zero-engine/ZERO-Core-Draft-01.md

ZERO ENGINE

SLA Industries — Complete Rules, Draft One (v0.1)

A d6 dice-pool RPG of corporate horror, urban warfare, and televised violence in the World of Progress. You are an Operative of SLA Industries: contracted, sponsored, filmed, and expendable. This draft is written from the working Foundry VTT implementation (system v1.7.6) — every rule here is the rule as the dice engine actually enforces it.

What's in Draft 1

• The full engine as implemented: dice pools, Stress dice, Pushing, Panic, Conditions, critical injuries.
• All 8 playable races with their auto-granted racial abilities and natural weapons.
• 8 training packages, 16 specialties, the complete 30-formula Ebb grimoire.
• Combat in full: two-mode initiative, fire modes, multi-shot, ammunition calibers, the Bullet Tax, and the armor check.
• The Vevaphon: three morph forms, Instability, and the full 7–36+ Instability table.
• Life on Mort: credits, SCL, the LAD account, drugs (19 of them), housing shifts, and Showing Off for the cameras.
• GM tools: 10 NPC archetypes, the Group NPC Generator with its 1–10 threat slider, and the module suite.

Source of truth: zero-engine.mjs v1.7.6, template.json, and the seven compendium packs. Where the Foundry system automates a rule, this document states the rule the automation enforces.

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0. ZERO ENGINE in five minutes ⟐ (start here)

1. Roll a pool of six-sided dice — Attribute + Skill + gear and situation. Only a 6 is a Success. One Success = done; more = done better.
2. Your Stress adds dice too — one Stress die per point of Stress, rolled alongside. Stress dice can score Successes like any other… but every 1 on a Stress die is a Bane, and Banes on a pushed roll trigger a Panic check.
3. Not good enough? Push — reroll everything that isn't a 6 (Stress 1s stay locked), and take +1 Stress for your trouble. Pride costs. Push a ranged attack into a Stress bane and your gun runs dry on top of it.
4. No abstract hit points. Health = Strength + Agility. Resolve = Wits + Empathy. Hit 0 in either and you are Broken — and you roll a d66 critical injury, physical or mental, right now.
5. Everything is billed. Every round you fire is deducted from your account at double book price (the Bullet Tax). Your armour, your drugs, your rent, your resurrection insurance — SLA Industries provides, and SLA Industries invoices.
6. The cameras are always on. Show off — throw dice away from your own pool to do it with style — and the audience remembers. So does the GM.

That's the engine. Pick a race (§9), take a training package (§10), sign the BPN, and try to die photogenically.

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PART ONE · THE ENGINE

1. The core roll

Everything is a pool of d6.

• 6 = a Success.
• 1–5 = nothing — on a normal die.
• On a Stress die, a 1 is a Bane (§4).

Your pool = Attribute + Skill + Gear Bonus + situational modifiers. One Success = you succeed. Extra Successes buy extra effect — more damage, cleaner work, faster result. Zero Successes = failure.

The roll dialog offers the standard levers, all of which stack:

Modifier	Dice
Situational (GM ruling, quick −3/−1/+1/+3 buttons)	±X
Point blank range	+1
Extreme range	−2
Scope (at Long or Extreme range only)	+2
AI assist	+2
Burst fire	+1 (and +1 damage)
Full auto	+2 (and +2 damage)
AP ammunition	+1
Conditions (§8)	penalties, always
Showing Off (§26)	−1 per point, your choice

The pool never drops below 1d6 — the universe always gives you one die to hang yourself with.

Rough odds (so you feel the dice)

Only 6s count, so pools run leaner than they look: 1 die ≈ 17% · 2 ≈ 31% · 3 ≈ 42% · 4 ≈ 52% · 5 ≈ 60% · 6 ≈ 67%. A trained Operative (attribute 3 + skill 2) succeeds a little over half the time. Gear, drugs, and fire modes exist because you will want them.

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2. The four Attributes

Rated 1–5 (racial caps vary, §9). Base 2 for an unremarkable human.

Attribute	Governs
STRENGTH (STR)	Muscle, endurance, melee power
AGILITY (AGI)	Speed, aim, stealth, reflexes
WITS (WIT)	Intellect, perception, craft, survival
EMPATHY (EMP)	Insight, persuasion, healing — and the Ebb

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3. The thirteen Skills

Each skill keys off one attribute; the pool is simply Attribute + Skill.

Skill	Attribute		Skill	Attribute
Force	STR		Crafting	WIT
Melee	STR		Observation	WIT
Stamina	STR		Survival	WIT
Marksmanship	AGI		Healing	EMP
Mobility	AGI		Insight	EMP
Stealth	AGI		Persuasion	EMP
			Ebb	EMP

Skills cap at 3 at creation (§10); racial ability bonuses (§9a) add dice on top of the skill, not to it.

