

Even the Diabolic engines of the Nine Hellsotherwise

itself.

without compare as war machines- can only

to compete against the Empire as equals.

hope

scientific method is well developed, and has

Imperial

many fruits. The Empire has automatic rimfire

born

explosives, refrigeration, mass-production,

weapons,

composites (although it prefers metal), internal

plastics,

radiant energy projection, electrical power, the

combustion,

motor, the jet engine, rotary and fixed-wing aircraft,

electric

flight, fission power, fusion bombs,

heavier-than-air

packaging, wireless communication, and postcapitalist

disposable

political thought. Though I have seen many of

advancements before on the Planes or other Prime

these

never before have I seen all such devices together,

worlds

seen the principles behind the devices so conclusively

or

A few specific devices I have never seen

explored.

Ironclad is an all-purpose workhorse, suitable for any

The

from travel to labour to combat. Ironclads are large

job

vehicles, generally around twenty feet tall and

walking

bipedal. They are considered supremely adaptable

usually

excel in most activities where minimal logistical

and

or infrastructural quality can be expected. The

support

Ironclads were invented as an alternative to other

original

for conquering the cave world of Indaero, where

vehicles

vehicles and motorised infantry were incapable

armoured

navigating the churned and broken tunnels of the native

of

artillery was of no use, and foot infantry were

Thri-Keen,

vulnerable to ambushes at all times. The

exceptionally

lacked any anti-armour technology and so were

Thri-Keen

to stop the Ironclads as they invaded their hives and

unable

their soldiers- only seventeen ironclads were lost to

torched

action in the entire war, all killed by enemy mages, a

enemy

which otherwise claimed more than one hundred and

war

thousand Imperial lives and millions of Thri-Keen.

twenty

then Ironclads have become widespread as mining,

Since

and construction vehicles, and are the Empire’s

farming,

war machines for light scouting, as well as woodland,

go-to

and urban combat. Ironclads have advanced

marshland,

from those original designs deployed on

enormously

which were almost entirely arcane, being little

Indaero

than golems containing a very cramped pilot and

more

flamethrowers. The modern Ironclad is a

holding

giant, equipped with a variety of devices and

mechanical

weapons powered from a miniature onboard

high-tech

All this is controlled by two entities working in

reactor.

the pilot, and the Mind Core.

parallel-

Arcana and Technica

Imperial Magic and Science

also stand out, and are documented here.

elsewhere

Ironclads

computers are of limited capacity and extremely

Imperial

being only good for number processing. They have

bulky,

since reached the limits of what valves can allow, as

long

other polities have before, necessitating the use of

many

methods.

arcane

the Empire uses souls, usually of outsiders or

Instead

entities”, who are bound into rods of gold or

“extraplanar

or brass. These bound souls develop personalities of

iron

own, influenced by the nature of their original form

their

in no way dependent on them. They are then connected

but

small weave turbines and weavehammers, used to

to

small electrical impulses which are then fed into a

generate

creating a flawless direct connection between

computer,

soul and any computer they are connected to. This

the

that the souls become Mind Cores, and can be used

means

rapidly control mechanical and electrical devices of all

to

types.

Cores are ludicrously expensive. A new Ironclad

Mind

approximately nine million dollars. Of this three

costs

dollars are spent on the Mind Core. Cheaper cores

million

exist, but they are too simple for anything other than the

do

basic functions. There is no escaping the necessity of

most

cores are the means by which an injured soldier

Vitae

holds on to life, and are single handedly

precariously

for keeping melee combat relevant into the

responsible

Empire.

modern

vitae core is a magical implant the size of a child’s fist

A

constantly leeches positive energy and disperses it

which

its host. Soldiers with Vitae cores are very very

through

to kill with bullets smaller than a thumb, with

hard

other than a shot to the head or the heart being

anything

that the vitae core can maintain life through and,

something

allow recovery from. Vitae cores are so efficient

eventually,

a soldier riddled with rifle bullets to the point of shock

that

incapacitation can return to the fight before the battle

and

even over under their own power.

is

response to this is melee combat. Even considering

The

explosives a sword or axe remains the best

man-portable

to do major physical damage to an enemy equipped

way

a vitae core, and the resilience the vitae core gives

with

melee combat more viable against other targets as

makes

well.

cylinders are complex cylinders of various sizes

Boolean

spin in a vacuum-sealed housing. They can convert

which

energy directly into weave disturbances, making

electrical

essentially magic generators.

them

cylinders work by quickly and pseudo-randomly

The

a series of runes inscribed on the cylinder’s face,

moving

“hammering” the local weave and causing rapidly

rapidly

disturbances which can then be manipulated.

oscillating

and faster boolean cylinders can cause larger

Larger

and thus generate more magical power.

disturbances

cylinders of a different type- known as Weave

Boolean

also exist to perform the opposite function-

Turbines-

magic directly into electrical power. Weave

turning

are not broadly used for power generation as they

Turbines

highly inefficient (connecting a Weavehammer and a

are

Turbine in series is less than 15% efficient),

Weave

them to a technical curiosity with extremely

relegating

applications, but essential for the operating of Mind

niche

Mind Cores

Cores, or their expense.

Mind

Vitae Cores

Boolean Cylinders aka Weavehammers

Cores.

wars can broadly be broken into two types- war

Imperial

a technological or magical equal (usually a

against

section of the Empire) and war against a

breakaway

inferior, known affectionately by Taleish

technological

as "seal clubbing".

soldiers

Empire's preferred grand strategy when attacking is

The

use horizontal Speculator Gates to drop large numbers

to

infantry and aircraft into a sparsely populated part of the

of

world or plane, along with military engineers who

target

a Link Gate from prefabricated parts over the

assemble

of the next day or so. This Link Gate is then used to

course

additional men, equipment and ammunition as the

ferry

goes on the offensive, targeting enemy

Empire

with its aircraft as its ground corps spreads

infrastructure

like an infection.

out

of course means that the Empire's invasion of a new

This

is intensely vulnerable in the first day, making

world

developed worlds difficult (as has been seen by

attacking

Empire's efforts against Stoss) as there is a long delay

the

Imperial forces only have access to a small amount

where

equippments.

of

commanders are generally capable and willing

Imperial

adapt, but one failure I have noticed is that they can have

to

transitioning out of seal clubbing and into a

difficulty

warfare system when shown that a previously

conventional

enemy is more dangerous than they

underestimated

purpose of the Empire's armies is not immediately

The

It of course has a variety of roles, including the

apparent.

of acquired worlds and the expansion into new

suppression

but these are both in service of the military's

territories,

goal of holding the Empire together. This is the real

true

of the army, and it is a purpose that has little to do

purpose

the army's actual capacity.

with

military of the Empire is massive, employing an

The

seven billion souls across all its worlds not

estimated

the various frontier militias. Despite this however

including

is more or less impossible for the Empire to leverage all

it

power simultaneously, and it would never wish to do

this

Most of these soldiers are tied up with one duty or

so.

at any given moment, leaving at most five to six

another

usable in an invasion or similar.

percent

this leaves at least three billion soldiers ready

Although

duty there is another major issue- the Empire cannot

for

to lose. The Privy Council relies on a series of

afford

victories to impress, intimidate, and bind in

propaganda

cause the citizens of its constituent worlds. As a

common

of this the Empire is only truly willing to leverage its

result

power in defense of its existing assets, not to expand.

full

also of course ignore the expense of military

This

The Empire's yearly military budget is

operations.

four hundred and twenty trillion dollars per

approximately

but this is insufficient to simply conquer a world

year,

it feels like. Global conquest is one thing, but

whenever

costs of a common world can easily run into the

occupation

of trillions per year, and when the sheer length of

tens

is considered these numbers can quickly

occupation

staggering- the final cost of the annexation of

become

one of the fourth chapter worlds of Orgain Tome, is

Teyar,

The Empire At War

Imperial Strategy

expected.

The Military's Purpose

estimated as having been one quadrillion Imperial dollars.

fixed-wing aircraft are quite poorly developed

Imperial

to other worlds I have seen. The Empire faced

compared

same principle issues with these early craft as every

the

world did (inability to contend against airborne

other

in combat, limited uses for scouting etc) but also

cavalry

not require them for civilian use due to the early

did

of more advanced railways. As a result of this

development

though the Empire discovered the jet engine six

even

ago they haven't made a vast amount of use of it.

centuries

rotary-wing aircraft are more advanced, and are a

Imperial

method for supporting ground forces with

favourite

of rockets and automatic cannon shells. In seal

barrages

operations they are also able to operate with nearimpunity,

clubbing

making them very attractive to Imperial

Imperial parlance a "Beast Corps" is any form of infantry

In

cavalry that does not use creature arcanically defined as

or

giants, or (ironically) beasts. Dragons are

humanoids,

a subset of these beast corps, although they are

considered

described as such in order to preserve draconic

rarely

sensibilities.

Corps have historically dominated Imperial urban,

Beast

and subterranean combat where their

woodland,

and adaptability is crucial, as is their ability

maneuverability

switch rapidly from using their mounted weapons

to

heavy machineguns or mortars operated by a

(usually

to melee combat. They are also beloved for their

rider)

to carry (although not fire) heavy artillery into

ability

unreachale positions. Favoured creatures

otherwise

manticores, peryton, ankhegs, gryphons, hydras,

include

rocs, remorhazes and (rarely) purple worms,

hippogriffs,

increasingly more powerful creatures being

with

rarer due to the difficulty of taming and

increasingly

them.

rearing

are less effective than Ironclads in most

Beasts

but are generally cheaper to maintain and

capacities,

cheaper to produce, which makes them an

always

Imperial equipment is broadly defined by Standard

Official

Contracts, deals for a company to supply a design

Length

machinery for a 52 year period. Combat Genertions

and

about due to this, changing each time a contractor is

come

as technology advances. During a Combat

changed

a given piece of equipment is produced by a

Generation

manufacturer, as well as by ImpAr on their

particular

Particular corporations will dominate a given area

behalf.

a given generation, and competition for each new

for

contract is extremely fierce.

generational

core Imperial Army is given the first pick of all new

The

and replaces and supplements its stock until it

equipment,

satisfied, a time which can easily take half of a generation

is

more. Once the Imperial Army is content with its lot the

or

is released to the Tomes, who typically act

equipment

to the Imperial Army and update their First

similarly

Page Armies first, followed by each successive

Chapter's

In this way it can take many decades for cutting-

Chapter.

equipment to reach the later Chapters, with the

edge

and now Fifth Chapters being three combat

Fourth

behind the Imperial Army. Civilian equipment

generations

generally on par with Fourth Chapter equipment as a

is

.

Aircraft

commanders.

Beast Corps

prospect to Imperial armourers.

attractive

Combat Generations

result, if not better.

are abundantly common in Tale, and form one of

Humans

four dominant species along with orcs, dwarves, and

its

The Emperor himself is supposedly human, as are

elves.

of the Privy Council.

much

naturally quick to multiply, highly adaptive and

Being

driven, humans make up forty percent of the

extremely

population. Their cultures are extremely diverse

Empire’s

they fall into the broad

(although

etc moulds as they always

Amatsukamin/Aesiric/Pesdjetian

and they can be found anywhere.

have),

and half-orcs are common in the empire. Tale had a

Orcs

native orcish population in its steppe hordes, who

large

cowed by the Emperor’s fantastical weapons and

were

into the Imperial military very early in its history.

brought

are highly pragmatic but innately resistant to

Orcs

and highly quarrelsome. They have some

authority

with Imperial society as a result, but function well

difficulty

the Frontier, where most of the Empire’s orc population

on

be found. Orcs are usually employed in the military and

can

industries, and are usually the preferred choices

security

the invading of new worlds as the empire’s expansionist

for

are entirely in line with the teachings of Gruumsh.

policies

are neatly blended into orcish society at

Hobgoblins

or less all levels, and occupy very similar positions.

more

numbers of scro can also be found across the

Moderate

Empire.

are vital to the daily operating of the empire, and

Dwarves

the second most populous race after humans. Dwarven

are

were the first allies of the Emperor, courted by his

clans

of efficiency and lawful society, and have been

promises

integrated into the empire since that day.

heavily

are generally employed in heavy industry roles,

Dwarves

make up the majority of the population of the world of

and

Tome. In other Tomes they are less common, but far

Orgain

rare. from

are also common in the empire, although they

Duregar

more or less entirely restricted to Orgain Tome as their

are

for underground climes means that they require

preference

with Underdarks or large mines, both of which are

worlds

the purview of Orgain. There is little to no

considered

to Imperial censuses over 93% of Imperial

According

are employed in the military, and they are over-

dragonborn

in the Imperial Army (the force which answers

represented

to the Privy Council as opposed to a Page World)

directly

a factor of nearly 2000%. The Empire loves dragonborn,

by

their martial culture and fierce devotion to their

especially

and considers them highly capable, dependable, and

oaths,

soldiers.

loyal

are nonetheless rare in the empire, as they

Dragonborn

infrequently encountered during expansion and

are

incentive programs) breed relatively slowly. The

(despite

citizen on the street therefore rarely if ever sees

average

in their daily lives.

dragonborn

the many dragonborn employed in the military most

Of

The Imperial Races

Humans

Orcs

Dwarves

between the peoples at this juncture.

animosity

Dragonborn

are employed in Beast and Drake Corps.

science asserts that elves are born of the Feywild,

Imperial

that they struggle when not surrounded by life. Ugly,

and

imperial cities of concrete and steel do not sit well

sterile

elves, and as a result they gravitate towards the one

with

of “nature” that the Empire respects- intensive

form

Most of the Empire’s food is grown by elves,

hydroponics.

at least by elven overseers. The Evergloom Tome is also

or

by elves, meaning that the race in general has

ruled

influence compared to its meagre

disproportionate

Elven artisans and artists are also very

population.

in the Empire, with a large proportion of the

prominent

public celebrities being elven.

Empire’s

Elves

High

original aristocrats of Evergloom were generally

The

Elves, and they remain so to this day. High Elves run

High

of Evergloom's businesses and government, and

much

old families also count members of the upper levels

many

the Imperial government in their number.

of

Elves

Wood

elves are naturally attuned to nature, an

Wood

trait in the Empire, but are preserved from the

unenviable

fate of the firbolgs by the natural unity and

terrible

haughtiness of the Evergloom governments.

imperialistic

elves as a result are usually able to escape the

Wood

heart of the Empire and make their ways either

industrial

Note worlds to to the ever-expanding frontier. The first

to

of settlers in a new land is usually of wood elves for

wave

reason, who move into newest Imperial acquisitions

this

another world is acquired, at which point they move

until

and leave their homes open for humans and orcs.

on

Eladrin

are surprisingly common in the Empire,

Eladrin

their relationship with Tale is strained. The

although

to put it very mildly, does not like the Feywild as it

Empire,

a world of whimsy and change beyond its direct control.

is

a result worlds outside of Evergloom Tome usually have

As

Feywilds purged using massive forest-clearing

their

known as Arborciders, supported by massive orc

machines

who will remain in the Feywild their entire lives.

armies

from these Feywilds are usually moved to

Eladrin

Feywilds which are tamed by constant Imperial

Evergloom

their inhabitants monitored for signs of secession.

efforts,

Drow

are a largely subjugated class in the Empire, and

Drow

in disenfranchised ghettos on many worlds of the

live

Tome. They are usually driven from Underdarks

Evergloom

they are found, and when they are not removed their

when

are put under heavy curfew as their political classes

cities

religious institutions are destroyed. The Empire has no

and

for the traditional drow ways of life, and does not

tolerance

its existence when Duregar are so much more

permit

to its needs.

amenable

Elves Half

humans are extremely common in the Empire,

Half-elven

outstripping the populations of full elves of all

massively

There are no parts of the empire where half elves

types.

be found in large numbers except for some of the

cannot

of Orgain Tome, but even here half-elves thrive

worlds

to their natural charm and long lifespans.

thanks

elves are defined by the Taleish censuses as any

Half

possessing at least one ancestor of full elvish blood

human

of every four born in the last millenium. If it were not

out

this limitation (which, amongst other things, excludes

for

children of multiple half-elves) they would be the

the

most populous race in the Empire and on track to

second

humans by the year IMP 2620.

outnumber

.

Elves

of the Imperial gnomish population calls Evergloom

Most

Orgain Tome its home. They are natural scientists,

or

and technicians and gravitate towards such

engineers

whenever opportunities present themselves. Many

fields

innovations were invented by gnomes, and the

Imperial

punches well above its weight class in this regard.

race

simple life craved by halflings is alive and well in the

The

but it is not the way of their ancestors. Halflings

Empire,

towards the freer worlds of the Empire, where

gravitate

tend to slip into a broad middle class of picket fences

they

pleasant enough apartments. This may just be the

and

luck at work, but it certainly seems to work for

halfling

are uncommon in the empire, just as they are

Tieflings

but far from unheard of. Tieflings generally

everywhere,

to their own worlds when they have kingdoms of their

keep

or gravitate towards these kingdoms when they do

own,

not.

Genasi, and other planetouched tend towards

Tieflings,

where they can quell the arcane side of them- for

jobs

this usually mean managerial or corporate

tieflings

of control, although they also have a good hand in

positions

anything which gives them power enough to quiet

finance,

nagging voices in their head. For earth genasi for

the

this often means travelling to Orgain Tome, where

example

can be surrounded by earth just as their ancestors

they

were.

in general tend to form quarters within

Planetouched

cities. Having visited these places I would say they

Imperial

usually too nice to be called “ghettos”, but the word

are

at the edge of the mind.

hovers

is difficult for beings over seven feet tall. Caloric intake,

Life

requirements, the cavalcades of issues that come

housing

pushing a bipedal spine to its limits, the ever-looming

with

of square-cube, law all these issues mount up. This

spectre

one of the reasons why such species tend to violence in

is

farming is not energy efficient for them, but tribute

nature-

raiding usually is.

and

of these problems remain in the Empire, but some

Many

fixed. Easy access to low-cost calorie-dense foods

are

that the races the Empire classes as “heavy

means

can survive more easily, and generally tend to

peoples”

less violent. They also tend to become fat and

become

due to their metabolism and brain chemistry, but

sedentary

is neither here nor there.

that

heavy peoples become manual labourers or

Most

where their natural abilities are useful and they do

soldiers

have to interact with devices not designed for them.

not

also tend to form quarters in cities, where everything

They

Gnomes

Halflings

them.

Tieflings, Genasi, and other

Planetouched

Minotaurs, Goliaths, and other “heavy”

races.

is scaled a little too big for the smaller peoples.

society is in theory regimented, but at its edges

Imperial

its base a fragmented anarchy reigns with little direct

and

This is where a number of species who are too

control

and often too stupid to function in

quarrelsome

Imperial society end up, forming a seedy

conventional

of criminals and extremely lower classes.

underbelly

life and pastoral living are rare in the empire, which

Simple

forests and sacred glades as sources of lumber

sees

it and mineral deposits. Creatures which need

between

things to continue their way of life do not fare well in

such

Empire, and are generally hounded to the edges of their

the

before being forced to come begging to the Imperial

world

or starve. Such people are usually sent to the

colonists

Tome where they spend the rest of their lives

Evergloom

rare or powerful races in the empire are designated

Some

or Extreme Special Interest Races. Although the

ESIRs,

of most Imperial citizens are tracked the

movements

of ESIs are heavily monitored at all times, and the

location

can often find themselves pressed into service.

people

Giants

who did not secede with the Pages of Stoss are

Giants

by the Empire as its best soldiers. Hill giant

treasured

may possess a limited tactical acumen but even

infantry

can grasp the ideas of simple firearms, while fire and

they

giants live for Imperial wars as surely as they live for

frost

Surtur's.

Illithids

position of mind flayers in Imperial society is a

The

one full of exceptions. Driven by an instinctive

complex

to dominate and expand the illithids are naturally

desire

to the Empire's methods, but all servitude rankles

attuned

Elder Brain and the natural xenophobia of the species

an

little to aid this.

does

rarely mingle with other Imperial citizens, and it

Illithids

to be an even chance whether a world's mind

appears

communities will align with Imperial invaders,

flayer

to repel them, or simply abandon the world to its

attempt

with their nautiloids. What illithids do join the Empire

fate

make their homes far from other citizens and will

normally

rise to the top of whatever enterprises they choose

quickly

associate themselves with.

to

Undead

undead are not persecuted in the Empire, but

Intelligent

propagation of undead is allowed murder remains

while

and any necromancer who is unable to control his

illegal,

will face similar punishment to any other industrial

undead

disaster.

a lich myself I was pleasantly surprised by how well

As

Empire received and accepted me. I was not refused

the

with governors or business leaders due to my

audiences

although my presence was not appreciated

nature,

the lower classes. I was also able to acquire souls

amongst

fill my phylactery from amongst the debt-slaves of

to

Ingress worlds, which I understand is common

multiple

Imperial liches.

amongst

and liches head multiple Imperial corporations

Vampires

often rise highly in such organisations due to a lack of

and

needs and large amounts of experience in relevant

general

.

Goblins, Gnolls, Bugbears, Kobolds,

Lizardfolk, and other anarchics.

Firbolgs, Centaurs, and similar

farming, as do their dwindling lines of descendants.

ESIs or Extreme Special Interest Races

fields.

are nearly three hundred recognised gods in the

There

often competing with each other for worshippers

Empire,

quasi-power Buddha Gautama has assumed a role of

The

head for several faiths within the Empire, which

pantheon

collectively referred to as Taleish Dharmism. This

are

also incorporates significant Bureaucratic

religion

creating a faith based around peace and order

practices,

diverges quite significantly from its constituent

which

roots.

Dharmism preaches the cyclical nature of

Taleish

acceptance of authority, nonviolence, frugality,

existence,

a pursuit of inner peace.

and

Life, Trickery, Ambition, Mind, Beauty

Domains:

Lawful Good

Alignment:

of the few Abyssal forces openly worshipped in the

One

Graz'zt is the Imperial god of artistry, hedonism

Empire,

celebration. From theatres to strip clubs, Graz'zt's

and

is exalted wherever emotion and "the moment"

name

reason and structure.

surpass

of the six-fingered gods run various clubs of

"Priests"

and indulgence across the Empire, usually running

excess

the edge of the legal system. One service they provide is

on

"Sigil of Six", a tattoo on those who wish for it that

the

the protection of an abyssal lord for all those

guarantees

want it in exchange for a constant tithe of their

who

as well as whatever else the church asks for.

earnings...

Trickery, Ambition, Mind, Beauty

Domains:

Chaotic Evil

Alignment:

Obsidian Butterfly has long cemented her role as the

The

Death god of the Taleish, edging out the Raven

primary

to occupy the coveted position. She is the preeminent

Queen

power controlling the cycle of death and rebirth,

has a hand in battle as one of the Empire's many gods

and

war. of

clerics of Itzpapalotl handle anti-undeath duties

The

the Empire, and work to both deliver children and

across

out the dead. The massive stepped pyramids which for

lay

primary churches are also used for the

Itzpapalotl's

of her old pantheon, as well as the ritual

worship

of precious objects, food, and occasionally

sacrificing

to the Queen of the Dead.

criminals

Death, Grave, Life, War, Peace, Blood

Domains:

Gods of the Empire

sharing portfolios.

and

Bane

Buddha Gautama

Graz'zt

Gruumsh

Itzpapalotl

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

is the Empire's great god of magic, having muscled

Odin

way into the position through dint of being one of the

his

High Gods of the arcane. The Empire reveres the oneeyed

only

king as the bringer of knowledge and prophecy, and

is known to be liberal with his favour when it comes to

he

mages who remember him in their moments of

Imperial

victory.

Life, Light, Order, Peace, Solidarity, City

Domains:

is the king of sunlight, law, justice, and civilisation.

Pelor

the Empire's chief deity, Pelor's face in the

Arguably

is focused on justice and the responsibilities of a

Empire

both to bring civilisation to others and support

civilisation,

within your own community.

those

Church of Pelor is one of the biggest in the Empire,

The

deeply involved with local and Imperial-level charity.

and

also work hard to incorporate conquered peoples into

They

Empire to prevent their exploitation in unfamiliar

the

Informally they are also present in the Empire to

situations.

the Church of Bane, and prevent a stranglehold of

oppose

across Tale.

