Judge Dredd EN

& The Worlds of 2000 AD ® TABLETOP ADVENTURE GAME PEARCE SCHWALB ROBINSON MORRISSEY

& The Worlds of 2000 AD ® 1

2 Writing: Nick Robinson, Darren Pearce, Rob Schwalb, Russ Morrissey System Design: Russ Morrissey Business & Licensing Manager: Angus Abranson Editing: Russ Morrissey and Nick Robinson Layout and Graphic Design: Nimrod Jones Art supplied by Rebellion 2000 AD® is a registered trademark Judge Dredd® is a registered trademark © 2018 Rebellion A/S. All rights reserved. All imagery and characters © 2018 Rebellion A/S. 2000 AD artwork used with permission of the copyright holder. www.2000AD.com The game contains no Open Game Content. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United Kingdom and of the United States. This product is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual people, organisations, places or events is purely coincidental Published by EN Publishing under license by Rebellion EN Publishing, PO Box 1858, SOUTHAMPTON, SO18 6RX Version 1.2 & The Worlds of 2000 AD ®

3 Contents /// Ch/1: INTRODUCTION....................... 4 / Judge Dredd ......................................................................4 / the Worlds of 2000 AD.............................................5 / Rule Zero ............................................................................5 / What You Need.................................................................6 / About this Book ...............................................................6 / Example of Play .............................................................8 / A BRIEF GLOSSARY ...........................................................10 / SETTING THE TONE............................................................. 11 /// CH/2: The Worlds of 2000AD ........12 / ABC Warriors....................................................................12 / Absalom................................................................................12 / Ace Trucking Co..............................................................12 / Caballistics, Inc .............................................................12 / Defoe.....................................................................................13 / D.R. & Quinch......................................................................13 / Flesh.....................................................................................13 / Indigo Prime........................................................................14 / M.A.C.H. 1.................................................................................14 / Necronauts........................................................................14 / Nemesis the Warlock..................................................14 / Nikolai Dante ....................................................................15 / The Red Seas ....................................................................15 / Robo Hunter......................................................................15 / Rogue Trooper.................................................................16 / Sinister Dexter...............................................................16 / Sláine ....................................................................................17 / Strontium Dog...................................................................17 / The Ballad of Halo Jones......................................17 / The V.C.s...............................................................................17 /// CH/3: Character creation ...........18 / ABOUT THIS CHAPTER.......................................................18 / CHARACTER CREATION WALKTHROUGH.....................18 / TOTAL CHECKLIST ..............................................................19 / DESCRIPTOR..........................................................................19 / ATTRIBUTES...........................................................................19 / GRADE.....................................................................................21 / Skills.....................................................................................21 / Species................................................................................ 24 / Careers in Judge Dredd ......................................... 30 / Civilian and Perp Origins......................................... 30 / Civilian Careers..............................................................31 / Perp Careers.................................................................. 42 / Judge Origins.................................................................. 54 / Judge Careers .............................................................. 57 / Speciality Judge Careers...................................... 60 / UNIVERSAL EXPLOITS ..................................................... 70 / AGE......................................................................................... 74 / TRAIT...................................................................................... 75 / Derived statistics ....................................................... 78 / CAREERS & DEFENSIVE SKILLS................................. 79 / Starting Money.............................................................. 80 / Attacks............................................................................... 80 / Psionics............................................................................... 80 / ADVANCEMENT................................................................... 83 / & OVERCOMING CHALLENGES...................................... 83 / PLANNING............................................................................. 84 / COMPLETING MILESTONES............................................. 84 / INCREMENTAL ADVANCES.............................................. 84 / AGE......................................................................................... 84 / Sample Character Creation.................................. 85 /// CH/4: Equipment ......................... 88 / STARTING MONEY.............................................................. 89 / Equipment, Skills, & Quality.................................. 89 / GENERAL GEAR ...................................................................91 / SERVICES & FOODSTUFFS............................................ 96 / WEAPONS ............................................................................ 98 / Armour................................................................................106 / SHIELDS...............................................................................107 / Customising Gear...........................................................110 / DRUGS....................................................................................112 / CYBERNETICS......................................................................115 / Requisitions and Organisations............................117 / VEHICLES..............................................................................118 /// CH/5: Playing the game ..............122 / The Attribute Check.................................................123 / Common Tasks...............................................................128 / Example of an Engineering Task......................129 / COUNTDOWNS...................................................................136 / THE ROLE OF LUCK....................................................137 / COMBAT................................................................................138 / INJURY AND DEATH........................................................145 / OBJECTS.............................................................................150 / THE ENVIRONMENT..........................................................152 /// CH/6: MEGA-CITY ONE...................156 / History...............................................................................156 / The City .............................................................................157 / Gazetteer........................................................................158 / Glossary of Mega-City One Terms ..................176 / The Law (Crime and Punishment) .......................179 /// CH/7: Games Master Advice........180 / CAMPAIGNS .........................................................................180 / Published Adventures ...........................................180 / Creating an Adventure...........................................180 / STARTING THE GAME........................................................181 / The One-Sheet ................................................................181 / Organisations.................................................................182 / Advice for games in Mega-City One ................182 / Types of Campaigns...................................................184 / Types of Scenarios...................................................185 / Plots and Railroading.............................................186 / Opponents........................................................................186 / Rewards ...........................................................................187 /// CH/8: Crime blotter...................188 / The Munce Bunch ........................................................188 / Drokk the Block!.........................................................192 / The Fast-Bank Fakers .............................................196 / Scarred City ..................................................................199 / Superslab Slam ..........................................................203 /// CH/9: State of the empire ...........208 / Crime Blotter: ‘Judge’ Whitey...........................208 / Adventure Hooks .......................................................208 / Empire State Task Force (Judges)..................208 / Criminal Empire (Perps) ............................................210 / Little Lost Ray Fey ..................................................210 / The Empire State Building.......................................211 / Ricki Rocco ......................................................................216 / Katricia Bung .................................................................216 /// CH/10: fOES................................222 / CREATING A MONSTER OR NPC.................................222 / All the People............................................................230 /// Appendix...................................248