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4. Stress — the dice that watch you back

Stress is a scalar from 0 to 10. Every point adds one Stress die to every skill roll you make. Stress dice are rolled with your pool, in their own colour, and they cut both ways:

• A 6 on a Stress die is a full Success. Fear sharpens.
• A 1 on a Stress die is a Bane. Banes are tracked on the roll card. On a pushed roll, any Bane triggers consequences immediately (§5).

Gaining Stress: +1 every time you Push (§5); +1 on any failed Health or Resolve save (§6); panic results and Vevaphon instability inflict more; some drugs bill Stress in withdrawal.

Shedding Stress: rest (§27), the Ebb formula Calm (−1, §21), sedative-class drugs, and GM fiat for genuine downtime. Stress never drops below 0.

(Design note: Stress is a throttle, not a death spiral — more dice now, worse failure modes later. A veteran at Stress 4 rolls a bigger pool than a rookie at Stress 0 and is one pushed 1 from a Panic check. That is the SLA Industries employee experience.)

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5. Pushing

After any skill roll you may Push it once: pick up every die that isn't a 6 and reroll it. Two exceptions lock in place:

• 6s stay (obviously).
• 1s on Stress dice stay. A Bane, once shown, is shown.

Pushing costs +1 Stress, immediately — and that new Stress point joins the reroll as an extra Stress die. The pushed result replaces the old one; successes from the first roll carry forward on the card.

If the pushed roll shows any Stress Bane (including locked ones):

• On an attack that ended with 0 total Successes → Critical Failure: roll 2d6 on the Ranged or Melee Critical Fail table (§18).
• Otherwise → Panic check (§7), right now.
• Ranged weapons additionally run dry: a Bane on a pushed ranged attack flags the weapon OUT OF AMMO until you rest (§27). The mag was lighter than you thought. It always is.

Brain Wasters (§9) push the Ebb the same way they push everything — recklessly. A Brain Waster pushing an Ebb roll risks the formula's catastrophe rider on a Bane.

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6. Health & Resolve — the two ways down

No hit points. Two tracks, both derived, both rollable:

HEALTH  max = STR + AGI  + race/training + equipped gear + specialties + active drugs
RESOLVE max = WIT + EMP  + race/training + equipped gear + specialties + active drugs

The system recalculates both automatically whenever an attribute, item, drug state, or active effect changes. Damage reduces the current value; drugs and healing restore it (never above max).

Saves

Click the stat to roll it: a Health save or Resolve save rolls your current value in plain d6 — no Stress dice, no dialog, conditions still penalise the pool. One 6 = you hold. Zero Successes = failure and +1 Stress. A pool reduced to 0 by conditions is an automatic failure (+1 Stress). Use them for feats of endurance and nerve: staying conscious, staying put, staying sane.

Broken

At 0 Health or 0 Resolve you are Broken (−2 dice to everything; must pass a Stamina roll to act) and you immediately roll a d66 Critical Injury — Physical if Health broke you, Mental if Resolve did (§18). The Broken condition clears automatically once you're healed above 0.

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7. Panic

When a Panic check triggers (pushed Stress Bane, morph panic, GM call, or the sheet's Panic button), roll:

1d6 + current Stress

Drugs with panic reduction (Calm-Line −2, Bozerker −3, etc.) subtract from the total — but can never reduce a triggering roll below 7. Total 6 or less: you hold it together. Otherwise:

Total	Result	Effect
7	Nervous Twitch	+1 Stress — and every ally in Short range gains +1 Stress as your tension spikes the squad
8	Tremble	Until end of scene: −2 dice to all AGI rolls (Marksmanship, Mobility, Stealth)
9	Fumble/Jam	GM picks one: drop a held item · weapon jams (1 Fast action to clear) · comms/camera mishandled (next related roll −2)
10	Freeze	Lose your next action. You may defend, but cannot Push again until you act
11	Seek Cover	Next action must move you to cover. Refuse: +1 Stress per round
12	Outburst on Camera	Scream on the feed. Lose next action; position revealed (enemies +2 dice to locate you)
13	Flight Response	Retreat at least 1 round or one zone. No Slow actions while retreating
14	Operative Breakdown	Choose: BERSERK (attack the nearest creature, friend or foe) or CATATONIC (incapacitated D6 rounds). Witnesses gain +1 Stress
15+	Mind Fracture	Roll a Mental Critical Injury immediately (§18)

At total 10+ the Panicking condition is applied (−2 all dice); at 7–9, Shaken (−1 all dice). Stat costs in the result (Stress, Health, Resolve) apply automatically.

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8. Conditions — in one table

Conditions are status effects; their dice penalties apply to every roll path — skills, attacks, saves, initiative. Toggle them from the token HUD; several tick automatically each combat turn (and, since v1.7.6, outside combat too when time advances).