Tyranny

Life, Light, Order, Peace, Solidarity, City

Domains:

Neutral Good

Alignment:

is the Empire's god of creation and artifice, its

Ptah

patron of science and technica. Imperial

primary

Odin

Arcana, Knowledge, Nature, War

Alignment:

Pelor

Ptah

of Ptah do not general

worshippers

Waukeen

Empire's constant conquests and expansions have

The

it into contact with a great many polities and

brought

which also consider themselves inter-world players.

powers

no one of these powers can oppose the Empire in

Though

battle they do, all together, keep it constantly tested

open

with little room for it to rest on its laurels.

and

Vodoni Empire has been a sworn enemy of the Taleish

The

since the Bydlow wars, where the Taleish successfully

ever

the world against the vast Vodoni assaults.

held

Vodoni were once the equals of the Taleish,

The

armoured vehicles and automatic weapons with

opposing

spelljammers and nigh-invulnerable

supersonic

infantry. The two empires clashed on dozens

lycanthropic

occasions, although the wolves of the stars never

of

a Taleish world.

conquered

Vodoni were eventually defeated not by the Taleish

The

by the Free Space Alliance, and the subsequent Taleish

but

of the Vodoni capital world would suggest that

conquest

particular foe is defeated, although the Taleish

this

to ban Vodoni imagery and there are most

continue

remnants of the were-men out in the blackness of

definitely

wildspace.

Empire's opportunity to make peace with Lolth has

The

since passed, and her position on the proscription list

long

earned the Empire the eternal emnity of both the

has

of Spiders and her entire subservient pantheon.

Queen

had no Underdark of its own (extensive mining

Tale

have since changed this) and I question if the

operations

truly understood what it was doing when it made

Empire

enemy of an inter-sphere Power who controls an entire

an

of the Abyss, but the die is long since cast and now

layer

and her pantheon are mortal enemies of the Empire.

Lolth

has shown a willingness to work even with her

Lolth

hated enemies in order to harm the Empire, and is

most

of an assembling leader for the proscribed

something

and Power-adjacents. If I were pressed to name

Powers

force that would ultimately destroy the Empire it would

the

these beings- making the enemy of Powers is rarely

be

major consequence, and making nearly a score

without

enemies is demanding your own death.

such

Thri-Keen empire known as the Stars of the Mantis,

The

in the Taleish Empire as the Biters, is currenty the

known

and most populous Empire recorded in the Hall.

largest

it differs from the Taleish in many significant ways

Though

shares a deep and abiding love of expansion and a

it

for fresh resources that the Taleish would be able to

hunger

as an echo of their own if they had enough self

recognise

awareness.

have written extensively about the Mantis before in my

I

works, and see no need to repeat myself here. It is an

other

vast polity of trillions, packed into

incomprehensibly

eighteen hundred worlds. It is also a distressing

around

led by its psionic overlord god-emperor and

theocracy,

with its supposed ancient gods named the

obssessed

The Empire's Enemies

Head Above the Parapets

The Vodoni Empire

The Dark Seldarine

The Stars of the Mantis

"Juna", who I have yet to see any evidence of divinity for.

Though the Taleish outstrip the Mantis comfortably in

.

of technology the Mantis have a deep understanding

terms

Spelljammers matched only by the Arcane themselves,

of

quality rimfire firearms, and seemingly infinite

high

After the Mantis successfully invaded two

manpower.

worlds and stole the secrets of advanced firearms

Taleish

Taleish have taken great pains to prevent their enemies

the

securing any more advanced technology, and have

from

forced to scour six different Note Worlds with nuclear

been

after concerted Mantis attacks.

fire

Dearth Arcane has many names across the multiverse.

The

inhabitants of Abeir-Toril know it as the Spellplague.

The

people of Oerth call it Mordekainen's Slumber.

The

of its name the effects are largely identical

Regardless

the multiverse- the cessation or pausing of Arcane

across

of all types.

magic

exact extent of the Dearth Arcane varies from world

The

world. Torillian mages lost all active magic. Eyokra was

to

of all life due to the absence of even the basic

scoured

weave destroying the concepts of souls and

universal

Maerosi mages barely recorded anything except for

gravity.

series of otherwise inexplicable phenomena.

a

the Empire the Chapter Gates flickered and

Across

to fail at different rates. Several worlds were

began

altogether from the broader network for

seperated

periods and were forced to provide for

extended

for up to ten years at a time, causing many to

themselves

extreme rationing and martial law.

implement

the conclusion of the Dearth Arcane twenty seven of

By

seventy five Page worlds had seceded from the Tale

the

Worlds had previously attempted this on many

Empire.

but rarely if ever had they been Page worlds and

occasions,

had they seceded in such quantities. The Imperial

never

once those ten years had concluded was

response

Revising was a long series of wars to reclaim the

The

worlds, already underway when I arrived on

seceded

for the first time. Lasting for a total of thirty seven

Meldest

an eventually claiming a total of three billion lives, the

years

Revising was a gruelling experience for the Empire

broader

a terrible ordeal for the worlds trying to preserve their

and

I estimate

independence.

exact impacts of the Revising are difficult to assess

The

they are extremely mixed. The Empire is extremely

as

on propaganda victories and an appearance of

reliant

in order to maintain its unity, and could

invincibility

have not kept up its internal authority without

certainly

the treacherous worlds. It was also ultimately

reclaiming

in these wars, although they were far more

victorious

than any wars the Empire had ever fought before

difficult

cost the lives of more sons and daughters than any

and

event in Imperial history save for the Great

single

Reordering.

Revising was also not completed, and remains

The

to this day. Although it was declared concluded

unfinished

Imperial media sixty eight years ago this was not strictly

by

one major secessionist power remains, the terrifying

true-

was one of the last worlds of the Second Chapter, a

Stoss

where the old war between the giants and dragons

world

still ongoing, moving between hot and cold periods as

was

side retired to recover and rearm themselves. The

each

of the Empire to Stoss reignited this conflict and

arrival

to a giant victory in which the dragons were forced to

lead

from the world altogether, with the lawful and good

retreat

being taken to Evergloom worlds and the black

dragons

The Revising

The Dearth Arcane

a concentrated campaign of reconquest.

predictable-

The Revising War

indomitable Stoss Ordning.

and

The Stoss Ordning

and red dragons being driven out into the multiverse.

Stoss quickly became a powerful tool of the Empire, having

.

tempered with more than twenty five thousand years

been

intermittent war, and took quickly to Imperial

of

Incorporated into the Tome of Bydlow the

technologies.

of Stoss were seeded with Imperial settlers,

hinterlands

the world's independence and identity as a world of

but

was never properly eroded as so many other Bydlow

giants

were.

worlds

was always a difficult world for the Empire to

Stoss

and it fequently expected concessions in exchange

control,

the service of its formiddable giant armies, including

for

assigning of subordinate worlds. When the Dearth

the

struck it was perhaps unsurprising that Stoss

Arcane

from the Empire along with its six subordinate

seceded

to form an empire of its own. Known as the Stoss

worlds

it is an entrenched and powerful empire of its

Ordning,

a dangerous force exporting the Ordning to all worlds.

own,

is now the greatest of thorns in the Empire's side, and the

It

resounding Taleish propaganda failure.

most

the Empire is authoritarian the Stoss Ordning is

If

else altogether. Anyone familiar with the

something

knows it exists to put everyone in their place, and

Ordning

liberties and social mobility the Empire allows its

whatever

are missing altogether from the Ordning.

citizens

Stossin wars are a series of major ongoing wars to

The

the Stoss Ordning for the Empire. At current these

reclaim

have been raging for sixty four years and have no end

wars

sight. in

of the Ordning's worlds have been reclaimed by the

Two

but eight more have been colonised or conquered

Empire,

the Stossin since the beginning of the Dearth Arcane.

by

Stossin army is incredibly difficult to repel from its

The

worlds, having begun with a similar level of technology

held

the Empire and now having had plenty of time to

to

army of the Stoss Ordning is similar to, although

The

from, the Armies of the Empire. Its has access to

divergent

of the Empire's own technology, including armoured

many

and Ironclads. Its armies are comprised of giants

vehicles

with weapons it would normally take an Ironclad to

armed

assorted native monsters of Stoss, and the terrifying

wield,

bayagor.

bayagor are a race of what Imperial scientists

The

to be Giant-Kin, a conclusion I agree with having

believe

the autopsy and vivisection reports. Originally arising

seen

the Stossin underdark, the bayagor were a deeply

from

and treacherous race, with the violent disposition of

violent

Giants, the natural cruelty of the Verbeeg and

Fire

and the general physical composition of the

Fomorians,

Originally exterminated by the Empire at the

Firbolgs.

of a long and difficult war, the bayagor have

conclusion

resurfaced and become the primary infantry of

somehow

Stoss Ordning. Their rate of multiplication has been

the

astonishing, and apparently allows the Stossin to

similarly

attacks on the Empire and other worlds more or

launch

whenever their materiel allows, with manpower being

less

nonfactor.

a

rate of replenishment of the bayagor is troubling, as

The

the rate at which they displace native populations after

is

I have not been able to glean additional

conquest.

about them, and they are not recorded on any

information

of which I am aware. Whatever they may exactly be

world

may be a matter of grave concern.

capable

The Stossin Wars

prepare its defences.

The Ordning Army and the Bayagor

the surface it may seem like the structure and scale of

On

Empire is countrary to a place of adventure, but this is

The

at best flawed perspective. While the face the Taleish

an

is of unity and law this belies the truth, a place of

present

violence and chaos if one knows where to

near-constant

look.

special operations groups to intelligence agencies,

From

assassination to corporate espionage, law

political

to gang warfare, and frontier exploration to

enforcement

the ruins of the past, there is always room for the

delving

individual to make their mark on Tale. All that

exceptional

scale of the Empire means is that the small problems

the

more personal, and the big problems are so much

are

worse...

are undoubtedly the easiest to slot into Tale. From

Fighters

to soldiers to mercenaries to law enforcement

militiamen

gangsters, there's no real difficulty in fitting a Fighter

to

the Empire.

into

you will shortly discover, guns are merely martial

As

for citizens of the Empire, meaning that Fighters

weapons

many other classes for that matter) are proficient in

(and

by default.

them

as assassins, thieves, conmen or simple criminals,

Whether

(or at least those of a Rogueish type) are common

Rogues

the Empire's underbelly.

in

rogues can use Hacker's Tools (and indeed can

Many

their starting Thieve's Tools proficiency for

exchange

which is invaluable in the modern Empire.

hacking),

detailed above the Empire is home to many, many gods.

As

of these deities are powerful beings with massive

Some

entrenched churches, others rely on a few faithful to

and

their good word. Regardless of their exact situation,

spread

are as beloved in the Empire as they are across the

clerics

with many hiring their services as healers and

Multiverse,

out to mercenary groups in exchange for large

warders

to their church.

donations

Taleish make constant use of wizards as Combat

The

in the military, and also in more private capacities,

Mages

services to the wealthy in exchange for frankly

providing

amounts of coin. Most Imperial Wizards train in

ludicrous

great universities of the Empire, like the famed

the

College of Tale, but there are still dozens of other

Invisible

to learn the arcane arts, not least from the ancient

ways

reclusive mages of a hundred conquered worlds who

and

dwell in their towers far from civilisation, wisely left to

still

own devices by the Taleish.

their

can make little use of guns, even clunkers are

Wizards

beyond them, but where science fails magic often

largely

are a little tricky to slot into Tale, primarily

Barbarians

of the primal aspect to their flavour, but this is not

because

Perhaps you call the frontier home and

insurmountable.

taken to its wild ways, or your world was only revently

have

into the Imperial fold? Alternatively if you're willing

brought

twist the flavour... A Heavy Trooper long since addicted

to

his adrenaline supplements, a street-level thug with a

to

strong connection to his distant plains

surprisingly

or just a librarian with breathtaking anger

ancestors,

issues.

management

to no Barbarian class features work with a ranged

Few

and guns don't change this. My advice? Weld a

weapon,

Adventuring in Tale

Clerics

Wizards

Fighters

prevails...

Barbarians

Rogues

Silenced pistols can also be of great help for a Rogue.

shotgun to a greatsword and get stuck in.

advent of mass media created the modern celebrity

The

brought the arts into every home. Music has never

and

more prolific or faster-changing than it is now in the

been

of Tale, and great Bards from across the Multiverse

Empire

make their way to the Empire to learn what it

frequently

teach them. Bards can be c

can

Druids are the real victims of the Imperial ways, and

The

being a Druid is unlikely to be illegal on a given

while

militant environmentalism certainly is. Perhaps this

world,

a good time to remind you that there is a lot of life in a

is

and that vermin are as natural as anything else, no

city,

how many chips they eat. Alternatively stop washing

matter

hair, grow your beard out, and smoke that good shit to

your

with nature even when you're halfway up a

connect

skyscraper.

aren't metal, and the best armour is made of

Composites

Does that mean Taleish Druids can wear half plate?

them.

question.

Good

a Monk is a prize fighter who breaks legs for a

Perhaps

in a fighting pit or a fully-fledged follower of Buddha

living

seeking enlightenment. Though the Empire

Gautama

its soldiers in melee fighting unarmed combat isn't

trains

a subject focused on, so there's no real help there,

really

while guns run out of ammunition and swords can be

but

is very little magic that is absolutely illegal in the

There

and though social mores may look down on those

Empire,

consort with demons, the undead, or far stranger

who

there are still those who bargain for power. There

things

a surprisingly large number of Warlocks in the Empire,

are

amongst the upper classes where CEOs and

especially

sell their souls to beings who know the exact

politicians

of a life, down to the nearest cent in many cases.

value

are extremely common in the Empire, and are

Artificers

for the entire field of Technica on which the

responsible

runs. Everything needs the technica of an Artificer,

Empire

communications to power generation to the

from

of Mind Cores and Weavehammers, and they

fundamentals

ubiquitous as a result.

are

Artificers are of course proficient with all guns.

Imperial

be a bit silly for them not to be,

It'd

is no weapon which the Empire will forever forego,

There

the arts of the Blood Hunter are no exception. Perhaps

and

learned your arts in an experimental military program,

you

from an elder of a conquered or frontier people. Perhaps

or

learned them yourself, in one of the great magical

you

college.

of this book, like Ironclads and Vehicles, were

Elements

designed with Blood Hunters in mind and you may well

not

some odd interactions. These are the risks you run

find

you play unofficial material.

when

Bards

Druid

Monks

a good fist remains on the end of your arm.

dropped,

Paladins

Rangers

Sorcerers

old arcane

The

Warlocks

Artificers

Blood Hunters

soldiers are well-versed in fighting enemies who

Imperial

much more dangerous than they are from a physical

are

Giants, dragons, and even titans have learned

perspective.

respect the use of advanced weapons and the methods of

to

forces.

Imperial

combat-trained folk of the Empire can use Rodeo and

All

armoured vehicles and war beasts are usually

Although

well protected they often have comparatively

extremely

points. Although these points can be harder to

vulnerable

they often allow for the target to be more easily crippled,

hit

even killed.

or

Point Targeting attack can be made against any target

A

or more sizes larger than the attacker instead of a

two

attack. In this case the target's armour class is

conventional

by either its dexterity bonus or proficiency bonus

increased

is higher), but if the target is hit it must take a

(whichever

check against the damage. If the target fails

concentration

check then the attacker can choose to apply one of the

the

Kill: The target's speed is reduced by half until

Mobility

end of its next turn.

the

The target cannot use one of its weapons

Disarmed:

turn (chosen by the attacker) and, if applicable,

next

it. drops

Sensors: The target is blinded until the end

Scrambled

its next turn.

of

The target is rendered unable to make a

Downed:

flight until the end of their next turn. Fixed

powered

aircraft cannot turn, accelerate, or climb on their

wing

turn, and other creatures like dragons and vehicles

next

helicopters fall.

like

This attack is considered to have been a

Heartseeker:

critical hit.

normal

effects can also be applied instead of the normal

These

of a critical hit if the attacker so chooses.

effects

creatures are immune to some effects, for

Some

the magically hovering Beholder cannot be

example

as it has nothing to damage and an ooze cannot

downed

its sensors crippled as its entire body is a sensor.

have

fighting armoured vehicles or large war beasts in an

When

space the chance of death for the average

enclosed

is, to put it mildly, astronomical. Imperial

infantryman

manuals therefore recommend using risky and

combat

maneuvers such as "combat mounting",

dangerous

known as "Rodeo", in order to slightly improve

informally

odds.

these

creature can attempt to Rodeo any creature at least

A

size classes larger than it instead of making a melee

two

To do this it must make a contested athetics or

attack.

check (its choice) against the target, with the

acrobatics

also making the same check. If the creature

target

the rodeo is successful then it rodeos its target.

attempting

a creature is rodeoing another it is subjected to

While

Two Handed property on weapons is ignored (and

The

weapons always use the improved damage

Versatile

when attacking the rodeoed creature.

dice)

and spell attacks against the rodeoed creature

Attacks

Damage Threshold.

ignore

rolls against the rodeoed creature have

Attack

advantage.

rodeoed creature has disadvantage on attacks against

A

creature rodeoing it.

any

rodeoing creatre has disadvantage on all dexterity

The

saves.

rodeoing creature's position is always considered to

The

rodeoing creature can use its reaction whenever it

A

including immediately before it takes damage, to

wishes,

its rodeo and dismount the creature, in which case it is

end

at any location of its choice which is in contact with

placed

previously rodeoed creature. If this means that the

the

creature would no longer be eligible to take

rodeoing

(for example it has moved out of an area of effect)

damage

it does not take the damage.

then

rodeoeing creature can also dismount the creature it is

A

at will on its own turn in the same way (this can

rodeoing

used to "vault" over a creature by rodeoing and

be

it in the same turn).

dismounting

rodeoed creature can spend an action to make a

A

athletics or acrobatics check (its choice) against

contested

rodeoing creature's athletics check. If the rodeoed

every

wins the check against a rodeoing creature then

creature

rodeoing creature is dismounted as above and

the

hit with one of the rodeoed creature's melee

immediately

(its choice, not including attacks currently on some

attacks

of recharge or which require spell slots) to represent

form

Imperial Combat

Techniques

Rodeo

Point Targeted attacks.

Point Targeting

the following effects;

following effects:

be somewhere overlapping with the rodeoed creature's.

A Special Set of Skills

In addition to the normal rules of the Player's

Hanbook a number of proficiencies are added for

Imperial citizens:

Technica is an Intelligence skill, referring to the

study of technology, and Militaria, referring to

understanding of military history, equipment and

tactics, is a Wisdom skill. Technica is available in

addition to Arcana as an alternative whenever

Arcana is available, and Militaria is available in the

same way as an alternative to Athletics and

History.

Air Vehicles are also an available tool

proficiency for Imperial characters, available as a

choice whenever Land Vehicles would be

available. Hacker's Tools are also an available tool

proficiency whenever Thief's Tools are available.

how it forced off the rodeoing creature.

soldiers, militias and civilians use a wide variety of weapons and equipment to defend themselves or destroy their

Imperial

As one might expect across five hundred worlds there is a considerable variation in both the makes and purposes of

enemies.

but broad categories do still remain. The following weapon types are widely available throughout the Empire.

weapons,

Weapons:

Clunker

weapons are produced for civilian self-defense, requiring little training or physical ability to use, and only a little

Clunker

to purchase. They are never automatic (automatic weapons are restricted on some Imperial worlds) and usually fire a

wealth

lower-calibre bullet.

cheaper,

Weapons:

Infantry

weapons are man-portable weapons used by human-sized creatures for general combat. They fire rounds ranging

Infantry

around the short .35" in the case of autopistols to .95" for the largest antipersonnel rifles, with the mainstay round being

from

long .35" round used in most battle rifles. Energy-based anti-infantry weapons are currently being introduced in the

the

with the current cutting edge of infantry equipment being the Heavy Laser long-range weapon.

Empire,

Weapons:

Heavy

weapons are used for anti-materiel purposes, or against large groups of enemies. They are heavy and poorly suited

Heavy

All Infantry and Heavy weapons are considered to be Martial Weapons, and all Clunker and Ironclad weapons are

Note:

to be Simple Weapons. For the purposes of interacting with feats and class features Infantry, Heavy, Clunker, and

considered

weapons also count as guns (or firearms, gunpowder weapons, or whatever term is used), bows and crossbows. All

Ironclad

pistols (weapons without the Two Handed property) are also considered to be Hand Crossbows for proficiency's sake

Light

Imperial Weapons

for use against infantry, but capable of penetrating the armour of (amongst other things) Ironclads.

Infantry Weapons

Weapon Cost Damage Weight Properties

Long Arns

Assault Rifle $600 1d8 piercing 9 lbs Ammunition (range 300/1200), Reload (16), Rapid Fire, Two Handed

Battle Rifle $800 1d10

piercing

10 lbs Ammunition (range 400/1500), Reload (8), Two Handed

Heavy Laser $25000 2d12 radiant 13 lbs Ammunition (range 400/6000), Reload (4), Slow Fire, Sniper, Two

Handed, Instant Travel

Marksman Rifle $6500 2d12

piercing

12 lbs Ammunition (range 400/6000), Reload (4), Slow Fire, Two Handed

Sniper Rifle $9800 6d4 piercing 15 lbs Ammunition (range 400/6000), Reload (4), Slow Fire, Sniper, Two

Handed

Pistols

Heavy Pistol $250 1d10

piercing

6 lbs Ammunition (range 300/1500), Reload (8), Brutish, Unwieldy

Light Pistol $150 1d6 piercing 2 lbs Ammunition (range 75/375), Reload (8), Light

Machine Pistol $300 1d4 piercing 2 lbs Ammunition (range 25/120), Reload (16), Light, Rapid Fire

Pistol $250 1d8 piercing 3 lbs Ammunition (range 150/750), Reload (8)

Shotgun Pistol $300 2d12(2d8)

piercing

4 lbs Ammunition (range 40/80), Reload (1), Brutish, Scattergun

Submachinegun $500 1d6 piercing 6 lbs Ammunition (range 25/120), Reload (16), Rapid Fire

Machineguns

Laser Repeater

Light

Machinegun

$18000 1d8 piercing 20 lbs Ammunition (range 300/1500), Pipe Fed, Brutish, Instant Travel, Rapid

Fire, Two Handed, Unwieldy

$4000 1d10

piercing

23 lbs Ammunition (range 300/1500), Reload (16), Brutish, Rapid Fire, Two

Handed, Unwieldy

Plasma Caster $20000 1d10 fire 26 lbs Ammunition (range 300/1500), Pipe Fed, Brutish, Rapid Fire, Two

Handed, Unwieldy

Shotguns

Automatic

Shotgun

$2000 1d12(1d8)

piercing

Shotgun $700 4d6(2d10)

piercing

Special Weapons

9 lbs Ammunition (range 40/80), Reload (8), Brutish, Rapid Fire, Two

Handed

8 lbs Ammunition (range 40/80), Reload (4), Scattergun, Brutish, Slow Fire,

Two Handed

Flamethrower $3000 2d6 fire 75 lbs Incinerator (30/20), Pipe-Fed, Two Handed, Unwieldy

Micro Grenade

Launcher

$1000 1d8 thunder 3 lbs Ammunition (range 25/100), Slow Reload(1), Blast(5/1d8 slashing),

Brutish, Light

Sturmgun $22000 1d10

lightning

60 lbs Ammunition (range 40/120), Arc Line (5/1d10 lightning), Instant

Travel, Pipe Fed, Slow Fire, Two Handed

Clunker Weapons


Clunker Pistol $100 1d6 piercing 2 lbs Ammunition (range 200/1000), Reload (6)

Clunker Rifle $400 1d8 piercing 10 lbs Ammunition (range 400/2000), Reload (6), Two Handed

Clunker

Shotgun

$250 2d12(2d8)

piercing

9 lbs Ammunition (range 40/120), Brutish, Reload (2), Scattergun, Slow Fire,

Two Handed

Heavy Weapons


AM Rifle $9500 6d8

piercing 110

lbs

AT Laser $70000 6d6

radiant

Grenade

Launcher

Heavy

Flamethrower

$15000 1d8

thunder

110

lbs

55 lbs

$8000 4d6 fire 80 lbs

Heavy

Machinegun $14000

piercing 3d8

Microrocket

Launcher

MP Rotary

Cannon

$22000 3d6

thunder

90 lbs

100

lbs

$17000 3d6

piercing 140

lbs

MP

Sturmcannon $60000

lightning 2d6 110

lbs

Rocket

Launcher

$750 2d8

thunder

15 lbs

AT Weapon, Ammunition (range 400/6000), Reload (4), Instant Travel,

Emplacement, Heavy, Slow Fire, Sniper, Two Handed

AT Weapon, Ammunition (range 400/6000), Reload (4), Instant Travel,

Emplacement, Heavy, Two Handed

AT Weapon, Ammunition (range 25/100), Reload (6), Blast(5/1d8 slashing),

Brutish, Emplacement, Heavy, Two Handed

AT Weapon, Incinerator (50/30), Emplacement, Heavy, Pipe Fed, Two Handed

AT Weapon, Ammunition (range 300/1500), Reload (1), Cannon,

Emplacement, Heavy, Rapid Fire, Slow Reload (16), Two Handed

AT Weapon, Ammunition (range 300/1500), Reload (16), Cannon,

Emplacement, Heavy, Rapid Fire, Two Handed

AT Weapon, Ammunition (range 300/1500), Slow Reload (24), Cannon,

Emplacement, Heavy, Two Handed, Ultra Rapid Fire

AT Weapon, Ammunition (range 40/120), Reload (4), Arc Line (10/2d6

lightning), Cannon, Emplacement, Heavy, Instant Travel, Slow Fire, Two Handed

AT Weapon, Ammunition (range 200/900), Blast(10/2d8 slashing), Brutish,

Chamber Shot, Heavy, Slow Fire, Two Handed

Line (X/Y): If a creature is hit by an attack from this

Arc

or if the attack roll to hit the creature had a result

weapon,

ten, then a line of focused electricity links through

above

air between the user and the target. Every creature

the

X feet of the line except for the weapon user takes Y

within

damage.

