DѦRK SPѦCE

CRYO BAY

You wake up in an open cryo chamber on an unknown space vessel with no idea how you got there.

You don’t even remember your name. Luckily, you’re wearing a gray jumpsuit with _______ printed on a blue patch.

You notice a large metal plaque on the hull that reads: “Helios V - Cryo Bay.”

The ship is cold and dark except for a flickering emergency light nearby.

You hear a slamming sound in the distance, then muffled gunfire, then silence…

ESCAPE THE SHIP!

Your only goal is to traverse through the unknown ship, room to room, until you escape.

If you get killed or stuck with no path forward, game over. Start again.

Your Character

You begin the game with:

• 15 + D6 hit points (HP)

• One item from Gear Table A

• One item from Gear Table B

• A cred stick with 3D10 credits,

• A flashlight

You have two attributes: Mind and Body.

Give one attribute +1 and one +2. These are your starting mods.

Taking Actions

When you attempt an action, use Mind (repair, search, etc.) or Body (attack, run, etc.). Roll a D20 and add your mod. If you get a total of 12 or higher, the action succeeds in most cases.

Combat

You must fight to survive. There are two levels of enemies: weak and strong (see tables). There are also two types: organic and robotic.

Initiative

When you enter a room, if there are enemies, roll Mind to establish how quickly you react to danger. If you roll 12 or higher, you act first. If you roll under, enemies act first. If you roll a natural 20, you can attack twice before any enemies act. Each round, your character attacks and any enemies attack, one at a time until all enemies in the room are destroyed, you get killed, or you run away (see Fleeing).

Fighting Enemies

To attack, roll Body. Most enemies are DR12 to hit, unless specified otherwise. If your attack succeeds, roll damage for the weapon and reduce the enemy’s HP accordingly. Unarmed attacks deal D2.

• Crit Success: If you roll a natural 20, you deal 2X damage.

• Crit Failure: If you roll a natural 1, the next enemy attack automatically hits you. Roll on the Catastrophe Table.

Defense Rolls

When defending against an enemy attack, roll Body. On a 12 or higher, you take no damage. Otherwise, roll to see how much damage you suffer. If your HP drops to zero (or lower), you die.

• Crit Success: If you roll a nat. 20, you can attack twice on your next action.

• Crit Failure: If you roll a nat. 1 on a D20, the enemy’s attack does max damage. Roll on the Catastrophe Table.

Disabling Robotic Enemies

Instead of attacking, you may attempt to disable a robotic enemy by rolling Mind (DR15). If you fail, their next attack automatically hits. If you succeed, the enemy is permanently disabled.

Mapping Your Journey

To track your progress through the ship, start by drawing a rectangle on your paper with three doors.

This represents the starting room. Label it “Cryo.”

Roll for Next Room

After clearing a room, follow these steps to create the next room on your map:

• Roll on the Room Shape Table

• Roll on the Room Doors Table

• Roll on the Room Contents Table

Draw the next room, including its shape and doors. Note any enemies. Then move to that room.

Note: You cannot proceed to a new room until you have cleared your current location of enemies. But you can fall back (see Fleeing).

Searching Rooms

When entering a new room, if there is no enemy, you may search it. If you encounter an enemy, you must destroy or disable it before searching.

To search, roll Mind (DR12). On a success, roll a D6:

• 1: You find nothing of use.

• 2-5: You find a random item from Table B.

• 6: You find a random item from Table A.

Note: Rooms can only be searched once.

Light Source

With the ship's emergency power supply failing, all rooms and hallways are poorly lit by faltering lights. With your flashlight, you can see normally. Without a light source, everything is +2 DR.

Note: You cannot hold your flashlight and use a two-handed [2H] weapon. But you can if you find a headlamp.

Fleeing/Backtracking

If you get in over your head against an enemy and must flee, roll Body (DR 12). On a success, you flee the way you came and take no damage. Fail, and the enemy attacks and hits you once before you escape and shut the door. Enemies will remain in the uncleared room.