Condition	Penalty	Notes
Bleeding	−1 HP per turn	cleared by any healing
Stunned	−3 all dice	clears end of turn
Pinned	−2 Melee/Marksmanship/Mobility	clear with a cover action
Suppressed	−2 all dice	clear by passing a Stamina roll
On Fire	2+ HP per turn (escalates) · −1 all dice	action to extinguish
Blinded	−3 Marksmanship/Observation · −2 Melee
Deafened	−1 Observation	no audio cues
Broken	−2 all dice	must roll Stamina to act; clears when healed above 0
Winded	−1 all dice	clears end of round
Broken Arm	−2 Melee · −1 Marksmanship · −1 Force	arm unusable
Broken Leg	−2 Mobility · −1 Stealth	cannot run
Concussed	−1 all dice, extra −1 Observation/WIT rolls
Gut Wound	−2 all dice
Panicking	−2 all dice	cannot act normally
Shaken	−1 all dice

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PART TWO · OPERATIVES

9. The eight races

Attributes start at the racial base; spend attribute points (1:1, up to the racial cap), then skill points (1:1, cap 3). Every race auto-receives its racial abilities (§9a) the moment it's chosen.

Race	Base STR/AGI/WIT/EMP	Attr pts	Caps	Skill pts	HP mod	RES mod	Notes
Human	2/2/2/2	6	5/5/5/5	10	—	—	the expendable backbone
Ebon	2/2/3/3	4	4/4/5/5	10	—	+1	Ebb user
Brain Waster	2/2/4/3	3	3/4/5/5	10	—	—	Ebb user; catastrophic Pushes
Stormer 313-S Malice	4/3/2/2	3	5/5/3/3	8	+2	—	vatgrown warform
Shaktar	3/3/2/2	4	5/5/4/4	9	+1	—	honour-bound alien warrior
Wraith Raider	2/4/2/2	4	4/5/5/4	10	—	+1	cold-world stalker
Frother	4/2/2/2	4	5/4/4/3	8	+1	−1	chemically dependent berserker
Stormer Vevaphon	3/3/2/2	5	5/5/4/3	8	+2	−1	polymorphic chassis (§12)

9a. Racial abilities (auto-embedded)

Race	Ability	Effect
Human	Social Versatility	+1 Persuasion, +1 Insight
Ebon	Ebb Sensitive + natural formulae	sense Ebons within ~10 m; Ebb access
Brain Waster	Ebb Fury + natural formulae	spend 1 Flux: +2 dice to a combat roll; pushing the Ebb risks catastrophe
Stormer	Natural Weapons (Claws & Teeth)	+1 die on all melee attacks; always counts as armed
Stormer	Stormer Regeneration	regain 1 HP per hour of rest, automatically (not at 0 HP)
Shaktar	Battle Claws	+1 die on melee; always armed
Shaktar	Warrior Caste Training	+1 more die on melee with a weapon (stacks: +2 with claws out)
Wraith Raider	Shaper Senses	+2 Observation, +1 Stealth
Wraith Raider	Wraith Teeth & Claw	natural weapon: DMG 2, AP 1, ROF 2, always armed
Frother	Blade Proficiency	+2 dice on melee with bladed weapons
Frother	Drug Dependency	−1 die to all rolls when no drug is active
Vevaphon	Brute / Stalker / Raptor Form + Morphic Strike	see §12

Natural weapons roll like melee weapons (STR + Melee) with their listed DMG/AP/ROF, and never run dry.

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10. Training packages

Pick one at creation. It sets your starting skills, one specialty, armour, and sidearms. (Skill points from §9 are spent after this baseline.)

Package	Starting skills	Specialty	Armour · weapons
Soldier	Melee 2, Marksmanship 2, Stamina 1	Hard Hitter	CAF Armor · pistol, rifle
Scout	Stealth 2, Mobility 2, Observation 1	Fast Reflexes	Scout Armor · pistol, SMG
Combat Medic	Healing 2, Observation 2, Insight 1	Field Surgeon	Downtown Jacket · pistol, Medical Kit
Technical Operative	Crafting 3, Observation 1, Survival 1	Inquisitive	Downtown Jacket · pistol, Tool Kit
Negotiator	Persuasion 2, Insight 2, Observation 1	Gut Feeling	Downtown Jacket · pistol, Encrypted Comms
Hunter	Marksmanship 2, Stealth 2, Observation 1	Sniper	Scout Armor · rifle, pistol
Brawler	Force 2, Melee 2, Stamina 1	True Grit	CAF Armor · power blade, pistol
Ebb Channeller (Ebon / Brain Waster only)	Ebb 3, Insight 1, Persuasion 1	Ebb Sensitive	Downtown Jacket · pistol

Ebb Channeller starting formulae are race-differentiated:

• Ebon: Empathic Pulse, Danger Sense, Mind-Link, Calm, Ebb Shield, Ebb Sight, Surge — the watcher's kit.
• Brain Waster: Ebb Bolt, Heat Touch, Surge, Push, Empathic Pulse, Ebb Shield, Iron Flesh — the arsonist's.

The PC Creator wizard in Foundry walks all of this: race → attribute points (racial pool and caps) → training (race-gated) → skill points → a race-keyed random name → confirm. Starting SCL 10, 500 credits.