Things like recoil control and target acquisition

Artillery:

irrelevant with this weapon- it's all about good

are

and barrel placement. When Making an Attack

judgement

an Artillery weapon, you must use your Wisdom

with

(X/Y): This rule lists two numbers. The first

Ammunition

the weapon’s normal range in feet, and the second

is

the weapon’s long range. The weapon's extreme

indicates

is ten times its long range. When attacking a target

range

normal range, you have disadvantage on the Attack

beyond

When attacking a target beyond the long range you

roll.

a -10 modifier to the attack roll. You cannot attack a

suffer

beyond the extreme range. This rule supercedes the

target

Weapon: This weapon is designed to kill massive

AT

and armoured vehicles, and struggles to acquire

monsters

smaller. Unless the target of this weapon is of

anything

size class or above attack rolls made with this

Huge

suffer a -10 modifier to their to-hit rolls, and

weapon

which need to make a save against this weapon

creatures

a +5 modifier to their rolls if they are not of Huge

receive

class or above.

size

Shots from this weapon explode in a shower of

Blast(X/Y):

energy, or a simple blast wave. If a creature is hit

shrapnel,

an attack from this weapon, or if the attack roll to hit the

by

had a result above ten, then a blast goes off on or

creature

it. In addition to the damage taken by the attack every

near

within X feet of a point on the creature takes Y

creature

If a weapon has the blast property it can be loaded

damage.

ammunition which changes both of its damage types

with

This weapon is extremely heavy, and wrestling it

Brutish:

position is as important as placing its shots. When

into

an Attack with a Brutish weapon, you use your

Making

of your Strength or Dexterity modifier for the Attack

choice

Damage Rolls. You must use the same modifier for

and

rolls. both

All that matters with this weapon is controlling its

Cannon:

finesse is irrelevant. When Making an Attack with a

recoil,

weapon, you must use your Strength modifier for

Cannon

Attack and Damage roll modifiers.

the

Shot: This weapon needs to be fully reloaded

Chamber

each shot. As a result of this reloading is designed to

after

very easy- it does not actually mechanically require

be

at all, and the delay is included in the Slow Fire

reloading

Without proper planning this weapon is a

Emplacement:

to use against infantry, but a little effort can

nightmare

this. This weapon is automatically Unwieldy.

overcome

wielding this weapon an entire action can be spent

When

make the wielder Emplaced until the next time they

to

voluntarily or not. While Emplaced a creature is

move,

Wash (X/Y): If a creature is hit by an attack from

Frozen

weapon, or if the attack roll to hit the creature had a

this

above ten, then hyper-cooled powder and liquid

result

around it. Every creature within X feet of the

spreads

takes Y damage, and all surfaces within X

creature

of the creature when the attack is made are

distance

to be difficult terrain as they are covered in ice.

considered

ice lasts for a number of turns equal to the user's

This

proficiency bonus.

modifier for the Attack and Damage roll modifiers.

similar rules shown in the Player’s Handbook.

to fire for no extra cost.

rule.

rooted and ignores the to-hit penalty from AT Weapon.

(X/Y): This weapon does not attack normally.

Incinerator

its wielder can spend an attacl to project a gout of

Instead

as a cone Y feet long that forces all creatures within

flame

to make a dexterity saving throw against your Heavy

it

DC. Creatures which fail the test take the damage

Attack

in the weapon’s profile, with creatures which pass the

listed

taking half as much.

test

a creature passes or fails one saving throw against a

If

creature’s incinerator weapon then it also passes

particular

fails all other saving throws against that weapon for the

or

of the turn in the same way- the first roll is applied to

rest

other saves.

all

cone of the incinerator can start at any point within

The

feet of the creature which uses it, but must point directly

X

Travel: This weapon’s projectile instantly travels to

Instant

target in a straight line, meaning that its targets don’t

its

to be led and it doesn’t suffer from projectile drop,

need

it a very accurate weapon. Attacks made with this

making

Fed: This weapon does not need to be reloaded, but

Pipe

be discarded without severing its connecting pipes

cannot

are used to affix it to a tank of fuel, belts of bullets, or

which

source. Connecting or disconnecting a weapon’s

power

takes an action, although they can also be severed by

pipes

the weapon away (this may destroy them

throwing

Using this weapon to make an attack uses up a

however).

of its ammunition.

unit

Fire: At the start of their turn a wielder of this

Rapid

can choose to fire it on full auto. If they do this

weapon

they make an additional attack for every normal attack

then

make with the weapon this turn, but cannot add their

they

or strength modifier to their attack or damage

dexterity

with the weapon this turn, and also cannot apply the

rolls

(X): This weapon can be used to make X attacks

Reload

it needs to be reloaded. Reloading this weapon takes

before

This weapon has two damage values- the first

Scattergun:

used when attacking a target within the weapon’s normal

is

and the second (in parentheses) is used when

range,

a target beyond the weapon’s normal range. In

attacking

this weapon's extreme range is only twice its long

addition

range.

Fire: After this weapon is used to make an attack it

Slow

be cycled with an attack or bonus action before it can

must

Reload (X): This weapon can be used to make X

Slow

before it needs to be reloaded. Reloading this

attacks

Sniper weapons are automatically Unwieldy, but

Sniper:

the wielder is rooted count their long range as their

when

range (meaning they only suffer disadvantage when

normal

their long range) and ignore the -5 to-hit penalty

exceeding

exceeding long range. They also always have

for

when attacking targets within thirty feet.

disadvantage

weapon with the Sniper property is considered not to

A

the Rapid Fire or Ultra Rapid Fire properties.

have

Rapid Fire: This weapon has the Rapid Fire

Ultra

In addition when wielding this weapon you may

property.

an action to spray an area with an intense barrage of

spend

lead. You may immediately make a ranged weapon

flying

against every creature within a cone, the length of

attack

is equal to half the normal range of the weapon. If

which

wish you can instead make two attacks against all

you

creatures, but in this case you cannot add your

these

When using this weapon a creature can spend

Unwieldy:

attack to become rooted until the next time it moves,

an

or not. A creature is automatically rooted if it is

voluntarily

Attack rolls with this weapon are made with

prone.

(and saves against it are made with

disadvantage

unless the user is rooted.

advantage)

weapon receive a +2 modifier to their to-hit rolls.

away from the user.

benefits of the Sharpshooter feat to the weapon.

an attack. This is not the same as the Loading property.

be used to make another attack.

weapon takes an action.

dexterity or strength modifier to the attack or damage rolls.

Clunker, and Heavy weapons can be modified in a

Infantry,

of ways, some of which are listed here. Weapon

number

can only be applied to weapons which do not

modifications

their limitations. Weapons may have multiple

violate

so long as it makes sense.

modifications

a modification causes weapons to require "unique

Where

this means that the weapon needs a new

ammunition"

type which costs the same as its original type

ammunition

is only shared with other weapons with the same

but

ammunition type and with the same modifications.

normal

Receiver

Automatic

weapon was redesigned to fire on an automatic

This

This can be a major boon, but remember that this was

feed.

designed to spray out shots.

never

Twice weapon base price.

Cost:

Not Rapid Fire, not Ultra Rapid Fire.

Limitations:

This weapon loses the Slow Fire property if it

Effects:

it, and gains the Rapid Fire property if it didn't. It also

had

the Unwieldy property. If it also originally had the

gains

or Unwieldy property then it gains the AT Weapon

Sniper

If it had the AT Weapon property originally then

property.

to-hit penalty and bonus listed under AT Weapon are

the

Belt-Fed

belt-fed assault rifle can be a useful boon. A belt-fed

A

launcher not so much.

rocket


Cost:

Two Handed, Not Pipe Fed or Chamber

Limitations:

Shot.

This weapon gains the Pipe Fed property and

Effects:

the Reload and Slow Reload properties.

loses

Sights

Canted

second set of sights, arranged parallel to the existing

A

improves this weapon's range.

ones,

Three times weapon base price.

Cost:

None.

Limitations:

At the start of your turn you can choose for this

Effects:

to have the Sniper property or not. If it originally

weapon

the Sniper property then it remains Unwieldy even

had

Magazine

Extended

it a bigger magazine and your troubles melt away,

Give

like your enemies.

much

One tenth weapon base price.

Cost:

Not Pipe Fed.

Limitations:

The number listed after Reload or Slow Reload

Effects:

Calibre Hi

weapon fires an unusually high calibre of round,

This

recoil control more of a priority.

making


Cost:

None.

Limitations:

This weapon has a +1 modifier to its damage

Effects:

but a -1 modifier to its attack rolls. If it is a heavy

rolls,

both of these modifiers are doubled. It gains the

weapon

property if it did not have it already, unless it has

Brutish

Cannon property. It also loses the Light property, and

the

Gunrunner

weapons can be made of lightweight polymers

Imperial

Three times weapon base price.

Cost:

Not Brutish or Sniper, not a Heavy Weapon

Limitations:

This weapon can be used to make a single attack

Effects:

a bonus action, provided the user's action was spent to

with

Sights

Laser

well-aligned laser sight can make all the difference.

A

$500 Cost:

Not a Heavy Weapon.

Limitations:

This weapon gains a +1 modifier to the first

Effects:

roll made with it each turn.

attack

Calibre Lo

using a lower calibre damage is reduced but weapon

By

and recoil are markedly improved.

control

Free. Cost:

Not a Heavy Weapon.

Limitations:

This weapon has a -1 modifier to its damage

Effects:

but a +1 modifier to its attack rolls. It also loses the

rolls,

property and uses unique ammunition.

Brutish

Rounds

OCEAN

Construct, Elemental, Abomination. These are

Outsider,

creatures which are immune to conventional lead, but

the

immune to a weapon with the right modifications and

less

ammunition.

Weapon base price.

Cost:

None.

Limitations:

This weapon's damage is magical, provided it is

Effects:

with special OCEAN ammunition that costs twice

loaded

much as normal ammunition.

as

is not the same as requiring unique ammunitionthis

This

weapon can still use normal ammunition, and normal

can still fire OCEAN rounds, but an OCEAN

weapons

and OCEAN rounds must be paired in order for

weapon

Quickdraw

lightweight gun in the right holster is the difference

A

life and death.

between

Weapon base price.

Cost:

Not Brutish or Sniper, not a Heavy Weapon.

Limitations:

Drawing this weapon does not take an object

Effects:

The wielder of this weapon can choose to have

interaction.

on any initiative roll, but cannot do anything on

advantage

first turn of the combat except for draw and fire either

their

weapon or another weapon with Quickdraw.

this

Silencer

screw-on silencer can give a few more moments of

A

which can make all the difference. Imperial

concealment,

also double as flash hiders.

silencers

$200 Cost:

Not a Heavy Weapon.

Limitations:

The sound of this weapon's firing is significantly

Effects:

although it does not become silent unless this is

reduced,

Weapon

Underslung

you don't need to draw a shotgun firing it is

When

fast.

surprisingly

$500, not including the weapon mounted.

Cost:

Two Handed, not Sniper.

Limitations:

This weapon has a Shotgun Pistol, Machine

Effects:

or Micro Grenade launcher mounted beneath it.

Pistol,

mounted weapon can be used to make an attack (but

This

reloaded) with a bonus action and does not require an

not

interaction to draw.

object

Weapon Modifications

Dash.

doubled with regards to this weapon.

magical damage to be inflicted.

when it is not a Sniper.

in this weapon's properties is doubled.

paired with silent ammunition.

uses unique ammunition.

instead of comparatively heavier metals.

weapons almost all use ammunition, usually one

Imperial

many groups. Weapons which use the same damage dice

of

the same damage type use the same ammunition typeall

and

1d8 piercing damage guns fire the same calibre for

All weapons which only deal fire damage also use

example.

same ammunition type (fuel, burned or plasmised) and

the

which only deal cold damage also use the same

weapons

type (zero point coolant). Weapons which only

ammunition

lightning or radiant damage do not use ammunition

deal

are instead fed by rechargeable power packs.

and

the end of every combat whoever is in charge of

At

must roll an militaria check for each

ammunition

type that was fired. If the result is below three

ammunition

the fight’s duration in turns then the party loses one

times

of ammunition of that type as it did not plan to use

level

much of this ammunition. If ammunition is lost which

this

be used by Ironclads or infantry (for example fuel)

could

five levels are lost if any Ironclads used that

then

in the combat.

ammunition

all levels of an ammunition type have been lost the

When

which use that type cannot be fired any more. It is

weapons

that party members stock themselves with

assumed

ammunition for their own weapons to last for an

sufficient

combat. One level of ammunition weighs 10lbs, or

entire

variant ammunition is available for all weapons, at

Special

to some extent. Certain variants are more widely

least

and others are more exclusive.

available,

use of variant ammunition is decided when a

The

is loaded or reloaded, or in the case of Chamber

weapon

weapons every time the weapon is fired.

Shot

Ammunition:

Exchange

ammunition is identical to normal ammunition

Exchange

that it swaps one or more damage types for another,

except

costs more.

and

Ammunition

AP

Piercing ammunition gives a +1 ,modifier on any

Armour

rolls made with it, provided the target is wearing

attack

or possesses natural armour of some variety. It also

armour

the Damage Threshold of the target as being half

counts

it would otherwise be.

what

ammunition costs twice as much as normal

AP

and is available for weapons which only deal

ammunition,

Ammunition

Silent

rounds use an attached universal silencer and

Silent

low charge in order to render the shots nearly

extremely

not quite) silent. Silent Ammunition rounds have

(although

extremely low velocity, and attacks made with it have

an

the range and do half the damage of normal

half

(except on a critical hit). They are also however

ammunition

good for sneaky work- attack rolls made with

extremely

ammunition automatically critically hit targets when

silent

hit and the target is not aware of the attacker's

they

location.

order to gain any benefit from Silent Ammunition a

In

must also be fitted, otherwise the only effect is that

silencer

damage is reduced. Silent Ammunition costs the same

the

standard ammunition and is only available for weapons

as

only deal piercing damage.

which

Ammunition

Stun

ammunition is similar to Exchange ammunition in

Stun

it swaps any piercing or slashing damage that the

that

does for bludgeoning, thunder or lightning damage

weapon

when the ammunition is purchased). Targets

(chosen

to zero hitpoints by a weapon using Stun

reduced

are not killed but are instead downed and

Ammunition

stabilise. Stun ammunition can be loaded into

immediately

weapon which only does piercing, thunder, or slashing

any

and costs the same as normal ammo.

damage

reistant to stun ammunition's damage are

Creatures

to it, as are all constructs, elementals, outsiders,

immune

Ammunition

Variant Ammunition - Level Rule

Ammunition.

Default Damage

Real World

Equivalent

Cost/

Attack

Cost /

Level

1d10 piercing 7.62 mm Raisin $1000

1d8 piercing 5.56 mm Raisin $800

1d6 piercing 10 mm Raisin $400

1d4 piercing 9 mm Raisin $400

4d6(2d10) piercing 10 gauge Raisin $800



2d12 piercing .338 Raisin $2000


2d8 thunder PG-7VL Raisin $1000

1d8 thunder 40mm Raisin $600


3d6 thunder .50 explosive Raisin $6000

6d8 piercing 25mm Raisin $12000

3d10 thunder +

3d10 piercing

40mm shell Raisin $15000

12d12 piercing APFSDS Raisin $24000

2d10 thunder 80mm bomb Raisin $8000

4d12 thunder 160mm bomb Raisin $12000



6d10(6d6) piercing 1/10 gauge Raisin $15000

6d12(6d8) piercing 1/13 gauge Raisin $12000

any fire damage Thermofuel Raisin $1000

any cold damage ZP Coolant Raisin $5000

Ammunition Levels- Variant Rule

Name

Death's Head

Damage Types

Replaced

Piercing,

Thunder, Fire

Replacement

Type

Necrotic

Cost

Mutiplier

8x

Explosive Piercing Thunder 4x

Gamma Burst

Incendiary

Piercing,

Thunder

Piercing,

Thunder

Radiant

Fire

Promefuric Thunder, Fire Acid 4x

Zero-Point

Coolant

8x

2x

Thunder, Fire Cold 2x

slashing, piercing, or thunder damage.

undead, and creatures immune to the Stunned condition.

100lbs if it is Ironclad ammunition.

a grenade takes an action. Creatures can throw a

Throwing

at any point no more than three times their

grenade

score away in feet. All grenades use the same DCten

strength

plus the user's proficiency bonus.

one grenade can be thrown at once. If multiple

Only

detonate simultaneously on one point then the

grenades

wave increases in size- every time the number of

blast

used doubles the blast size increases by 10 ft (so

grenades

two grenades adds 10 ft, using 4 adds another 10ft).

using

within this range take damage from every grenade

Targets

the explosion (so detonating two Death's Head grenades

in

deal 4d8 necrotic damage to all creatures within 30

would

of the explosion, four such grenades would deal 8d8

feet

damage over 40 ft).

necrotic

Head Grenade.

Death's

$1000

Cost:

Head grenades explode in a blast of Necriteladen

Death's

smoke, rotting and rusting anything inside their

with the corrupting power of Necrite. Creatures

range

20 feet of an exploding Death's Head grenade take

within

necrotic damage, unless they can pass a constitution

2d8

in which case they take half damage.

save

Grenade.

Frag

$100 Cost:

grenades detonate in a burst of shrapnel and a

Frag

blast wave. Creatures within 20 feet take 1d8

powerful

and 1d8 thunder damage, unless they can pass a

slashing

save in which case they take half damage.

dexterity

Grenade.

Incendiary

$100 Cost:

grenades explode in a circular shower of

Incendiary

fuel, 20 feet in diameter. Creatures which enter the

flaming

for the first time on their turn or start their turn

circle

it take 2d6 fire damage unless they can pass a

inside

save in which case they take half damage. The

dexterity

keeps burning for three turns.

fuel

Explosive.

Plastic

$250 Cost:

explosives can be remotely detonated with an

Plastic

by the creature which threw them, or by another

action

with a properly set up remote detonator. Any

creature

of plastic explosives can be detonated

number

but only one may be thrown with a given

simultaneously,

When plastic explosives detonate they function

action.

Grenade.

Promefuric

$500 Cost:

grenades deal 2d8 acid damage to all

Promefuric

within 20 feet of the grenade when they detonate

creatures

they can pass a dexterity save in which case they

unless

half damage.

take

Grenade.

Smoke

$250 Cost:

Grenades release a sphere of opaque smoke, 20

Smoke

in radius, which lasts for three turns. Targets attacked

feet

the smoke cloud are considered to be heavily

through

concealed.

Grenade.

Stim

$5000

Cost:

grenades release bursts of healing gas in a 20 foot

Stim

rich in microportals to the plane of positive energy.

radius,

inside a Stim Grenade restore 1d4+1 hitpoints

Creatures

unless they are undead or constructs.

immediately

powerful Stim Grenades can restore 2d4+2, 4d4+4,

More

5d4+10, in which case they instead cost $25,000,

or

Grenade.

Stun

$250 Cost:

grenades explode in a loud and bright blast of

Stun

and light. Creatures within ten feet of the exploding

sound

(20 feet in darkness) must pass a constitution save

grenade

be blinded and deafened until the end of their next turn.

or

grenades do not effect constructs, elementals, oozes,

Stun

or creatures which can neither see nor hear.

undead,

stun grenades can only effect creatures of

Normal

size class of smaller. This maximum size class can

medium

increased to Large, Huge or Gargantuan with more

be

grenades. These cost $2,500, $25,000, and

expensive

Grenade.

Tase-Mag

$500 Cost:

grenades explode in a shower of modulated

Tase-Mag

power. Creatures within a 20 foot radius take 2d6

electrical

damage unless they can pass a Constitution save

lightning

which case they take half damage. If they fail the save

in

also have their movement speed reduced by half until

they

start of their next turn unless they are immune or

the

to lightning damage.

resistant

reduced to 0 hitpoints by the grenade are not

Creatures

but instead immediately stabilise. Demons and

killed,

have disadvantage on saves made against Tase-

constructs

Bomb.

Thunderblast

$250 Cost:

bombs use pure blast waves that cause

Thunderblast

and impact damage to armoured targets.

spalling

within 20 feet take 2d8 thunder damage, unless

Creatures

can pass a dexterity save in which case they take half

they

Coolant Grenade.

Zero-Point

$500 Cost:

grenades spray freezing liquid and powders over a

ZPC

foot radius. Creatures inside the radius take 2d6 cold

20

unless they pass a constitution save, in which case

damage

take half damage.

they

area sprayed with Zero-Point Coolant is considered

The

be difficult terrain for the next three turns.

to

Baseball.

Nuclear

$3,000,000

Cost:

Baseballs are the smallest nuclear weapons the

Nuclear

can make. Mostly produced by WCK, the fact they

Empire

a terrible idea doesn't seem to deter people from

are

Atomic Series on the side.

scrawling

Baseballs deal 4d8 radiant, 4d8 fire and 8d8

Nuclear

damage to all creatures within 30 feet. Creatures

thunder

Grenades

$250,000, or $2,500,000 respectively.

$250,000 respectively.