4 Ch/1: INTRODUCTION Listen up, citizens! I have been asked to introduce this Justice Department approved game to you by Accounts Division. This book is a mistake and will only cause more lawbreaking; however, my objections have been overruled. Heed this warning: Using this book in a proscribed manner will result in lengthy cube time. This book does not give you the right to enforce the Law! Should you attempt to do so you will be looking at decades in an iso-cube for jimping. Possession or ownership of this book will be treated as an aggravating factor should you commit any other crime, and I will add five years to your sentence. Should this book be banned at some point in the future you will report to your local sector house for sentencing and destruction of the offending item. Failure to do so will add another five years to your sentence. I hope I am making myself clear, creeps. Finally, on behalf of Justice Department, I hope you enjoy your game... ...While you can! Dredd In 1977, 2000 AD took the world by storm. Unlike other comics, with their capes and crusaders, 2000 AD offered an anthology of brutal stories about flawed characters in deadly worlds. Over the years these characters included Judge Dredd who enforced the laws of Mega-City One, the mutant bounty hunter Johnny Alpha, the genetically engineered Rogue Trooper, the Celtic warrior Sláine, plus a veritable menagerie of weird, violent, and colourful characters in bizarre and often desperate circumstance. Now it’s your turn! With so many dangerous worlds populated by interesting and evocative characters, there is ample room for further stories and that’s where Judge Dredd & the Worlds of 2000 AD comes in. Using this book, you and your friends can create gritty new anti-heroes to explore the awesome environments torn from the pages of the greatest comic in the world. The kinds of characters you and your friends create depend on the world you choose. You might be mutant bounty hunters, genetically engineered soldiers fighting in the future, warped barbarians searching for plunder, or grim athletes fighting in blood-drenched arenas for your freedom. While the rules in this book help you tell stories in any of the great worlds of 2000 AD, this book spends much of its time on Judge Dredd, easily the most popular and best-known of the anti-heroes populating the amazing comic. Judge Dredd It is the year 2099 and the world is much changed from how we know it. After a disastrous global war, much of the planet has been reduced to a radioactive wasteland, vast stretches of which are uninhabitable, both from the radiation and the mutated horrors that make their home in the wastes. Civilization now huddles in vast mega-cities, conurbations encompassing massive stretches of land. Three such mega-cities have risen from the ruins of the United States of America; Mega Cities One and Two and their southern neighbour Texas City. The most important mega-city, and the primary setting for the Judge Dredd stories, is Mega-City One. Although the megalopolis’s footprint eventually shrank after a series of devastating events, at its height it spread across the entire eastern seaboard of the United States, from New England to Florida, and its population reached upwards of 800 million. Much of Mega-City One consists of City Blocks, enormous star-scrapers large enough to home up to 50,000 citizens. The press of people and widespread unemployment, due to the existence of sapient robots, makes Mega-City One a dangerous and unruly place, one where people fritter away their time on the current fad or distraction that happens to be taking the city by storm. Mega-City One’s size and sprawl makes enforcing law and order difficult, and so the city employs special law enforcement officers called Judges to patrol the city and police its streets. No simple cops, Judges have complete power to enforce the law by any means they deem necessary, sentencing and convicting any criminals they catch, and, rarely, executing them for the most despicable crimes. Easily recognized by their distinctive helmets and uniforms, Judges cut impressive figures in Mega-City One, evoking fear, respect and hatred in (more-or-less) equal measure from the citizens they protect. Judges are also well-equipped to carry out their duties, from the Lawgiver pistols that can fire up to six different types of ammunition, to their Lawmaster motorcycles which are armed with an array of weapons and an onboard AI computer that can take over driving duties when the Judge is otherwise occupied. 4