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11. Specialties

The sixteen in the system pack (racial ones are granted, not bought):

Specialty	Category	Effect
Sniper	combat	+2 Marksmanship at Long+ range from concealment
Fast Reflexes	combat	+2 Initiative
Hard Hitter	combat	+1 Melee damage (sacrifice your fast action)
Inquisitive	investigation	may Push WIT rolls twice
Gut Feeling	investigation	use EMP for Observation (threat detection)
Menacing	social	use STR for Persuasion (intimidation)
Compassion	social	may Push EMP rolls twice
Field Surgeon	medical	+1 Healing on critical injuries
Healer	medical	critical injuries heal in half the time
True Grit	survival	+1 maximum Health
Ebb Sensitive	ebb	sense Ebons within ~10 m
Ebb Fury	ebb	spend 1 Flux: +2 dice to a combat roll
Code of Honor	racial (Shaktar)	reroll all dice when upholding honour, 1/session
Cold Adapted	racial (Wraith)	ignore cold penalties; +1 Stealth in dim/dark
Regeneration	racial (Stormer)	heal 1 HP/hour automatically
Combat Drug User	racial (Frother)	Rush: +2 combat, −2 mental (addiction risk)

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12. The Vevaphon — morph forms & Instability

A Vevaphon carries an Instability track (0–12). Every form shift costs 1 Instability and triggers an immediate instability check: 1d6 + current Instability — at 7+, consult the table below. Instability clears on rest (§27).

Form	Bonuses	Restriction
Base	normal stats	—
Brute	+2 Health max, +1 Force, +1 Melee, knockdown immune	cannot be disguised
Stalker	+2 Stealth, +1 Mobility/Agility dice	cannot wear armour
Raptor	+2 Melee, +1 Marksmanship (close), crits +1 damage	—
Morphic Strike	natural weapon DMG 2, AP 1, ROF 2	always available, every form

The Instability table (1d6 + Instability, effects auto-applied)

Roll	Result	Severity
7	Flicker	minor
8	Skin Crawl	minor
9	Drift	minor
10	Identity Slip	minor
11	Voice Shift	minor
12	Pain Spike (+1 Stress)	moderate
13	Limb Fault (−2 physical)	moderate
14	Form Bleed	moderate
15	Sensory Overload	moderate
16	Tissue Rejection (1 dmg, ignores armour)	moderate
17	Threat Lock	serious
18	Form Panic (morph bonuses collapse 1 round, +1 Stress)	serious
19	Memory Fracture	serious
20	Partial Collapse (1d3 dmg)	serious
21	Identity Bleed	serious
22	Uncontrolled Shift (+1 Instability)	serious
23	Trauma Response (Shaken)	serious
24	Permanent Scar	critical
25	Full Reversion (−1 Instability, revert to base)	critical
26	Psychic Scream	critical
27	Body Horror	critical
28	Cascade Shift (1d3 dmg, +1 Instability)	critical
29	Dissolution Risk	critical
30	Identity Death	catastrophic
31	Organ Shift (2 dmg/round)	catastrophic
32	Full System Failure	catastrophic
33	Catastrophic Cascade (1d6 dmg/round)	catastrophic
34	Biogenetic Detonation (2d6 self, 1d6 AoE)	catastrophic
35	Terminal Dissolution	lethal
36+	Total Collapse — instant death	lethal

A separate Morph Panic check (1d6 + Instability, at high Instability) draws from a six-entry panic ladder on the sheet — the chassis, not the mind, deciding it has had enough.

(Design note: 12 Instability + 1d6 tops out at 18 in ordinary play — the 20s and 30s exist for stacked penalties, Uncontrolled Shift chains, and GMs with a grudge. The table is a countdown, not a slot machine.)

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PART THREE · COMBAT IN FULL

13. Initiative

Initiative is a score, not a raw roll:

Initiative = (Attribute + Skill) + Successes rolled on that pool + bonuses

Choose your mode when you roll:

• AGI + Mobility — move first, think later.
• WIT + Observation — see it coming.

Roll the pool (no Stress dice); each 6 adds +1. Then add: Fast Reflexes +2, any specialty with an initiative bonus, equipped gear (some armour is slow: Heavy Thresher −1, PP10 HARD −1), active effects, and drugs. Conditions penalise the pool. A silent d6 breaks ties. Highest acts first; the score persists on the actor and syncs to the combat tracker.

NPC initiative (one button on the NPC sheet): roll max(5, AGI) + threat level dice, count 6s — every mook gets at least 6d6, so nobody's ambush stalls the scene.

Per-turn condition ticks (Bleeding, On Fire escalation) fire automatically at turn change.

14. Attacks

• Ranged: AGI + Marksmanship + Gear Bonus
• Melee: STR + Melee + Gear Bonus (natural weapons included)

The attack dialog stacks its options into the pool (§1): range band, scope, AI assist, fire mode, ammo type, multi-shot, Showing Off. Damage on a hit = weapon DMG + extra Successes spent on damage + mode/ammo damage bonuses.