Mag grenades.

damage.

identically to Thunderblast Bombs.

which can pass a dexterity save instead take half damage.

addition to the Imperial Combat training detailed above

In

with Imperial weapons and technology can lead to

training

improved and divergent skills. The following

significantly

are all available to Taleish folk in addition to those

feats

are highly skilled in the use of propelled explosives,

You

rockets to grenade launchers, as well as other more

from

equipment, and are able to use them more

esoteric

than others. You may choose to double the range

effectively

the damage listed under a weapon's Arc Line, Blast, or

OR

Wash property every time you make an attack with

Frozen

are highly practiced in the use of thrown grenades,

You

in terms of volume and precision. You may throw a

both

or detonate plastic explosives using an attack,

grenade

of an action. Alternatively you can still spend an

instead

to throw a single grenade, in which case your

action

bonus is doubled when calculating the Grenade

proficiency

arts of bathing your enemies in flaming fuel or burning

The

are well known to you, making your gouts of death

acid

to escape. Your Strength score increases by one, and

hard

does your Heavy Attack DC.

so

dexterity or Strength score increases by one. In

Your

you may make an attack with a weapon with the

addition

property but not the Two Handed property held in

Light

offhand by spending a bonus action. This feat may be

your

twice, and on the second occasion you are no longer

taken

to only using weapons with the Light property for

restricted

can effectively wield multiple pistols simultaneously,

You

the quantity of fire you can output. Your

increasing

or Dexterity score increases by one point.

Strength

hit by your Point Targeted attacks have

Creatures

on their concentration saves to avoid the

disadvantage

effects.

are amongst the foremost marksmen with

You

rifles. You receive a permanent +2 modifier to

conventional

attack and damage rolls you make with guns which have

all

Two Handed property but not the Slow Fire, Sniper, or

the

Strength or Dexterity score increases by one point.

Your

have advantage on checks made to begin or maintain a

You

ignore the disadvantage penalty for making a ranged

You

with a weapon with the Scattergun property while

attack

enemy is within 5 feet of you. In addition ranged attacks

an

Scattergun weapons within their normal range count

with

melee attacks for the purposes of your spells and class

as

features.

are an extremely proficient sniper, able to rapidly

You

targets and compensate for the weight of your

acquire

Your Dexterity score increases by one point. You

weapon.

not automatically recieve disadvantage for using a

do

with the Sniper property to attack a target within

weapon

feet. In addition you are automatically considered to

thirty

Rooted for the purposes of using Sniper weapons

be

you have not yet moved this turn.

provided

you make a Rapid Fire attack with an Unwieldy or

Before

weapon you may choose to add your relevant

Emplacement

score modifier to the damage roll OR attack roll. In

ability

you are automatically considered to be Rooted for

addition

purposes of using Unwieldy and Emplacement (but not

the

weapons provided you have not yet moved this

Sniper)

Imperial Feats

in the Player Handbook.

presented

Blastmaster

Sniper

This bonus does not apply to nuclear weapons.

it.

Grenadier

Support Gunner

turn.

DC.

Immolator

Pistolier

your bonus action attack.

Point Attacker

Rifleman

Unwieldy properties.

Rodeo Master

Rodeo.

Shotgun Brute

nothing more than a golem with an integrated

Originally

and a flamethrower held in its hands the modern

pilot

has evolved over nine combat generations and

ironclad

centuries to become the most iconic and culturally

seven

machine of the Empire. Tanks win the Empire's

important

gunships suppress its enemies, and trains carry its

battles,

but Ironclads dominate its media. Children dress as

freight,

for parties, and Ironclads heroically slaughter the

Ironclads

foes in television and film.

Empire's

modern Ironclad stands twenty feet tall and

The

the tools of its trade in its adjustable and

brandishes

hands. It weighs around twenty tons, and is

adaptable

by a trained pilot and controlled by a self-aware

crewed

called a Mind Core (or Mind Core).

processor

driver of an Ironclad, whether they are a civilian or a

The

is known as a pilot. The bond between a pilot and

soldier,

Ironclad is a deep one, on par with the bond between

their

parent and their child, although who in the relationship is

a

parent and who is the child is a difficult question.

the

siblings would be a better point of comparison,

Perhaps

individuals who do not necessarily adore each other

two

have a natural closeness and a responsibility for one

but

that can only be broken by true disaster.

another

can be piloted by anyone who can enter their

Ironclads

they cannot generally refuse access to a pilot who

cockpitto

get their hands on the controls. They will

manages

also have a specific pilot who is truly theirs, whose

however

they are bonded to in the ritual of broken tags. This is

soul

pilot, with anyone else being merely someone who

their

to be sitting in the seat.

happens

part of the binding of a Mind Core a set of small mithril

As

will be produced, each around the size of a child's

plates

and bearing special runes also used to bind the Mind

palm

which can be found carved somewhere into the Core

Core,

These are the Core's tags, essential to its existence

itself.

nature.

and

tags can be taken by any sapient creature and, in a

These

but relatively simple ritual, used to link the creature to

long

Core. In this manner the soul of the creature and the

the

are partially merged, and the Core's awareness and

Core

are finalised. The Core takes on something of

personality

bond partner, becoming some kind of a compliment to

its

The exact nature of the Core's resulting personality

them.

wildly based on the soul used to create it and the

varies

of the bond partner- sometimes it will create a good

needs

supportive friend for a partner who needs such a thing,

and

other times a necessary foil to a partner who needs

and

Whatever the exact nature of the resulting

restraining.

between the Core and the partner it is always a

relationship

and beneficial one, if not necesarily one without

good

conflicts.

a Core's partner dies it loses much of what makes

When

who it is, and may become despondent. It can at this

it

be re-bound, with a new set of tags being forged and

point

by a new partner to bond its soul. The Core will then

used

on parts of the new partners soul and add it to the

take

of its previous partners still swirling in its binding.

remains

this way a Core is both an echo and a distinct entity, both

In

the being it was before binding and all of its previous

from

partners.

like all Imperial equipment, are updated in fiftytwo

Ironclads,

to one-hundred-and-four year cycles known as Combat

Over this time Ironclads have consistently

Generations.

larger, faster, more well equipped and more

gotten

to their various opponents.

adaptable

is the name of the game for Ironclad

Adaptability

conventional armour like tanks and air support of

designstypes

will always outperform Ironclads when in their

all

environment. On an open field tanks outrange

preferred

with bigger, more powerful guns and easily rebuff

Ironclads

weapons with their superior armour and shields.

Ironclad

a result of this the place of the Ironclad is wherever the

As

isn't- broken terrain, dense forests, marshland, tunnels

tank

cities are all the purview of the Ironclad.

and

is also why Ironclads have never risen above fifty

This

not even in prototype tests. The place of Ironclads is in

feet,

of an Imperial project codenamed Ironclad in order to

Par

its true purposes, the original Ironclads went

disguise

six major design revisions over the course of the

through

wars to improved reliability and performance.

Indaero

Marks were increasingly mechanical and better

Later

but were fundamentally based on a basic golem.

armoured,

Bunyan was the original production Ironclad, and the

The

for the creation of combat generations as a concept

reason

to Washington's insistence on a contract as long as the

due

cycles of the Matos Moctezuma.

great

comparison to later Ironclads the Bunyan was loud,

In

and poorly armed. Early models had open canopies

clumsy,

order to save weight and allow for easy evacuations

in

the enemy scored a hit on the exposed engines. The

when

was improperly angled on early models. There was,

armour

put it mildly, room for improvement.

to

was a devastating unit, and spent fifty-two years utterly

It

its opponents, paving the way for other Ironclads.

crushing

Ban'Go comfortably outstripped the Bunyan

Cheolgongso's

every capacity, from speed of deployment to armament

in

to armour thickness. The Ban'Go blew its

strength

out of the water- literally in the swampland

opponents

and lead to Cheolgongso's easy gaining of the

trialscontract

and its subsequent acquisition by the

Ironclad

Arms Company.

Washington

the Ban'Go remains renowned for its speed and

Overall

particularly over all classes of its

maneuverability,

Restored lightweight Ban'Go at full sprint are

successor.

as matching or exceeding mediumweight

documented

up to the Behemoth.

Ironclads

Svyatogor remains the largest series of

Arigakof's

yet produced. Likely produced in anticipation of

Ironclads

Diabolic-Imperial combined arms wars expected to

the

the Svyatogor was a thirty foot tall giant of curved

come,

plates and heavy armaments that could in a toe-to-toe

steel

compete with Ironclads as modern as Generation 5

fight

to its extreme power.

thanks

Svyatogor survived for two whole generations before

The

series of small-scale secessions by Note worlds exposed

a

utter inability to compete against Imperial tanks in open

an

and a general difficulty with fulfilling the basic roles

battle,

Ironclads.

of

Ironclads

Ironclad Generations

Pilots

cramped environments, not open fields.

relatively

Gen 0 - MkI-MkVI (ImpAr)

Gen 1 - Bunyan (Washington)

The Ritual of Broken Tags

Gen 2 - Ban'Go (Cheolgongso)

Gen 3 - Svyatogor (Arigakof)

Roc by Washington-Cheolgongso was the last of the

The

Ironclads, and the first to use

mounted-weapon

in its later design iterations, replacing the

microfusion

engine it was originally conceived with. Generally

turbine

and smaller than the Svyatogor, the Roc was also

lighter

faster and only slightly less well armoured, allowing

much

to run rings around the Svyatogor in its preferred

it

Its inferiority in open combats however

environments.

it in the eyes of many, and more importantly the

soured

promise of small scale fusion reactors made it as

growing

Titan first entered active service in 726 alongside the

The

of the fourth chapter, and enjoyed an

announcement

three generations of design revisions and

unmatched

The Titan has long since permeated the entire

iteration.

and more of them have been produced than any

Empire,

Generation of Ironclad, and in fact more than any two

other

generations put together.

other

Titan was the first Ironclad to have unmounted, held

The

which gave it unparalleled operational flexibility.

weapons

was also extremely modular, with a huge list of potential

It

that could be made with only surface hull

modifications

This, coupled with IAI's notoriously rugged and

alterations.

design, meant that the Titan was able to survive for

reliable

upon decades with only minor design iterations

decades

Washington-Cheolgongso Behemoth finally brought an

The

to the Titan's dominance by providing improvements

end

couldn't be applied to the existing Titan chassis

that

massive rebuilds and redesigns- subdermal shield

without

which massively improved the Behemoth's

systems

IAI for its part didn't even attempt to compete

resilience.

the contract and instead started to move into a business

for

where it focused on producing frontier weapons and

model

parts for its ubiquitous Ironclads.

replacement

Behemoth is still in production to this day for the

The

and Third Chapters, although it only lasted for one

Second

in the Imperial Army. It gained a largely

Generation

reputation as a temperamental machine,

unwarranted

it was no more maintenance-heavy than the

although

and more reliable than the Roc, being

Svyatogor

compared to the implacable Titan which

unfavourably

Magog by Schwartz, Dorgessun and Nightland is the

The

advanced Ironclad to have seen combat thus far.

most

mid way through its second combat generation,

Currently

Magog has seen extensive service in the last eighty-

the

years and is widely renowned as a very capable

seven

although it requires more frequent servicing due to

design,

reliance on field technica to remain upright and

its

functioning.

the Magog is fast, strong, and highly resilient,

Overall

a trained but not exceptional pilot being able to easily

with

Gen 4 - Roc (Washington-Cheolgongso)

Ironclad

Huge Construct, Varying Alignment

Armor Class ?

Hit Points ?

Speed ?

much of a fossil as the fuel it ran on.

Gen 5 - Titan (Ifverman Arms Inc.)

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

? (?) ? (?) ? (?) ? (?) ? (?) ? (?)

Condition Immunities poisoned

Damage Immunities poison, psychic

Senses ?

Languages Common

Challenge ?

applied to its three variant hulls.

being

Gen 6 - Behemoth (W-C)

famously be fixed with duct tape and an MMA welder.

could

Gen 7 - Magog (SD&N)

best a storm giant in open combat.

Basic Function. When acting independently an

Ironclad is proficient in nothing, not even its own

weapons, and uses its own mental statistics when

necessary. It is able to use its own modifications,

but is not proficient in these either.

Emergency Shutoffs. If a piloted Ironclad is

charmed or stunned then it must be controlled

entirely by the pilot with no help from the Core,

which is locked out of its own body- the Ironclad

is considered to be subject to the Slow spell but

is not beholden to any other effects of the charm

or stun and can (for example) freely attack the

creature who charmed it. This lasts until the

charm or stun ends.

If an independent Ironclad is charmed then it is

instead paralysed for the same duration.

Extensively Modified. Various statistics of an

Ironclad marked with ? are dictated by its exact

design, as detailed later.

Piston Punch. An Ironclad's unarmed attacks do

6d4 bludgeoning damage unless they would

otherwise do more.

Immutable Form. The Ironclad is immune to any

spell or effect that would alter its form, except

for increasing its size.

Sealed Cockpit. Spells and effects cast at the

Ironclad effect the Ironclad if possible, unless

they do psychic damage. If this is not possible (or

if the spell does psychic damage) then they

instead target the pilot, even if this would

otherwise be impossible due to the caster being

unable to see the pilot.

For example if a creature casts Hold Person on

the Ironclad then the spell instead targets the

pilot as Ironclads are not humanoids, even

though the caster may not be able to see the

pilot. The exception to this is damaging spells- no

spell which does non-psychic damage can ever

target a pilot inside an Ironclad unless the

Ironclad's hull has been breached.

Actions

Pick Up Pilot. The Ironclad puts a pilot in contact

with it inside its cockpit.

can be breached, which means that the hull is

Ironclads

and vulnerable components (and the pilot) are

opened

to the air. An Ironclad is considered breached

exposed

the following situations:

under

an Ironclad takes in or lets out a pilot it is

Whenever

breached until the end of its next turn.

considered

an Ironclad's hatch is blown open by an

Whenever

it is breached.

ejection

an Ironclad is reduced to 0 hp or suffers

Whenever

equal to or greater than half its maximum hp in

damage

single attack or spell it is massively breached.

a

which are grappling or rodeoing Ironclads

Creatures

spend an action to try and rip their doors open. If

can

do this they must make a contested athletics check

they

the Ironclad- if the Ironclad fails then it is

against

breached unless the creature was of Large

massively

a breach takes an hour of light work. Fixing a

Fixing

breach takes eight hours. While breached an

massive

Ironclad's Amour Class, as well as its Dexterity and

The

save rolls, are reduced by 4.

Constitution

Ironclad is vulnerable to all damage.

The

inside the Ironclad can be targeted by spells and

Pilots

as normal, and are considered to be in threequarters

attacks

cover.

the Pilot or Ironclad is forced to become prone the

If

falls from the Ironclad and lands prone as closely

Pilot

certain amount of physical power is required to effect an

A

(or other armoured vehicle) at all. A tank will not

Ironclad

be damaged by a spear, no matter where it is hit,

ever

of course that spear is ridiculously large. For

unless

their Damage Threshold is dictated by their hull

Ironclads

(and detailed later).

weight

and spells which deal damage below a creature's

Attacks

Threshold do no damage at all. Force, Thunder

Damage

Acid type damage are exceptions to this, with all of

and

damage types ignoring the damage threshold due to

these

impossibility of defending againt them with simple

the

armour.

the purposes of overcoming Damage Threshold all

For

caused by a single attackroll or saving throw (such

damage

cantrip bonus damage, the two seperate damages of

as

weapons, smite damage etc) is considered as one.

Blast

A longsword attack does 7 damage and then

Example:

a divine smite of 12 damage while attacking an

triggers

with Damage Threshold 15. As this has a total of

Ironclad

damage, which is more than 15, the Ironclad takes 19

19

damage.

the same Paladin made three 7 damage Longsword

If

this would do no damage to the Ironclad, as each

attacks

did less than 15 damage.

attack

mechanically count as wearing Armour of a

Ironclads

equal to their hull class- Light Armour for Light Hulls,

type

Armour for Medium hulls, and Heavy Armour for

Medium

Hulls.

Heavy

creature of medium or smaller size class that is in

A

with an Ironclad can spend an action to enter its

contact

provided there is space and the Ironclad is willing

cockpit

allow them access. While inside an unbreached Ironclad

to

pilot has total cover from outside the Ironclad and viceversa.

a

Cores are vital for operation. An Ironclad cannot

Ironclad

independently without a core, and is considered to

function

subject to the slow spell if it is being piloted without a

be

An Ironclad's Core has the same maximum hitpoints

core.

its pilot. If an Ironclad's Core is installed in a new

as

then the new Ironclad inherits the Core's

Ironclad

Wisdom, and Charisma ability scores.

Intelligence,

an Ironclad is reduced to zero hitpoints then it

If

stabilises. Damage to (or the death of) the

immediately

body does not effect its core.

Ironclad's

treat incoming damage as being one sixth its

Ironclads

amount for the purposes of calculating a

normal

DC (making the DC one twelfth the damage

concentration

10, whichever is higher). Other creatures treat damage

or

by an Ironclad in the same way so long as they are of

dealt

size class or above.

Huge

use two different special DCs based on their own

Ironclads

properties- their Light Attack DC, which is used to

physical

against things based on the Ironclad's precision, and

save

Heavy Attack DC which is based on their power and

their

size of their reactor. Infantry may also be called on to

the

these DCs, which are calculated in the same way.

use

a pilot is inside an Ironclad they can spend their

When

to pilot their Ironclad. If they do this the Ironclad

action

the pilot's proficiencies and class features until the

gains

of the pilot's next turn, and is controlled by the pilot.

start

Ironclad also moves in the turn order to take its turn

The

after the pilot's turn, and does so from this

immediately

onwards until the combat is concluded and initiative

point

rolled again. Any spell slot spent, class feature used or

is

feature used by the Ironclad is also considered to be

feat

by the pilot.

expended

inside an Ironclad a pilot can spend a bonus action

While

reaction to eject themself at any time, including

or

after the Ironclad is reduced to 0 hp. If they do

immediately

then the Ironclad's top hatch blows open and they are

this

100 feet into the air. If the Pilot wishes they can

ejected

the Ironclad's Core with them when they eject.

take

Ironclad Mechanics

Breaching Ironclads

Embarkation

Ironclad Cores

size class or below, in which case it is merely breached.

Ironclad Concentration

Ironclad is afflicted with the following issues:

Ironclad DCs

to it as possible.

Damage Threshold and Armour

Light Attack DC:

8 + Proficiency Bonus + Dexterity Modifier

Heavy Attack DC:

8 + Proficiency Bonus + Strength Modifier

Piloting an Ironclad

Pilot Ejection

can self-desctruct as an action, or as a reaction to

Ironclads

reduced to zero hitpoints. An Ironclad which self-

being

forces all creatures within 20 feet of it to make a

destructs

save against its Heavy Attack DC, taking 12d6

dexterity

damage if they fail or half as much if they succeed.

thunder

and Cores can be ejected immediately before Self

Pilots

if the Ironclad wishes. All of an Ironclad's

Destruction

caught within its self-destruction radius are

components

to scrap and cannot be salvaged except through

reduced

melted down.

being

can Crush and Ram creatures and objects as

Ironclada

in the Vehicles section later in this document.

described

built on a light hull weigh around 20 tons, or

Ironclads

pounds. Medium hull Ironclads weight twice this

40,000

(80,000 lbs) and heavy hull ironclads weigh three

much

as much (120,000 lbs).

times

have a carrying capacity equal in pounds to four

Ironclads

times their strength score. Medium hull

thousand

can carry double this amount (eight thousand

Ironclads

their strength score), and heavy hull Ironclads can

times

four times as much (sixteen thousand times their

carry

score).

strength

take weeks to gain levels of exhaustion through

Ironclads

behaviour, and do not need to rest. They can

normal

become tired through overheating and burning

however

power cores.

through

an Ironclad performs an activity marked as

Whenever

in combat make a note. At the end of the combat the

tiring

must make a constitution saving throw with a DC

Ironclad

10 or four times the number of different tiring activities

of

performs, whichever is higher. If the Ironclad fails the

it

it gains a level of exhaustion. Using a ranged weapon

save

does lightning or radiant damage is automatically

which

tiring.

lose all levels of exhaustion on completing a

Ironclads

rest. long

Self Destruction

Tiring Ironclads

Step on them!

Superheavy

are custom-built from the ground up in many

Ironclads

although the Empire produces many Ironclads to a

cases-

template they are customisable. This is especially

standard

to the Titan-class Ironclad, which was designed

applicable

be completely modular and easily altered to any

to

situation.

Ironclads require a Hull and a Mind Core, although

All

is barely enough to be considered functional. Ironclads

this

also choose any number of guns and customisation

can

at creation, as well as a Rage Function, provided

options

can afford them.

they

exact starting budget available for an Ironclad's

The

varies and is dependent on the decisions of the

creation

but it's recommended that the Ironclad is allowed a

DM,

weapon, and Mind Core of its choice, and an amount

hull,

money per the column below.

of

budget should not be spent on non-Ironclad

Ironclad

as it in large part represents inheriting components

items,

have ability scores the same as all other

Ironclads

All ability scores are important to Ironclads,

creatures.

they get reduced effectiveness from multiple

although

ability scores.

mental

method used to generate Ironclad ability scores is

The

to the DM, although it is recommended that the same

up

is used for the Ironclads as the players. Whatever

system

is used this list of ability scores is applied to the

method

Ironclads must possess a Mind Core, the central

All

which directs the Ironclad’s movements.

intelligence

speaking Mind Cores use bound spirits of

Broadly

usually Modrons donated for the purpose by the

Outsiders,

of Mechanus, but the spirits of any being may be

foundries

up to and including dead mortals.

used

Cores dictate what actions trigger the Ironclad’s

Mind

Function, and may apply a general modification to the

Rage

Ironclad.

cores cost $3,000,000, but any charater which starts

All

the souls of celestials, Angel Cores are

Originally

used in battlefield support roles where their

sometimes

tendencies towards beneficence synergises with

natural

responsibilities. Angel cores tend towards

their

and parental instincts.

protectiveness

Function Trigger: Angel Cores trigger Rage

Rage

whenever they spend an action to aid an ally in

attempts

way during moments of high stress (eg combat).

some

man’s cores use the souls of dead mortals to provide

Dead

controlling intelligence. An attempt is usually made to

their

the souls to equipment they understood in life, for

pair

reasons. DMCs are sometimes considered a

obvious

bid for immortality by soldiers although those

subsidised

have worked with DMCs will usually disagree, as they

who

seen that life stuck in a giant machine may not be

have

it was cracked up to be.

what

Function Trigger: Dead Man’s Cores trigger a

Rage

attempt whenever they start a turn having killed a

Rage

in with a challenge rating /total class levels higher

creature

zero in the previous turn.

than

Score Improvements: +1 to any two Ability

Ability

Scores

bound souls of elementals are amongst the most

The

of cores, and often the most human in their peculiar

varied

A fire elemental will be aggressive, yes, but it may be

ways.

terrible tyrant or a valiant hero..

a

Function Trigger: Pick a damage type other than

Rage

Piercing, Slashing, Force or Psychic damage

Bludgeoning,

binding the core. Ironclads fitted with this elemental

when

are resistant to this damage type, and trigger a Rage

core

whenever they start a turn having done damage of

attempt

type to an enemy with a challenge rating/number of

this

levels higher than zero in the previous turn.

class

Score Improvements: +2 DEX or +2 STR, -1

Ability

Cores can be aggressive, difficult to predict, and

Fiend

disobedient. They will not attempt to subvert their

often

and goals, but will apply generous interpretations of

orders

a big dollop of their personal biases and as

instructions,

sudden onset deafness as required in order to pursue

much

goals how they want.

those

Function Trigger: Fiend cores trigger Rage

Rage

whenever they start a new turn having both taken

attempts

dealt damage in the previous turn.

and

Score Improvements: +2 CHA, -1 WIS, -1 CON

Ability

cores are the most popular across the Empire for

Modron

all purposes. They are analytical, professional, and

almost

highly intelligent. They may be the souls of basic

generally

or, if the funds and politics allow, specially-

modrons

Inevitables supplied by the creche.

designed

Function Trigger: Modron Cores are reliable but

Rage

they cannot trigger Rage Functions, but can

humdrumperform

almost any task, and get the most out of a

better

They increase the maximum value of all of an

hull.

ability scores by two.

Ironclad’s

are based off the souls of multiple psionically-active

PGCs

in a manner not dissimilar to that of an Elder

creatures

and feed off the psychic emanations of nearby alliesonce

Brain,

again, like an Elder Brain.

Function Trigger: PGC cores trigger Rage

Rage

the first time each turn a friendly creature within

attempts

ft takes damage, or 30 ft if the damage is Psychic type.

