Calls

Several of these calls allow you (while taking them at ranged) to choose an effect based on the location that you were hit in, where you are dealing with ranged attacks then you may not assign the damage to a limb already effected by a call be it the same one or a different one.

SINGLE TARGET DAMAGE CALLS

These calls cause damage as per the Combat and Injury Section to a single target

BLAM

Lose a point of Endurance as you have been shot at with a firearm.

DRAIN

Lose a point of Endurance and convulse for 3s as your life force or blood is drawn from your body - you cannot move over to shudder and convulse on the spot - in most normal circumstances they will continue to call Drain preventing you from recovering and causing you to lose Endurance each time they make the call.

REND

This call has different effects depending on where it lands.

• Limb: Lose 2 points of Endurance. This limb is disabled, it cannot be used until treated by a Medicae or Chirugeon or by a Trait you possess.

• Torso:
  • If you are not Prepared for Combat as per the Heroic Endurance Trait, then drop to 0 Endurance and become Bleeding
  • If you are Prepared for Combat then lose 2 Endurance but must stagger a few steps away from the source of the attack.

BOLT

You have been struck by a high powered explosive projectile. You cannot recover Endurance (except to recover to 1 from Bleeding') until treated by a Medicae or Chirugeon. This call has different effects depending on where it lands.

• Limb: Lose 2 points of Endurance. This limb is disabled, it cannot be used until treated by a Medicae or Chirugeon or restored by a Trait you possess.

• Torso: Drop to 0 Endurance and become Bleeding

The armour-penetrating nature of Bolt rounds means the ability to effect certain NPCs more effectively.

SUNDER

Drop to 0 Endurance and become Bleeding'. you cannot recover Endurance (except to recover to 1 from Bleeding) until treated by a Medicae or Chirugeon. When it comes to performing Triage on you a character must draw a card from the Complications Deck rather than attempting a test unless their traits allow otherwise.

Sunder and its sibling I am a Knife in the Dark are powerful instant-death calls - you may not use more than two of both calls in any combination per combat scene, regardless of how many your traits would allow you to source.

NULL

This call has different effects depending on if the character is a Psyker or not.

• Normal: If unaccompanied by another damaging call lose 1 Endurance but you feel very cold as if something has sapped your soul.

• Psyker: Drop to 0 Endurance and become Bleeding. This manifests as body wracking pain as well as bleeding from multiple sources.

WARP

If unaccompanied by any other call, lose 1 Endurance. This may have other effects, but for most PCs they are simply aware that they have been targeted by a warp power.

SANCTIC

If struck by a ranged call with this attached, it has no effect on you unless you have been briefed otherwise.

If struck by a melee blow and this call is used, unless briefed otherwise, treat it as uncalled melee.

I AM A KNIFE IN THE DARK [Optional addition:”I’m taking you in alive”]

You drop to zero endurance and start Bleeding. Your character is also unconscious until treated. If I’m taking you in alive is included then you become Subdued instead.

I am a Knife in the Dark and its sibling Sunder are powerful instant-death calls - you may not use more than two of both calls in any combination per combat scene, regardless of how many your traits would allow you to source.

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CONE DAMAGE CALLS

These calls represent damaging effects that ‘spray’ in a cone from the source of damage affecting all targets within a given distance from the source who are reasonably within a 90 degree cone.

BURN

This call affects all characters (friend or foe) within 5m in a 90 degree cone in front of the user. This call ignores Cover and Shields.

Lose 2 Endurance. If you do not immediately fall back five steps or are unable to, you drop to zero endurance becoming Bleeding' as you are set aflame. You cannot recover Endurance (except to recover to 1 from Bleeding) until treated by a Medicae or Chirugeon

Unlike the normal Bleeding roleplay, you should roleplay as if on fire for 10s up to and including (if you choose) running around flailing.

DAKKA

Affects all characters (including friends) within range of hearing in a 90 degree cone in front of the user.

Upon hearing this call you if there is cover within one meter you may dive into it, if there is not then the next time you hear Dakka you drop to zero endurance becoming Bleeding as you are riddled with bullets.

A character forced to take cover or in cover while in the zone of effect of Dakka cannot leave cover including to pop up to shoot, they are pinned down by the withering hail of fire until the calls of Dakka end.

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MASS DAMAGE CALLS

These calls represent those which cause area of effect damage, hitting all foes within 5m of the called target or a specific point.

MASS

Accompanying a Single Target or Cone call this changes the area of effect to ‘hits all characters within five meters of the target or source of this call (if a target isn’t called).’

BOOM

This call hits the called target and all individuals who are within five meters of them, or an explosive phys-rep if one is apparent. It is left to player judgement what effect to take based on their proximity to the target or source;

• Full Force: You are thrown back from the source, and become Bleeding You cannot recover hits until treated by a Medicae or Chirugeon.