5 Of all the Judges enforcing the law in Mega-City One, the most feared and respected is Judge Dredd. A dour, often humourless man; utterly committed to punishing lawbreakers and keeping the peace. Over the years he has brought justice to some of the most notorious criminals to have terrorized his city. While he almost always gets his perp, Dredd is but one man and with the constant unrest and upheaval making the city a dangerous place; there will always be a need for fresh recruits to join the fight. It is time for you and your friends to earn your badges, take up your Lawgivers and bring the Law to the city. You might die, as many have before you, but you might also make a name for yourself, one worthy to stand alongside Dredd’s. Roleplaying in the Worlds of 2000 AD Judge Dredd & the Worlds of 2000 AD is a tabletop roleplaying game (RPG). Unlike other kinds of games, much of the play takes place in your imagination, and you and your friends work together to create thrilling stories in the worlds of 2000 AD. This book contains the rules of the game and information about the world you explore when you play. This game is similar to many other tabletop RPGs in that one of you becomes the Game Master (GM) and the rest act as players. Each player controls at least one Player Character (PC). These PCs become the central characters in the stories you and your friends tell. As a player, you can choose one of the pre-generated characters included in this book, or you can use the rules to make a unique character all your own. When you play your character, you decide what your character does and says. In a way, your character becomes your alter ego, allowing you to become someone else; if only in your imagination. Anyone can choose to become the GM, though you only need one GM at a time. GMs can have the most fun since they are the architects, the narrators, the interpreters of the rules, and the adjudicators of what happens in the game. As the GM, you decide what sorts of adventures the Player Characters have, determining the challenges and opposition, what is at risk, and what the PCs can hope to gain by completing their objectives. You also play all the supporting characters in the story, from the extras that stand in the background, the victims of crimes, and the criminals themselves. In one adventure, you might play Call Me Kenneth, the leader of the robot uprising, and in the next you might be the terrifying Judge Death. You might control a gang of thugs or a band of mutants who have managed to infiltrate the city. Finally, as GM, you adjudicate the rules. While the rules tell you how the game can be played, you can decide when to use them and when to ignore them. You might change them as needed to improve the story or give the players a break, or you might use the rules to interpret how to resolve some action attempted by the Player Characters. When you play Judge Dredd & the Worlds of 2000 AD, you and your friends tell a story together. The GM presents the situation and challenges the players characters must face. The players describe how they react to the situation and what methods they use to overcome the obstacles. Using a combination of common sense and the rules presented in this book, the GM interprets the players’ stated actions, decides how they play out in the story, and then describes how the situation changes; and the plot moves forward. Thus, the game plays as a back and forth exchange, with the GM describing the situation, the players responding, and the GM responding to them with a new situation, and so on until the adventure ends and you have all told a story worthy of appearing alongside those in the pages of 2000 AD. You might play through a single adventure or the GM might connect several adventures together to tell a longer story. As the PCs complete adventures, they might find new equipment, earn money, and, best of all, gain experience that helps them improve their capabilities over time. To manage character development, the game uses experience points (XP). When the players reach story goals, overcome deadly challenges, and defeat foes, the GM grants XP and then the players can then spend this earned XP to get better at those skills they desire and can develop new abilities. Rule Zero As with most roleplaying games, GMs have the final say about what happens in the game. So, GMs decide what happens when a player describes a particular course of activity. They might decide the activity happens as described, does not happen — likely because the action is impossible — or might require the player to roll dice. GMs are also the final authority on the rules. Whenever a question comes up about how the rules work, GMs should interpret the rule in whatever way they feel is fair. GMs can ditch rules or invent new ones based on the needs of the stories they help to tell. Of course, it should go without saying that the primary aim of Judge Dredd & the Worlds of 2000 AD is provide you and your friends with an enjoyable play experience. To this end, GMs who break or bend the rules do not violate some cosmic law. Rather, they work to ensure you and everyone else has a good time.

6 What You Need Even though this is a complete game, you will need a few things to play: » Several six-sided dice. The game refers to these dice as d6s. » A character sheet. You can photocopy the one found in this book, download one from the Internet, or just use a sheet of paper. You might need a token or figurine to represent your character. Some GMs prefer to use battlemaps to help manage the action when the bullets start flying. You can grab such figurines at any fine game store, but you can also use any token or game piece you like to represent your character. If you are the GM, you need to keep this book handy and you will need an adventure. You can come up with an adventure of your own using the guidelines in this book, or use a published adventure, such as the one included in this book, State of the Empire. About this Book This book is a complete game. Inside, you will find out how to create characters, rules for everything from tracking down a fugitive in the tangled ruins of the Undercity to conducting a firefight against bloodthirsty killers, and everything in between. And if you have elected to be the GM, the book provides ample advice for adjudicating the game, designing adventures, and an overview of some of the most iconic settings from the pages of 2000 AD. This book has ten parts, each summarized below to prepare you for the mind-blowing roleplaying experience you are about to have. The Worlds of 2000 AD - page 12 Although this book focuses on Judge Dredd, there are numerous other worlds in the comics, many of which will get their own sourcebooks. This section provides brief overviews of some of the major settings such as Nemesis the Warlock, Ace Trucking Company, Strontium Dog, Rogue Trooper, ABC Warriors, and Slaine! Character Creation - page 18 For both players and Game Masters, the section detailing character creation shows you how to create unique characters for play in Judge Dredd and includes skills, careers, exploits, and psionics, along with advancement rules. Best of all, if you need a character in a pinch, you can just select one of the ready-to-play characters included in this section so you can start right away! Equipment and Vehicles - page 88 You want guns, motorcycles, and other gear? You need look no further than this meaty chapter, for it offers you everything you need to survive the mean streets of Mega-City One. It includes a variety of items that perps or citizens can use, along with details of the special equipment issued to Judges. How to Play - page 122 Making characters is one thing but how to use them is a bit more involved. This section covers everything you should know in order to play the game. Whether you are in a shooting war against bandits on the Moon, scaling the side of a City Block, or chasing down Frankenstein 2 down a crowded highway through Mega-City One, this chapter gives you all the rules you need to resolve the toughest situations.