15

Score Improvements: One of your INT, WIS or

Ability

increases by 2, the other two increase by 1. -1 CON, -1

CHA

-1 DEX.

STR,

Building an Ironclad

Fully Customisable

Dead Man’s Core

Elemental Core

equipment from others, or salvaging ruined devices.

and

Ironclad Budget

Starting Level Starting Money (in $100,000)

1-4 3d6+3

5-10 6d6+6

11-16 9d6+9

17-20 12d6+12

Ironclad Ability Scores

-1 CHA, -1 INT

WIS,

Fiend Core

profile above.

Mind Cores

Modron Core

an Ironclad should also start with a free core.

with

Angel Core

Score Improvements: +2 INT, -1 DEX, -1 CHA

Ability

Psycho-Gestalt Cores

Ability Score Improvements: +2 WIS, -1 STR, -1 INT

Functions are direct expressions of the spirit of an

Rage

Mind Core. Choose a Rage Function when the

Ironclad’s

Core is bound- this is the Rage Function which the

Mind

Core can trigger.

Mind

a Mind Core triggers a Rage Attempt roll a d6.

Whenever

the result is a 6 the Ironclad gains a use of its Rage

If

Rage Functions can be activated up to a minute

Function.

they were gained at any time, even during another

after

turn. An Ironclad cannot store multiple uses of

creature’s

Rage Function.

its

a Rage Function refers to characteristic damage

Where

is magical damage of a type dependent on the Mind

this

installed in the Ironclad. Modifications cannot affect

Core

(for example Promephuric acid tanks cannot change a

this

Alteration

is perception is reality is perception is reality is

...Reality

is reality is perception is reality is perception is

perception

reality...

ironclad immediately casts one spell with a casting

The

of one action, one reaction or one bonus action and

time

has a spell level of less than one third its pilot’s level.

which

does not consume a spell slot.

This

Destroyer

exhaust vents open across the Ironclad’s

Emergency

and it slams down its fists in a blaze of inexplicable

front,

energy.

planar

wave of energy propagates out from you as a cone 60 ft

A

All creatures within the cone must pass a dexterity

long.

throw against your Heavy Attack DC or take 8d12

saving

damage. Creatures which pass the save

characteristic

take half damage. The damage done by Destroyer

instead

at 5th level to 16d12, at 11th level to 24d12, and

increases

Immortal

Mind Core glows white hot and surrounds itself with

The

shield of pure will. Nothing gets in, and nothing gets out,

a

perhaps for fury.

except

the start of its next turn the Ironclad is immune to

Until

damage that it does not inflict on itself.

all

Lance

illuminators across the front of the Ironclad’s hull

Basic

to impossible levels and blast forth an arcane beam of

glow

destruction.

extraplanar

beam of planar energy blasts from the Ironclad’s front,

A

ft long and 10 feet wide. All creatures within the cone

120

pass a dexterity saving throw against your Heavy

must

DC or take 8d12 characteristic damage. Creatures

Attack

pass the save instead take half damage. The damage

which

by Lance increases at 5th level to 16d12, at 11th level

done

Onslaught

is something to be said for just being extremely

There

and every aspect of reality can count violence in

aggressive,

portfolio

its

one creature or object within range of one of the

Pick

weapons. The Ironclad gains an action which it

Ironclad’s

uses to attack the creature or object. These

immediately

do not consume ammunition in any way, cannot

attacks

the weapon, and do not need the weapon in question to

jam

loaded. be

Spectre

Mind Core shunts its perceptible impacts into the

The

reaches of the multiverse, making it imperceptible

farthest

anyone observing it.

to

the start of its next turn the Ironclad is

Until

to anyone outside of the Far Realm.

imperceptible

Surge

is far from consistent across the planes, and a

Time

burst of relative speed can have enormous effects.

small

ironclad immediately takes an action which it cannot

The

Wraith

Mind Core calls itself home, dragging its Ironclad

The

into another plane. It moves like a vengeful ghost

partially

the world.

across

the start of its next turn the Ironclad gains a flying

Until

equal to double its move speed and can move

speed

anything, including solid ground. During this time

through

cannot be affected by anything on this plane, and cannot

it

Rage Function

Characteristic Damage

Core

Damage Type

Angel

Dead

Man's

Radiant

Necrotic

Elemental The type chosen for the Ironclad’s resistance

at Core selection.

Fiend

Psycho-

Gestalt

Fire, Cold, Acid, Lightning, or Poison (chosen

when the Core is bound)

Psychic

to 24d12, and at 17th level to 32d12.

fire elemental’s damage type to acid).

use to cast a spell or make an attack.

affect them in turn.

at 17th level to 32d12.

use one of three hulls- Light, Medium, or Heavy.

Ironclads

Ironclads must have a hull.

All

Hull of an Ironclad dictates its Damage Threshold

The

Class, and movement speed. These properties may

Armour

changed by various class features or modifications, but

be

not change due to the Ironclad's pilot's level.

do

Ironclad's maximum hitpoints and number of hardpoints change as its primary Pilot (the one who was bonded to it in the

An

of Broken Tags) gains levels. These are listed below. An Ironclad with no living Pilot is considered to have a Pilot Level

ritual

1. of

hulls cost $3,000,000, but Player Characters should probably have one for free at the start of the campaign.

All

of the hull chosen mataining an Ironclad costs

Regardless

$240,000 per year, assuming it sees regular activity.

around

Ironclad Hulls

Hull

Armour Class

Movement

Speed

Damage

Threshold

Light 15+Dex Mod 60ft 10

Medium

16+Dex Mod

(Max 3)

50ft 15

Heavy 18 40ft 20

Variable Hull Stats

Hull Class Pilot Level Maximum Hitpoints Hardpoints

Light 1-4 75 (15d8) + 15xCon 6+Int or Wis or Cha

5-10 100 (20d8) + 20xCon 8+Int or Wis or Cha



Medium 1-4 90 (15d10) + 15xCon 8+Int or Wis or Cha




Heavy 1-4 105 (15d12) + 15xCon 6+Int or Wis or Cha




other armoured vehicles which mount a fixed gun in

Unlike

casemate Ironclads use held weapons to improve

their

flexibility.

their

can take as many weapons as they can carry

Ironclads

afford, but be warned- in order for an Ironclad to use a

and

the Ironclad must be configured to that weapon.

weapon

represents the necessary power packs and

This

as well as the ammunition mounting on the

connections,

an Ironclad to a weapon and all other identical

Configuring

(meaning weapons with the same modifications

weapons

to them, as detailed later) takes one hour of light

made

with access to basic tools. The configuration then

activity

one of the Ironclad's Hardpoints, or possibly more

occupies

it has been modified. Ironclads can also be un-configured

if

a weapon, which takes the same time.

from

get a free weapon at game start, along with

Ironclads

Ironclad Weapons

Ironclad Weapons


15mm Machine

Pistol

$10,000 6d4 piercing 270

lbs

20mm Pistol $25,000 6d6 piercing 270

lbs

20mm

Submachinegun

$60,000 6d6 piercing 270

lbs

25mm Pistol $50,000 6d8 piercing 270

lbs

25mm Rifle $80,000 6d8 piercing 270

lbs

25mm rotary

cannon

$160,000 6d8 piercing 270

lbs

40mm Cannon $140,000 3d10 thunder +

3d10 piercing

270

lbs

AM railgun $250,000 12d12 piercing 270

lbs

Heavy Arc

Cannon

$350,000 4d10 lightning 270

lbs

HGL $60,000 2d10 thunder 270

lbs

Incinerator $40,000 4d10 fire 270

lbs

Ironclad Laser $300,000 6d8 radiant 270

lbs

Plasma Repeater $300,000 6d8 fire 270

lbs

Rocket Pods $40,000 2d8 thunder 270

lbs

SHGL $80,000 4d12 thunder 270

lbs

Tenth Gauge

Pistol

$50,000 6d10(6d6)

piercing

Thirteenth Gauge $100,000 6d12(6d8)

scattergun

piercing

Zero Point

Thrower

270

lbs

270

lbs

$80,000 2d8 cold 270

lbs

Ammunition (range 50/240), Reload (16), Light, Rapid Fire

Ammunition (range 150/750), Reload (8), Light

Ammunition (range 50/240), Reload (16), Rapid Fire

Ammunition (range 200/900), Reload (8)

Ammunition (range 600/3000), Reload (16), Rapid Fire, Two

Handed

Ammunition (range 300/3000), Slow Reload (16), Cannon, Two

Handed, Unwieldy, Ultra Rapid Fire

Ammunition (range 800/4000), Reload (8), Two Handed

Ammunition (range 400/24000), Reload (4), Instant Travel, Slow

Fire, Sniper, Two Handed

Ammunition (range 40/120), Pipe Fed, Arc Line, Brutish

(15/4d10 lightning), Instant Travel, Slow Fire, Two Handed

Ammunition (range 75/300), Reload (4), Blast (15, 2d10

slashing), Brutish, Two Handed

Incinerator(90/40), Pipe Fed, Two Handed

Ammunition (range 600/3000), Pipe Fed, Instant Travel, Two

Handed

Ammunition (range 600/3000), Pipe Fed, Rapid Fire, Two

Handed

Ammunition (range 200/900), Reload (8), Blast (10/2d8

slashing), Brutish, Rapid Fire, Two Handed

Ammunition (range 75/300), Blast (25/4d12 slashing), Cannon,

Chamber Shot, Slow Fire, Two Handed

Ammunition (range 40/80), Reload (8), Scattergun

Ammunition (range 40/80), Reload (8), Brutish, Scattergun, Two

Handed

Ammunition (range 60/60), Pipe Fed, Brutish, Frozen Wash

(20/2d8 cold), Two Handed

Ironclad's hull.

three crates of free ammunition for that gun.

can be modified by adding various atachments

Ironclads

features to them and their weapons (collectively known

and

Modifications), allowing them to be tailored to any

as

The time taken to apply an Ironclad modification

situation.

widlly- an addition of a sensor suite can be relatively

varies

and take a little more than a day, but full thermal

quick

may require an extensive hull rebuild.

shielding

can take as many Modifications as they can

Ironclads

and (crucially) fit- Modifications almost always have

afford

number of Hardpoints which they occupy, and the total

a

Hardpoints may not go above the Ironclad's total

occupied

of hardpoints. An Ironclad may only take a given

number

which occupies hardpoints slots once, unless

Modification

noted.

otherwise

otherwise noted no modifications are mutually

Unless

with one another, and there are no limitations on

exclusive

Ironclads can take which modifications. An Ironclad

which

(for example) take more shoulder mounted weapons

may

Systems Insulation

Absence-Tested

Ironclad’s vulnerable systems and pilot are

The

by heat-retaining insulation capable of

protected

long-term immersion in zero point coolant.

withstanding

$300,000

Cost:

Occupation: 2

Hardpoint

: The Ironclad is immune to nonmagical cold

Effect

and resistant to magical cold damage.

damage,

Armour Plating (any hull except Light)

Additional

armour plating makes this Ironclad tougher, but

Extra

slower.

much

$600,000

Cost:

Occupation: 1

Hardpoint

: The Ironclad’s Armour Class increases by 1, but

Effect

movement speed decreases by 5 ft. This Modification

its

be taken as many times as desired.

can

APAN

All Purpose ANalyser is a combination of centrifuges,

An

a geiger counter, thaumic scrutinisers and

spectroscopes,

esoteric equipment allowing for a detailed

more

of most arcane or mundane materials.

assessment

$90,000

Cost:

Occupation: 1

Hardpoint

: The APAN can spend one minute analysing

Effect

placed within its six inch cube opening (which

anything

be mounted inside or outside the Ironclad), including

may

gases, and living beings. As well as functioning as

liquids,

Identify spell this allows for additional information to be

an

from materials and mechanical devices placed

gleaned

This may include their function, material

within.

age, what planes they have been on, or many

composition,

factors. If allowed to destroy the sample the APAN

other

AWACS

Warning And Control Systems are mounted on

Airborne

to determine the location of enemy air assets and

aircraft

with targeting. This is not dissimilar to that.

help

$120,000

Cost:

Occupation: 2

Hardpoint

An AWACS gives knowledge of the approximate

Effect:

of every airborne creature within one mile or in

location

of sight of the user, and advantage on all attack rolls

line

all targets more than 20 ft. off the ground.

against

BDMSO

Brainwave-Dependent Master/Slave Override is a

A

system of MRI machines which monitors a pilot’s

complex

particularly the nucleus accumbens, for

brainwaves,

and inexplicable changes. On detecting such

sudden

the pilot’s controls are immediately severed,

changes

the Ironclad to act independently without override.

alowing

$100,000

Cost:

Occupation: 1

Hardpoint

: Whenever the pilot of an Ironclad equipped with

Effect

BDMSO is paralysed, charmed or dominated (or subject

a

another similar effect) while piloting the Ironclad the

to

control systems are severed, preventing the pilot

Ironclad’s

controlling its movements or actions in any way and

from

the Ironclad count as unmanned for all purposes.

making

controls are restored as soon as the effect ends.

These

is an automatic system not under the Ironclad’s

This

control and cannot be triggered by it otherwise. The

direct

Light Imaging

Black

light imagers use lamps that shine invisible light to

Black

Ironclads and their pilots to see in darkness, an

allow

useful tactical ability. Unfortunately no form of

extremely

light is ubiquitous across all worlds, and many

black

races can perceive what would be black light to

sapient

meaning that any imaging system must be able to

humans,

adapted between worlds and to specific opponents.

be

$80,000

Cost:

Occupation: 2

Hardpoint

: The Ironclad can see in dim light as if it were

Effect

light, and darkness as if it were dim light. It cannot

bright

Coating

Blackhide

is a matte black coating which uses a

Blackhide

of extremely complicated scientific

combination

to fox RADAR and SONAR systems, as well as

procedures

obfuscation to hide it from magical methods like

arcane

sensors and techniques like SAD targeting.

SAS

$55,000

Cost:

Occupation: 1

Hardpoint

: The Ironclad is invisible to all sensors except for

Effect

light based ones, produces no energy signature or

visible

emissions, has no scent, and has advantage on

detectable

throws against scrying. If it is viewed indirectly by

saving

(for example because an Ironclad next to it is

scrying

then it may make a wisdom save against the scrying

scried)

though it was not the target. If this save is successful

even

the Ironclad is invisible in the scrying view, although

then

Brightline Conduit

Blade-Host

Ironclad’s body is riddled with arcane conduits

The

as Brightline Conduits, designed to ferry the pilot’s

known

into its own weapons with incredible efficiency and

magic

its pilot’s movements with more accuracy.

mirror

$500,000

Cost:

Occupation: 2

Hardpoint

: All damage you deal with a spell or class feature

Effect

requires you to hit a creature with a ranged or melee

which

occurs when you hit a creature with an attack, or

attack,

requires you to make an attack (eg Divine Smite, the

which

Blade cantrip, the bonus damage provided by a

Booming

Rage, the bonus damage of Great Weapon

barbarian’s

etc), is multiplied by a factor of six. Weapon damage

Master

ability score modifier damage is not affected by this,

and

nor is Psychic-type damage.

and

Ironclad Modifications

BDMSO does not restrict use of the Ironclad’s ejector seat.

than it has shoulders.

perceive color in darkness, only shades of grey.

its effects can still be seen.

will always give better results.

.

Very Heavy Impact: One Titan-class Ironclad

crushes another into the ground.

Weaponry

Classic

weapons are classics for a reason- there are few

Classic

to improve on the sword or the maul when it comes to

ways

them Ironclad-compatible, other than simply

making

the weapon bigger.

making

Ten times more than the weapon’s listed price (note

Cost:

1 gp is $100).

that

Occupation: -

Hardpoint

: Choose one weapon from the Player’s Handbook.

Effect

Ironclad gains a copy of this weapon, which is identical

The

the original version except that it rolls six times as many

to

during damage rolls as listed in the book, it is

dice

sized for the Ironclad and is considered an

appropriately

weapon. Ranges are unaffected. This weapon does

Ironclad

require the Ironclad to be configured in order to use it

not

it is fitted with Modifications which increase its

unless

occupation (such as Hi-Calibre Weapon

Hardpoint

in which case its Hardpoint occupation

Augmentation),

Cloak

high-power Weavehammers an Ironclad can turn

Using

completely invisible for an indefinite period. Highpower

itself

is the key term here however- doing this is absolute

on an Ironclad’s reactor.

murder

$650,000

Cost:

Occupation: 2

Hardpoint

: The Ironclad can spend an action to turn invisible

Effect

the end of its next turn. While invisible in this way the

until

is considered to be under the effects of the Slow

Ironclad

Data Repository

Corraborative

banks fitted into the ironclad hold a wealth of

Data

on various subjects which skilled Hascholars

information

practitioners of the subject can tap into.

or

$40,000

Cost:

Occupation: 1

Hardpoint

: Pick any two skills from the following: Any

Effect

skill (except for Invvestigation), Survival, and

Intelligence

The Ironclad is proficient in this skill. Whenever

Medicine.

creature which can hear the Ironclad makes a

another

using this skill the Ironclad can use its reaction to

check

its own proficiency bonus to the result, possibly

add

the outcome. Only one Ironclad can influence a

changing

check in this way.

given

Shield

Eminence

Shields are shields in the classic buckler

Eminence

usually used by Ironclads who want to engage in

design,

combat without being shot to shreds along the way,

melee

the Eminence/Pistol combination remains

although

popular.

$300,000

Cost:

Occupation: 1

Hardpoint

: As a bonus action you can ignite or dismiss an

Effect

Shield held in one of your hands. An Eminence

Eminence

is a shield which increases your Armour Class by 3

Shield

and occupies the hand it is held in.

points

Ironclad can only maintain one shield (including

An

Wall, Gun Shield, Tower Deflector and Eminence

Shield

at a time. Using a shield is tiring.

Shield)

can attempt to maintain their Eminence Shield

Ironclads

in which case the drain on their reactor means

constantly,

accrue exhaustion as a creature normally does.

they

Step (Light Hull Only)

Ethereal

step devices allow Ironclads to temporarily

Ethereal

the ethereal plane, thereby avoiding harm and

enter

obstacles. Of course larger Ironclads are

avoiding

to transport in this way.

impossible

$350,000

Cost:

Occupation: 2

Hardpoint

: As a bonus action you can choose to enter the

Effect

Ethereal until the end of your turn. While in the

Border

Ethereal you can perceive reatures in adjacent

Border

as indistinct shadows and be perceived by them

planes

but cannot be effected by creatures outside of the

similarly,

Ethereal. In addition you cannot be effected by or

Border

objects which are not of Large size class or above

perceive

the plane you just left, or on the Border Ethereal. This

on

does not work in locations which do not border the

feature

Ethereal (ie that aren't the Prime Material, the

Border

the Shadowfel, and the Ethereal Plane). Using

Feywild,

Layering

Ferro-Ceramic

Ironclad’s armour plates are chemically inert, and

The

in no way affected by acid no matter the concentration.

are

acid is a different issue however.

Magical

$450,000

Cost:

Occupation: 2

Hardpoint

: The Ironclad is immune to nonmagical acid

Effect

and resistant to magical acid damage.

damage,

Wall

Flame

Walls are normally projected by a small rolling

Flame

which leaves a trail of thermite behind it. This

device

then rapidly ignites, propelling the roller onwards

thermite

incinerating anything in its wake.

and

$120,000

Cost:

Occupation: 1

Hardpoint

: You can use an attack to project a line of flame

Effect

the ground at a point within sixty feet. The line can

along

up walls but cannot bridge gaps. Every creature that the

go

passes through must pass a dexterity save against your

line

Attack DC or take 3d8 fire damage, taking half as

Heavy

damage on a successful save. The area is then

much

in flaming thermite, which deals 3d8 damage to

covered

creature when it starts its turn in the fire or enters the

any

for the first time this turn. The Flame Wall lasts for a

fire

of turns equal to your Ironclad’s constitution

number

Using a flame wall consumes fuel ammunition

bonus.

Shield FM

Manipulation shields use a combination of gravitic

Field

magnetism and a projection of the strong

manipulation,

force in order to ensnare projectiles so that they can

atomic

returned to sender with extreme force.

be

$600,000

Cost:

Occupation: 2

Hardpoint

: As a reaction you can attempt to catch enemy

Effect

This functions identically to the monk class

projectiles.

Deflect Missile, except the returned damage is

feature

to the normal damage of the weapon plus your

identical

modifier, the damage to you is reduced by six

dexterity

as much, and the FM shield can always be used,

times

the monk feature which recharges on a rest.

unlike

you would otherwise have access to the monk class

If

Deflect Missiles then whenever you use Deflect

feature

or your FM shield you gain an additional reaction,

Missiles

until the start of your next turn, which can only be

lasting

Ethereal Step is tiring.

increases from 0 by the relevant amount.

spell. Using a Cloak is tiring.

This attachment can be taken as many times as desired.

identically to a heavy flamethrower.

spent on using your FM Shield or Deflect Missiles.

.

A Distressingly Common Sight: A Behemoth-class

Ironclad undergoes repairs in a garage.

Shield

Gun

shields are popular with pilots who want

Gun-mounted

stay on the move while protecting themselves. They

to

appear around the gun barrel and cover most-

generally

not all- of the Ironclad’s body.

although

$450,000

Cost:

Occupation: 2

Hardpoint

: As a bonus action you can cause a shield to

Effect

into existence around one of your currently-wielded

spring

Ranged attack rolls directed at you receive a -2

weapons.

modifier so long as they are coming at you from the

to-hit

you are facing. The shield lasts for a number of

direction

equal to your proficiency bonus before expiring and

turns

You can also cause the shield to instantly expire

vanishing.

a bonus action.

as

are considered to be facing whatever direction you

You

with the shield being a semicircle large enough to

choose,

half your token with its centre pointed towards your

cover

If you make a ranged attack with the weapon

facing.

the shield you are considered to be facing

generating

whatever creature or object you attacked last, and

towards

shield turns automatically to face them unless you

your

otherwise.

specify


An


Shield

at a time. Using a shield is tiring. Once a Gun

Shield)

expires it becomes available for use again once a

Shield

of turns have passed equal to the number of turns

number

was previously up for (rounding up in the case of being

it

for less than a whole turn). Ironclads can attempt to

used

their Gun Shield constantly, in which case there

maintain

a 50% chance their shield will be active when combat

is

and will remain for a random number of turns up to

starts

proficiency bonus. If they do this then the drain on

their

reactor means they accrue exhaustion as a creature

their

does.

normally

Plating

Heat-Immune

Ironclad’s outer layer is comprised of specially heat-

This

materials, making it more or less immune to the

tempered

of external heat sources.

effects

$250,000

Cost:

Occupation: 2

Hardpoint

: The Ironclad is immune to nonmagical fire

Effect

and resistant to magical fire damage.

damage,

Weapon Augmentation

Hi-Calibre

Calibre forms are available for many weapons

Higher

by Ironclads. Such weapons become heavier and

employed

difficult to control, but are more damaging when they

more

hit their targets.

actually

Half the price of the chosen weapon.

Cost:

Occupation: -

Hardpoint

: Choose one of this Ironclad’s weapons. That

Effect

now occupies an additional hardpoint when

weapon

does one point of additional damage for every

configured,

rolled in its damage calculation, and receives a -1

dice

to all to-hit rolls made with it. In addition the

modifier

Feedline

Hull-Weapon

Ironclad weapons are fed from a magazine in order

Most

minimise the use of the Ironclad’s exterior ports and

to

flexibility. Feeding weapons from a belt or power

improve

however remains attractive, as it means that pilots do

cable

need to pause to reload.

not


Cost:

Occupation: -

Hardpoint

: Choose one of the Ironclad’s weapons that uses

Effect

That weapon takes up an additional hardpoint

ammunition.

Mind Core Aptitude

Improved

Cores have difficulty using their own equipment

Mind

to their inherently limited aptitude for most things.

due

can however be improved and made able to utilise

They

equipment better through training and the addition of

their

knowledge modules, usually reel-to-reel tapes.

further

$150,000

Cost:

Occupation: 1

Hardpoint

: Choose one weapon, two saves, or four skills.