Fire modes

Mode	Dice	Damage	Rounds fired
Single	—	—	1 (or shots chosen)
Burst	+1	+1	3 minimum
Full auto	+2	+2	8 (weapon's auto-use rating)

Weapons list their capable modes; anything with auto can also fire burst and single. Multi-shot options (weapon ROF permitting) trade extra ammo for extra dice, each round billed.

Ammo types

Round	Effect	Price
Standard	—	book
AP	+1 die (drills armour — see also caliber AP bonuses)	×3–4
HE	+1 damage	steep

15. Ammunition & the Bullet Tax

Every weapon has a caliber; every caliber has round types with a cost per round (10mm std 2c → 7.62 AP 12c → 40mm HE 80c/round). When you fire, the system deducts:

Bullet Tax = rounds fired × cost per round × 2

— double book price, because SLA logistics marks up everything it airdrops. The tax posts to chat and to your finance ledger (§25) as you shoot. Full auto at 8 rounds of 7.62 AP is 192c per trigger pull. Budget accordingly, or carry a knife.

Running dry: pushing a ranged attack into a Stress Bane empties the weapon (§5) until you rest.

16. Armour & the armor check

When you take damage, your equipped armour rolls for you:

1. Effective armour dice = Armor Dice − attacker's AP  (min 0)
2. Damage after auto     = incoming − Auto Armor       (min 0)
3. Roll effective dice: each 6 cancels 1 damage
4. What remains comes off Health

Armour	Rating	Dice	Auto	Init	Cost
Street Clothes	0	0	0	—	20
Downtown Jacket	1	1	0	—	150
Body Blocker	1	1	0	—	120
Shiver Flak Vest	1	1	0	—	200
CAF Armor	2	2	1	—	400
Full Shiver Armour	2	2	0	—	450
Crackshot Armour	2	2	0	—	600
Stealth Suit	2	2	0	—	2,500
Scout Armor	3	3	1	—	700
Shock Armour	3	3	1	—	900
HARD Armor	4	4	2	—	1,200
Ebb Deathsuit	4	4	1	—	5,000
Light Thresher Suit	4	4	2	—	3,500
PP10 HARD Armour	5	4	2	−1	2,800
Exo-Rig Armor	5	5	2	—	3,000
DN Power Armour	5	5	2	—	7,500
Heavy Thresher Suit	5	5	3	−1	6,000
Squad Shielded Power Armor	6	6	3	—	8,000

17. Weapons

The armoury (compendium pack, 36 entries). DMG · AP · Range · ROF · Gear bonus · modes · cost. Highlights:

Weapon	Type	DMG	AP	Range	ROF	Gear	Modes	Cost
FEN 401 Shiver Pistol	Pistol	2	0	Short	2	—	single	280
FEN 603 Auto Pistol	Pistol	2	0	Short	3	—	single/auto	420
FEN 204 Heavy Pistol	Pistol	3	1	Short	2	+1	single	650
GA 50 Finisher	Pistol	3	1	Short	1	+1	single	700
BLA 046M Blitzer	Revolver	3	0	Short	1	—	single	350
FEN 209 Machine Pistol	MP	2	0	Short	4	—	single/auto	380
CAF SMG	SMG	2	0	Short	3	—	single/auto	500
FEN AR Assault Rifle	Rifle	3	1	Long	3	—	s/b/a	700
FEN 701 Urban Carbine	Carbine	3	1	Long	2	—	single/burst	850
GA 9443 Mini-Browbeater	Rifle	3	1	Long	2	+1	single/burst	950
GA 9442 Browbeater	Rifle	4	2	Extreme	2	+2	single/burst	1,400
FEN 981 Sniper Rifle	Sniper	5	2	Extreme	1	+2	single	2,000
KPS Combat Shotgun	Shotgun	4	0	Short	1	—	single	550
FEN 10 Street Sweeper	Shotgun	4	0	Short	2	—	single/burst	900
FEN Reaper LMG	LMG	4	1	Long	4	—	auto	2,200
FEN 706 Power Reaper	HW	5	2	Long	3	—	auto	6,000
FEN 30-30 Rail Cannon	Rail	5	4	Extreme	1	+2	single	4,000
MILA Grenade Launcher	Launcher	5	1	Long	1	—	single	1,800
Frag Grenade	Grenade	3	0	Short	1	—	single	80
Stun Grenade	Grenade	0	0	Short	1	—	single	60
MAC Knife	Knife	2	1	Engaged	2	—	—	120
Pacifier Baton	Baton	2	0	Engaged	2	—	—	90
SLA Blade	Blade	3	1	Engaged	2	—	—	280
Vibro Sabre	Blade	3	3	Engaged	2	—	—	900
Ebb Sword	Blade	3	2	Engaged	2	+1	—	1,200
ITB Mutilator Sword	Blade	4	2	Engaged	1	+1	—	850
Power Claymore	Blade	4	2	Engaged	1	—	—	700
Chainaxe	Axe	3	1	Engaged	2	—	—	460
Chainsaw (improvised)	—	4	0	Engaged	1	—	—	120
Gash Fist	Natural	3	1	Engaged	2	—	—	180
Riot Shield	Shield	2	0	Engaged	1	—	—	300
Stormer Claws / Teeth / Chuckleduster	Natural	3–4	0–1	Engaged	1–2	—	—	0–200
Shaktar / Vevaphon Claws	Natural	2	1	Engaged	2	—	—	—

