Partial Index: SF Citybook

Okay, here's a look at the index for the upcoming SF Citybook. It's extremely incomplete, but it gives you an idea of how I want to break everything down. Over on the right is an awesome abstract map of the city I found online, and have been referring to constantly. I actually emailed the artist to ask if I could license it for the book, I like it that much.

In other news, I'll be getting Shane O'Conner to do a professional editing pass on all the stat blocks in the Lifer Army Book, which is great. I'll be referring to this book throughout 2013 and beyond, as it will be one of the definitive 'monster books' of the setting, so having perfect statblocks for it is definitely a good thing. I'm also talking to one of the fans of the setting about him possibly writing a sourcebook of his own for Otherverse America. If that happens it'll definitely be interesting, letting others play in my setting and taking an editorial rather than a primary author role.

Anway, enjoy a very, very preliminary first look at San Francisco, circa 2107.

Aradia’s Isle

The Aradian Crypts

Aradian Wineries and Breweries

The Fairy Bridge

Womb of Heroes

Woven Circle Council Chambers

Berkley District

UC Berkley

Chinatown

The Bat Market

Chang-Sing Palace

Consolidated Six Bio-Medical

Year of the Panda #13445

Financial District

Stonecutter Consulate

Transamerica Pyramid

            Sublisted Bastian Cultural Sites

            Sublisted Megacorps

Foxjoy Circle

AIDS Memorial

Alehouse Row

Engineered Chimera
Soft Palace: Helix Shooting Houses

Hunter’s Point Enclave

The Barricades and the DMZ

CAPA Customer Service

Checkpoint Baby

Christian Bounty Farmer’s Market

Grave of Those Unchosen

Haunted Corner

Red Reindeer Arms

Rescue Mission Gospel Church

            Sublisted Lifer Businesses

New Sutro Tower

Pacific Heights

Tankhill Park

Women’s Community Health Center

            Sublisted Choicer Shops

The Presidio

The Algard Assembly Hall

The Battery

The Campus

Earth Guard Barracks and Midwife’s Apartments

Golden Gate Freeway

Lifer-ville Live Fire Area

            Sublisted Schools and Academies

Rhinehart Tower

            Sublisted Shops and Tenants

Sanger Tower/Fluxing Brenna Medical Center

The Sunset District: Kassa Veltawinne

Alchemy 2204B

Cloisters               

The Court of Candles

Nathal Restaurant

Line Works Design Offsite 1

Memorial Whispering

The Procyon Crèche

The San Francisco Zoo

Xenological Wing

Short Preview: San Francisco Citybook

Just thought I'd share another exceprt from an upcoming book- one last preview before Christmas. Here is some of what will be in the upcoming San Francisco sourcebook. 

Blessed Be,
CHRIS

Rhinehart Tower (The Tower)

            “After I moved out here, after..... I watched them put up that Tower. The first entirely meta-human ‘scraper. Imagined by a Powered architect, erected by Powered crews working triple shifts, designed around engineering techniques made possible by studying Powered biology..... it went up in sixty three days. No cranes, no construction equipment, just them.”

            -Dr. Marlene Barron, 2061

            Rhinehart Tower is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Earthspace, and has joined Aradia’s Isle, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Transamerica Tower as one of San Francisco’s iconic structures. Erected in 2027, the 164-story monolith instantly became one of the symbols of the “Powered Age”, in addition to reclaiming the title of world’s tallest building for America. The gleaming chrome and glass spire dwarfs the city’s lower buildings, standing nearly twice again as tall as the next tallest structure. The mega-scraper was briefly the seat of government for the young Covenant, before Aradia’s Isle was complete.

           

            The Tower is an impressively decorated structure, despite its clean lines and stark design. Gigantic pentagonal silver shields float in an endless, languid orbit around the Tower’s central spire, held in place by multiple layers of magnetism. The 13 heroically proportioned shields depict bas-relief images of early meta-humans and extremely stylized sigils which represent the Wiccan wheel of the year. Holographic advertisements crawl up and down the Tower’s sleek outer hull, their images color-coordinated to match the day’s changing light.

