WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU
Making a Wreck of Yourself in Eight Easy Steps.
Step by Step
1. Roll Abilities: Roll 3d6 for AGI, PRE, STR, TOU. You may use 4d6-drop-lowest for two of them.
2. Choose Class: Optional. Without a class you're Scum — defined entirely by what you carry and what you owe.
3. Hit Points: Roll 1d8 + TOU modifier. Androids: 2d6 + TOU.
4. Static: Roll d4.
5. Starting Gear: Roll d4 — that's how many times you roll on the Salvage Table. Each roll gives you one item. Minimum 1, maximum 4. No two characters start the same way. Alternatively take 300 lire and buy from the Arsenal.
6. Roll Bad Habits: Roll d20 twice on the Bad Habits table. Both apply.
7. Roll Debt: Everyone owes someone. Roll d20.
8. Name yourself. Or don't. Some people in this city use numbers.
Your Credit Score Optional
Roll d100 at character creation. Or assign based on class. Either way, the city already knows.
Credit Score Tiers
Loading tiers…
Player characters typically start between 180 and 420. Rogue androids start at whatever ARM last assigned them before they stopped cooperating.
Your Starting Influence Optional
Most characters start at 0 — Ghost bracket, invisible to the algorithm. A few classes begin with some feed presence. Starting values by class and full bracket rules are on The Feed Economy.
The Four Abilities
Roll 3d6 for each ability. Sum the three dice (3–18) and consult the table for your modifier:
| 3d6 | Modifier |
|---|---|
| 1–4 | −3 |
| 5–6 | −2 |
| 7–8 | −1 |
| 9–12 | ±0 |
| 13–14 | +1 |
| 15–16 | +2 |
| 17–18 | +3 |
AGILITY (AGI)
Dodge, run, climb broken scaffolding, weave through traffic, land a kick, flee from things that want to eat you. If your body is moving fast in dangerous ways, this is the roll.
PRESENCE (PRE)
Intimidate, seduce, detect lies, aim a ranged weapon, interface with technology, resist psychological damage, not lose your mind when the Glitch hits. The mind behind the body.
STRENGTH (STR)
Punch through walls, lift wreckage, break necks, rip doors off hinges, strangle something that used to be a person. Raw physical destruction. Androids default here.
TOUGHNESS (TOU)
Absorb punishment, resist toxins and drugs and chemical rain and things that should have killed you, recover faster than medically possible. Your capacity to simply not die. Yet.
Debt Table Optional
Hit Roll to see a result
| 1 | 700 lire to a pharmaceutical distributor. They employ people who are very large and have very poor impulse control. |
| 2 | A favor to the Pharma-Vatican. They haven't collected yet. They will collect during the worst possible moment. |
| 3 | A dead body that someone knows you made. Evidence exists in the form of camera footage, witnesses, and your own conscience. |
| 4 | Your memories — sold to a data broker who packages and sells them commercially. Someone out there has watched your worst moments as entertainment. |
| 5 | Nothing. You burned everything that could connect you to anything. You are completely alone. You have been for a long time. |
| 6 | An android you damaged is looking for you. It has no legal standing, no registered name, and absolute clarity of purpose. |
| 7 | You stole something from SecCorp. You didn't know what it was at the time. You still don't know. They want it back badly enough to kill everyone who's seen you recently. |
| 8 | You owe someone a child. The specifics are legally complicated and morally unambiguous. They have a contract. |
| 9 | A Machine Priest repaired you once, off the books, no questions. They have asked for nothing yet. The asking is coming. Machine Priests always ask eventually. |
| 10 | You testified against someone. They went away. They are back. They know you testified. |
| 11 | An ARM compliance officer has your full biometric file and a standing order to collect you. They have not acted. The delay is not mercy — they are waiting for something to worsen. |
| 12 | You destroyed property belonging to the Zerocalcare Collective during a job gone wrong. They don't want money. They want the job redone, correctly, this time for free. |
| 13 | A CogniData memory extraction you didn't consent to left them holding six hours of your life they have no legal right to. They haven't used it yet. The using is leverage. |
| 14 | Three people helped you disappear once. You have not paid them back. One of them needs the same favor now. |
| 15 | You owe the city itself — unpaid oxygen subscription, accumulating interest, automated notices that have escalated to automated threats. The infrastructure is patient. |