Effect

Ironclad is proficient in these things even when

The

This Modification can be taken as many times as

uncrewed.

desired.

Shield

Incinerator

shields use high-intensity flames to produce

Incinerator

of extreme heat, charge, and atmospheric distortion

areas

disrupts incoming energy in a variety of exotic ways.

which

similar are A/C or Acidic/Caustic shields which

Very

a similar duty with the aim of wearing down

perform

solid projectiles and reducing their ability to

incoming

the Ironclad.

damage

$350,000

Cost:

Occupation: 2

Hardpoint

: As a reaction when damaged by a spell or ranged

Effect

you can raise a free hand and attempt to catch

attack

projectiles in a shield of high-intensity flame which

enemy

energetic attacks. You take half as much acid, cold,

disrupts

lightning, necrotic, radiant and thunder damage from

fire,

attack or spell (and all other attacks and spells from

the

creature) as you otherwise would. This effect lasts until

that

start of your next turn.

the

you also have the Promefuric Acid Tanks Modification

If

you instead take half as much piercing damage as you

then

would from the attack or spell, but the other

otherwise

types are all unaffected.

damage

addition to this the Ironclad's unarmed attacks do 6d6

In

unless they would otherwise do more damage,

damage,

do fire damage instead of bludgeoning.

and

an incinerator shield for an attack or a reaction

Using

fuel ammunition identically to a heavy

consumes

flamethrower.

LATEJECT

EJECTor seats are used to, unsurprisingly,

LATeral

eject Ironclad pilots.

laterally

$60,000

Cost:

Occupation: 1

Hardpoint

: On ejecting from an Ironclad the Pilot is fired in

Effect

Weapon Augmentation

Lo-Calibre

Calibre rounds are of course less damaging than

Lower

larger cousins, but they allow for smaller receivers

their

lighter, more controllable weapons to fire them.

and


Cost:

Occupation: -

Hardpoint


Effect

now occupies an additional hardpoint when

weapon

does one less damage for every dice rolled in its

configured,

calculation, and receives a +1 modifier to all to-hit

damage

made with it. In addition the weapon becomes Brutish

rolls

a Cannon, and stops being a Cannon.

if

when configured and gains the Pipe Fed property.

any direction they choose.

weapon becomes Brutish if it was not already a Cannon.

.

A Man and His Droid: An extensively-modified

Titan-class Ironclad poses for a photograph with

its pilot as part of a mercenary company's

advertising campaign.

Arcane Channel Array

Mainline

are networks of arcane materials and runic

MACAs

layered throughout an Ironclad’s hull and

inscriptions

in an extensive lattice designed to enhance magical

limbs

as much as possible.

power

$1,500,000

Cost:

Occupation: 8

Hardpoint

: Any magical damage an Ironclad deals, except for

Effect

with its weapons, is multiplied by a factor of six

that

it could not benefit from Blade-Host Brightline

provided

Ability score modifier damage is not multiplied in

Conduit.

way, and nor is Psychic-type damage.

this

Weaponry

MCX

stands for Military Certification Expired. It

MCX

weapons which are no longer considered

indicates

old fashioned equipment, no longer

“contemporary”-

by the military. As old fashioned devices these

wanted

require less support but also have less integration

weapons

Ironclad systems and are generally old and worn.

with


Cost:

Occupation: -

Hardpoint

: Choose one Ironclad weapon. The Ironclad gains

Effect

weapon, but the weapon does not require

that

to be used unless it is fitted with

configuration

The weapon also does not ever trigger any

attachments.

of on-attack or on-hit effects, cannot be used to cast

kind

or use class abilities in any way except for Extra

spells

and jams whenever it critically fails to hit a target or

Attack,

target rolls a 20 on a save against the weapon’s effects.

a

a weapon jam takes an action, and while a

Clearing

System

NMOD

Empire does not fit its vehicles with Nuclear

The

On Demand systems, but is generally slow to

Meltdown

their installation and occasionally rewards their

punish

The advantages of suddenly becoming a ball of atomic

use.

are many, but six to nine million dollars of expensive

death

going up is not something the Taleish like to

hardware

encourage.

$385,000

Cost:

Occupation: 2

Hardpoint

: Instead of self destructing as normal this

Effect

can choose to initiate a nuclear meltdown. In this

Ironclad

when the Ironclad self-destructs its detonation is

case

delayed until the start of its next turn. When the

instead

detonates all creatures and objects within 60 ft

Ironclad

30d6 fire, 40d6 thunder and 10d6 radiant damage.

take

between 40 and 60 ft away can roll a Dexterity

Creatures

against the Ironclad’s Heavy Attack DC, taking half

save

Rounds and Weapon Enhancements

OCEAN

Neutralising

Outsider/Construct/Elemental/Aberration

are bullets and shells used to damage targets

rounds

immune to conventional harm through use of

otherwise

exotic materials such as silver nanofibres,

various

dust, and abyss-forged brass casings. OCEAN

adamantine

and chemical supplements are also available, and can

fuel

used to produce flames, acids, or other materials which

be

also harm arcane creatures.

will

Half the price of the chosen weapon/modification.

Cost:

Occupation: -

Hardpoint

: Choose one of this Ironclad’s weapons or

Effect

(except its unarmed attacks). That weapon or

Modifications

now takes up an additional Hardpoint when

modification

modifications cannot cause an Ironclad to harm

OCEAN

when it would not otherwise do so.

itself

PEMA

Energy Modulation/Amplification systems are

Positive

to let Ironclad pilots repair each other and

designed

through the application of standard healing

themselves

spells.

$400,000

Cost:

Occupation: 3

Hardpoint

: Spells cast and class abilities used by Ironclads

Effect

with a PEMA ignore restrictions preventing them

equipped

restoring health to constructs. In addition these spells

from

six times more health than they otherwise would,

heal

their target is an Ironclad.

provided

Radio

Planar

a massively improved series of radio antennae

Using

with magical communications devices the Ironclad

mixed

its transmissions will always be heard.

ensures

$200,000

Cost:

Occupation: 1

Hardpoint

: The Ironclad can pick up and broadcast to any

Effect

radio system from any point on the same world

tower-scale

blocked by magical or technological means. The

unless

communications array can also transmit to

Ironclad’s

planes of existence, although in this case its

adjacent

range is limited to over one kilometre of

communication

terrain from the point it is transmitting to. Selecting a

open

point between Planes functions identically to

transmission

Weapon Shoulder Mount

Primary

hull reinforcement and a strong mounting point

Through

Ironclad’s primary weapon can be affixed to its body.

an

lets the Ironclad shoot the weapon while its hands are

This

occupied, possibly with another weapon,

otherwise

the Ironclad’s ability to direct its weapons is not

although

improved.


Cost:

Occupation: -

Hardpoint


Effect

can be fired without using the Ironclad’s hands,

weapon

occupies an additional hardpoint when configured.

and

Acid Tanks

Promefuric

armoured tanks of hyper-reactive Promefuric acid

Large

the incendiary fuel reserves of this Ironclad,

replace

it to spray deadly withering chemicals instead of

allowing

fire.

$125,000

Cost:

Occupation: 2

Hardpoint

: Fire damage done by this Ironclad’s weapons and

Effect

but not spells, is replaced with acid damage.

Modifications,

Ironclad cannot be fitted with Sturmer Power Banks,

This

Action Doors

Quick

explosive charges or quick-acting pneumatics are

Small

on the Ironclad’s doors’ release catches, blowing

fitted

open extremely quickly before winches and cables re-

them

them. seal

$50,000

Cost:

Occupation: 1

Hardpoint

: The Ironclad can be entered or exixted with a

Effect

action instead of an action. Ejecting from the

bonus

only breaches it until the start of its next turn,

Ironclad

the Teleport spell.

weapon is jammed it cannot be used to make an attack.

damage if they succeed.

Zero Point Coolant Reserves, or Z█████.

rather than until its hatches are refitted.

configured and does magical damage.

.

The Future Arrives: A light Magog-Class Ironclad

and its pilot. The primary weapon is some kind of

barium-firing railgun.

Wall (Foxer/Clasher)

Shield

and Clasher shields both work on the same

Foxer

of a fog of small magical barriers suspended in a

principles

wall. Foxer walls use many thousands of such shields,

thin

smaller than a fingernail, to slow projectiles which pass

all

the shield, while clasher fields use fewer, larger

through

in the hopes of blocking them altogether.

shields

$675,000

Cost:

Occupation: 3

Hardpoint

: As a bonus action pick any two points within

Effect

feet of the Ironclad and no more than twenty feet

twenty

each other. A wall springs from this line, thirty feet

from

either of the Foxer or Clasher type.

tall,

the wall is of the Foxer type then any ranged attack

If

passes through this wall does only half as much

which

as it otherwise would do. If it is of the Clasher type

damage

the attack instead receives a -3 to-hit modifier. The

then

lasts for a number of turns equal to your proficiency

shield

before expiring and disappearing. You can also

bonus

the shield to instantly expire as a bonus action.

cause


An


Shield

at a time. Using a shield is tiring. Once a shield

Shield)

it becomes available for use again once a number

expires

turns have passed equal to the number of turns it was

of

up for.

previously

who are in contact with the wall can push

Creatures

weapons through it to fire. If they do this then their

their

are not affected by the wall.

attacks

Ironclad’s Shield Wall attachment always produces

An

of the two types, chosen when the attachment is fitted.

one

order to produce the other type it must purchase the

In

again. Accordingly this attachment may be

attachment

up to twice.

taken

Gun (Light)

Shoulder-Mounted

mounts are popular amongst offensively-

Shoulder

Ironclad pilots for their ability to be directed with

minded

effort. These lighter weapons are particularly

minimal

against ground targets, and barely take any effort on

useful

part of the Ironclad to use.

the

Same As chosen weapon.

Cost:

Occupation: 1

Hardpoint

: The Ironclad gains one of the weapons listed

Effect

These weapons do not require a free hand to use,

below.

can be used to make an attack using either an attack or

and

bonus action. They can also be cycled (in the case of slow

a

weapons) with an attack or bonus action.

fire

upgrade can be taken as many times as desired,

This

any weapon being selected each time. All shoulder

with

weapons have the Pipe-Fed property and count as

mounted

Gun (Heavy)

Shoulder-Mounted

mounts are popular amongst offensively-

Shoulder

Ironclad pilots for their ability to be directed with

minded

effort. Heavier weapons in particular add yet

minimal

way to damage enemy Ironclads or large monsters

another

direct combat.

in

Same As Chosen Weapon.

Cost:

Occupation: 2

Hardpoint

: The Ironclad gains one of the weapons listed

Effect

These weapons do not require a free hand to use,

below.

can be used to make an attack using either an attack or

and

bonus action. They can also be cycled (in the case of slow

a

weapons) with an attack or bonus action. All shoulder

fire

weapons have the Pipe-Fed property and count as

mounted

Plasma

Caster

Sniper

Rifle

$23000 1d10

fire

Sturmgun $26000

$12000 6d4

piercing

Ammunition (range

300/1500), Brutish, Rapid

Fire

Ammunition (range

6000/6000), Slow Fire

1d10 Ammunition (range

thunder 40/120), Arc Line (5/1d10

lightning), Slow Fire, Instant

Travel

weapons.

Ironclad

Weapon Cost Damage Properties

Flamethrower $3500 2d6 fire Incinerator (30/20)

Heavy Laser $30000

Light

Grenade

Launcher

Light

Machinegun

Laser

Repeater

2d12

radiant

$1000 1d8

thunder

$6000 1d10

piercing

$22000 1d8

piercing

Ammunition (range

6000/6000), Slow Fire,

Instant Travel

Ammunition (range

25/100), Blast(5/1d8

slashing), Brutish

Ammunition (range

300/1500), Brutish,

Rapid Fire

Ammunition (range

300/1500), Brutish,

Rapid Fire

weapons.

Ironclad


AM Rifle $11000 6d8

piercing

AT Laser $95000 6d6

radiant

Grenade

Launcher

$6000 1d8

thunder

Heavy $10000 4d6 fire

Flamethrower

Machinegun $16000

Microrocket

Launcher

3d8

piercing

$26000 3d6

thunder

MP

Sturmcannon $65000

lightning

2d6

MP Rotary

Cannon

Rocket

Launcher

$20000 3d6

piercing

$1500 2d8

thunder

AT Weapon,

Ammunition (range

400/6000), Slow Fire,

Instant Travel

AT Weapon,

Ammunition (range

200/900), Instant

Travel, Brutish

AT Weapon,

Ammunition (range

25/100),

Blast(5/1d6slashing),

Brutish, Heavy

AT Weapon, Pipe Fed,

Incinerator (50/30)

AT Weapon,

Ammunition (range

300/1500), Rapid Fire,

Cannon, Heavy

AT Weapon,

Ammunition (range

300/1500), Rapid Fire,

Cannon

AT Weapon,

Ammunition (range

300/1500), Cannon,

Instant Travel, Arc Line

(10/2d6 lightning),

Slow Fire

AT Weapon,

Ammunition (range

300/1500), Ultra

Rapid Fire, Cannon

AT Weapon,

Ammunition (range

200/900),

Blast(10/2d8 slashing),

Brutish, Heavy, Slow

Fire

.

Ruined Horizons: No matter how many "NO

STEP" labels they put on your gun, posing is

always more important.

Running

Silent

Ironclad is capable of what is sometimes

This

referred to as “silent running”, where

affectionately

systems are powered down, motors are used

unnecessary

in place of engines, and solenoids are opened

extensively

carefully. Ironclads doing this are much harder to

very

detect.

$100,000

Cost:

Occupation: 1

Hardpoint

: By spending a bonus action this Ironclad can

Effect

advantage on all stealth checks it makes until the start

gain

its next turn. This will usually only be enough to offset its

of

disadvantages when it comes to stealth. Using

natural

Running is tiring.

Silent

Imager

SONAR

a system of reflected sound this Ironclad is

Using

of producing a vague map of the surrounding area.

capable

high-quality computers detailed images are

Without

even with powerful Mind Cores, but vague

impossible,

can be produced.

maps

$250,000

Cost:

Occupation: 2

Hardpoint

: SONAR Imager gives blindsight out to a range of

Effect

feet, but this blindsight can only perceive objects or

eighty

of large size category or above. The imager can

creature

identify the location of creatures or objects of small or

also

size, but cannot “see” them from any mechanical

medium

due to the blurred image produced.

perspective

SONAR imager cannot see through magical silence

The

cannot perceive creatures or objects subjected to Pass

and

SRTR

Thermonuclear Resolvers, also known as

Short-Range

or SuRTuR bombs, are the current go-to tactical

SRTRs

weapons of the Empire. It's highly unlikely that

nuclear

are available for purchase, and like all Imperial nukes

they

release of gamma is deliberately curtailed, but accept

the

substitute for utterly destroying whatever it's pointed at.

no

$5,000,000

Cost:

Occupation: 1

Hardpoint

: An SRTR is a weapon with the profile below. An

Effect

modification can only be fired once, and is lost after

SRTR

The Ironclad's hardpoint remains occupied until the

firing.

useless) SRTR is removed. This modification can be

(now

as many times as desired.

taken

Hull

Stripped

stripping a hull of all armour (except that which

By

the pilot's pod) an Ironclad's workings become

protects

which may leave it totally vulnerable. This is a

exposed,

and uncommon procedure, but it may have fringe

risky

for specific pilots.

benefits

Free Cost:

Occupation: -2 (yes, the Ironlad gains

Hardpoint

: The Ironclad's armour class becomes 10 plus its

Effect

modifier, its Damage Threshold becomes 0, and

dexterity

number of hit dice is permanently reduced by one. The

its

counts as wearing no armour at all (and so may

Ironclad

from Unarmoured Defence if its pilot possesses the

benefit

increases its movement speed by 10 ft, and is

feature),

as being one size class lighter than before for

counted

and using modifications.

fitting

Ironclad may not be fitted with Absence-Tested

The

Insulation, Additional Armour Plating, Blackhide

Systems

Arc Lightning Field (Heavy Hull Only)

Sturmer

Arcs project crackling fields of electricity

Sturmer

themselves, frying electronics and organics of all

around

Of course this is extremely taxing for the Ironclad’s

stripes.

meaning that the Ironclad can barely move or act

reactor,

using the field.

while

$450,000

Cost:

Occupation: 2

Hardpoint

: As a bonus action you can choose to activate or

Effect

a coruscating field of lightning around yourself

deactivate

extends out to a distance of 30 ft but does not go

which

walls. Every creature which starts its turn within

through

field or enters it for the first time that turn takes 12d6

the

damage. This damage increases to 24d6 at 5th

lightning

36d6 at 11th level, and 48d6 at 17th level.

level,

you are maintaining the field you are considered to

While

under the effects of the Slow spell as your reactor power

be

siphoned off to maintain the field. Using the lightning

is

Hull Coils

Sturmer

conducting panels on the Ironclad's hull can be

Exposed

to quickly electrocute any creature which fancies itself

used

wrestler, or anyone stupid enough to climb on its hull.

a

$175,000

Cost:

Occupation: 1

Hardpoint

: As an attack or as a reaction when grappled the

Effect

can deal 12d6 lightning damage to all creatures

Ironclad

or rodeoing it. Creatures which would be

grappling

by Sturmer Hull Coils can make a dexterity save

damaged

the Ironclad's light attack DC, taking half damage if

against

pass. They may also choose to immediately end their

they

or rodeo, which also causes them to take half

grapple

If they both pass the save AND end their

damage.

then they take no damage.

rodeo/grapple

which end their rodeo with their reaction on

Creatures

Sturmer Hull Coil damage take no damage, as

taking

for a rodeo.

normal

Power Banks

Sturmer

Sturmercorp power banks are mounted to this

Massive

chassis. Utterly useless for powering the

Ironclad's

due to incompatible voltage issues, the banks can

Ironclad

used to charge all manner of lightning-based weapons.

be

$375,000

Cost:

Occupation: 1

Hardpoint


Effect

equipment, but not spells, is replaced with lightning

special

This Ironclad cannot be fitted with Promefuric

damage.

Coating, Ferro-Ceramic Layering, or Heat-Immune Plating

field is tiring.

Without Trace.


SRTR $5,000,000 10d6

fire

10d6

thunder

Ammunition (range

300/1500),

Blast(60/15d6 fire 5d6

radiant 20d6 thunder)

Using Sturmer Hull Coils is tiring.

Acid Tanks , Zero Point Coolant Reserves, or Z█████.

additional Hardpoints).

.

Scale and Impact: A piece of IAI promotiuonal

material for the early mediumweight Titan

chassis. It nicely shows off the relevant scale.

Subcon

Mind Cores are extremely expensive, cheaper

Although

can be made known as Core Subcons. Core

versions

are extremely stupid and extremely unreliable, but

Subcons

are at least capable of piloting an Ironclad even if they

they

make subjective decisions.

cannot

$300,000

Cost:

Occupation: 2

Hardpoint

: This Ironclad can function when its Mind Core is

Effect

connected. In this case the Ironclad’s Intelligence,

not

Charisma and Dexterity are all reduced to 4, it

Wisdom,

use bonus actions and will do only what it is told to

cannot

Launcher

Thermite

is a favoured high temperature fuel of the

Thermite

and makes a devastating weapon. Large barrels of

Empire,

stuff are packaged and launched at the enemy, to be

the

separately and turn into a vast font of fiery death.

ignited

$140,000

Cost:

Occupation: 2

Hardpoint

: As an attack you can fire a 90 lb thermite barrel

Effect

a point you can see within sixty feet. The barrel has an

at

class of 15 and 30 hp, but is vulnerable to piercing

armour

If the barrel is destroyed or if it takes any fire

damage.

then it explodes in a gout of flaming thermite.

damage

it explodes everything within twenty feet of the

When

that is not in full cover must pass a dexterity save

barrel

your Heavy Attack DC or take 3d10 fire damage,

against

half as much damage on a successful save.

taking

area is then covered in flaming thermite, which

The

3d10 damage to any creature when it starts its turn

deals

the fire or enters the fire for the first time this turn.

in

barrel’s flames last for a number of turns equal to

The

Ironclad’s constitution bonus.

your

barrels consume as much fuel as an attack

Thermite

a heavy flamethrower. Packaging the fuel and

with

the barrels is immaterial and should be ignored.

acquiring

Thrusters

Ironclads consume huge amounts of power very

Flying

and rapidly overheat, and only the lightest Ironclads

quickly

capable of it. Flight however offers so many options to

are

Ironclad that it remains very attractive.

an

$350,000

Cost:

Occupation: 3

Hardpoint

: An Ironclad can ignite one of its sets of thrusters

Effect

any time, including during another creature's turn, to

at

weightless until the start of its next turn. While

become

it can stand from prone without spending

weightless

its standing jumps are always as long and high

movement,

its move speed, it ignores the effects of difficult terrain,

as

it gains a climbing speed equal to its move speed.

and

Ironclad also gains a flying speed equal to its move

The

if it is built on a Light hull.

speed

Ironclad loses the use of a set of its thrusters when

An

effect wears off. An Ironclad regains use of all its

their

at the end of any turn where it uses none of them.

thrusters

Thrusters is tiring.

Using

Wave

Thunderstrike

ParaElemental AutoPortal (Lightning)

Self-propagating

PEAP(L) fluids spray forward from an Ironclad’s wrists,

or

with a massive natural charge and begetting

imbued

charges from microportals to the ParaElemental

further

of Lightning. This electrical power is short lived, but

plane

painful to be anywhere near.

very

$120,000

Cost:

Occupation: 2

Hardpoint

: You can use an attack to project a line of hyper-

Effect

electrical liquid along thr ground at a point within

charged

feet. The line can go up walls but cannot bridge gaps.

sixty

creature that the line passes through must pass a

Every

save against your Light Attack DC or take 6d6

dexterity

damage and half their movement speed.

lightning

which pass the save take half as much damage

Creatures

Deflector (Heavy hull only)

Tower

Deflectors are enormous Ironclad-portable shields

Tower

can only be carried and powered by the largest

which

These shields are massive enough to hide an

Ironclads.

Ironclad behind, and nearly impenetrable.

entire

$500,000

Cost:

Occupation: 3

Hardpoint

: As a bonus action you can ignite a Tower

Effect

held in one of your hands. A Tower Deflector is a

Deflector

which works as a twenty foot long line which you

shield

move and position at will on your turn, although you

can

always be holding it for it to work. A Tower Deflector

must

as half cover unless it is being held in both hands, in

counts

case it counts as three quarters cover. If you are

which

behind the Tower Deflector AND it is being held in

prone

hands then it counts as full cover. The Tower Deflector

two

for a number of turns equal to your proficiency bonus

lasts

expiring and vanishing. You can also cause the

before

to instantly expire as a bonus action.

shield


An


Shield

at a time. Once a Tower Deflector expires it

Shield)

available for use again once a number of turns

becomes

passed equal to the number of turns it was previously

have

for. up

can attempt to maintain their Tower Deflector

Ironclads

in which case there is a 50% chance their shield

constantly,

be active when combat starts and will remain for a

will

number of turns up to their proficiency bonus. If

random

do this then the drain on their reactor means they

they

Clash Field

Ultra

Clash Fields or UCFs are high-power forcefields

Ultra

by diverting the entirety of an Ironclad’s reactor

produced

a series of generators across its chassis. While the

into

is doing this there is not force on any plane which

Ironclad

damage it, save perhaps for direct divine intervention.

can

$350,000

Cost:

Occupation: 2

Hardpoint

: You may spend your action and bonus action to

Effect

immune to all damage until the start of your next

become

Language System

Universal

Mind Core is fitted with a combination of arcane

The

and large data banks filled with languages.

translators

$2,000

Cost:

Occupation: 1

Hardpoint

: The Ironclad can speak and read all living

Effect

of the Empire, and is always under the effects of

languages

Comprehend Languages spell.

the

and do not have their movement speed reduced.

do.

accrue exhaustion as normal for a creature.

turn. Using a UCF is tiring.

