The Artifact Player's Handbook Created By: Emmett O'Brian Written By: Emmett O'Brian Cover Art Emmett O’Brian Interior Art: Emmett O'Brian Aaron O'Brian Edited By: Alexia O'Brian Rules Editor: Cody Pelz A Note: This book is designed as a game, in no way are the aliens, monsters, powers, places, and/or governments real. This book does not in any way reflect the author's or company's attitudes or beliefs. If you find any material in any way offensive we give you our sincere apologies. The game enclosed is designed to be fun, and a fantasy version of things in the future. Dedicated To: Cody for putting up with my crack pot rants. Player's Handbook 1 The Geetin 25 A Report By Evan The Gijorn 26 Rantaa’ Books 26 Larrs 1 Banner Stones 26 The Artifact Itself 1 Science and Medicine 26 Technology 2 Kelrath Parties 27 CCC 2 Oracle 27 LCF 3 Communications Officer's Energy Storage 3 Guide 30 Quantum Liquid Computers 4 Laser Technology 4 Communication 31 Plasma Technology 4 Scrambling Signals 31 Force Fields 5 Reinforcements 32 Anti-Gravity 5 Expert Advice 32 E-suits 5 Tactical Support 32 Subterranean Weather 6 Resupply 33 Surface Weather 6 Translation 33 Biology 6 Observation 33 Water 9 Sensor Inferometry 33 Clothing 9 Conduction Mapping 33 Photosynthetic Biosphere 9 Protection 34 Thermosynthetic Biosphere 9 Countermeasure Assistance 34 The Methane Wastes 10 Chezbah Hex Mainframe Language 10 Virus 35 The Kelrath Language 13 Monitoring for Intrusion 35 The Scimrahn 15 Hacking 36 Intrusion Methods 36 Gadios 15 Advanced Hacking Rules 37 Music 16 Social Engineering 38 Guided by Signs 16 Deploying Viruses 38 Traveling Under Cover 17 Creating A Virus 38 Power Hex Conduits 19 Backdoor 39 Industry Hex Conduits 19 Trojan Viruses 40 Filtration Hex Conduits 19 Hosent Hive Virus 40 Agricultural Hex Conduits 20 The Network 41 Residential Hex Conduits 20 QLC Commands 42 Reservoir Hex Conduits 20 QLC Software 43 The Chezbah 21 Chezbah Reaction 43 Definition and Pronunciation 21 The Chezbah and the Religion 21 Network 44 Masks 21 Kelrath Communications 44 Law 21 Computers and Software 45 Home Life 21 Software 46 Business 22 Engineer's Resource 52 Serving the Priesthood 22 The Engineering Team 52 Serving the Warrior Class 22 Measuring Work 53 Farming 22 Measuring Energy 53 Entertainment 23 Mobility 54 Industry 23 Road Building 55 Military Service 23 Bridge Building 55 Technology 23 Repairing and Starting Hex Visiting the Kelrath 23 Conveyors 56 Kelrath Cities 24 Vertical Transport of Heavy Kelrath Society 25 Equipment 57 Overcoming Enemy Defensive Cutting Charges 76 Blockades 57 Local Sources 76 Common Chezbah Defenses 58 Shaped Charges 76 Chezbah Warrior Bunkers 58 Maintenance 78 Lookouts 58 Field Repairs 79 Hull Down Positions 58 Field Enhancements 79 Hound Holes 59 Building 81 Buried Demolisher 59 The Manufacturing Process 81 Common Kelrath Defenses 59 Materials 81 Towers 59 Cement 81 Plugged Hex Passages 60 Mud Brick 82 Casemate Lookout 60 CCC 82 Kelrath Boobytraps 61 Cloth 83 Berms 61 Dirt 84 Gates 62 Metal 84 Magnetic Mines 62 Plastic 84 Countermobility 63 Build Time 84 Walls 63 Structures 85 Mines 63 Building Equipment 86 CCC Plug 63 Generating Power 86 Wire Obstacle 63 Custom Power Generation 89 Flooding 64 Weapon Build Transforms 95 Electric Wire Fence 64 Building Lasers 96 Traps 64 Building Plasma Weapons 98 Trap Concepts 65 Building Particle Beam Block Dropping 66 Weapons 99 Vehicle Impact Traps 67 Building Meta Atom Weapons 100 E-Suit Leg Snares 67 Building Projectile Weapons 101 Springs 67 Building Mechanical Projectile Snares 68 Weapons 103 Powered 68 Building Electro-Thermal Chemical Planted Weapons 69 Weapons 104 Explosives 69 Building Electro-Magnetic Lasers 69 Weapons 105 Plasma Spray 69 Building Missile Launchers 106 Magnetic Mines 69 Shields 108 Hazardous Ordinance Disposal 70 Ion Cascade Shields 108 Plasma Weapons 70 Kerdi Shields 110 Fuel Stores 70 Sensors and Countermeasures 110 Laser Weapons 70 Sensors 111 Batteries 70 Electro-Magnetic Counter Chemical or Biological Weapons 71 Measures 112 Nanotech Weapons 71 Electro-Magnetic Counter Counter Defense 72 Measures 113 Elevation 72 Illumination 114 Grade 72 Other Items 115 Water Barriers 72 Life Support 115 Channeling Enemy Approach 73 Turrets 115 Bunkers 73 Arms 115 Earthworks 73 Building Vehicles 118 Trench 74 Vehicle Ratings 119 Caponier 74 Light Vehicles 119 Moat 74 Medium Vehicles 120 Berm 74 Heavy Vehicles 121 Foxholes 75 Super Heavy Vehicles 121 Turret Down and Hull Down 75 Control Systems 122 Casemates and Lookouts 75 Computers 123 Demolition 76 Passengers 124 Cargo 124 Drive Types 124 Articulated 125 Land 126 Water 126 Flying 127 Orbital 130 Hull 131 Hull Material 131 Protecting Critical Hit