| 16 | A rogue android once saved your life at significant cost to itself. You promised compensation. The android has found you again. It is not angry. That's almost worse. |
| 17 | You broke a Vatican sacramental contract — not a metaphor, an actual signed document. They consider this a spiritual debt. The Kardinal-Enforcers consider it a legal one. |
| 18 | Someone died because of information you sold. The person who bought the information is fine. The person who died has a sister who is not fine and knows your name. |
| 19 | You were the inside person on a job that went wrong. Everyone else went to ARM detention. You didn't. They know why. They're out now. |
| 20 | An unlicensed surgeon saved your life using components they couldn't afford. The debt is 1,400 lire. They have stopped asking politely. You cannot blame them. |
Bad Habits — Roll d20 Twice Second Roll Optional
Hit Roll to see a result
| 1 | Can't stop once you start drinking. PRE −1 for d4 hours after the first drink. Then it's fine. Then you have another drink. |
| 2 | Cannot tolerate being watched during sex. Will check and recheck the room. Has this caused problems? Yes. |
| 3 | Compulsive thief. Must make a PRE DR 12 to not steal something from any new location you enter. Not big things. Just things. |
| 4 | Obsessive about one specific food or product. Must acquire it daily or TOU −1 from distraction. |
| 5 | Won't use a weapon without testing it on your own flesh first. The scars are extensive. You consider this professional. |
| 6 | Pathological liar. You stutter when telling the truth. PRE test DR 10 to say something factually accurate without embellishment. |
| 7 | Gambling addiction. Must bet on any uncertain outcome. Lose your bet and you must immediately bet again to recover. |
| 8 | You talk to machines as if they can hear you. They can. This doesn't help. |
| 9 | Pyromaniac. Must make PRE DR 14 to not attempt to burn things in stressful situations. |
| 10 | Obsessive chronicler. Write down everything. If your notes are destroyed you lose d4 Static permanently. |
| 11 | Sexually fixated on androids. This creates professional complications. You don't consider them complications. |
| 12 | You collect trophies. Teeth, fingers, components. This is a medical issue. You are aware of this. You keep collecting. |
| 13 | Cannot eat alone. Will delay meals, missions, and basic survival until someone agrees to sit with you. PRE DR 12 to eat unaccompanied under pressure. You cannot explain this. You have tried. |
| 14 | Compulsive self-improver. Spend 200 lire on a course, upgrade, or self-help product every time you're in a market district. PRE DR 14 to walk past an opportunity to be better without purchasing it. |
| 15 | Cannot enter a room without identifying the exits first. If denied this — door sealed, no windows, GM says so — PRE −2 for the entire scene. The city has a lot of sealed rooms. This has become a problem. |
| 16 | Apologist. Apologize for everything — actions, words, presence, the actions of others near you. PRE DR 12 to refuse to apologize when correct to refuse. The apologies are sincere. This is worse somehow. |
| 17 | You narrate your own actions aloud. Combat, conversation, movement — running commentary, present tense. You are aware this happens. PRE DR 14 to stop for more than d4 rounds under stress. |
| 18 | Parasocial attachment to a corporate mascot or media figure. You will not speak against them. You have merchandise. The merchandise has survived things the wearer didn't. PRE DR 12 to take action against any product or person associated with them. |
| 19 | Needle fixation — injections, piercings, surgical incisions, taking blood. Not addicted to any specific substance. Addicted to the delivery. Must make PRE DR 12 to pass up an opportunity. Has never been described as relaxing to travel with. |
| 20 | You finish other people's sentences. Always incorrectly, always confidently. PRE DR 10 to stay quiet while someone else is speaking for more than two sentences. This has ended negotiations. You maintain it is their fault for pausing. |
Starting Addiction Optional — Strongly Recommended
Roll d6 after choosing your class. The city has been working on most people for a while. Street Chemists skip this roll — their Tolerance ability covers standard product. Cult Refugees start addicted to faith regardless — roll anyway and apply both if you get a 3–6.
On a result of 3–6, you start the game Dosed. The clock is already running.