7 Mega-City One - page 156 The world of Judge Dredd is an exciting and dangerous place. As dangerous as Mega-City One can be, it is even worse in the Cursed Earth beyond city limits. This section tells you everything you need to know to bring the world to life including overviews of the mega-cities, the radioactive wastelands, as well as lands beyond, from BritCit, East-Meg One to Luna City on Earth’s moon, and much, much more. Game Master Advice - page 222 As much fun as being a GM is it can also be a daunting task if you have never tried it before. This section provides you with a mix of practical advice on how to create adventures, keep the players entertained, manage the rules, and other information to transform you into a kick-ass Game Master. Crime Blotter - page 188 Adventures are the heart and soul of any roleplaying game as they provide the frameworks for the stories you and your friends tell. The Crime Blotter section gives you a series of short, oneshot adventure hooks. You can run these by singularly or string them together to play through a longer adventure. State of the Empire - page 208 In addition to the Crime Blotter, this book also includes a longer adventure to get your game started. Foes - page 222 Need bad guys? The “Foes” chapter presents an assortment of antagonists torn from the pages of Judge Dredd for use in adventures of your own design. Appendix Here you will find some handy reference materials to make running Judge Dredd & the Worlds of 2000 AD even easier, such as tables, character sheets and an index.

8 Example of Play Diane, Karl, Olivia and Sylvester are playing in an adventure run by Lena. They play a group of Judges: Diane and Sylvester are Street Judges, Karl is a Tek Judge while Olivia is a Psi Judge. The team are in the process of trying to track down and arrest the infamous perp and all round bad guy Spuggy Mullet. They are now in Rick Astley Block, outside apartment 117BF, home of the dangerous Drongo brothers. The Judges earlier arrested and questioned the eldest of the three brothers, Dag Drongo, who has confirmed the three are expecting to meet with Mullet in the very near future… We can’t let him get away and we need him alive. I charge across the room and leap at Mullet to try and grab him in a bear hug. Olivia (Psi Judge Devi), Karl (Tek Judge Novak) and Diane (Judge Morris) simultaneously Um, 18. Pretty good. I’m gonna kill you jays! Gonna fill you with lead, and when I’m done I’m gonna shoot you some more. You what? I said we go in on three… I kick the door down… Wait a minute! I will use my telepathic powers to scan the apartment so we have some idea who we are going up against Olivia, playing the more careful Psi Judge Devi Okay, make a roll and tell me what you get… You can detect both of the other Drongo brothers, Frag and Brag, and a third individual, who seems less clear in your mind. Then you realise it’s him, it’s Mullet! Brag grabs a spit gun and moves to his left, raising it. Yes it is. There is a slight click and you can open the door quietly. There is a small hallway and you can hear the sounds of voices from behind an interior door, which is ajar. You are pretty certain this leads to the living room. You see Brag Drongo by the window. It looks like he has just handed something to a man in a jetpack hovering just outside the block. It’s definitely your target Spuggy Mullet! To your left, behind a kitchenette counter, you glimpse Frag Drongo ducking down out of sight. What are you all doing? Lena (the GM) Olivia (Psi Judge Devi) Rolls some dice Olivia (Psi Judge Devi) Everyone else Sylvester (Judge Kirkwood) Sylvester (Judge Kirkwood) I use my passcard to override the electronic lock to the apartment and let us in. I roll a 15, is that enough? Karl (Tek Judge Novak) rolls some dice Everybody freeze!! Shoot the mouth! Let’s kick the door down and take these creeps by surprise! Sylvester, playing the impetuous Judge Kirkwood We go in on three… Olivia (Psi Judge Devi)

9 … I roll a 14 Olivia (Psi Judge Devi) Roj that, this is H-Wagon 113-Delta-Bravo, we see your Judge, diving to intercept. Going to be close… rolls dice Lena checks the numbers required for the dice rolls to succeed. 22. That’s a hit! 12. Is that good enough? *deep Sigh* 4. Um. 16. Should be a hit. Diane and Karl, you fire and both hit the perp. Olivia your shot goes just wide. Sylvester, you leap out of the window, miss Mullet by a good five feet, and begin to plummet towards the ground. Okay, I need you to all roll to hit except Sylvester. You need to make a jumping skill roll to get hold of Mullet, who is firing up his jetpack and beginning to pull away from the building. Olivia (Psi Judge Devi) Diane (Judge Morris) Sylvester (Judge Kirkwood) Karl (Tek Sylvester (Judge Kirkwood) Judge Novak) Everyone rolls some dice AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaa... ...14 … I get a 12 for damage. Need an H-Wagon urgently, Judge Kirkwood has fallen from apartment 117 Bravo Foxtrot, Rick Astley Block. I call for emergency back-up. rolls dice rolls dice Diane (Judge Morris) Olivia (Psi Judge Devi) Karl (Tek Judge Novak) I roll for my damage… You hear a voice over your radio. Brag Drongo falls to the ground, looks like he’s one for the meat wagon. His gun clatters to the floor. Olivia you need to make a roll to see if you can get help in time… 9