           

            As of 2107, the Tower is a multi-function structure, practically a city in its own right. Thousands of San Francisco residents live and work in the tower. The first ten layers are given over to a massive shopping arcology, one of the largest shopping complexes in North America. The Tower’s central mall includes the Rhinehart Heritage Center, a museum of early Powered history that is free of charge and open to the public. The mall’s facilities are comprehensive, and include on-site medical facilities, several theaters, several small Covenant chapels and even a sterile, sparsely attended Grave of the Unborn.

            The next ninety floors are dedicated to corporate offices. Many of California’s wealthiest companies have office space within the Tower. Floors 101 through 105 are given over to maintenance and logistical facilities, and the remaining floors are lavish apartments for the city’s ultra-wealthy. The maintenance floors act as a security buffer between the public and semi-public areas below and the private areas above.

            As is to be expected, the Tower has a top-flight security service on sight, and their staff includes several mid-range Powereds and cyber-enhanced soldiers. Older combat veterans view a career with Rhinehart Tower to be a comfortable semi-retirement, while neophyte metahumans find the job a favorable (if usually dull) balance between risk and reward. The Tower’s internal security forces are more concerned with theft-prevention and corporate espionage than personal protection, though members of the Woven Circle and other important pro-choice activists maintain apartments here. These VIPS usually provide their own protection, in the form of Covenguard defenders.

            Some of Rhinehart Tower’s Tenants

• Full Freedom Gym, Parking -2 level (old Bastian-run dojo)
• Rhinehart Transfer Station, Parking -1 level (major bus terminal for the Financial District and SoMo areas)
• Quickie Coin, Parking -1 level (Lifer-owned currency exhange/cash kiosk)
• Hemlock One Cinema, 1^st floor (multiscreen dollar movie theater)
• Houndstooth Coffee, 1^st, 5^th and 21^st floors (first shops in the popular coffee franchise)
• Prism Theater, 1^st floor (fairly popular live theater for plays, ballet under simulated micro-grav conditions, and concerts)
• Teenybopper, 2^nd floor (fast food cynically targeting Choicer kids)
• Runes of Sister & Soldier, 3^rd floor (fashionable light and medium body armor)
• Freehold Steak & Ale, 5^th floor (exclusive steakhouse, importing Australian or Delight-raised beef rather than dealing with Lifer-run American ranches)
• Knowledge & Light Restaurant, 5^th floor (five star vegan restaurant with fruit and veggies imported fresh from Delight)
• The Gettyhawk Gallery, 5^th floor (upscale art, antiques, including pagan artifacts)
• Venus’ Bedroom, 11^th floor (secular bordello)
• Cyberchoice LTD, 13^th floor (cyber-parlor offering full disassembly repairs and full cybernetic conversion, contract with the Choicer military)
• Andromeda Antiques, 23^rd floor (specializes in xeno-artifacts, especially Half Grey and early ‘second universe’ Senator-technology)
• Soft Palace Regional Offices, 57^th floor (meta-porn media giant)
• Varthan Cybersystems Corporate Offices, 81^st floor (cybernetic exports)
• Lestada Group Branch Offices, 97^th floor (insurance and pro-choice lobbying)
• Whiteash Mendoza’s suites, 104^th floor (Dianic Rite idol singer)
• Lady Sylvia Moondark’s suites, 109^th floor (Woven Circle member)
• Cameron Nicellos-Bryne’s suites, 115^th floor (auto industry billionaire of the House Nicellos)

Chinatown

            Chinatown is still, well, Chinatown. While every neighborhood around it suffered demographic shifts, the neighborhood’s mostly Chinese inhabitants stayed resolutely, stubbornly put. Chinatown weathered the Big Trib, and the Abortion War exactly as it had weathered similar quakes, fires and wars throughout the first century or so of its existence.