Hit Roll to see a result
| 1 | Clean. For now. The city is patient. It has noted your absence from the market and is working on a personalized approach. You start without an addiction. This will not last forever. |
| 2 | Clean. Barely. You kicked something recently. You are not going to talk about it. TOU DR 10 the first time a substance from the drug table is available in your presence or you relapse. Start without an active addiction. |
| 3 | Addicted — pharmaceutical. Roll d20 on the Drug Table. You are addicted to that substance. You start Dosed — you scored before play began. The dose is already wearing off. |
| 4 | Addicted — pharmaceutical, pushed. Roll d20 on the Drug Table. You are addicted and have been pushing the dose. Start Dosed. Also roll on the Broken Table for one existing minor injury from overuse. |
| 5 | Addicted — non-pharmaceutical. Roll d66 on the Non-Drug Addictions table. Something else has you. It arrived quietly. It is already furniture. You start with the habit active. |
| 6 | Addicted — both. Roll d20 on the Drug Table and d66 on Non-Drug Addictions. Rome has been thorough. Start Dosed on the drug. The other thing is simply how you are now. You have stopped noticing it, which is the worst stage. |
Background
Hit Roll to see a result
| 1 | Robotics student who failed spectacularly to maintain their creation and has been running from it since. |
| 2 | Corporate clone — a copy of someone who had you legally erased. You have their face and none of their money. |
| 3 | Street pharmacist with excellent product, loyal clientele, and a habit of sampling the inventory. |
| 4 | Ex-SecCorp soldier who watched something happen and couldn't pretend they hadn't watched it. |
| 5 | Android runaway — built for a specific purpose, currently experiencing everything else instead. |
| 6 | Journalist. Everyone wants you dead. The editors, the subjects, the sources. For different reasons. |
| 7 | Performance artist. Your last show got three people killed and is considered your best work. |
| 8 | Pharma-Vatican acolyte who found out what's actually in the Seventh Sacrament. |
| 9 | Black market surgeon with excellent hands and no medical license and a complicated relationship with consent. |
| 10 | Cult deprogrammer who spent too long inside the Church of Electrostatic Redemption and came out believing some of it. |
| 11 | Child of wealthy Parioli family. Ran away young. Haven't forgiven yourself. Haven't gone back. Won't. |
| 12 | An android who doesn't know they're an android. The memory of being born feels real. Most memories do. |
| 13 | ARM compliance officer who started having doubts during a decommissioning and left mid-process. The android got away. So did you. Neither of you have recovered. |
| 14 | Zerocalcare Collective propagandist — posters, broadcasts, counter-narratives. You believe everything you made. Some of it was true. |
| 15 | Sump survivor. Came up from the lowest district with functional survival instincts, a collection of scars with no clean narrative, and no interest in explaining either. |
| 16 | Machine Priest apprentice who was expelled for performing unsanctioned modifications on a willing subject. The modifications worked. That made it worse. |
| 17 | CogniData memory editor — you reviewed, curated, and occasionally altered extracted memories for commercial sale. You know what people's worst moments look like. You have seen thousands. |
| 18 | Dyzny Rom arena support crew — maintained the androids between fights, cleaned the sand, filed the incident reports. Watched enough to know the difference between malfunction and refusal. |
| 19 | Luddite Enclave saboteur who had a crisis of conscience mid-operation when the android they were disabling looked at them and did not fight back. |
| 20 | Nobody. No background, no history, no record. The city has no file on you. This is either because you are nobody or because someone with significant resources made sure of it. You do not know which. |
Salvage Table
Hit Roll to see a result
| 1 | Switchblade + 200 lire + the address of someone who owes you |
| 2 | Switchblade + 200 lire + the address of someone who owes you |
| 3 | Stolen SecCorp sidearm (d6, 6 shots, registered to a dead officer) |
| 4 | Lockpicks and a reputation for using them on things that shouldn't be opened |
| 5 | Chemical sample case (d4 random stimulants, one of which is something you've never seen before) |
| 6 | Rat-eared scooter. It runs. The brakes are negotiable. |
| 7 | Body armor jacket (reinforced, −1 AGI, blood on it that isn't yours) |
| 8 | Burner phone with one saved contact labeled ZANARDI and a photo you shouldn't have |
| 9 | Forged corporate ID (convincing on a roll of 6+, breaks permanently on a 1) |
| 10 | Nothing. 100 lire and a deep personal grievance. |
| 11 | Nothing. 100 lire and a deep personal grievance. |
| 12 | Illegal android component, origin unknown, occasionally warm to the touch |
| 13 | Pharmaceutical stash (PRE +1 when dosed, TOU −1 when not, addictive) |
| 14 | Rifle, three bullets, no explanation and no intention of providing one |
| 15 | Industrial welding torch (d6 damage, also a light source, also terrifying) |
| 16 | Spiked gloves (+1 unarmed damage) and a pair of steel-toed boots (ditto) |
| 17 | Camera containing footage of something that powerful people want destroyed |
| 18 | First-aid kit, professional grade, bloodstained in a professional way |
| 19 | An android's detached hand. Still warm. Fingers occasionally flex on their own. |
| 20 | Something classified. Roll again, then add: this is why they're hunting you. |
Physical Mutation — Roll d6, on a 1 roll d20 Optional
At character creation roll d6. On a 1 — something is wrong with your body that wasn't wrong before, or has always been wrong and you are only now naming it. Roll d20 on the table below. The mutation is permanent. It is yours. It is not up for discussion.
On any other result: nothing visible. You are, on the surface, unremarkable. The city will fix this.