10 What will happen now? Will Frag Drongo be taken alive so the Judges can question him about the Mullet case? Will the H-Wagon arrive in time to rescue Judge Kirkwood? And even if they do will the grenade, closely following him out of the window, be scooped up with him as well? And will Judge Kirkwood ever stop screaming? In play all these questions and more will be answered in their game, but for now we will leave the Drongos, Mullet, and Judges Kirkwood, Devi, Morris and Novak to their investigation. Lena looks up and smiles maliciously at Sylvester … straight towards Judge Kirkwood! Meanwhile Frag Drongo pops up from behind the counter... ...and hurls a handbomb in your direction. I switch targets and take down this perp! I grab a cushion from any nearby chair and try to bat the grenade out of the window! 17. Great, that should do it. rolls dice rolls dice Lena rolls some dice out of the players’ sight Diane (Judge Morris) Karl (Tek Judge Novak) Olivia, it is all happening too fast and you are currently on the radio, so cannot do anything else just yet. Karl, Diane, roll your dice. Karl, your shot is wide and smashes into the counter as Frag Drongo ducks behind it again. Diane, you successfully smash the grenade in midair with your cushion and it sails out of the window before plummeting towards the ground… 9. Blast, that’s not going to be good enough, is it? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! A BRIEF GLOSSARY The following are explanations of some of the core terms you will encounter throughout this book. Attributes. Attributes represent a range of core measurable facets of your character in numerical form. These attributes are STRENGTH, AGILITY, ENDURANCE, INTUITION, LOGIC, WILLPOWER, CHARISMA, and LUCK plus a couple of optional attributes which depend on the campaign. The higher an attribute, the more your character exemplifies that attribute. Attribute Check. Most activities in the game are based around an attribute check. This is a test whereby one of your attributes determines how many dice you get to roll to accomplish a task such as shooting at a bandit or lifting a heavy object. Benchmark. The difficulty of a task is described by its benchmark. This is a descriptive word and numerical value which an attribute check attempts to roll over. Career. A career is a temporary building block which helps form your character’s development. Characters take careers for periods of time during character generation as the process works its way through his life in what is known as a “lifepath” system. Each career affects his attributes and skills. For example, a few years spent working as a bartender in a shuggy hall might enhance a character’s social skills. At any given time, a character will have a current career. Countdown Pool. A countdown pool is a special sort of dice pool used to add suspense when racing against an unknown clock. It involves periodically rolling a dice pool and removing any dice which show a certain value, until the pool is empty. d6. A “d6” is a regular six-sided dice. Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000 AD is based around pools of dice in which you roll a number of dice, add up the total, and compare it to a target number known as a difficulty benchmark. Multiple dice which are rolled and added together are expressed as xd6 – for example, “3d6” means “roll three dice

11 and add them together”, while “5d6+2” means “roll five dice and add them together, then add two to the total”. d66. When the rules ask you to roll a d66, you should roll 2d6 but read them a little differently. Instead of adding them together, you read the first as “tens” and the second as “units” - for example, if you roll a 3 and a 2, you read that as 32. Rolling a 1 and a 6 gives you 16. This way of rolling dice is mainly used by the GM when rolling on random tables. Descriptor. At the top of the character sheet you will see an area known as the “descriptor”. The descriptor presents a number of fundamental things about your character in the form of a single summarizing sentence. Dice Pool. A dice pool is the handful of dice you roll when making an attribute check. It can be formed in various ways (adding dice granted by your attributes, skills and/or equipment) and is limited in size by your grade. Die Bonus/Penalty. If something indicates that it grants or inflicts a die bonus or penalty (usually in the format “a +2d6 bonus”) it refers to additional dice which can be added to (or which must be removed from) your dice pool when you make an attribute check. Experience Points. Characters earn Experience Points by accomplishing tasks, defeating enemies and completing adventures. These Experience Points (or XP) can be spent on character improvements. Exploits. Exploits are individual abilities or benefits. There are different types of exploit – species exploits, career exploits, attribute exploits, age exploits and universal exploits. Exploits include things like an android’s immunity to mental attacks, a Tech Judge’s familiarity with vehicles, or the ability to perform a deadly strike. Game Master (GM). The GM is the referee of the game. She describes the universe to the players, and controls the actions of NPCs and monsters. Grade. Your character’s grade is simply the total number of career grades you have taken. A starting character is usually Grade 5. Your grade is important because it determines the maximum sized dice pool you can form when making attribute checks. Non Player Character (NPC). An NPC is a character which is not played by one of the players. Instead, all NPCs are played by the GM. Skills. Skills are smaller, concentrated packets of interest, expertise or training. They include things like cooking, pistols, wrestling, poetry, piloting, engineering and many more. Your character will pick up new skills throughout his career. The skill list is open-ended and unlimited; a skill kicks in at any time your character performs an activity related to it. Species. Your character is one of a number of available species (including human). He might be a fierce mutant, an uplifted ape or a non-living robot. SETTING THE TONE Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000 AD is designed to fit a wide range of science-fiction styles from the comics, from grand space operas to gritty hard sci-fi. With forthcoming sourcebooks for various popular strips, whatever your favorite 2000 AD setting, you should find that you can easily play it with this game. In the Judge Dredd setting you will be able to run campaigns for a party of perps, as a group of Judges or as citizens trying to survive the mean streets of the city.