Locations 132 Hull Mass 132 Final Mass Calculations 132 Power Demands 132 Vehicle Design Transforms 133 Critical Hit Locations 134 Equipment Compendium 138 Survival Gear 138 Scientific Hardware 147 Defensive Systems 150 Archaic Weapons 151 ASO / I-CA Weapons 154 Assault Weapon / Submachine Gun 155 Artillery Weapons 160 Pistol Ammunition 163 Rifle Ammunition 163 Artillery Ammunition 166 12 Gauge Ammunition 167 Gun Accessories 167 Demolition and Construction 171 Non-Lethal Weapons 174 Chemical Cocktails 180 Acids 180 Scimrahn Survival Gear 182 Scimrahn Weapons 184 Vehicles 186 Earth Vehicles 186 Skid Steer 191 ASO Vehicle 193 C-Suit 194 Scimrahn Vehicle 199 Appendix 202 The Artifact 1 Player's Handbook The Player’s Handbook for There is a lot of general information The Artifact RPG is a reference contained in this report is from the work, a tool box and an extensive viewpoint of a character within the expansion to two of the more game. There are no stats, and no complex character types in the game, the specific mention of equipment. This science Communications Officer and the Field report is designed to let the players know a lot Engineer. Through these pages the players get of general information about The Artifact and a treasure trove of information about the its inhabitants. (Players also include the Game world around them starting with a report by a Master in this instance.) This is done to field scientist. encourage role play. Some of the information The science report is an introductory in this book is conjecture on the part of Officer guide to The Artifact. It is told from the Larrs, and may be substantiated or viewpoint of an ASO field scientist Evan Larrs, contradicted at a later time, but for the most giving a report to the ASO training branch. part this volume can be considered authoritative. A Report By Evan Larrs Hello, my name is Evan Larrs. I sparseness of my documentation. My notes signed up for The Artifact project in 2078 and were recovered from my P.D.A. (personal data in 2079 I was accepted. I am a field scientist apparatus) by an alien thinking machine after for the Artifact Study Organization (ASO) at it was melted by plasma fire. My estimate was the time of this initial writing it is 2086 and that 36% of the information was these are my findings for my first ten months unrecoverable. (My backups were destroyed on the Artifact. I apologize for the occasional six days before by water damage.) The Artifact Itself When I first arrived on the Artifact I Artifact Potential Population was astounded by it's immensity. Try as I 7,082,960,000,000,000,000 or 7.0E18 might, I can find that no words can prepare you for the vast expanses. Perhaps 17th Plasma Conduits 4068 century sailors would have some sense of how it is to travel for months and not see a soul or 95% of the current population lives in close not have any obvious marker that you had proximity to a plasma conduit in .0002% of gotten anywhere. In my records I found some the habitable area initial calculations of volume. The above are just rough calculations, Total Volume but they do serve one useful purpose. They Science Report 309,510,000,000,000 km^3 convey that even when presented with aspects of the Artifact it is difficult to grasp. Even Core Volume 93,591,200,000,000 km^3 when I see these figures, my mind can scarcely comprehend their enormity. Another statistic Polar Volume that has been difficult to swallow is that at one 215,919,000,000,000 km^3 time, there may have been over nine Trillion inhabitants of The Artifact at one time several Number of Hexes (Grier) 1,500,210,000,000 thousand years ago. The Artifact is very different from Number of incremental cities Earth, more so than it would at first seem. 24,593,616,868 Hexes are at the same time like being inside a structure, and like being outdoors. A single hex is beyond the engineering capabilities of Artifact. Without it the hexes inside die and earth builders. This all seems academic until cannot support life as we "Earthers" are one is forced to contend with them. The accustomed to. I will go into this later but for structures in the Artifact shape the societies now it is suffice to say that just as we Earthers that live in them. People have to adjust to the look to our Sun for life, the residents of The structures around them. There is no real Artifact look to the super heated plasma gas weather, no day or night. Because radio is that distributes power to bowels of The only good for short range communication Artifact's interior. (10km or less), and wire based The Industry Hexes are readily communication is expensive to implement, available factories able to produce nearly any messengers are vital to communications.