• Caught in the Radius: Both limbs on the side of your body closest to the blast are disabled and you cannot recover Endurance (except to recover to 1 from Bleeding) until treated by a Medicae or Chirugeon.

If you are not the called target of this effect you have three seconds to place Cover between you and the source of the call, at which point its effect is negated.

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CALLS WITH STATUS EFFECTS

These calls do not cause damage but instead force a specific reaction or impose a mechanical or roleplaying effect on the target.

SHOCK

You are stunned for 5s, during which you cannot move, you cannot be stunned for 3s after you recover or during the duration of the effect.

WEAKEN

For ten seconds you may not make active use of your traits - though still benefit from passive effects such as increased willpower/endurance or effects representing armour or innate toughness that do not require you to make calls or roleplay actions to benefit from - you may still make melee attacks in self defence, but these must be uncalled - your body is wracked by sudden tiredness and overcome by sickness, you cannot move faster than a slow stagger for the duration of this effect, you cannot be weakened again for 3s after you recover or during the duration of the effect.

HAYWIRE

For ten seconds you may not make active use of your Wargear or Bionic traits as well as any technological items provided by other traits - though you still benefit from passive effects such as increased willpower/endurance or effects representing armour or innate toughness that do not require you to make calls or roleplay actions to benefit from - you may still make melee attacks, but these must be uncalled - if you have Bionic traits you are wracked by coruscating pain for the duration of this effect, you cannot be haywired again for 3s after you recover or during the duration of the effect.

• Technological items provided by non-wargear traits or free items such as radios/dataslates cease to function until attended to by a character with at least Mechanicus Lore or in specific cases (stated in traits) a Tech Priest for a few seconds of roleplaying a ‘Rituals of Repair’

• Some Traits may state there are additional effects from taking Haywire

DRAG/REPEL

You have been gripped by a powerful force either move towards it (Drag) or away from it (Repel) you may either fall to the floor (with your back or front fully hitting the floor) or move yourself away from it for 3s or until you hit an object or person or enter melee with the caller. If you strike an object or person you must remain in place (if it is safe) for 3s and may not make ranged calls and only use melee weapons defensively. If you are dragged into melee with the individual you must remain in melee with them for 3s.

GET IT TOGETHER

If you are NOT Bleeding you regain your Endurance pool.

If you are Bleeding you may get back to your feet with your Endurance to half its maximum (rounding up).

This has no effect if you were reduced to Zero by Bolt, Boom, Sunder or Null (if you are a psyker).

I WILL NOT DIE!

A character who uses this cue is able to get up again from the Bleeding regain a number of endurance points - usually half their maximum (rounding up) but some especially tough beings in the universe may regain more. A character may only call this Once Per Scene regardless of how many sources of the call they possess from their traits.

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ROLEPLAYING CUES

These calls have no immediate damaging effects but do have a direct influence on a characters roleplay as they cue appropriate reactions to their use.

[TARGET] I’M TAKING YOU, ALIVE!

Indicates that the character is trying to take you alive, if you are reduced to 0 endurance by that character then you become Subdued rather than Bleeding. If this is used while you are Bleeding you become Subdued instead. This cannot be used to ‘heal’ someone (oddly enough) it can only be used on characters who are hostile to the character using it so it is expected of all participants to use it appropriately and not for game advantage.

DREAD

You are overtaken by supernatural fear - becoming Shaken.

While in the presence of an individual or object that has called this you may not make active use of your traits - though still benefit from passive effects such as increased willpower/endurance or effects representing armour or innate toughness that do not require you to make calls or roleplay actions to benefit from - you may still make melee attacks in self defence, but these must be uncalled.

You may not move closer to a source of Dread willingly, and must either cower if it draws nearer to you or attempt to flee - this effect ends after a character spends 1 minute gathering themselves from the shock of what they've seen. If they are attacked during this time, all progress is lost.

DEFLECT/DODGE/INEFFECTIVE

Called in reaction to a call to indicate that it has been defended against by some form of Defence - Deflect and Dodge represent 'limited' effects where the user has a number of them to use before they run out, or has a specific area where the call has no effect (such as forearms for the Duellist trait) - Ineffective is used to signal that calls of that type have no effect on the target.

SCAN [life/heat/material/etc]

If you think this would detect you, respond with PING.

WOULD YOU KINDLY?

You are not aware that this has been used on you unless you resist it. If affected, you must obey the command even if it is fatal to your character that will follow this cue either to completion of the task issued or for 30s (whichever is shorter).

COMMAND OVERRIDE

Your mechanical components and wargear are being hacked. If affected you must obey the command even if it is fatal to your character that will follow this cue as if your interfaced bionics force you to or the item of your wargear targeted has been affected appropriately either to completion of the task issued or for 30s (whichever is shorter).