12 2000AD has a myriad of different worlds to draw from, stories that stretch from the beginning of the comic to the present. Using this rulebook and future supplements it is possible to run games in these settings. The following are some of the more popular stories. ABC Warriors The ABC (Atomic. Biological. Chemical.) Warriors are war machines, with the robots in the story forming a small elite force. At the end of the Volgan War they are recruited to tame the newly colonised world of Mars. These robots must face a Mars which has become a lawless, futuristic Wild West. Often at odds with their human commanders the A.B.C. Warriors do the missions that humans are too ill-equipped (or too apathetic) to do. In ABC Warriors you can be on the front line fighting against Volgs, or taking part in the campaign to make Mars safe for the human colonists. Players can play as robots or as human soldiers, fighting alongside their mechanised counterparts. Absalom Twenty-first century London is patrolled by Harry Absalom and his colleagues, a team who police the terms of the Accord. The Accord is a treaty drawn up between the British Crown and Hell, so Absalom is kept busy… The world of Absalom is a spin-off from Caballistics, Inc. It is another dark setting, with the forces of the supernatural arrayed against Absalom and his team. They have to deal with magical powers, possession, supernatural forces, demons and rogue entities of all kinds. Player Characters can join Harry’s team or head up a section of their own. They will face the denizens of Hell who would like nothing better than to shatter the Accord and bring chaos to Earth. Absalom’s world is not one for the faint hearted. Ace Trucking Co Ace Garp, GBH the Biffo, and Feek the Freek are the crew of the Speedo Ghost, a futuristic merchant spaceship with Ghost itself being a sarcastic AI. Ace is always looking out for ways to make his fortune, coming up against hostile aliens, pirates, police, other truckers and even a hostile planet. Ace Trucking Company fights hard to get the best contracts, dodging the law, other truckers and trouble at every opportunity. Ace has to deal with sworn enemies such as Jago Kain, a rival captain, and Cap’n Evil Blood, a vicious space pirate. These stories of space trade, humour and misadventure are the tip of the spaceberg. In this setting you will be able to run your own shipping company, or work as ACE Trucking. Prepare for backstabbing, space-trucking adventures as characters can draw from a rich and diverse set of alien races. Caballistics, Inc This setting features Department Q, created in 1940 to combat the rise in occult warfare by the Nazis. The Department Q of the past is not what it once was, and in 2004 the British Government privatises it. The crusty paranormal historian, Doctor Jonathan Brand, and his assistant, Jennifer Simmons, now face an uncertain future in the private sector. The Department was bought by a showy pop star, Ethan Kostabi, a man with a bank account of millions, who transforms the Department into Caballistics, Inc. This new team includes new recruits, notably Hannah Chapter and Lawrence Verse, who head up the organisation. The role of the Kostabi’s group is to respond to all kinds of major paranormal threats. This setting is extremely dark; Player Characters will face death, insanity and worse on a day-to-day basis. What is, arguably, worse is that they may not be able to trust their own allies. In Caballistics, Inc they face dangers that put their very souls in peril! CH/2: The Worlds of 2000AD