           

            Chinatown is resolutely apolitical, only a part of the Choicer Covenant because it’s forced to be. The neighborhood’s borders are patrolled by citizen watches and the occasional gene-cut combat volunteer, usually under the employ of one of the local Tongs. As San Francisco went to hell around it, Chinatown’s unelected elders sealed off their own little corner of the world. After all, the Abortion War was a matter for Christian and Pagan to settle, and most in Chinatown were neither.

Outsiders, especially ones with an obvious Lifer or Choicer allegiance are obviously unwelcome. Most are turned away at the Union Square Dragon Gate, either politely or not so politely. Choicer and Lifer visitors are tentatively welcome on the weekends- at least, the sullen eyed, tattooed post-humans manning the gates tend not to turn away quite so many. Natives who embrace one of the pseudo-nations are obviously unwelcome and are ostracized until they either return to the fold or get the hell out. A Chinese-American Midwife would be flatly ignored by clerks or in restaurants, stared out hostilely by housewives and flipped off by teenagers, but so would a Chinese-American sporting Lifer purple or a tattooed Sigil. Violence against outsiders is relatively rare, and usually confined to the occasional tonfa or asp-beatdown at the gates, but the district-wide silently treatment is usually enough to drive away believers from either side.

Chinatown has been run by the Kwong-Shen Consortium since the mid 2050s; originally an alliance between the mid 21^st century’s two largest Tongs, the Kwong-Shen Consortium is now almost legitimate. Donald Kwong (Male FCB Fast 5, Powered-reflex/peak human 10) is the same man who brokered the original treaty, today he is a slender Full Conversion Cyborg of sinister black angles, proud of his custom-built stealth chassis, and possessed of more than 100 years of criminal experience and cunning. By contrast, his opposite number on the Consortium is Fae Shen, the granddaughter of the man he shook hands with in a little tea room back in 2057.

Sites around Chinatown

• The Bat Market: An informal night market that springs up around the Union Square Dragon Gate every night around 2200 and runs till dawn. Connected locals can pick up guns, including Valiente energy weapons and military grade gene-mods. Everybody else can get fish, produce, duck, ect.

• Chang-Sing Palace: One of the city’s finest restaurants, and Donald Kwong’s private sanctuary. He hasn’t needed to sleep in 30 years, and he lounges here, alone except for his most trusted men, during the darkest hours of the night. The meticulous, computer-planned paintings he creates during the long, sleepless night hang in the restaurant, and in many neighboring shops. Kwong often gives away his paintings as gifts to his neighbors, and out of either fear or love, nobody has ever refused one. 

• Consolidated Six Bio-Medical: Firmly under control of the Kwong-Shen, this ultra-modern, six story hospital (with a comprehensive onMesh and augmented reality presence, all in Cantonese, of course) offers genetic upgrades to the tong’s best fighters. Consolidated Six Bio-Med offers the Genetic Enhancement and Meta-Athlete enhancement protocols, but only to trusted Tong enforcers. As far as most San Franciscans know, the facility simply performs over-the-counter genetic engineering- specifically, anti-aging and cosmetic genecutting. 

• Year of the Panda #13445: Legally, nothing’s stopping the Lifer nation from opening one of its Chinese franchise restaurants in Chinatown. Of course, legally, there’s nothing that would ever compel a native to dine here. Often graffiti scarred or marred by vandalism of ever more imaginative variety, most of the booths are empty save for the occasional tourist who doesn’t know any better. Chinatown kids dumb enough to take a first job here usually get their asses kicked until they quit.

Neverborn in Chinatown

            If you’re Neverborn, and if you value your….life…you won’t go anywhere near Chinatown. The locals aren’t on friendly terms with either the Lifer or Choicer nations, but hold an undying hatred for undead post-humans. The gate guards are pretty good at spotting Neverborn in their human state (though they don’t catch everyone, particularly the more lifelike).