18. Critical injuries & critical failures

When Health breaks you: roll d66 on the Physical Critical table. When Resolve breaks you (or Mind Fracture, §7): d66 on the Mental Critical table. The injury is logged on your sheet with effects, healing time, and — for lethal entries — a time limit (make your Stamina rolls or die; Instant means exactly that, e.g. mental 66, "Heart stops").

Rolling a crit also auto-applies its matching condition — the tables trend from Winded/Shaken in the 1x rows through Bleeding, Broken Arm/Leg, Concussed, Gut Wound in the middle rows to Stunned and the unconditioned lethal 6x rows. Representative entries:

Roll	Physical	Mental
11	Winded (+1 round of −1 dice)	Shaken (+1 Stress, −1 dice 1 round)
21	Winded	Anxiety spiral (+1 Stress/shift until safe rest)
31	Broken Leg	Rage trigger (Resolve check or retaliate)
41	Bleeding + Suppressed	Major breakdown (Broken D6 rounds)
51	Bleeding	Permanent phobia (therapy only)
61+	lethal territory	Heart seizure → Heart stops (66: instant death)

Critical failures (pushed attack, 0 Successes, Stress Bane — §5): draw 2d6 on the Ranged or Melee Weapon Critical Fail rolltable. Jams, drops, friendly fire — the camera loves it.

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PART FOUR · THE EBB

19. Flux

Ebb users (Ebon, Brain Waster) power formulae with Flux: max = Ebb skill + 1. Casting spends the formula's Flux cost. Recover 1 Flux on a stretch rest, all Flux on a shift rest (§27).

20. Casting

Roll EMP + Ebb (Stress dice apply — the Ebb feeds on nerves). You need the formula's Success threshold; extra successes scale effects that say so. Fail and nothing happens — the Flux is still spent. Push it and you're gambling with the thing behind reality: any Stress Bane on a pushed Ebb roll triggers Panic as usual, and Brain Wasters additionally suffer the formula's catastrophe rider.

21. The thirty formulae

By discipline — (Flux cost · successes needed · range · duration):

AWARENESS

• Empathic Pulse (1 · 1 · Short · instant) — sense the dominant emotion of every living being in range; 2+ successes identifies individuals.
• Danger Sense (2 · 1 · self · 1 shift) — cannot be surprised; +2 dice to Initiative.
• Precognition (2 · 2 · self · instant) — ask the GM one yes/no question about the next stretch.

BLAST

• Ebb Bolt (1 · 1 · Short · instant) — one target takes successes damage; armour applies; counts as a ranged attack.
• Hellfire (2 · 2 · Medium · instant) — successes + 2 damage; 3+ successes knocks the target down.
• Ebb Storm (3 · 2 · Short · instant) — detonation: all targets in range take successes damage.

COMMUNICATE

• Mind-Link (1 · 1 · Short · 1 scene) — silent two-way channel with a willing mind.
• Broadcast (2 · 1 · Long · instant) — push one message/image/emotion to everything alive in range.
• Compel (2 · 3 · Short · 1 round) — force one simple action (flee, drop, kneel); WIT resists.

ENHANCE

• Surge (1 · 1 · self · 1 stretch) — +2 dice to all rolls with one chosen attribute.
• Iron Flesh (2 · 2 · self · 1 stretch) — 2 automatic armour, stacking with worn plate.
• Heightened State (3 · 2 · self · 1 stretch) — +1 die to everything; all incoming damage −1.

HEAL

• Mend (1 · 1 · engaged · instant) — restore successes Health (max 2).
• Restore (2 · 2 · engaged · instant) — restore successes + 1; 3+ successes also clears a critical injury.
• Calm (1 · 1 · Short · instant) — target sheds 1 Stress; lifts Stress-Broken.

PROTECT

• Ebb Shield (1 · 1 · self · 1 round) — roll 2d6 vs the next attack; each 6 stops 1 damage.
• Ward (2 · 2 · Short · 1 stretch) — grant a target 1 automatic armour.
• Phase Shell (3 · 3 · self · 1 round) — all physical damage −3; Ebb attacks ignore it.

REALITY FOLD

• Blink (2 · 2 · Short · instant) — teleport to any visible point in range.
• Fold Space (3 · 3 · Long · 1 round) — two points become adjacent for a round.
• Phase Through (3 · 2 · engaged · instant) — pass through one non-living barrier.