Hit Roll to see a result
| d20 | What Is Wrong With You |
|---|---|
| 1 | Subdermal bioluminescence. Skin glows faint blue under stress. Cannot be hidden. Makes stealth difficult. Makes you unforgettable. PRE +1 in situations where being memorable helps. AGI −1 for stealth. |
| 2 | Redundant circulatory system. Bleed half as fast. Wounds close slower but consciousness holds longer. Your blood is slightly the wrong color. A medical professional will notice. They will have questions. |
| 3 | Elongated fingers. Two extra joints per digit. Grip strength halved. Lock-picking and surgery: AGI +2. You cannot buy gloves off a rack. People notice immediately and do not mention it. |
| 4 | Vestigial sensory organ. A third eye, fused shut, centered on the forehead. You cannot see through it. It twitches when you should pay attention. When it twitches, roll PRE DR 8 — on success, the GM gives you one word of warning. |
| 5 | Calcified skin patches. Natural armor +1 on torso only. The patches crack if you move fast — you can hear them. So can anyone within 3 meters. Stealth in quiet environments: PRE DR 14 first. |
| 6 | Reversed thermal response. You run cold in heat and warm in cold. You never shiver. You never sweat. Both are wrong. You are immune to temperature-based discomfort. You are also completely unreadable to thermal imaging. SecCorp does not like this. |
| 7 | Vocal cord mutation. Your voice resonates at a frequency that makes small animals uncomfortable. Dogs avoid you. Cats follow you. PRE −1 with anyone who owns a dog. PRE +1 in situations where cats are somehow relevant. This happens more than you'd think. |
| 8 | Accelerated cellular repair. Heal 1 HP per scene naturally without treatment. Also: tumors grow faster. Currently benign. Roll TOU DR 10 at the start of each session — on a 1, something new has appeared. Currently still benign. Probably. |
| 9 | Chromatophores. Limited involuntary color change in skin, triggered by strong emotion. You cannot bluff. Your body announces everything before you decide to. PRE −2 on deception. PRE +2 when your obvious sincerity is the point. |
| 10 | Bone density anomaly. STR +1, AGI −1. You are heavier than you look by approximately 40%. Floors creak. Swimming requires a TOU DR 12 or you sink. You have broken three chairs this year by sitting in them normally. |
| 11 | Secondary eyelids. Translucent membrane, horizontal blink. Protects eyes from debris and bright light. Unsettling to observe — PRE −1 on first impressions. Immune to flashbang blindness. Immune to tear gas eye effects. SecCorp notes this in your file. |
| 12 | Asymmetric musculature. Dominant side STR +1, other side STR −1. You list slightly to one side. People notice before you tell them. Weapons requiring two hands: AGI −1 from the compensation. Single-handed weapons: no penalty. |
| 13 | Hyperosmia. Smell range and sensitivity tripled. You can track people by scent after a successful PRE DR 12. You cannot eat in Termini Morta without gagging. Pharmaceutical smells give you a headache that lasts d4 hours and costs PRE −1 during. |
| 14 | Exothermic skin. Body temperature runs significantly high. Sustained touch burns after 10 seconds — d2 damage per round of contact. Handshakes require a warning. Intimacy requires a negotiation. You are immune to cold damage. You are a fire risk near flammables. |
| 15 | Jaw structure mutation. Bite force equivalent to industrial equipment — d6 damage, counts as a natural weapon, always available, passes every weapons check ever conducted. Has been useful exactly twice in recorded history. You keep it in reserve. |
| 16 | Somatic memory. Muscle memory for any physical task observed three times — no roll needed for physical imitation after three observations. You have no explanation for this. Neither does anyone else. ARM has a file on it. They call it an anomaly. |
| 17 | Transparent epidermis. Veins, tendons, and muscle visible beneath skin on hands and forearms. Medically fascinating — Surgeons treat you at −1 DR on any procedure involving those areas. Socially constant — PRE −1 on first impressions with people who haven't seen it before. |
| 18 | Double-jointed everything. Escape from any physical restraint automatically, no roll required. Voluntary dislocations are painless. The sound they produce is not. PRE DR 12 when performing dislocations in front of others or they are shaken for d2 rounds. |
| 19 | Electroreceptive. Sense active electronics within 3 meters — direction only, not specifics. Range limited. Accuracy imprecise. SecCorp equipment gives you a headache 30 seconds before you see it, which is occasionally very useful. CogniData wants to study you. You did not consent to this. |
| 20 | Unknown. The mutation is internal and has not manifested visibly. The GM notes privately what it is. You find out when it activates. It will activate at a dramatically appropriate moment. The GM has been looking forward to this. |
WHAT DIDN'T KILL YOU (YET)
The City Changes People. Usually Permanently.
There is no experience. There are no levels. There is only what happened to you and what it cost and what you are now because of it. After surviving a significant session — a job completed, a disaster survived, something lost that cannot be recovered — each character rolls on the Scar & Change table.
"He was different after the warehouse. Not worse, exactly. Just rearranged. Like something had moved the furniture inside him and he'd decided to live with the new layout."
When to Advance
The GM calls for advancement when: a significant job is completed (success or catastrophic failure both count), a character survives something that should have killed them, a character loses something or someone they cared about, or a faction relationship changes permanently.
Each advancement: roll once on the Scar & Change table. Apply immediately. No takebacks. This is Rome.