While the ordinary Lifer will likely get turned away with no worse than a shove, Neverborn are going to take a beating. If a Neverborn transforms within Chinatown’s borders he’s probably going to get killed. The lucky ones just get stomped to death- the unlucky ones are tortured and humiliated first. Locally ‘hopping vampire’ means breaking a Neverborn’s kneecaps, tying his legs together and seeing how far he can ‘hop’ before collapsing. It’s not necessarily the Tongs doing the violence either; ordinary Chinatown civilians are more than willing to put down a Neverborn. The SFPD rarely investigates the death of Neverborn, even in the rare instances where the bodies turn up. And by the way, Neverborn with an obviously Chinese phenotype get it about ten times worse than white Neverborn.

Lifer Anthro: Pronghorn

One of my fans, Kodyax, has been asking me if I ever plan to include an anthro-specific version of Otherverse America, run using the Fursona system and a kind of military sci-fi version of all anthro fiction like Omaha the Cat Dancer or Usagi Yojimbo.

It's just such a bizarre idea it sorta appeals to me- you've got this super-grim setting about abortion, terrorism and religious warfare but the protagonists are cute fuzzy river otters or something.  I've actually got an idea in the back of my mind how to run a setting like that (plus keep it true to the themes driving OA) and one day I might release it as Otherverse America: Lions & Lambs. However, it is such a radical departure from the other stuff I've done, and somewhat a distraction from larger projects like Black Tokyo Unlimited, Endara and future Otherverse releases I want to get to first, like a San Francisco citybook (including the Taker of the Unborn adventure I previewed a few blog posts ago), a comprehensive cyborg book and a Boston citybook.

That said, my upcoming Lifer Army Book will include new statblocks using all sorts of content, including stuff not originally built specifically for Otherverse America. I've included at least one Lifer Modern Spellcaster and may include more, and I'm including a few Lifer anthros, built using Fursona. When I eventually do the corresponding Choicer Army Book, expect a few pagan anthros there too. I'm treating Anthros in OA as basically another breed of genetically enhanced supersoldier, just one more powerful and cool thing the players can be if they want. Most of 'em have their origins in Sanger Genomics, Kodiak Island or the Patriot Medical center at Atlanta.

So here you go, a Lifer supersoldier built as an Anthro: Pronghorn.

Lifer Combat Anthro: Pronghorn (CR 10)

Medium Humanoid (Anthro- Order: Capricornis)

Fast Hero 3, Powered Hero 7

XP

Init +3 Senses lowlight vision

Languages English

Defense

AC 25 (+3 DEX, +6 class +6 equipment)

HP 72 hp (3d8 +7d10 + 20 hp)

FORT +8 REF +7 WILL +2

Resist Cold 1

Weaknesses -4 racial penalty on FORT saves against thirst or environmental heat ; -6 racial penalty on Disguise checks

Offense

Spd 40 ft

Melee +11 horns (1d6+2 slashing, 20/x2)

            +14 unarmed strike (1d6+5 bludgeoning, crit 20/x2, automatic crit when inflicting non-lethal damage)

Ranged +12 Mossberg shotgun (2d8 ballistic, crit 20/x2, 30 ft range increment, single shot, 6 round internal mag)

            +13 Farrar 5.7 mm SMG (2d8+1 ballistic, crit 20/x2, 40 ft range increment, full auto, 60 round box mag)

            +12 frag grenade (5d6 slashing, 20 ft burst radius, 10 ft range increment, DC 15 REF half)

Special Actions Hoof Stamp (30 ft radius, all targets must succeed at DC 16 REF Save or be knocked prone and suffer 1d6 points of subdual damage)

Statistics

Str 18 Dex 17 Con 15  Int 12 Wis 9 Cha 11

Base Atk +9 CMB +13 CMD 27

Feats Armor Proficiency (light, medium, heavy), Personal Firearms Proficiency, Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, Combat Martial Arts, Brawl, Knockout Punch, Powered Hero Plus, Run

Feats Acquired via Gunslinger I Talent: Advanced Firearms Proficiency, Burst Fire,  Double Tap, Point Blank Shot, Strafe and Two Weapon Fighting