SENSES

• Ebb Sight (1 · 1 · Long · 1 stretch) — see Ebb energy, active formulae, Ebb users.
• Mind's Eye (1 · 1 · self · 1 stretch) — +3 Observation; cannot be ambushed.
• Remote View (2 · 2 · Long · 1 stretch) — project senses to any visited place in range.

TELEKINESIS

• Push (1 · 1 · Short · instant) — hurl a target 3 m per success; counts as a ranged attack.
• Grip (2 · 2 · Short · 1 round) — hold a target immobile; they may act but not move.
• Levitate (2 · 1 · self · 1 stretch) — float freely at normal speed.

THERMAL

• Heat Touch (1 · 1 · engaged · instant) — successes + 1 damage; 3+ sets the target On Fire.
• Flame Burst (2 · 1 · Short · instant) — successes + 2 damage; 3+ ignites.
• Freeze (2 · 2 · Short · 1 round) — 1 damage and −2 dice on all AGI rolls.

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PART FIVE · DRUGS & GEAR

22. Drugs

Drugs are equipment items with an active phase and a withdrawal phase; activating one bills your account and (v1.7.5+) applies any instant heal immediately. Modifiers apply while active; when the duration lapses, the withdrawal set takes over until you clear it with rest. Frothers must keep one active or take −1 to everything (§9a).

Drug	Active	Withdrawal	Duration	Cost
Painkillers	+1 RES	−1 RES	1 shift	30
Stimulant	+1 RES, +1 STR	−1 RES	1 shift	40
Sedative	+2 RES, −1 all skills	−1 RES	stretch–shift	35
Calm-Line	+2 RES, panic −2	−1 RES	1 shift	65
Flip	+1 RES, panic −1	—	1 shift	25
Bubbles	+1 RES, panic −1	—	1 shift	18
Slosh	+2 RES, −1 all skills, panic −2	—	1 shift	15
Honesty	−1 RES, panic −1	—	1 scene	70
Rush	+1 HP, −1 RES, +1 STR	−1 RES	1 scene	85
Drum	+1 HP, −1 RES, +1 STR	—	1 scene	90
Redline	+1 HP, −2 RES, +2 STR	−1 HP	1 scene	110
Shatter	−2 RES, +2 STR	—	1 scene	120
Push	+2 HP	—	1 scene	140
Blaze UV	+2 HP, −4 RES, +3 STR	−2 RES	1 scene	180
UV (Ultra-Violence)	+2 HP, −3 RES, +2 STR	−1 HP, −2 RES	1 scene	200
Bozerker	+3 HP, −3 RES, +3 STR, panic −3	−2 HP, −3 RES	1 scene	220
KickStart	heals 2 HP instantly	—	immediate	25
KickStart Solo	heals 2 HP (auto-injector, one hand)	—	immediate	40
KickStart Plus	heals 3 HP, −1 RES	—	1 scene	50

(HP/RES modifiers move your maximum and current together; drug-boosted Health evaporates when the dose does. Drug dice modifiers also feed initiative and skill rolls while active.)

23. Equipment

BOOPA Medical Kit (80) · Stim Patch (35) · Bandage Pack (15, stops Bleeding) · Cutting Charge (120) · Klippo Multi-Band Communicator (200) · Disposable Camera Drone (180) · Field Tool Kit (150) · Encrypted Comms Unit (80) · UV/Multi-Spectrum Torch (60) · Oyster Card — ITB access (50) · Heavy-Duty Duct Tape (5, fixes most things, briefly).

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PART SIX · LIFE ON MORT

24. Credits, SCL & the ledger

You start with 500 credits and SCL 10 (Security Clearance Level — lower is better; you'll be at 10 a while). The sheet keeps a full finance ledger: income (salary, BPN rewards, other), expenses (accommodation, drugs, subscriptions, the Bullet Tax, other), debt, and a running credit log. Squad payouts arrive via the GM's Credit Distribution tool; every trigger pull leaves via §15.

25. The LAD account

50 credits a week buys Life After Death cover — SLA's clone-and-resurrection insurance line. It appears in your weekly expenses like rent, because on Mort, death is a subscription tier. No LAD, no respawn: negotiate your next character with the GM.

26. Showing Off

The cameras pay for all of this, and the cameras are bored of competence. On any roll, before you throw, hit SHOWING OFF — each press removes one die from your own pool (never below 1d6) and adds one to your career Showing Off tally, announced to the whole table with an ascending fanfare. It buys nothing mechanical. It buys audience.

At 20 career points the system posts a public warning: GM — time to make them pay for it. Sponsorships, stalkers, imitators, a rival with a grudge and a film crew. Fame on Mort is a loaded gun and you have been posing with it.

(Design note: this is the VANITY impulse wearing SLA's brand — but here ego spends your dice up front, publicly, and the payoff is fictional positioning. The tally exists so the GM never has to remember who's been playing to the cameras. The system remembers.)

27. Rest & recovery

The sheet's REST button is downtime, mechanised:

• clears all OUT OF AMMO weapon lockouts (§5);
• clears a stale Broken flag once you're above 0 HP;
• zeroes Vevaphon Instability (§12).