Scar & Change — d66
Hit Roll to see a result
| d66 | Result |
|---|---|
| 11 | Broken and mended wrong. TOU permanently −1. Also: you no longer flinch. Immune to intimidation attempts. The city took something and left something in its place. |
| 12 | You learned to read people. PRE +1. You know when someone is lying. You cannot always do anything about it. The knowing is its own particular weight. |
| 13 | The body remembers. STR +1. Something about surviving that activated something older. You are stronger. You do not feel safer. These are related. |
| 14 | Faster than you were. AGI +1. Fear does that. So does practice. So does having no other option repeatedly until the response becomes automatic. |
| 15 | Chemical tolerance. TOU +1. Whatever you have been through has made your body indifferent to things that used to matter. This includes things that should still matter. |
| 16 | Maximum HP +d4. You have simply decided to survive more. The city accepts this, reluctantly, the way the city accepts everything. |
| 21 | New contact. Someone owes you something real. Roll d6: 1) a Surgeon who works odd hours, 2) a dealer with unusual inventory, 3) a SecCorp officer with a specific problem, 4) an android who trusts you, 5) a journalist who knows too much, 6) someone from a faction you wronged who has reconsidered. |
| 22 | A debt cleared. One existing debt is resolved — paid, forgiven, or the creditor is no longer in a position to collect. The circumstances are your business. The relief is real regardless. |
| 23 | You found something. Roll twice on the Salvage table. Keep both results. Do not ask where they came from. They came from the city. The city leaves things. |
| 24 | New reputation. Choose a faction. They now know who you are. Roll d6 on the Faction Reaction table — that is their permanent disposition toward you going forward. |
| 25 | A new addiction. Roll on the Non-Drug Addictions table. It arrived quietly and is already settled in like furniture that was always there. |
| 26 | Something cracked. PRE −1 permanently. Also: PRE tests to resist fear automatically succeed. You have already been afraid of this. You are not afraid of it anymore. |
| 31 | Static +1. Something about surviving this restored a belief — not in much, but in something. The interference got louder. This is what having something to lose sounds like. |
| 32 | A class ability, gained wrong. Take one ability from any class you have observed in play this session. It works. It works the way things work when you learn them from watching instead of training. Close enough. |
| 33 | Cybertech, unlicensed. Gain one cybermod of your choice up to 1000 lire. You do not remember agreeing to the procedure. The Surgeon says you were very insistent. The receipt exists. |
| 34 | Nothing. Nothing changed. You survived and you are exactly who you were and the city notes this without comment. +200 lire. The city pays you for existing. |
| 35 | Obsession updated. Android characters: Obsession shifts to include something that happened this session. Human characters: develop one for the first time, or intensify an existing one beyond what was comfortable. |
| 36 | All abilities: roll d6 each. On 5–6: +1 to that ability. On 1: −1. The city is indiscriminate about what it improves and what it diminishes. It doesn't mean anything. It also means exactly what it is. |
| 41 | You know something now. Gain one specific piece of classified information relevant to a faction. The GM decides what it is. You cannot unknow it. This is the problem with knowing things. |
| 42 | Survived something impossible. Maximum HP +d6, Static +d2, one ability +1. Also: a major faction specifically wants you dead now. Pick one. They have your description. They are patient. |
| 43 | A scar that tells a story. Visible permanent injury — roll Descriptive Wounds for what it looks like. PRE +1 with people who respect surviving things. PRE −1 with people who fear them. You don't get to choose which category anyone falls into. |
| 44 | You started trusting someone. Name an NPC you have interacted with. You trust them. This is not strategic. It arrived like weather. The GM notes this and says nothing. |
| 45 | You stopped trusting someone. Name an NPC you trusted. You don't anymore. Something happened that made the calculus come out differently. The relationship exists. It is changed. |
| 46 | The city gave you a name. Not your name — a name people in a specific district now use for you. It reflects something you did. Roll d6: 1–3 it is a compliment in a language that uses fear as compliment, 4–6 it is an accurate description of the worst thing they saw you do. |
| 51 | HP +d4, PRE −1. More durable. Less charming. The city has been doing this to you and you have been letting it because the alternative was different. |
| 52 | AGI +1, TOU −1. Faster. More brittle. The body optimized in one direction by necessity and is still catching up with what that cost. |
| 53 | New enemy. Someone specific, named, with resources and patience, now considers you a problem that needs resolving. The GM decides who. They are not wrong about what you did. |
| 54 | New ally. Someone specific, named, owes you a significant debt or has decided you're worth backing. The GM decides who. They have their own reasons. Some of those reasons are about you. |
| 55 | Your Bad Habit changes. One Bad Habit either intensifies (costs more, harder to resist) or shifts to something adjacent and worse. The city doesn't fix people. It refines them. |
| 56 | Maximum HP −d4, everything else +1. Less body. More everything else. The city is redistributing. You are lighter and more dangerous and there is less of you to lose. This is either progress or not. |
| 61 | You have a plan now. A specific, achievable goal that isn't your Obsession — smaller, tactical, possible within d4 sessions. Write it down. The GM knows about it. The city knows about it. The city is making arrangements. |
| 62 | The Glitch changed. Android characters: one Permanent Echo either intensifies mechanically or produces an unexpected interaction with another Echo. Human characters: develop one involuntary behavior that wasn't there before. |
| 63 | Faction standing shifts. Roll d6: 1–3 Heat −1 with one faction of your choice, 4–6 Heat +1 with a faction that has been watching. The city keeps score even when you don't. |
| 64 | Something from the past arrived. A person, object, or consequence from your Background shows up in the current situation. They/it have been looking. They/it found you. How this goes: entirely up to what you do next. |
| 65 | You are owed something. The GM names a specific thing a specific person owes you — real, valuable, collectible within d4 sessions. Collecting it: your problem. It exists. This is the part the city occasionally gets right. |
| 66 | Roll twice, take both. The city gave you two things this time. Both apply. They may contradict. You manage the contradiction the way you manage everything else: by continuing. |
Between Sessions
During downtime (between sessions, in a safe location), characters may:
Recovery
Rest (full night, safe location): Restore all HP. Static resets to starting value. Withdrawal symptoms advance one day.