Starting Occupation CFL Kid

Starting Talents Ultra-Specialized (receives competence bonus on Stealth checks equal to total number of Powered Hero talents, currently +6)

Talents Increased Speed I-II, Gunslinger I-II, Peak Human I-III, Healing Surge

Skills Climb +14, Drive +5,  Jump +12, Knowledge (tactics) +11, Perception +9, Stealth +13, Tumble +13

Gear Farrar 5.7mm and 4x spare magazines, Mossberg shotgun and 24x shells, 2x frag grenades, rations, survival gear (bedroll, canteen, 1-2 days rations)        

            “Soldiers are born, not made! Please join our geneticists and military foster families in welcoming a beautiful new baby rescuer to our ranks! Baby boy “Pronghorn” was born yesterday at 0001- you can watch him take his first steps on the Helix73 Mesh Channel and soon you’ll be able to follow his training, along with his brothers and sisters in the rescue at the Babies Savin’ Babies Mesh Channel. Pronghorn is an absolutely adorable sheep-baby, one of our “Lambs of the Pre-Born” series of hybrid warriors.”

            -Birth Announcement promulgated throughout Kodiak Island’s mesh, Summer 2090.  

Appearance

            Pronghorn was force-grown in a Kodiak Island womb tank, bred to be the ultimate Lifer supersoldier. His augmented genome was liberally laced with goat, antelope and sheep DNA, making him visibly inhuman from the moment he was decanted. Cloaked in a wooly white and tan pelt, the muscular Pronghorn stands well over seven foot tall, and weighs twice as much as a big human. A pair of thick, gnarled horns rise from his forehead- these black spikes can dent ballistic armor, as more than one overconfident Choicer has realized to their chagrin.

            Pronghorn’s eyes are strikingly blue against his white fur, and his reverse articulated legs can deliver a punishing, super-human kick. In battle, he wears a production line set of tactical body armor; his back dominated by an airbrushed portrait of a little human girl hugging a lamb and the slogan “All Animals Have a Right to Life”; Pronghorn is a dedicated vegan. He carries a shotgun and a Choicer-built submachine gun, taken as a battle trophy and beloved above all other guns. He is a superhumanly adept shot with either weapon.

Campaign Use

Pronghorn is often assigned to Moonshot’s squad, and the sheep-human hybrid has blossomed under Moonshot’s leadership. Despite his genetic aptitude for gun violence, Pronghorn is surprisingly mellow, and has mastered multiple ‘less-lethal’ fighting styles. In battle, Pronghorn is an efficient and merciless gunslinger against armed and armored Choicer military targets, but prefers to headbutt mouthy Choicer civilians or local Covenant cops into unconsciousness rather than going for his guns.

            Knowing little other than the rescue, Pronghorn is none the less fairly level headed and non-confrontational. His great size gives him the enormous confidence that enables him to turn his back on cruelty. He’s proud of his augmented strength and superhuman anthro physique, but is nowhere the bully or psychopath that Comstock is. Moonshot and the other moderate rescuers like and trust Pronghorn, and he’s one of the few CFL Kids on base trusted with solo missions. The young anthro has done black ops missions across Russia and Northern Europe- it was on one of these missions the young man acquired a Chocier-built Farrar SMG from a KOed Ásatrú, and the unconventional weapon has quickly become his favorite gun.

Special Abilties

Ability Push (EX)

Four times per day, as a full round action, Pronghorn can increase his DEX score by +2 and his STR score by +1 for up to one hour. Pronghorn’s peak human talents allow him to use his ability push ability more often and to greater effect.

In addition, if Pronghorn is suffering temporary ability score damage, he can expend a daily use of Ability Push to immediately restore the temporary ability score loss. While Pronghorn’s Ability Push is active, anytime he fails a saving throw or skill check that would result in his death or serious injury, Pronghorn may choose to may end the Ability Push as a free action. Doing so allows you to succeed at the saving throw or skill check, assuming success was ever possible in the first place.  