When you re-enter a previously cleared room, roll a D10:

• 3-10: No enemy

• 2: Weak enemy (Table C)

• 1: Strong enemy (Table D)

Luck Points

In space, luck runs out quickly.

You have six luck points. Burn one to:

• Re-roll a single die roll

• Reduce damage from one attack by D10

• Have one attack do max damage

Use these wisely. You may not get more!

Leveling Up

Whenever you destroy or disable an enemy, you gain XP. Some enemies also drop salvage. After clearing 10 rooms (not including cryo bay) or gaining 20 XP (whichever happens first), your character levels up. Reset your XP (and rooms explored) to zero then note progress on the following advancement track:

• Level 2: Add +1 to either Mind or Body. Rest and heal 2D4 hit points.

• Level 3: Increase max HP by D6. Rest and heal 2D4 hit points. The next room will be “Engine Room” (see Special Rooms).

• Level 4: Gain a random item from Table A or B (your choice). Rest and heal 2D4 hit points.

• Level 5: Add +1 to either Mind or Body. The next room will be “Med Bay.” Rest and heal 2D4 hit points.

• Level 6: You find a Class II Vac Suit in a locker. If you already have one, you find another random item from Table A or B (your choice). Rest and heal 2D4 hit points. The next room will be “Galley” (see Special Rooms).

• Level 7: The next room will be “The Bridge” (see Special Rooms)

Special Rooms

Four unique rooms must be traversed in order to escape the ship:

1) Engine Room

This rectangular room has one other door on the opposite side. You see two large reactors (both offline).

You also notice two malformed things shambling toward you…

Encounter: Two Nekro Shamblers (see Table D).

Note: Using grenades in this room has a 50% chance of blowing up the entire ship.

Once this room has been cleared, roll for the next room as usual.

2) Med Bay

This room has two MedPods. One is destroyed. The other is damaged.

If you have a battery and repair kit, the MedPod can fully heal you once but then goes offline.

You also notice a table covered in unusual-looking lab equipment.

In a small metal case, you find experimental serum “XB-771.”

If you drink it, roll a D6.

• 4-6: Your max HP increases by D6

• 3: You gain a permanent +1 to Mind

• 2: You gain a permanent +1 to Body

• 1: You dissolve into a puddle of red goo. Game over.

Once this room has been cleared, roll for the next room as usual.

3) Galley

This spacious room is filled with tables, chairs, and smashed debris.

Large glass skylights above display a galaxy of stars.

A functioning UltraVend 5000 stands in one corner, stocked with one each of the following:

• SuperNova eBev (5 cr.)

• Repair Kit (15 cr.)

• Battery (20 cr.)

• Nano (20 cr.)

• Z99 (50 cr.)

• M&T Magnum (200 cr.)

If you use an iHackPro, the machine will vend all items at no cost.

To your dismay, you also see an engorged, slime-covered monstrosity feeding upon a corpse in the middle of the room. Its hulking form pulsates as it turns to gaze at you with milky yellow eyes, gore spattered across its gaping maw.

Nekro Bloat (organic)
HP: 30
XP: 9
Attk: D10

Notes: The Bloat moves slowly, making it easier to hit and defend against (both DR 10). However, when it reaches zero or fewer hit points, it explodes, sending bones and gore flying in all directions. Roll Body (DR 12), taking D10 on a failure.

Once this room has been cleared, roll for the next room as usual.

4) The Bridge

Something large and terrible lurks in this room…

The Nekro Mother (Organic)
HP: 35
XP: —
Attk: 2D6

Notes: The thick hide of the Nekro Mother is more difficult to damage (DR13 to hit). Once you have entered The Bridge, you cannot flee, as the doors automatically lock.

Escaping Helios V

In order to escape the ship, you must reach level 7, clear all special rooms, and destroy the Nekro Mother. Once achieved, you restart the main reactors from the Bridge and unlock the doors to the main docking bay, which holds a functioning transport ship named “The Deliverance.”

RANDOM TABLES

Use room tables to map progress through the ship. Use gear tables when searching rooms. Use enemy tables for encounters.

Crit fail? Consult the catastrophe table.