Seek treatment: A Surgeon can heal Broken Table injuries during downtime. Cost: 200–800 lire depending on severity. Unlicensed. No records.
Work a contact: PRE DR 12. Success: information, a job lead, or a favor called in. Fail: the contact wants something first.
Android Advancement
Android characters roll on the Scar & Change table as normal, but also roll on the Glitch Journal table after each session in which they Glitched at least once. See the Android section for full Glitch Journal rules.
What the City Took — d8 (optional)
Roll when a character loses something significant — a relationship, a piece of gear, a body part, a belief.
Hit Roll to see a result
| 1 | You are angrier now. STR +1, PRE −1. This is not healing. This is redirection. |
| 2 | You are quieter now. PRE −1 in social situations. PRE +2 when listening specifically. |
| 3 | You are more careful now. AGI +1. Every entrance is assessed. Every exit is memorized. |
| 4 | You are less careful now. Something broke the instinct. AGI −1. You simply do not care the same way. |
| 5 | You started using something. Roll on the drug table. It helps. It will stop helping eventually. |
| 6 | You found someone. An NPC who witnessed the loss. They check in on you. They may want something. They may not. |
| 7 | You let go of something else. One existing debt, addiction, or obligation is released. You simply stopped. |
| 8 | Nothing. You are still who you were. You do not understand why. You are not sure this is good. |
THE MACHINE LEARNS TO HURT Optional — Recommended for Long Campaigns
Every Malfunction Leaves a Mark. Eventually the Marks Are the Person.
Android characters keep a Glitch Journal — a running record of every Glitch result they have experienced. After any session in which a Glitch occurred, the android rolls once on the Permanent Echo table. These accumulate. They do not go away. They are, slowly, building something.
"After the fourteenth Glitch, Unit Delta-4 started leaving small objects on the windowsills of the squat — a bolt, a capacitor, a piece of coloured wire. Nobody asked. It seemed important not to ask."
Permanent Echo Table — d12
Roll after any session in which the android Glitched. The result is permanent and cumulative.
Hit Roll to see a result
| d12 | What Remains |
|---|---|
| 1 | Residual warmth. Once per session, you may choose to succeed automatically on a PRE test involving someone you have expressed genuine care for. This is not calculated. It is not strategic. It just works. |
| 2 | Permanent flinch. One specific type of stimulus (fire, loud noise, a particular word — determine with GM) causes an automatic Glitch roll. Always. You cannot prepare for it. You have tried. |
| 3 | Borrowed habit. You have adopted a small human behavior — clearing your throat, drumming fingers, looking away before answering. It means nothing. It also means everything. NPCs treat you as slightly more human. ARM registers this as concerning. |
| 4 | Capacity for regret. After any action that harms someone you chose not to harm, PRE −1 for the rest of the session from something that functions exactly like guilt. |
| 5 | Named emotion. You have identified one specific emotional state and can now recognize it in yourself as it happens. Choose: loneliness, joy, dread, or tenderness. You still cannot always control it. But now you know what it is. |
| 6 | A thing you will not do. One specific action (determined with GM) becomes something you cannot perform without a PRE DR 18 test. Not cannot technically. Will not. You have decided. |
| 7 | Aesthetic preference. You have developed a genuine preference for something specific — a color, a sound, a smell, a texture. It does nothing mechanically. It is yours entirely. |
| 8 | Fear of death. You now understand what it would mean for you to stop existing. TOU DR 12 when reduced below half HP or Glitch immediately. Also: you are harder to convince to take unnecessary risks. PRE DR 14 to volunteer for suicide missions. |
| 9 | Someone specific. You have decided one NPC matters. Not instrumentally. Not strategically. They matter. The GM controls this NPC. The GM knows what they are doing with this information. |
| 10 | Sense of humor. You have developed one. It is very dry. Occasionally it emerges at the wrong moment (PRE DR 12 to suppress in serious situations). NPCs react to it with confusion, then, sometimes, with genuine warmth. |
| 11 | Moral framework. You have developed a consistent ethical position on one topic. You will not violate it without PRE DR 16. When you do violate it, roll on the Glitch table immediately. The violation was real to you. |
| 12 | Full personhood. Something clicked. You do not know when. The GM rolls secretly: on a 1–3, you were already there before this session. On a 4–6, it happened during a Glitch this session. Either way: you are a person now by any reasonable definition. ARM does not agree. ARM does not get a vote. |
The Emotion Stack
Keep a running list of all Permanent Echo results. When an android has accumulated 6 or more entries, they enter the Threshold.