Cold Climate Adaptation (EX)

            Pronghorn is comfortable even in the coldest temperatures. He receives a +8 racial bonus on FORT Saves made to resist environmental cold.

            Gunslinger (EX)

            Pronghorn is genetically programmed to be a superhumanly excellent gunfighter, with an instinctive awareness of fields of fire. In any battle where firearms are used, either by Pronghorn, his allies or his adversaries, Pronghorn adds his WIS modifier as an insight bonus to his Armor Class/Defense score.

            This bonus is lost if Pronghorn is flat footed, helpless or otherwise unable to add his DEX bonus to Defense.

            Healing Surge (EX)

            Any time Pronghorn expends an action point for any reason, he also recovers 1d6 HP in addition to the normal effects of the action point. This healing effect cannot raise his HP above their normal maximum total.

Horned (EX)

            Pronghorn’s combat nickname is an obvious one. When attacking at the end of a charge with his natural weapons, his horns inflict double damage, or triple damage on a critical hit.

            Hoof Stamp (SU)      

            As a standard action, Pronghorn may slam one of his massive, cloven hooves down onto the ground, causing a localized earthquake, which affects all creatures within a 30 ft radius. Creatures in the tremor zone must make a DC 16 REF Save or be knocked prone, suffering 1d6 points of subdual damage in the process.

Last Weeks of 2012

For the last two years, I've had one goal for myself as an RPG Publisher: I wanted to put out 52 PDFs each year, or an average of one per week. In 2011, I had about 36 self-published PDFs out and when my last releases of the year, Expanded Races: The Cityborn and Fursona: Anthros of Endara hit, I will have reached 42 for 2012. Not bad at all for a one man shop run by a part-time author, and hopefully I'll get a bit closer to my goal of 52 products in 2013.

My release plans for 2013 shake out like this:
After the first of the year I'll commission a cover for Solomon Station- expect that by mid-January.

I've already commissioned a cover and some new artwork for the Lifer "Army Book", mentioned in the last post. That one will likely be out late-January. As an aside, Alzius, if you're reading this, send an email to chrisfieldotherverse@hotmail.com I'd love to get you aboard for the Lifer army book as an editor, let you run through the statblocks and fix any thing I've missed. Let's talk editing rates and see if we can work something out.

I've also done about 30,000 words on a Choicer Player's Guide, equivalent to Zero Issue for Psi-Watch, offering tons of new options for Choicer heroes. This one already includes a HEAVY focus on previously obscure Choicer factions, especially the Asatru and the Gardnerian Lineage covens. I'm including a preview of some of the new weapons after this article. I also plan to include a ton of info on running different Choicer campaigns, including a Woven Circle political campaign, playing as Horae (sacred prostitutes) and tons of cultural info and player backgrounds. Right now, I've got almost 100 starting talents for Choicer heroes and around 30 new Choicer feats and Object Philosophies.

If there's anything you want to see in the Choicer's Player Guide, leave a comment and let me know. Right now, expect that one late-January or early-February. After that, I've got Black Tokyo Unlimited and Endara on the schedule- expect BT Unlimited in late spring or early summer, and Endara in late summer or autumn sometime. Aside from that, expect tons of shorter PDFs as inspiration strikes or I see a larger project I want to support.

Here you go, and enjoy some preview content.
CHRIS
 

New Choicer Weapons

            These new guns join the roster of weapons found in the Otherverse Armory (Otherverse Games, 2010). Those weapons may be the most famous Choicer weapons, but these new guns played no less an important role in winning the Abortion War.