13 Defoe Join Titus Defoe in the 17th Century, a man who once fought for the Roundheads and saw action at the Battle of Naseby. After the Civil War he and his comrades were betrayed by Cromwell, many being killed or exiled. Titus became disgusted with Cromwell’s actions and left military life, going on to work carrying a sedan chair around London. In 1666 a massive comet passed over the southeast of the country; this started the Great Fire of London and brought the dead to life. Titus’s wife and children were among those who lost their lives. Seeking revenge on the ‘reeks’ he entered the employment of the recently returned King and became a zombie hunter. In Defoe the Player Characters can join the ranks of the King’s zombie hunters, battling the undead in the streets of London. They can be new recruits to the cause, or seasoned veterans who have fought alongside Titus in the past. With the aid of weapons designed by Sir Isaac Newton and Robert Hooke, the like of which may never be seen again, they fight against the reeking tide. D.R. & Quinch Space is vast, mind-boggling and awesome in every sense. It is full of majestic creatures, intelligent aliens and monumental feats of engineering. It is also home to a pair of delinquent alien drop-outs with access to incredible amounts of firepower. The Universe of D.R. & Quinch gives you the opportunity to attend the most prestigious of alien establishments, meet hot alien chicks, dude, and ignore every single scrap of homework. Instead you can grab the biggest guns you can find, add a big dose of attitude and steal a time travel machine to create mayhem across the millennia. Waldo ‘D.R.’ Dobbs and Ernest Errol Quinch are waiting for you to join them. Players could find themselves cleaning up after D.R. & Quinch, or bunking off to join them on their adventures. Run scout camps, start wars, make movies, open care homes. Whatever you decide to do can lead to the wildest of adventures, hopefully ending with several impressive explosions. Flesh In the future, as the population of Earth continues to grow, the teeming hordes of humanity are unable to get all the nourishment they need. So they seek to fill their plates from the distant past. Vast herds of dinosaurs are waiting for the men from the future to round up, process and ship out using the latest time travelling technology. Life on this new (old?) frontier is harsh, and the work dangerous. In this world lawless townships have sprung up providing recreation for this new breed of cattleman, as well as their own dangers. When added to the threats caused by the great meat eaters and hostile environment an early grave is commonplace. To make matters worse the companies that work the plains are beyond the control of government and safety is never a concern for them. Although the financial rewards are high will you get to spend your wages?

14 Indigo Prime If you have the Rembrandt Index, a gene that occurs in one in twelve million people across the multiverse, death is not necessarily the end for you. Welcome to Indigo Prime, an extra-dimensional agency dedicated to the maintenance and repair of distortions, breaks and anomalies that exist across the many alternate realities. You will be given a new body and trained to be one of the agency’s finest. Agents include Sceneshifters (manipulators of the physical world), Seamsters (who deal with time) and Imagineers (who can influence minds and dreams). Player characters start out as people who have died, transferred into a new body and trained to do things far greater than they could in life. Armed with your new powers, you will attempt to repair any rips or tears in the fabric of time and space you might find. You may also investigate and deal with any anomalies that crop up. M.A.C.H. 1 In need of an agent with superior physical and mental abilities the British authorities chose John Probe to be M.A.C.H. 1 - Man Activated by Compu-Puncture Hyperpower. Using an advanced form of acupuncture, Probe’s physical abilities were improved to far beyond their natural limits. With an advanced computer implanted in his skull, his body could be fine tuned to accomplish superhuman feats. The computer also processes tactical information, allowing M.A.C.H. 1 to calculate the correct angle for a shot or the right amount of force needed to smash someone’s sternum. Join M.A.C.H. 1 and the fight against the enemies of freedom and unleash your potential. Player Characters in M.A.CH. 1 are going to be agents enhanced by Compu-puncture Hyperpower. Fighting against terrorists and the agents of hostile nations, in some of the most inhospitable locations possible, they will be a strike force without equal. Necronauts It is 1926 and the illusionist Harry Houdini places the world in peril by accident when a new trick goes wrong. He is almost killed and he awakens the Sleepers. Paranormal events see both H.P. Lovecraft and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle recruited to Houdini’s cause and the three join forces with paranormal investigator Charles Fort in New York. Here they are attacked by entities known as Tcho-Tchos and embark on a dangerous journey. Player characters in Necronauts will join the likes of Harry Houdini and company to battle the Sleepers and their human allies, the Illuminated Ones. Set in the early part of the 20th Century the Necronauts fight against cosmic horror and are drawn from all walks of life. Your agents will be no different, but they will be possessed of a singular spark that marks them as a cut above the rest. Nemesis the Warlock Welcome to Termight, Earth in the far distant future. Aliens are everywhere, and Torquemada, the Grand Master of Termight, despises all alien life. Enter Nemesis the Warlock, master of Khaos and freedom fighter for alien rights. Join the Arch-Deviant in his struggle! Fight alongside the likes of Purity Brown against the evil of Torquemada! Foil his diabolical plan to eradicate all alien life in the universe! Player characters can play humans or aliens as they join Nemesis in his battles against the Grand Master. Players can play an alien like Nemesis and tear through the terror tubes in their own Blitzspear, wielding the power of Khaos. Or they could be members of the human underground who wish to see peaceful coexistence with the aliens. Expect battles galore against the tyrannical forces of the Terminators and plenty of non-stop action as the war rages.