By clock: stretch rest = 1 Flux; shift rest = full Flux; Stormer Regeneration returns 1 HP per hour of world-time automatically. Stress recovery is a GM call plus drugs/Calm; drug withdrawal ends with proper rest. The Shift Ledger (§29) advances the campaign day in shifts and bills your housing tier weekly — recovery costs rent.

28. BPNs

Work arrives as a Blueprint News file: code, colour, reward, objectives. Colours set the flavour of the trouble: Blue (civic/security), Green (investigation), Red (hostile suppression), Silver (corporate/escort), Gold (high-value, high-oversight), Black (deniable). The sheet tracks your active BPN — code, type, status, reward, objectives — and the GM's BPN Tracker window and the Blueprint News module (§30) generate and manage the paperwork. Finish the job, file the debrief, collect the reward, pay the Bullet Tax out of it. Welcome to employment.

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PART SEVEN · RUNNING THE GAME

29. NPCs

NPCs run on a flat statline: attributes, a few skills, HP, flat armour, threat 1–5. The ten archetypes:

Archetype	Threat	HP	Armor	Signature
Civilian	1	4	0	Observation 1
Gang Grunt	1	5	1	Melee 2, pistol & knife
Shiver (Patrol)	2	6	2	Marksmanship 2, baton
SLA Operative (Green)	2	5	2	Marksmanship 2
Carrien	2	7	1	Melee 3, claws, fast
SLA Operative (Veteran)	3	8	3	Marks 3 / Melee 2 / Stealth 2
Ebb Operative (Ebon)	3	6	1	Ebb 3, Flux 4
Dept. of Propaganda Agent	3	6	2	Persuasion 3, Insight 3
Dark Finder	4	10	4	Marks 4 / Melee 3 / Stealth 3
Manchine	5	14	5	Melee 4, heavy weapon

NPC Creator: Quick mode (pick an archetype, done) or Full mode (manual). NPC initiative: max(5, AGI) + threat dice, count 6s (§13).

Group NPC Generator: stamps whole opposition groups — Street Gang, Carrion, Serial Killer, Monstaret, Machine — with randomised names, stats, weapons, armour and abilities embedded on each actor, filed into folders with SLA art. The threat slider (1–10) scales the whole batch: each step adds AGI/STR/WIT, HP percentage, armour and damage from a per-level bonus table, from baseline mooks to elite murder. Set the slider to the fight you want to run, not the fight you want to prep.

30. GM tools & the module suite

Built into the system (GM scene controls):

• PC Status Board — draggable live window of every PC's HP, Resolve, Stress and conditions; also whispered to the GM hourly.
• Credit Distribution — pay the squad, evenly or itemised, straight to their ledgers.
• Shift Ledger — campaign clock in day/shifts; duty schedules; housing tiers with weekly living costs auto-billed.
• NPC Threat Board — track morale, suppression, stance and intent per combatant.
• BPN Tracker — the active mission board.
• Condition Applicator — bulk-apply/clear §8 conditions across tokens.
• GM Finance Ledger — the whole party's money in one audited view.

Companion modules (all installed alongside the system):

Module	What it does
sla-blueprint-news-zero	BPN briefing packages (player Brief + GM Dossier journals, procedural art) that also spawn statted Zero Engine NPCs — weapons, HP, armour, initiative included
sla-bpn-dispatch	quick random BPNs with mission-colour logic and GM debrief journals
sla-briefing-desk	compose bespoke mission briefings and handouts
sla-gear-cache	generate ammo caches, med packs, breach kits, requisition bundles onto an actor
sla-npc-director	NPC morale/suppression/stance tracking from the combat tracker
sla-ops-clock	mission tempo: operation clock, heat, collateral, pressure — with player-facing updates
sla-shift-ledger	the campaign time/housing/living-cost tracker, standalone
npc-portrait-pack	490 species-matched NPC portraits, auto-assigned

31. Your first session, in order ⟐ (GM checklist)

1. Create a world on the Zero Engine (SLA Industries) system; enable the modules above (plus Dice So Nice for the SLA Borg dice skin).
2. Players: New SLA Operative button in the Actor Directory → the creation wizard (§10). One Ebb user maximum per squad is a good habit.
3. Set each PC's Player Character flag so the status board and hourly reports see them.
4. GM: open Blueprint News or BPN Dispatch, generate a Blue or Green BPN, hand out the Brief, keep the Dossier.
5. Build the opposition with the Group NPC Generator — threat slider 2–3 for a first fight.
6. Run it: initiative from the sheets, attacks from the weapons, armour checks on damage, the system does the arithmetic — Bullet Tax included.
7. Afterward: Credit Distribution for the reward, Shift Ledger to advance time and bill rent, REST buttons all round, and whatever the Showing Off tallies now demand.

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Draft One. Written from the code, for the table. Where play disagrees with this document, check the dice engine — then fix whichever one is wrong.