Choicer Ranged Weapons	Damage	Critical	Range Increment	ROF	Magazine	Size	Weight	Purchase DC	Rest.
Adler 2024 Submachine Gun	2d4 ballistic	20/x2	50 ft	Full Auto (3 rnd burst)	20 box	Small	2 lbs	DC 18+1d6	L +1
Adler .30 cal AV Sniper Rifle	2d20 ballistic	19-20/x3	1,000 ft	Single	5 box	Large	32 lbs	DC 26	M +3
Adler 9mm “Marshall’s Choice” Pistol	3d6 ballistic	20/x2	15 ft	Semi Auto	12 box	Small	3 lbs	DC 18	R +2
Campanelli V-82 Pulse Rifle	2d6 force	20/x3	100 ft	Semi Auto	40 cell	Large	11 lbs	DC 22	M +3
Diana’s Forge “Aegis’ Anti-Xenoform Defense System	2d6 fire	20/x2	50 ft	Full Auto	20 cell	Small	3.5 lbs	DC 23	M +3
Farrar Victory 9mm Auto-Pistol	2d6 ballistic	20/x3	40 ft	Full Auto	18 box	Small	2.5 lbs	DC 15	L +1
Grimassi Streethawk	2d8 ballistic	20/x2	40 ft	Full Auto	12 box	Small	2 lbs	DC 16	L +1
Landstreet 2107X Sickle	2d6 force	20/x2	60 ft	Semi Auto	15 cell	Small	1.75 lbs	DC 23	M +3
Landstreet 2099 Witchlight VEP	2d8 variable energy *	20/x2	75 ft	Semi Auto	15 Cell	Small	2 lbs	DC 24	R +2
Valiente “Grendel” Heavy Plasma Rifle	2d12 fire	19-20/x2	30 ft	Semi Auto	12 cell	Large	25 lbs	DC 21	M +3

Adler 2024 SMG (PL 6)

            The Adler 2024 is one of the most famous weapons of the now defunct Choicer armorer, and the guns still in service are jealously guarded heirlooms among Choicer soldiers and gun collectors. The Adler 2024 is equipped with a 3 round burst setting; this functions like a regular burst but only uses 3 bullets. This does not allow characters to fire bursts effectively without the proper feat.

Adler .30 cal Anti-Vehicle Sniper Rifle (PL 6)

            Introduced in 2055, the same year Adler went bankrupt, this .30 cal behemoth is considered the pinnacle of the sniper rifle’s evolution, and is still in use by APEX sniper squads. Though a lower caliber than the Barrett .50 cal, the Adler .30 uses superior engineering, higher muzzle velocity and semi-autonomous ammunition to achieve superior results. The US Fed-Gov still produces modern-day knock offs of this gun, and its idiosyncratic ammunition at a secure facility in Texas.

Adler 9mm Marshall’s Choice Pistol (PL 6)

            The “Marshall’s Choice” was sold to law enforcement, specifically air marshals and security offices aboard the then-young Lunar colony, beginning in the mid 2020s. This weapon remains popular among spacers; it’s got great stopping power but a relatively short range, making it an ideal choice for use aboard an aircraft or enclosed station.

Campanelli V-82 Pulse Rifle (PL 7)

            The V-82 Pulse Rifle was a late-war replacement for the standard Campanelli MP Plasma Rifle, introduced to select units starting in Spring 2082. Later generation troops swear by it, and the weapon saw heroic service in the Boston snows, but first-gen Choicer veterans tended to prefer the Campanelli MP. Today, you can still tell a lot about when a Choicer veteran enlisted by the gun she prefers.

Diana’s Forge “Aegis” Anti-Xenoform Defense System (PL 7)

            A recent creation from a subsidiary of the major Choicer mega-corp, Diana Cybernetica, the Aegis AXDS is a heavy energy pistol specifically designed for use against Lifechained predators. The Aegis projects an energized plasma that’s especially disruptive of Lifechained RNA sequences, causing deep tissue burns all the way down to the genetic level. This sidearm is commonly carried by Diana’s Xeno-SWAT units and anti-terrorist squads.

            The Aegis inflicts an additional +2 HP worth of damage per damage dice inflicted against creatures with the Nemesis Lifechained bloodline.

            The Aegis inflicts an additional +1 HP worth of damage per damage dice inflicted against creatures of any other Lifechained heritage.