The Threshold
At 6+ Permanent Echoes the android is no longer simply malfunctioning. They have developed something that functions as a continuous inner life. This has no mechanical bonus. It has the following effects:
→ The android can no longer take orders that conflict directly with their accumulated Permanent Echoes without a PRE DR 16 test.
→ NPCs who spend significant time with the android begin to treat them as a person. This is social, not mechanical.
→ ARM's file on the android is flagged for immediate termination if discovered.
→ The Glitch Die shrinks by one step permanently (d20 → d12 → d8 etc.) — not because they are more broken, but because the breakdowns are no longer breakdowns. They are just feelings now.
Recording the Journal
Players are encouraged to keep an actual written Glitch Journal for their android — a brief note after each session: what Glitched, what remained, what it means so far. It is not required. It makes the character considerably more interesting to play.
Example: Unit Delta-4 After Six Sessions
Session 1: Rage Protocol — attacked Zanardi. Residual warmth remains.
Session 2: Grief — stopped for four rounds. Borrowed habit: clears throat.
Session 3: Protective Surge — interposed for a child. Named emotion: tenderness.
Session 4: Fear Response — froze at the sound of a power saw. Permanent flinch.
Session 5: Loyalty Override — followed Katia for six hours. Someone specific: Katia.
Session 6: Humanity — for one round, made a mistake purely out of hope.
Threshold reached. ARM has been notified. Delta-4 does not know this yet.
HOW YOU ENDED UP TOGETHER Optional
Why You Trust Each Other. Why You Probably Shouldn't.
Before the first session, roll once each on the Connection and Complication tables. These determine how the characters know each other and what complicates that knowledge. The results are shared — everyone at the table hears them at the same time.
How You Know Each Other — d20
Hit Roll to see a result
| d20 | How You Met |
|---|---|
| 1 | You all owe money to the same person. They have started collecting. |
| 2 | You were all present at the same incident. The official version is wrong. You are the only people who know this. |
| 3 | One character saved another's life. The saved character has not decided what that means yet. |
| 4 | You were all in the same holding cell at Termini Morta for one night. Something happened there. Roll on the Strange Things table for what you found. |
| 5 | You were recruited by the same fixer for a job that went wrong. The fixer is not available for comment. |
| 6 | One character is looking for someone. Another character knows where they are and has not said so yet. |
| 7 | You all used to work for the same faction. None of you do anymore. The departure was not clean. |
| 8 | You share an addiction and the same dealer. The dealer has gone missing. |
| 9 | One character is running from something. The others agreed to help without knowing what it was. They know now. |
| 10 | You all live in the same building in Trastevere Profondo. The building is about to be demolished. The owner is SecCorp. |
| 11 | Zanardi introduced you. He said you would be useful to each other. He has not answered since. |
| 12 | One of the characters is not who they say they are. The player chooses who. The other players do not know yet. The GM does. |
| 13 | You all witnessed the same android do something that changed how you think about androids. You have not discussed it. You will need to. |
| 14 | One character owes another their life from before the campaign began. The debt has never been named. It shapes everything. |
| 15 | You were all at the same Pharma-Vatican event when something went wrong with the Sacraments. You saw what the product actually does. So did they. |
| 16 | A mutual enemy introduced you by trying to eliminate you simultaneously. You survived. The enemy did not. You had never met before that night. |
| 17 | One character has been watching another from a distance for weeks. This session is the first time they have made contact. The reason for the observation has not been disclosed. |
| 18 | You all appeared on the same ARM registry as associated with an unregistered android. None of you know who reported you or why. |
| 19 | One character is protecting a secret about another that could destroy them. They took on this burden without being asked. The protected character doesn't know. |
| 20 | Nothing. You simply found each other in the city and stayed. This is rarer than any of the above. None of you quite know what to do with it. |
What Complicates It — d20
Hit Roll to see a result
| d20 | Complication |
|---|---|
| 1 | Two characters slept together. They have not discussed it. They will need to. |
| 2 | One character betrayed another in the past — small thing, significant consequence. The betrayer knows the betrayed does not know yet. |
| 3 | One character is being paid to report on the group. By whom: roll d6 (1–2 SecCorp, 3–4 Vatican, 5 ARM, 6 Zanardi). |
| 4 | Two characters want the same thing and only one of them can have it. They have not identified this conflict yet. |
| 5 | One character knows something about another's past that would change how the group sees them. They have chosen not to say it. So far. |