.

Tomorrow's Solution to Today's Enemies: A

mediumweight Magog Psalm, the most advanced

Ironclad being produced in the modern Empire.

This one is outfitted with jets.

Grappling Improvements

WAC

Android Combat is a popular television show on

World

world of Kordon, where Ironclads perform ever more

the

feats of choreogrphed and imrovised unarmed

elaborate

for their crowds. Design changes made to the

combat

Ironclads have long since proven to be exactly what

WAC's

needed to help suplex your opponents into the dirt.

is

$250,000

Cost:

Occupation: 1

Hardpoint

: Ironclads fitted with WAC grappling

Effect

have advantage on checks made to grapple

improvements

and other Ironclads have disadvantage on

Ironclads,

made to grapple them. Medium and Heavy

checks

with WAC grappling improvements have

Ironclads

on grappling Huge size class creatures in

advantage

and Heavy Ironclads with WAC grappling

general,

may grapple Gargantuan creatures as if they

improvements

were Gargantuan.

themselves

Pugilism Improvements

WAC

Android Combat's secondary focus- after ludicrous

World

of Ironclads throwing their supposed archenemies

displays

is Ironclads punching the shit out of each other.

around-

$100,000

Cost:

Occupation: 1

Hardpoint

: The unarmed attacks of Ironclads fitted with

Effect

pugilism improvements do six times more damage

WAW

their pilots' unarmed attacks do unless they would

than

do more.

otherwise

Embersmoke

XMC

Xorn Mining Commission originally only prospected

The

resources. Now it also produces what used to be a

for

of its resource extraction operations-

byproduct

Embersmoke, gas containing FE microportals.

compressed

$100,000

Cost:

Occupation: 1

Hardpoint

: As a bonus action or as a reaction when a

Effect

moves within 20 ft of, rodeos, or makes an attack

creature

against the Ironclad the Ironclad can release a burning,

roll

cloud of Embersmoke in a 20 ft radius around it.

cloying

Embersmoke gives all creatures within it half cover

The

all attacks and spell attacks, and deals 2d6 fire

from

to any creature which is in the Embersmoke when

damage

is released, enters the Embersmoke for the first time that

it

or starts its turn in the Embersmoke. The

turn,

Point Coolant Reserves

Zero

point coolant is used by all modern Ironclads, an

Zero

chemical which doesn’t warm up under almost any

arcane

and drinks in all heat.

circumstances

$225,000

Cost:

Occupation: 1

Hardpoint


Effect

equipment, but not spells, is replaced with cold

special

This Ironclad cannot be fitted with Promefuric

damage.

Tanks , Sturmer Power Banks, or Z█████.

Acid

$50,000,000

Cost:

Occupation: 1

Hardpoint

: Damage done by this Ironclad (including its

Effect

is of whatever type it chooses. This Ironclad cannot

spells)

fitted with Promefuric Acid Tanks Sturmer Power

be

or Zero Point Coolant Reserves.

Banks,

Reactor Power (Medium or Heavy hull only)

Increased

Ironclad’s reactor has been overhauled to produce

This

wattage and fitted with more capable connecting

additional

As a result of this it is stronger than its mere

cables.

appearance would suggest.

mechanical

$100,000

Cost:

Occupation: 1

Hardpoint

: The Ironclad’s Strength score increases by 1.

Effect

attachment can be taken as many times as desired

This

the Ironclad’s Strength score reaches its maximum.

until

(Light or Medium hull only)

Microservos

Ironclad’s servos are supplemented with

The

that “prime the pump” for its movements.

microservos

$100,000

Cost:

Occupation: 1

Hardpoint

: The Ironclad’s Dexterity score increases by 1.

Effect


This

the Ironclad’s Dexterity score reaches its maximum.

until

Reinforcements

Central

of composites and exotic alloys are used to

Struts

this Ironclad’s hull and insulate its joints.

reinforce

$100,000

Cost:

Occupation: 1

Hardpoint

: The Ironclad’s Constitution score increases by 1.

Effect


This

the Ironclad’s Constitution score reaches its

until

Improvement

3C

Cooling and Cramming are the three Cs of

Connection,

Core Capacity. Better Connection to the Ironclad for

Mind

data flow. Better Cooling for allowing it to work

improved

longer without overheating. Better Cramming to make it

for

better.

study

$100,000

Cost:

Occupation: 2

Hardpoint

: The Ironclad’s Intelligence score increases by 1.

Effect


This

the Ironclad’s Intelligence score reaches its

until

maximum.

ISDT

Subjective Decision Training is a program by

Improved

Mind Cores are rapidly subjected to a series of

which

scenarios where they can test their decision-

illusory

skills. This either improves the decisions made by

making

Mind Cores or gets them hooked on cocking around in

the

world of fantasies. Either/or, really.

a

$100,000

Cost:

Occupation: 2

Hardpoint

: The Ironclad’s Wisdom score increases by 1. This

Effect

can be taken as many times as desired until the

attachment

Wisdom score reaches its maximum.

Ironclad’s

Binding

Additional

binding additional fragments of the Mind Core’s

By

consciousness (or if necessary other

original

the Mind Core’s metaphysical presence

consciousnesses)

be improved. The benefits of this are middling at best

can

tactical situations, but invaluable in law enforcement or

in

parade. on

$100,000

Cost:

Occupation: 2

Hardpoint

: The Ironclad’s Charisma score increases by 1.

Effect


This

the Ironclad’s Charisma score reaches its maximum.

until

maximum.

Embersmoke lasts until the start of the user's next turn.

Z█████

The experimental Z██████ uses ██████

█████████ ██ the █████ of Pain ███

and all of their crew (including drivers, operators

Vehicles

passengers) take their turn together. When a vehicle's

and

occurs any crew at the appropriate controls of a

turn

can spend their Action to make the vehicle Crawl or

vehicle

to Cruise, or cause one of the vehicle's Actions to

start

Crews can also spend their bonus actions and

occur.

as normal to trigger the vehicle's bonus actions

reactions

reactions.

and

may not take actions or bonus actions of their

Vehicles

unless triggered by a member of the crew, and do not

own

access to the normal selection of actions unless

have

stated.

otherwise

cannot move normally or take the Dash action.

Vehicles

they may Crawl, Cruise, or perform an Emergency

Instead

When Movement Speed is specified in these actions

Stop.

the appropriate movement speed type for the

subtitute

current medium (eg a plane should use its flying

vehicle's

instead of its movement speed when airborne).

speed

can never gain a form of movement speed they

Vehicles

not normally have from a spell.

do

Crawl

is when a vehicle drops its speed as much as

Crawling

in order to move with greater precision. For a car

necesary

would mean using a combination of forward and

this

gears in order to maneuver better.

reverse

a vehicle to crawl for a turn takes an action.

Causing

a vehicle crawls it moves up to its move speed

When

it wishes.

however

vehicles cannot crawl when they are

Fixed-wing

A vehicle can only crawl for a turn if it is

airborne.

crawling, or cruising at or below its normal

stationary,

speed.

move

Cruise

can begin cruising as an action, and will then

Vehicles

to cruise until such a time as an action is spent to

continue

it to crawl or it stops moving.

cause

cruising a vehicle is subject to the following

While

effects:

may increase or decrease its move speed at the start

It

its turn by an amount up to its acceleration speed, to a

of

of its top speed and a minimum of 0.

maximum

turning is limited and its facing must be tracked (see

Its

Armour and Facing). The vehicle may only move

Frontal

the direction it is facing at any given moment when

in

cruising.

must move a distance equal to its movement speed, as

It

vehicle automatically stops cruising if it starts

A

in which case its movement speed is changed to

crawling,

Stop

Emergency

vehicle may perform an emergency stop as an action. If

A

does this it immediately moves straight forwards a

it

equal to half its current movement speed and then

distance

a vehicle takes an action in addition to the normal

Entering

for mounting a creature. Unless otherwise

requirements

creatures within a vehicle are considered to be in

noted,

cover half

otherwise noted a vehicle cannot attack a target

Unless

5 feet of it.

within

Rules For Vehicles

Special Vehicle Movement Actions

directed by whoever is driving the vehicle.

its normal value.

moving altogether.

stops

Embarkation

Flexibility and Minimum Range

The Corps That Was...: An assortment of IAI

hammerheads during the invasion of Belods.

vehicle which moves into contact with an object or

A

(known as an Obstacle) will either crush or ram

creature

obstacle, per the DM's decision.

the

vehicle's size modifier is based on its size class- 1 if it's

A

2 if it's large, 3 if it's huge, 4 if it's gargantuan.

medium,

and exceptionally large gargantuan vehicles have a

Tiny

Crushing

which attempt to move through an obstacle

Vehicles

is a combination of smaller, softer, and lighter than

which

vehicle will crush the obstacle. In this case the obstacle

the

1d6 bludgeoning damage for every ten feet of

takes

speed that the vehicle has, multiplied by the

movement

size modifier, unless it can pass a dexterity save

vehicle's

the vehicle's Light Attack DC.

against

Ramming

which attempt to move through obstacles which

Vehicles

cannot move through without significant difficulty ram

they

obstacle. In this case both the vehicle and the obstacle

the

1d6 bludgeoning damage for every ten feet of

take

speed that the vehicle has, multiplied by the

movement

size modifier.

vehicle's

obstacle being rammed can attempt to make a

The

saving throw against against the vehicle's Light

dexterity

DC. If it is successful then both it and the ramming

Attack

take half as much damage as they otherwise would.

vehice

ramming vehicle can also make a constitution saving

The

against its own Heavy Attack DC in order to reduce

throw

damage to itself by half.

the

vehicle may then be forced to stop, either

The

or after a short distance, or have its movement

immediately

reduced, at the DM's discretion. Vehicle crew may

speed

take damage as if they themselves had rammed the

also

can also choose Crush and Ram creatures and

Ironclads

by moving into contact with them after taking the

objects

action. If they do this then their movement speed is

dash

to be double its actual value.

considered

are dumb, and cannot take actions, bonus actions

Vehicles

reactions or move on their own, and cannot make

or

Wisdom or Intelligence checks or saves.

Charisma,

inherit the proficiency bonuses of their crew if

Vehicles

crewmen are proficient in the activity and the vehicle's

the

When the bonus is for the vehicle's active actions

operation.

bonus actions the proficiency bonus of the triggering

or

is used (so a gunner's proficiency bonus is used

crewman

attacks made with a tank's gun). If the bonus is for a

for

then the vehicle commander's bonus is used, unless

save

save is a dexterity save (or there is no commander) in

the

case the driver's proficiency bonus is used.

which

bonuses are not listed in vehicle stat blocks as

Proficiency

result of this. Vehicles may also use the ability score

a

of their crew for the roll or damage modifiers of

modifier

actions. In this case the modifiers are listed on the

their

profile (for example as [DEX] or [INT]).

vehicle's

may have mounted weapons which may be used

Vehicles

any members of the crew to make attacks as if the crew

by

was wielding the weapon. Each of a vehicle's

member

weapons can only be used by one creature each

mounted

turn.

vehicle is considered to be facing either in the direction it

A

travelling or in the exact opposite direction. When

is

vehicles can only face in one of the eight cardinal

cruising

(they immediately face the closest cardinal

directions

when they start cruising), and can only travel in

direction

direction they are facing.

the

cruising a vehicle may change its facing by one

When

(from North to North-East or North-West and so on)

step

time it moves a number of feet equal to its

every

It may do this a number of times per turn up

maneuvering.

its maneuvering cap.

to

vehicles have a second armour class after their

Some

in brackets. This second armour class is used when

first,

vehicle is attacked from a direction opposite to its

the

Other circumstances may also give an opportunity

facing.

attack this lowered armour class.

to

Impacts and Ramming

Inaction and Control

modifier decided at the DM's discretion.

Frontal Armour and Facing

obstacle.

... and Could Have Been: SBC's superheavy tanks

never saw much service, but had a large impact

on popular culture.

vehicles are presented here for player reference, to

Some

an idea of exactly how dangerous the various war

get

of the Empire are, how much they can be

machines

to contribute to a situation, and what they'd be

expected

to use. like

a Challenge Rating is shown this is assuming that

Where

vehicle is being crewed by Imperial soldiers, who can

the

two attacks each per turn and have a dexterity score

make

14. Vehicles crewed by basic law enforcement agents or

of

members may be significantly less dangerous due to

militia

lack of training and experience, and vehicles crewed by

a

operations forces may be much more of a threat

special

to their superior training and equipment.

due

military vehicles listed are of the most common type

All

the Empire, the designs roughly contemporary with the

in

Ironclads of the Fifth Generation. These are the

Titan-class

most commonly encountered in use by mercenary

vehicles

criminal syndicates, secret cults, law enforcement,

forces,

frontier militias. Modern equipment (contemporary

and

the Magog) or recently decommissioned equipment

with

with the Behemoth) are much rarer, only

(contemporary

in the possession of the Imperial Army and Chapter

found

respectively, and would only be encountered as

Armies

by Pilots with extremely rebellious ambitions.

enemies

meaning Military Certification eXpired, refers to

MCX,

and vehicles which are long since out of use in

equipment

Empire. Most MCX vehicles are a hodgepodge of

the

and restored assets from previous Combat

reclaimed

slightly upgunned and up-armoured with

Generations,

equipment that can be coerced to fit onto their

modern

frames.

ancient

vehicles are generally less dangerous than modern

MCX

but the addition of more modern technology alows

vehicles,

to hang on to relevance. When this is coupled with

them

relative cheapness it means that MCX vehicles can be

their

in large numbers, posing a threat to things which

fielded

otherwise be their considerable superiors.

should

the perspective of a civilian of 21st century earth,

From

Titan's generation of vehicles would appear to be

the

to next-gen military technology, while MCX gear

similar

the gamut from the turn of the millenium to the

runs

world war. The Goliath would be more futuristic,

second

the Magog even more so, comparing to the Titan as an

and

would to a Sherman.

Abrams

armoured doctrine is focused around open field

Imperial

and multi-role vehicles, and indeed has been

deployments

the first tank-like vehicles were deployed in 163 IMP

since

the fields of Evergloom. Although brief dabblings with

on

tanks and tank destroyers have occured over the

heavy

the sheer variety of the Empire's enemies has always

years

a tank that can adapt to almost any opponent,

necessitated

even when seal clubbing a tank can expect to face

as

from raving orc hordes to diving dragons to

everything

guerillas to golems the size of a house, and that's

drow

spells are even considered.

before

current public favourite Battle Tank, the W-C

The

uses two mounted machineguns for spotting and

Lafayette,

purposes as well as a primary cannon which can

ranging

loaded with anti-personnel Hordekiller shells, antimonster

be

Tank Hunter shells, or all-purpose Thunderbuster

Armoured Personnel Carriers or APCs are used

Imperial

transport infantry to and around the battlefield and

to

infantry after deployment. They are armed with

support

40mm cannons capable of middling anti-armour

powerful

as well as machineguns for antipersonnel purposes.

duties,

current private forces mainstay APC, the Enoch by

The

can carry three full crew as well as six passengers,

SD&N,

can also lend their firepower to the APC's

who

thanks to the firing slots along its sides. Its

engagements

duty is to accompany Battle Tanks wherever they go

normal

supporting them once they arrive- for this reason even

and

PCs are around about as fast and, crucially, as

wheeled

Fighter Jets are not very advanced compared to its

Imperial

assets, and are permanently stuck in a limbo

ground

air combat and ground attack roles. The Empire

between

the air, and would rather produce a single multirole

hates

and wash its hands of the whole ordeal than try and

vehicle

planes for specific purposes.

make

Imperial Jets are made by Mockingbird, and almost all

All

fly-by-rune, using Mind Cores to direct their

use

similarly to ironclads. Independent, unmanned

movements

in this manner have also been attempted, but

craft

Helicopter Gunships are like flying tanks, heavily

Imperial

and armoured flyers equipped with anti-infantry and

armed

weapons which allow them to slog it out with

anti-monster

anything the multiverse can throw at them. They are

almost

powerful for their cost and, although they are

devastatingly

from flimsy, much more powerful than they are resilient.

far

who underestimate the Empire's rotary-wing craft

Those

live to tell the tale, whether they be mortal or divine,

rarely

or beast. The current privately-distributed Gunship in

man

the MKNB Manticore, has enough firepower to

particular,

a dragon to the bone and enough speed to

strip

make space for the duration of the combat.

continuously

Helicopters are used to (unsurprisingly)

Transport

Imperial soldiers to combat zones and extract the

transport

They are usually lightly armoured with nothing

wounded.

than sheets of metal seperating the crew, passengers,

more

vital components from the elements and enemy fire.

and

armament is similarly minor, usually being limited to

Their

pair of machineguns or infantry-scale rotary cannons

a

it can use to defend itself.

which

most common mark of the Transport Helicopter, the

The

Cormorant, lacks armour but makes up for some of

MKNB

lack with mass. Usually tough enough to withstand

this

but high explosives, the Cormorant's main fear

everything

being engaged point-blank by melee air cavalry. Under

is

circumstances the recommended tactic is very simple-

such

tail and run like hell, relying on the lateral turbines to

turn

it beyond the reach of anything that flaps its wings.

put

Example Vehicles

Armoured Personnel Carriers

as Battle Tanks.

maneuverable

Fighter Jets

MCX

underperform in all manners.

consistently

Helicopter Gunship

Transport Helicopters

Battle Tanks

shells.

Before the Combat Generation and Standard Length Contract (SLC) system the variations of vehicles in the Empire

Note:

many. Although the air remained dominated by Mockingbird more than a dozen companies made official Imperial tanks

were

163 and 414. They have been omitted from this list for the purposes of brevity.

between

addition to this it should be noted that while the Imperial Army will exclusively use the equipment selected in trials each

In

other forces may choose to sign contracts with the less controlled runners-up in order to get better equipment

generation

This list is far from exhaustive as a result.

sooner.

A History of Imperial War Machines

Land Vehicles

Contract Year Ironclad Mark Tank Mark Carrier Mark Real-World Tank Generation

414 Bunyan (WAC) Hammerhead (IAI) Obsidian (IAI) 0 Gen/WW2

466 Ban'Go (CHL) Hammerhead (IAI) Augusta (WSTN) 1st Gen/Early Cold War

518 Ban'Go PGPN (W-C) Bogatir 15 (AGKF) Augusta Mk2 (WSTN) 1st Gen/Early Cold War

570 Svyatogor 24 (AGKF) Bogatir 99 (AGKF) Granite (IAI) 2nd Gen/Late Cold War

622 Svyatogor 32 (AGKF) Lafayette (W-C) Granite (IAI) 3rd Gen/Modern

674 Roc (W-C) Lafayette (W-C) Granite (IAI) 3rd Gen/Modern

726 Titan (IAI) Lafayette Mk2 (W-C) Ostryy 46 (AGKF) 4th Gen/Next-Gen

778 Titan (IAI) Lafayette Mk2 (W-C) Ostryy 55 (AGKF) 4th Gen/Next-Gen

830 Titan (IAI) Lafayette Mk3 (W-C) Enoch (SD&N) 4th Gen/Next-Gen

882 Behemoth (W-C) Vector (KMU) Enoch Psalm (SD&N) 5th Gen/Next-Gen+

934 Magog (SD&N) Vector Mk2 (WC&K) Enoch Hymn (SD&N) 5th Gen/Next-Gen+

986 Magog Psalm (SD&N) M46 (HXRN) Paik Sun (WC&K) 6th Gen/Next-Gen++

Air Vehicles

Contract Year Gunship Mark Transport Helicopter Mark Jet Mark Real-World Plane Generation

570 - Swan - 1st Gen/WW2

622 Peryton Swan - 1st Gen/WW2

674 Peryton Brownback Condor Raptor 2nd Gen/Early Cold War

726 Manticore Condor Raptor 2nd Gen/Early Cold War

778 Manticore Cormorant Raptor Longtail 3rd Gen/Late Cold War

830 Manticore Whiteband Cormorant Vulture 3rd Gen/Late Cold War

882 Chimera Albatross Vulture Chalkbrow 4th Gen/Modern

934 Chimera Albatross Hawk 4th Gen/Modern

986 Chimera Socorro Albatross Blue Hawk Floreana 5th Gen/Next-Gen

Battle Tank

Gargantuan Construct, Unaligned

Armor Class 21(17)

Hit Points 333(19d20 + 133)

Speed 20ft.


25 (+7) 6 (-2) 25 (+7) - (-) - (-) - (-)

Condition Immunities All

Damage Immunities Poison, Psychic

Damage Resistances Slashing

Senses None

Languages None

Challenge 18 (3745 XP)

Vehicle. A Battle Tank is a Vehicle. It has an

acceleration of 40 ft., a top speed of 240 ft, a

maneuvering of 5 ft., and a maneuvering cap of 2.

Crew. A Battle Tank's crew consists of one driver,

one gunner, one loader, one machinegunner, and

one commander (who also controls one

machinegun).

Damage Threshold. A Battle Tank has a Damage

Threshold of 30.

Sealed Hull. Creatures inside a Battle Tank have

total cover from outside the Battle Tank, and can

only be targeted by spells from outside the Battle

Tank in the manner of Ironclad pilots. Battle

Tanks can be breached likes an Ironclad.

Mounted Guns. The Battle Tank has two mounted

Machineguns which can be used by the crew.

These weapons are always considered to be

Emplaced, and have the Brutish and Pipe Fed

properties.

The Main Cannon has advantage on attack rolls

against targets hit by one of these Machineguns.

Actions

Main Cannon. Ranged Weapon Attack: +[WIS] to

hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 91 (14d12 + [WIS])

piercing damage. The Main Cannon can only be

used to make an attack if it has been Loaded.

Load. The Main Cannon is Loaded. The damage

done by the Main Cannon attack can be changed

by loading one of the following shells instead of

its normal tank hunter shells:

Hordekiller Shells: The Main Cannon's damage is

reduced to 26 (4d12+[WIS]) thunder, but it also

functions as a weapon with the Blast (60/3d12

slashing) property.

Thunderbuster Shells: The Main Cannon's damage

is reduced to 39 (6d12+[WIS]) thunder, but it

also functions as a weapon with the Blast

(25/6d12 thunder) property.

Embersmoke. As a bonus action or as a reaction

when a creature moves within 20 ft of, rodeos, or

makes an attack roll against the Battle Tank the

Battle Tank can release a burning, cloying cloud

of Embersmoke in a 20 ft radius around it. The

Embersmoke heavily obscures all creatures inside

it, and deals 4d6 fire damage to any creature

which is in the Embersmoke when it is released,

enters the Embersmoke for the first time that

turn, or starts its turn in the Embersmoke.

Embersmoke lasts until the start of the user's

next turn.

A Battle Tank can use Embersmoke three times

before it must be reloaded from outside the

vehicle.

Personnel Carrier

Huge Construct, Unaligned

Armor Class 17(14)

Hit Points 231(14d20 + 84)

Speed 20ft.


22 (+6) 6 (-2) 22 (+6) - (-) - (-) - (-)




Senses None

Languages None


Vehicle. A Personnel Carrier a Vehicle. It has an



Crew. A Personnel Carrier has a driver, a gunner, a

machinegunner (who is also the commander),

and space for up to six passengers.

Damage Threshold. A Personnel Carrier has a

Damage Threshold of 20.

Sealed Hull. A Personnel Carrier has a sealed hull,

like a tank.

Mounted Guns. The Personnel Carrier has a

mounted Machinegun and a mounted 40mm

Cannon which can be used by the crew. These

weapons are always considered to be Emplaced,

and have the Brutish and Pipe Fed properties.

Attack rolls made with the 40mm cannon have

advantage when attacking targets which have

previouly been hit by the Machinegun this turn.

Firing Points. The Personnel Carrier has space for

four crew members to attack targets outside the

vehicle each turn with weapons other than the

mounted guns. Crew members who do this are

considered to only be in three quarters cover

(rather than the full cover provided by Sealed

Hull) until the start of their next turn.