Farrar Victory 9mm Auto-Pistol (PL 6)

            The Victory 9mm was commissioned in 2092, to celebrate the Choicer’s victory, and is a popular weapon among Choicer law enforcement. The Victory is a fully automatic pistol with an impressive capacity and reputation for reliability. The Victory’s owner can run more than a thousand rounds through her before worrying about jamming.

            The Victory 9mm is easy to field repair. Repair checks made on the weapon require only half the usual time and are made at a +2 circumstance bonus.

Grimassi Streethawk (PL 6)
            This older Grimassi slugthrower still sees service as a criminal weapon, and gangbangers throughout Choicer America have a stash of these guns set aside. Originally conceived as a self defense weapon, the Streethawk fell out of favor once the more versatile Needler came into service.

Landstreet 2107X Sickle (PL 7+)

            The experimental (as denoted by its X-designation) 2107X Sickle is a prototype energy weapon just beginning field trails with the Choicer Nation’s “Fire Guard”. Several platoons have been issued this sleek, glossy black laser pistol as a secondary weapon, to test it out under live fire conditions. The heart of the Sickle is a psi-responsive onboard AI that responds to the wielder’s emotional state and, hopefully, makes her a more lethal shooter.

                    

            By spending an action point while wielding the weapon, the user gains the ability to resolve attacks with the Sickle as ranged touch rather than normal ranged attacks. This enhancement lasts for one round once activated.

            Drawback: The Sickle is still experimental and glitchy. At the beginning of each combat encounter, roll D10. If a 1 is rolled, the Sickle’s special feature cannot be used during that encounter. Later models of the Sickle will hopefully correct this defect.

Landstreet 2099 “Witchlight” Variable Energy Pistol (PL 7)

            Unvieled at the turn of the century, the Witchlight is an excellent energy pistol, capable of firing in three different modes, and is often issued to security forces protecting Choicer-flagged starships and out colonies. The ability to swap between firing modes is a great help against energy-resistant or shielded opponents.

            The Witchlight may inflict either Electricity, Fire or Force damage. Switching between firing modes is a move equivalent action, or a free action for a character with the Quick Draw feat.

Valiente “Grendel” Heavy Plasma Rifle (PL 7)

            The Valiente Grendel is not a subtle weapon. A thick brick of heat-resistant gunmetal grey alloys and energy feed systems that almost, but not quite, resemble skeletal structures, the Grendel is as ugly as it is effective. This bulky weapon packs a potent offensive punch, and is usually vehicle mounted or carried by Full Conversion Cyborg troops.

Intangibles: Timeline of Weapons

            If you’re running a game set in an era other then the default 2107 CE, you might want to know what weapons the Choicer Covenant was using at the time. Here is a quick run down of what guns were introduced when. Guns marked (OA) appear in the Otherverse Armory. The rest are found somewhere in this sourcebook. Weapons not specifically listed can be dropped in anywhere you want along the timeline.

RAINBOW Era (Mid 2020s)

Adler 2024 Submachine Gun

Adler .32 Machine Pistol (OA)

Adler 9mm “Marshall’s Choice” Pistol

Grimassi Streethawk

The Early War (Up to late 2060s)

Adler .30 cal Anti-Vehicle Sniper Rifle

Campanelli Multi-Purpose Plasma Rifle (OA)

Rhea 5.6mm Mass Production Assault Rifle (OA)

Valiente “Grendel” Heavy Plasma Rifle

Valiente Variable Encounter Weapon System (OA)

The Late War (2070s and later)

Campanelli V-82 Pulse Rifle

Farrar 5.7mm SMG (OA)

Farrar .45 Hex Pistol (OA)

Post-War (2091-present)

Diana’s Forge “Aegis” Anti-Xenoform Defense System

Farrar Victory 9mm Auto-Pistol

Landstreet 2107X Sickle

Landstreet 2099 “Witchlight” Variable Energy Pistol

Valiente 942A Psi-Pistol (OA)