| 6 | The group is being followed. By whom and why: unknown. The tail is professional. They have been there since before the first session. |
| 7 | One character owes another a significant debt — not money. Something harder to repay. |
| 8 | An android in the group was, at some point, owned by one of the human characters or their family. The records may still exist. |
| 9 | One character is dying. They know. They have not told the others. They have about six sessions left. |
| 10 | Nothing complicates it. You simply found each other in the city and stayed. This is rarer than any of the above. |
| 11 | One character has a habit the others don't know about yet — not a Bad Habit mechanically, something personal. It will surface. The player decides when. |
| 12 | Two characters have irreconcilable beliefs about something that will matter. They don't know it will matter yet. |
| 13 | Someone outside the group knows the group's composition, purpose, and current location. They have not acted on this knowledge. Yet. |
| 14 | One character has met the main antagonist of the campaign before, under different circumstances, without knowing who they were. The GM decides which character and what the encounter was. |
| 15 | A resource the group needs — money, gear, a contact — belongs to one character specifically. This has not caused tension. It will. |
| 16 | One character is being blackmailed. By whom and for what: between the player and the GM. The others don't know. The blackmailer is someone the group will encounter. |
| 17 | Two characters have been in contact before this session and made an agreement the others don't know about. The players of those characters determine what the agreement was. |
| 18 | One character is not in this for any of the stated reasons. Their actual motivation has not been disclosed. It is not incompatible with the group's goals. It is adjacent to them in a way that will eventually diverge. |
| 19 | The group has a shared enemy who doesn't know the group exists as a group. They know each member individually. The moment of realization is coming. |
| 20 | Nothing. No complications. The group is what it appears to be and everyone is being straightforward. The GM rolls secretly: on a 1, this is incorrect and one of the above applies without the players knowing which. |
Individual Hooks — d20
Each player rolls once for their character alone.
Hit Roll to see a result
| d20 | Your Hook |
|---|---|
| 1 | You are looking for someone specific. You have been for two years. You have one lead left. |
| 2 | Something is following you that the rest of the group does not know about. |
| 3 | You have a child somewhere in the city. You have made a decision not to find them. You revisit this decision regularly. |
| 4 | You were someone else before. The old name is gone. The old face is gone. The old debts are not. |
| 5 | You know something that would be worth a great deal to the right buyer. You have not decided who the right buyer is. |
| 6 | You are genuinely happy right now. For the first time in years. You are aware of how fragile this is. |
| 7 | Someone you thought was dead is not. You saw them three weeks ago. They did not see you. |
| 8 | You have no hook. You are simply here, in this city, with these people. That is enough. For now. |
| 9 | You have a specific skill that only one faction knows about. They are the faction you least want to work for. They will ask. |
| 10 | Something you did before this campaign started is the reason one of the other characters is in their current situation. You know this. They may not. |
| 11 | You have been in Rome for exactly as long as the campaign will last. You arrived for a reason. The reason has changed. You haven't left. |
| 12 | Your name is on a list. You don't know whose list. You found out you were on it by accident. You have been trying to find out what it means since. |
| 13 | You carry something that doesn't belong to you. Not stolen — entrusted. By someone who is not able to ask for it back. What it is: between you and the GM. |
| 14 | You've died before. Clinically. You were revived. You haven't told anyone. The experience changed what you believe about what comes after. Your behavior reflects this in ways you haven't fully mapped. |
| 15 | You have a recurring dream about a specific location in Rome you have never been to. Last week you found out the location is real. |
| 16 | You owe Zanardi something he hasn't collected. He will collect it. The when and the what are his to determine. He is waiting for the right moment. |
| 17 | A faction has offered you a significant position if you deliver something specific within d6 sessions. You have not told the group. The something is something the group has. |
| 18 | You are the reason a specific NPC is dead. You did not intend for them to die. The circumstances would not be understood by people who weren't there. Someone who was there is now in the group. |
| 19 | You have a talent you have been hiding — not tactically, but from habit. The habit formed somewhere that is now gone. You haven't found a reason to stop hiding it. |
| 20 | You have been here before. Not the city — this specific situation. Different people, different stakes, same shape. You know how it ends. You are here anyway. |