Actions

Embersmoke. As a bonus action or as a reaction

when a creature moves within 20 ft of, rodeos, or

makes an attack roll against the Personnel Carrier

the Personnel Carrier can release a burning,

cloying cloud of Embersmoke in a 20 ft radius

around it. The Embersmoke heavily obscures all

creatures inside it, and deals 4d6 fire damage to

any creature which is in the Embersmoke when it

is released, enters the Embersmoke for the first

time that turn, or starts its turn in the

Embersmoke. Embersmoke lasts until the start of

the user's next turn.

Personnel Carrier can use Embersmoke three

times before it must be reloaded from outside

the vehicle.

Assault Charges. As an action a personnel carrier

can spray a 20 foot cone with powerful

shockwaves. All creatures in the cone take 2d6

thunder damage and must make a constitution

save against a DC of 16. Creatures which fail the

save take an additional 2d6 thunder damage and

are deafened until the start of their next turn. In

addition melee attacks against them have

advantage for the same duration.

The cone can be sprayed behind or directly to

either side of the Vehicle. After each direction

has been sprayed it cannot be sprayed again until

a minute is spent reloading the assault charges

from the outside.

MRAP


Armor Class 14

Hit Points 114 (4d12+20)

Speed 10ft.

SPAAG


Armor Class 15


Speed 20ft.

T

H

A

H

S


20 (+5) 8 (-1) 20 (+5) - (-) - (-) - (-)




Senses None

Languages None

Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

Vehicle. An MRAP is a Vehicle. It has an


maneuvering of 20 ft., and a maneuvering cap of

1.

Crew. An MRAP has a driver, a gunner, and space

for up to six passengers.

Damage Threshold. An MRAP has a Damage

Threshold of 15.

Sealed Hull. An MRAP has a sealed hull, like a tank.

Mounted Guns. An MRAP has either a mounted

Machinegun or Grenade Launcher which can be

used by the crew. These weapons are always

considered to be Emplaced, and have the Brutish

and Pipe Fed properties.

Actions

None


20 (+5) 8 (-1) 20 (+5) - (-) - (-) - (-)




Senses None

Languages None


Vehicle. A SPAAG is a Vehicle. It has an



Crew. An SPAAG has a driver, a gunner, a RADAR

operator and a commander.

Damage Threshold. An SPAAG has a Damage

Threshold of 20.

Sealed Hull. An SPAAG has a sealed hull, like a

tank.

Mounted Guns. An SPAAG has an MPRC, a

machinegun, a 40mm cannon or a 25mm rotary

cannon. These weapons are always considered to

be Emplaced, and have the Brutish and Pipe Fed

properties.

Hail of Lead. The SPAAG's Machinegun is

considered to have the Ultra Rapid Fire property,

and its MPRC can always add the user's strength

or dexterity modifier to its attack and damage

rolls when using the cone attack provided by

Ultra Rapid Fire.

Actions

RADAR sweep. The SPAAG becomes aware of all

airborne creatures and objects of Medium size

class or above within line of sight, unless they are

invisible or in magical darkness, and gains

advantage on attacks against these creatures and

objects until the start of its next turn.

C

D

D

S

L

C

V

ac

m

1

C

sp

C

d

fo

M

w

a

a

th

m

M

at

it

b

A

N

Motorcar


Armor Class 8


Speed 10ft.

Motorcycle

Large Construct, Unaligned

Armor Class 8


Speed 15ft.


16 (+3) 8 (-1) 16 (+3) - (-) - (-) - (-)




Senses None

Languages None

Challenge 0 (- XP)

Vehicle. A Motorcar is a Vehicle. It has an



1.

Crew. A Motorcar has a driver, and from one to

ten spaces for passengers.

You Get What You Pay For. Two common

Motorcar variants are Sports Cars and Trucks.

These have different vehicle profiles, as detailed

below:

Sports Car; Acceleration 300ft., top speed 1000

ft, maneuvering 10 ft., maneuvering cap 2.

Truck: Acceleration 50ft. (150 ft when unloaded),

top speed 400 ft, maneuvering 20 ft.,

maneuvering cap 1.

Actions

None


16 (+3) 12 (+1) 14 (+2) - (-) - (-) - (-)




Senses None

Languages None

Challenge 0 (- XP)

Vehicle. A Motorcycle is a Vehicle. It has an



3.

Crew. A Motorcycle has a driver, and one or two

spaces for passengers.

You Get What You Pay For. Sports motorcycles are

faster than normal motorcycles, and have an

acceleraion of 400ft, and a top speed of 800 ft.

Completely Open. Motorcycle crew receive no

cover at all from being in the motorcycle.

Actions

None

Fighter Jet


Armor Class 15


Speed 15ft., flying speed 100 ft.


20 (+5) 26 (+7) 18 (+4) - (-) - (-) - (-)




Senses None

Languages None

Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)

Vehicle. A Fighter Jet is a Vehicle. It has an


maneuvering of 200 ft., and a maneuvering cap

of 4.

Crew. A Fighter Jet has a single crew member, its

pilot.

Mounted Guns. The Fighter Jet has a mounted

25mm Rotary Cannon and a Rocket Pod which

can be used by the crew. These weapons are

always considered to be Emplaced, and have the

Brutish and Pipe Fed properties.

Fixed Weapon Mounts. The Fighter Jet can only

use its weapons to attack targets within a cone

(as the spell targeting method) starting at its

current position and pointing the direction it is

facing.

Built to Taxi. A whilst a Fighter Jet is on the

ground its maneuvering is 15 ft but its

maneuvering cap is 1.

High Ex Rounds. A Fighter Jet's weapons do

thunder damage instead of piercing or slashing

damage.

Strafe Run. Creatures on the ground have

disadvantage when attacking a Fighter Jet, but the

Jet is also considered to be at every location it

made an attack from until the start of its next

turn for the purposes of being effected by spells

and targeted by attacks.

Actions

Light Bombs. As an action the Fighter Jet can

designate one point on the ground it has passed

over to drop a bomb on. Every creature within

thirty feet of this point must pass a DC (12+

[WIS]) dexterity saving throw or take 8d6 thunder

damage, with creatures which pass the save

taking half as much. A Fighter Jet carries two such

bombs.

Eject. As a bonus action a member of the Fighter

Jet's crew can eject from the vehicle, identically

to an Ironclad pilot.

Crewing

Unlike most Imperial vehicles, Imperial air

vehicles are driven by pilots, with soldiers only

being used as gunners.

Transport Helicopter


Armor Class 14

Hit Points 160(10d20 + 40)

Speed 0ft., flying speed 50 ft. (hover)

Helicopter Gunship


Armor Class 17(14)

Hit Points 160(10d20 + 40)

Speed 0ft., flying speed 50 ft. (hover)


20 (+5) 26 (+8) 18 (+4) - (-) - (-) - (-)




Senses None

Languages None


Vehicle. A Transport Helicopter is a Vehicle. It has

an acceleration of 100 ft., a top speed of 550 ft,

a maneuvering of 50 ft., and a maneuvering cap

of 1.

Crew. A Transport Helicopter has a pilot, a

copilot, and up to ten passengers, who can also

use the guns.

Air Only. A Transport Heli's movement speed is

always 0.

Rotary Strafe. A Transport Heli's facing when

crawling can be any direction it chooses.

Big Target. If a Transport Helicopter doesn't move

in a turn attacks against it have advantage.

Mounted Guns. The Transport Helicopter has two

mounted MP Rotary Cannons or two

Machineguns which can be used by the crew.

These weapons are always considered to be

Emplaced, and have theBrutish and Pipe Fed

properties.

Actions

None


16 (+1) 18 (+4) 20 (+5) 10 (0) 10 (0) 10 (0)




Senses None

Languages None


Vehicle. A Helicopter Gunship is a Vehicle. It has

an acceleration of 100 ft., a top speed of 550 ft,

a maneuvering of 50 ft., and a maneuvering cap

of 2.

Crew. A Helicopter Gunship has a pilot and a

gunner.

Damage Threshold. A Helicopter Gunship has a

Damage Threshold of 15.

Air Only. A Helicopter Gunship's movement

speed is always 0.

Rotary Strafe. A Helicopter Gunship's facing when

crawling can be any direction it chooses.

Big Target. If an Helicopter Gunship doesn't move

in a turn attacks against it have advantage.

Mounted Guns. A Helicopter Gunship has a

40mm cannon, a 25mm Rotary Cannon, and two

Rocket Pods. All these weapons have the Brutish

and Pipe Fed properties.

Actions

None

Soldiers make up the majority of the various

Imperial

armies. The average Taleish infantryman is at

Imperial

proficient in his equipment, with Page World armies

least

from competent to exceptionally well trained

varying

on their position in the military heirarchy and

depending

priorities of the Page World.

the

of the exact details, almost all Imperial

Regardless

are professional career troopers, paid for their

soldiers

and compensated for their injuries. The body of a

work

army is organised in a typical order of battle, rising

Taleish

fire teams of five soldiers to squads of ten to platoons

from

forty. Above this come companies, batallions, regiments,

of

and then armies, with each comprising of four of

division,

former. Specialists are appended onto this structure,

the

Heavy Gunners, Grenadiers, Snipers, and Flame

with

troops falling into their own command structure

Corps

Soldiers make up the majority of the various

Imperial

armies. The average Taleish infantryman is at

Imperial

proficient in his equipment, with Page World armies

least

from competent to exceptionally well trained

varying

on their position in the military heirarchy and

depending

priorities of the Page World.

the

Infantry

Imperial Soldier

Medium humanoid, Varying Alignment

Armor Class 15 (plate carrier)

Hit Points 19(3d8+6)

Speed 30ft.

Imperial Sniper


Armor Class 15 (Anti-Piercing Suit)


Speed 30ft.


14(+2) 14(+2) 14(+2) 10(+0) 14(+2) 12(+1)

Condition Immunities None

Senses passive Perception 13

Languages Varies, but always includes Common


Equipment Imperial soldiers are equipped with

a Battle Rifle or Assault Rifle, a pistol, and a

Longsword.

Actions

Multiattack. The Imperial Soldier makes two

attacks with its weapons, or four rapid fire attacks

with its Assault Rifle.

Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit,

reach 5ft., one target. Hit 6 (1d8 + 2) slashing

damage.

Pistol. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach

150/750 ft., one target. Hit 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing

damage.

Battle Rifle. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit,

reach 400/1500 ft., one target. Hit 7 (1d10 + 2)

piercing damage.

Assault Rifle. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit,


piercing damage.

Assault Rifle (Rapid Fire). Ranged Weapon Attack:

+2 to hit, reach 300/1200 ft., one target. Hit 4

(1d8) piercing damage.

Imperial Soldiers


12(+1) 16(+3) 12 (+1) 12(+1) 16(+3) 12(+1)





Equipment Imperial Snipers carry a light sabre

and a pistol. They also carry a long arm- either a

Marksman Rifle, a Sniper Rifle, or an Anti-Materiel

Rifle.

Actions


attacks, one of which may be spent cycling its

long arm.

Light Sabre. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit,


damage.



damage.

Marksman Rifle. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit,

reach 400/6000 ft., one target. Hit 16 (2d12+3)

piercing damage.

Sniper Rifle. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit,


piercing damage.

AM Rifle. Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach

400/6000 ft., one target. Hit 30 (6d8+3)

piercing damage.

Imperial Snipers

from which they are seconded into

are the Empire's anti-tank infantry. Taken from

Grenadiers

same stock as the Heavy Gunners, Grenadiers are

the

rockets and grenades to punch through enemy

given

They tend to be a bellicose sort, and have an

armour.

knack for finding where a tank really does

uncomfortable

want to be hit.

not

Heavy Gunners are selected from the rank and file

Imperial

the military on most worlds, chosen for their strength

of

resilience when compared to their peers. They are

and

fed assorted growth supplements and steroids in

then

to improve their existing physical talents. The Heavy

order

are then given the heaviest and most

Gunners

arour that modern technica can provide, as

comprehensive

as heavy automatic weapons which they use to provide

well

Imperial Grenadier


Armor Class 18 (Anti-Blast Suit)


Speed 30ft.

Imperial Hvy Gunner


Armor Class 17 (Imperial Heavy Armour)


Speed 30ft.


16(+3) 12(+1) 16 (+3) 12(+1) 14(+2) 12(+1)


Damage Resistances Slashing, Thunder




Equipment Imperial Grenadiers carry a Maul, a

Shotgun Pistol, and either a Grenade Launcher or

a Rocket Launcher.

Actions

Multiattack. The Imperial Heavy Gunner makes

two attacks or four rapid fire attacks.

Maul. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5ft.,

one target. Hit 10 (2d6 + 3) bludgeoning

damage.

Shotgun Pistol. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit,


piercing, or 12 (2d8+3) piercing beyond 40 feet.

Grenade Launcher. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to

hit, reach 25/100 ft., one target. Hit 7 (1d8 + 3)

thunder damage. Blast (5/4(1d8) slashing).

Rocket Launcher. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to

hit, reach 200/900 ft., one target. Hit 12 (2d8 +

3) thunder damage. Blast (10/9(2d8) slashing).

Imperial Grenadiers

Imperial Heavy Gunners


16(+3) 12(+1) 16 (+3) 12(+1) 14(+2) 12(+1)





Equipment Imperial Heavy Gunners carry a

Greatsword, a shotgun pistol, and either a Light

Machinegun, a Machinegun, a Man Portable

Rotary Cannon, or a Micro Missile Launcher.

Actions

Multiattack. The Imperial Heavy Gunner makes

two attacks, or four Rapid Fire attacks, or six

Rapid Fire attacks with the Man Portable Rotary

cannon at disadvantage.

Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit,


damage




Light Machinegun. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to

hit, reach 300/1500 ft., one target. Hit 8

(1d10+3) piercing damage.

Light Machinegun (Rapid Fire). Ranged Weapon

Attack: +2 to hit, reach 300/1500 ft., one target.

Hit 5 (1d10) piercing damage.

Machinegun. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit,


piercing damage.

Machinegun (Rapid Fire). Ranged Weapon Attack:


(3d8) thunder damage.

Man Portable Rotary Cannon. Ranged Weapon

Attack: +5 to hit, reach 300/1500 ft., one target.

Hit 13 (3d6+3) piercing damage.

Man Portable Rotary Cannon (Rapid Fire). Ranged

Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 300/1500 ft.,

one target. Hit 10 (3d6) piercing damage.

Microrocket Launcher. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5

to hit, reach 300/1500 ft., one target. Hit 13

(3d6+3) thunder damage.

Microrocket Launcher (Rapid Fire). Ranged

Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 300/1500 ft.,

one target. Hit 10 (3d6) thunder damage.

suppressive fire for their unaugmented squadmates.

weaponry is alive and well in the Empire, with

Flame

law activists being far more concerned with the

miltary

of Promefuric weapons than simple flame when

existence

are allowed to complain at all. Although some

they

will attempt to avoid using fire against

commanders

creature there are many who will go straight to the

sapient

troopers as soon as enemies turn to guerilla warfare,

flame

elves in particular are wont to do.

as

Troopers are recruited from the same stock as

Flame

Troopers, and wear similar armour adepted for their

Heavy

purposes. Tieflings, fire genasi and red

particular

in particular will reliably be sniped from the

dragonborn

Heavy Trooper program and given weapons to torch

main

enemies, since it's much less likely that they'll suffer

their

Soldiers are the Imperial answer to city fighting and

SWAT

warrens. They're equipped with shotguns and

underdark

calibre rifles for close range engagements, as well as

small

eponymous longsword with which they train

the

extensively.

Soldiers are used for both military operations for

SWAT

fighting and room-to-room clearing in city fighting,

tunnel

also civilian law enforcement operations. On some

and

militarised world they replace the civilian police

extremely

but it is more common for them to simply

altogether,

Imperial Flame

Trooper


Armor Class 18 (Flame Suit)


Speed 30ft.


16(+3) 12(+1) 16 (+3) 12(+1) 12(+1) 12(+1)


Damage Resistances Fire




Equipment Imperial Flame Troopers carry a

Maul, a Shotgun Pistol, and either a Flamethrower

or a Heavy Flamethrower

Actions

Multiattack. The Imperial Flame Trooper makes

two attacks.

Maul. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5ft.,

one target. Hit 10 (2d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage




Flamethrower. Ranged Weapon Attack (Special):

All creatures within a 20 foot cone starting within

30 feet of the Imperial Flame Trooper and

pointing directyl away from it must pass a DC 13

dex save or take 7(2d6) fire damage, taking half

as much on a successful save.

Heavy Flamethrower. Ranged Weapon Attack

(Special): All creatures within a 30 foot cone

starting within 50 feet of the Imperial Flame

Trooper and pointing directyl away from it must

pass a DC 13 dex save or take 14(4d6) fire

damage, taking half as much on a successful save.

Imperial Flame Troopers

Imperial SWAT Soldier


Armor Class 15 (Plate Carrier)


Speed 30ft.


14(+2) 14(+2) 14(+2) 10(+0) 14(+2) 12(+1)





Equipment Imperial SWAT Soldiers carry a

longsword, a pistol, and either a Shotgun, an

Automatic Shotgun, or PDW (An Assault Rifle

with the Quickdraw and Lo Calibre

modifications).

Actions


attacks with its weapons, or four rapid fire attacks

with its Assault Rifle.



damage.



damage.

Shotgun. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach

40/80 ft., one target. Hit 30 (4d6 + 2) piercing,

or 13 (2d10+2) piercing beyond 40 feet.

Automatic Shotgun. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to

hit, reach 40/80 ft., one target. Hit 8 (1d12 + 2)




piercing damage.



(1d8-1) piercing damage.

Imperial SWAT Soldier

supplement basic law enforcement.

ill effects of their own equipment.

Pilots are the skilled crew of Imperial airborn

Imperial

and Ironclads. Rigorously trained in the operation

vehicles

these devices, Pilots are selected for the relevant

of

based on their reflexes, eyesight, intelligence and

programs

to keep a cool head under pressure.

ability

are only equipped with weapons for use in

Pilots

and are otherwise considered soft targets.

emergencies,

equipment is barely adequate for sustained combat,

Their

they're barely trained for it at the best of times. As such

and

in their vehicles they fight with as much enthusiasm

when

aplomb as can be expected, but once forced to eject

and

will normally attempt to evacuate the area as quickly

they

Special Operators are the elite forces of the

Imperial

Empire, selected from the most capable and

Taleish

members of the conventional army. They are

promising

the most difficult missions and some of the most

given

questionable tasked, and are fully expected to

morally

against more or less any opponent.

succeed

Page Worlds maintain at least some Special

Most

as do many Mercenary groups, but the Imperial

Operators,

Imperial Army's Special Operator groups in particular

The

especially well equipped, having freedom to request

are

whatever they want from the armouries. This could

largely

anything, from cutting-edge firearms to the newest

be

weapons to blackhide-coated tanks equipped with

energy

rifles that can tear any armoured target they

micromissile

Imperial Pilot


Armor Class 15 (Anti-Piercing Suit)


Speed 30ft.


14(+2) 16(+3) 14(+2) 14(+2) 14(+2) 10(+0)





Equipment Imperial Pilots carry a light sabre, a

pistol, and a PDW (An Assault Rifle with the

Quickdraw and Lo Calibre modifications).

Actions

Multiattack. The Imperial Pilot makes one attack

with its weapons, or two rapid fire attacks with its

Assault Rifle.

Light Sabre. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit,


damage.



damage.



piercing damage.



(1d8-1) piercing damage.

Imperial Pilots

as possible.

Imperial Special Oprators

Imperial Special

Operator


Armor Class 17 (Imperial Elite Armour)


Speed 30ft.


16(+3) 16(+3) 16(+3) 12(+1) 16(+3) 14(+2)

Saving Throws Con +6, Wis +6





Equipment Imperial Special Operators carry an

Assault Rifle or Battle Rifle fitted with an

underslung micro grenade launcher or shotgun

pistol, as well as a Longsword and a Pistol.

Actions

Multiattack. The Imperial Special Operator makes

three attacks, or six rapid fire attacks. It can mke

an attack with its Pistol or Longsword as a bonus

action if it has the other weapon drawn, and can

make an attack with its Shotgun Pistol or Micro

grenade Launcher as a bonus action if it has its

Assault Rifle or Battle Rifle drawn.



damage.



damage.



piercing damage.



(1d8) piercing damage.



piercing damage.




Micro Grenade Launcher. Ranged Weapon Attack:


(1d8+3) thunder damage. Blast (5/4(1d8)

slashing).

see into tiny pieces in a matter of seconds.

Army has the largest compliment of such soldiers.

police vary hugely in their duties and dispositions

Imperial

world to world, from benevolent guardians of the

from

to jackbooted thugs who relish crushing dissent.

people

of their exact role, law enforcers of the Empire

Regardless

invariably armed and authorised to use lethal force

are

necessary, although their exact level of training with

when

weapons is usually relatively poor when compared to

their

member of the Empire's armies.

a

Universities like the Invisible College of Prelude

Arcane

to educate Imperial citizens on the subjects of magic,

work

the purposes of technica development or the

for

of arcane theory. These colleges also run

furtherance

on personal spellcasting, partially funded by

classes

militaries in order to provide a steady stream of

various

Mages.

Combat

Mages are uncommon, making up fewer than

Combat

in a hundred soldiers, and are usually attached to

one

of Imperial Soldiers. Trained with guns and armour

squads

like their martial peers, Combat Mages use their spells

just

support and augment their squads on a tactical level,

to

intelligence, confounding enemies, or

gathering

foes. In addition, all Combat Mages know and

annihilating

the spell Counterspell- with this even the humblest

use

can confound the magic of an Archmage, and

wizard

Imperial Law Enforcer


Armor Class 13 (Stab Vest)


Speed 30ft.

Imperial Combat Mage


Armor Class 16 (Plate Carrier)


Speed 30ft.


12(+1) 12(+1) 12(+1) 10(+0) 14(+2) 10(+0)





Equipment Imperial Law Enforcers generally

carry a pistol, a truncheon, and a shotgun. They

may or may not carry stun rounds for these

weapons. On riot duty law enforcers may carry a

bulletproof shield, in which case their Armour

Class increases by two points.

Actions

Truncheon. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit,

reach 5ft., one target. Hit 4 (1d6 + 1)

bludgeoning damage.



damage.

Shotgun. Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach

40/80 ft., one target. Hit 29 (4d6 + 1) piercing,

or 12 (2d10+1) piercing beyond 40 feet.

Imperial Law Enforcement


12(+1) 12(+1) 12(+1) 14(+2) 12(+1) 8(-1)





Equipment Imperial Combat Mages carry a

Battle Rifle, a Pistol, and an Imperial Longsword.

They also carry a spellcasting focus.

Actions



damage.



damage.



piercing damage.

Spellcasting. The Combat Mage is a 5th-level

spellcaster. Its spell casting ability is Intelligence

(spell save DC 15, +5 to hit with spell attacks).

The Combat Mage has the following cleric spells

prepared:

Cantrips (at will): Acid Splash, Minor Illusion,

Mold Earth, Thunderclap

1st level (4 slots): Alarm, Detect Magic, Shield

2nd level (3 slots): Invisiblity

3rd level (2 slots): Clairvoyance, Counterspell,

Fireball

Imperial Combat Mages

Alternate Spell Choices

Imperial Combat Mages are wizards and ritual

casters, preparing their spells as needed. The

above is only a typical selection for a Combat

Mage who expects to see direct open battle

alongside their squad later in the day. If the day's

duties included asymmetric warfare and patrol a

Combat Mage would be more likely to select

purely intelligence-gathering and anti-surprise

spells, such as Mind Spike and Charm Person.

Combat Mages carry expensive but massproduced

spellbooks which contain more or less

every wizard spell of third level or below known

to the Empire, excluding most purely damaging

spells which is considered the purview of the

squad and their weapons rather than the wizard.

Of note is the spell Find Familiar- Combat Mages

will almost always have a familiar unless it has

been recently killed and not yet replaced.

render them helpless to the bullets of their squadmates.

The Empire of the Tale - The Homebrewery

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