15 Nikolai Dante It is the 27th Century and a resurgent Imperialist Russia has seized control of Earth and known space. Nikolai Dante is the illegitimate scion of the Romanov Dynasty — rivals to the Tsar. Using diplomacy, espionage and war these two great factions look to consolidate their power while eliminating their rivals. Dante is a swashbuckling young thief, a ladies’ man, and bonded to an alien cybernetic device. Dante’s life is one of adventure, espionage, politics and danger where friends are in short supply and enemies lurk around every corner. Fortunately, as a Romanov, Dante has abilities beyond most others. He can hack into computer systems, extrude bio-blades from his hands and is armed with a deadly weapon from another dimension. With these he fights back against the evil and corruption prevalent among the noble families who rule Earth. Player characters can join be agents of one of the many factions within the Empire. Perhaps they will fight alongside the Tsar against his enemies or for the Romanovs, who are, as a rule, every bit as wicked as the ruling family. Or they may be caught between them, trying to survive against the overwhelming power of the two major factions. The Red Seas It is the Golden Age of Piracy and things have never been better. Or worse. Magic and supernatural forces are at work; zombies, ghost pirates and werewolves stalk the seas. This is the world of Captain Jack Dancer, one-time captain of the pirate ship known as the Red Wench. Jack is a man who once served in the Royal Navy with honour and distinction, then one fateful day he mutinied with his crew against a tyrannical captain. As a result Jack is now on the run from British justice as a pirate. The Red Seas mixes Golden Age piracy with magic, legendary figures such as Aladdin and more. Player Characters in The Red Seas can be members of Jack’s crew or they can be masters their own vessel. They will seek out the wonders of this setting where magic, myth and history collide. Robo Hunter In the future, where robots do almost everything for man, there is little need to work. However, robots mimic humanity too well and there are always those that turn bad and it is the robo hunters who resolve these problems. From tracking down lost robots to wiping out gangs of rogue machines that have turned to crime there is plenty to keep these intrepid humans occupied. You will learn the tricks of the robo hunters and face off against a multitude of robot enemies. Robo Hunter takes you to Earth and beyond as you try to make ends meet, since the life of a robo hunter is, more often than not, far from lucrative. Player characters can take on the role of robots in Robo Hunter, helping, or hindering, the robo hunters in their work. Or they can join the ranks of robo hunters and help bring some of the most villainous robots to justice in a world dominated by machines.

16 Rogue Trooper For the Rogue Trooper life is a continuous war, a war against the vicious Norts and their ruinous war-machine. Become a G.I. (Genetic Infantryman), a soldier bred to survive on the poisonous battlefields of Nu Earth. A planet where biological and chemical weapons have turned a paradise into a hellhole, barely habitable by man. As a G.I. you are faster, stronger and more resilient than those you face in battle. Even when you die it might not be the end for your personality and memories are encoded on a chip implanted in your skull. If removed shortly after death the chip can be inserted into a slot on a G.I.’s specialised equipment; later on it can be implanted into a new cloned body. When a chip is part of the item of equipment it is able to control its functions independently. It can fire a weapon, retrieve items from a backpack or access tactical information when inserted into a helmet. In Rogue Trooper Player Characters can be G.I.s or Southers joining the fight against the Norts. Expect epic war action, battles against overwhelming odds and a gruelling fight against a relentless and clever foe. Player Characters can engage in a variety of missions from out and out assault to stealth based infiltration. Alternatively players may be among those trying to eke out an existence among the devastation created by the two rival powers. Sinister Dexter Downlode. A vast central European city where crime lords use gun sharks; hitmen (and women) who assassinate their rivals. Finnigan “Finny” Sinister and Ramone “Ray” Dexter are the premier gun sharks in the city. You will be fellow killers, employed by the gangs to ensure they keep their grip on the criminal underworld. Besides acting as hitmen Player Characters might be bodyguards, help break out criminal figures from prison or even act as guides for alien visitors. The fact-totem, the gun sharks’ information network, will continually provide work for those eager to pick up contracts.

17 Sláine Join Sláine MacRoth, with his companion, Ukko, unleash the powers of the Warp Spasm to help save the tribes of the Earth Goddess. The malevolent Lord Weird Slough Feg and his minions seek to sink Tir Nan Og and its people beneath the waves in a cataclysmic flood. Become a hero of the Earth Goddess and venture forth, axe in hand, to battle men and monsters, most notably the demonic Formorians and their gods. Player Characters can be fierce warriors or druids of the Earth Mother as they fight against the evil Drunelords and their inhuman allies. Steeped in Celtic myth the world of Sláine is rife for barbarian fantasy adventure. Strontium Dog In 2150 a nuclear war wiped out seventy percent of Britain’s population. The resulting radioactive fallout caused mutations, and their numbers increased rapidly. Life became desperate as the norms became more and more prejudiced against the mutants until the rise of Nelson Bunker Kreelman. Kreelman’s solution was to eliminate the mutants once and for all using starvation, disease and out-and-out murder. The mutants rebelled and the bloody conflict saved them, but left them living in an apartheid system with the rebels banished from Earth. By 2180 the only job open to them is that of a Strontium Dog, a bounty hunter, hunting down the worst of the worst criminals. Join Johnny Alpha and the Search/Destroy (SD) Agents on their orbital space station, the Doghouse. Face criminal humans, mutants, aliens and robots – the scum of hundreds of worlds. Player Characters in Strontium Dog are usually mutants; it is almost unheard of for a ‘norm’ to join their ranks. The only job requirement is that your characters are ready to bring in the bad guys. The Ballad of Halo Jones The world of the 50th Century is very different to our own. Halo Jones spends her early life in a giant ring-shaped floating conurbation known as the Hoop, located off the east coast of America. She leaves the Hoop after a particularly traumatic day, working as a stewardess on a luxury liner. Later she joins the army, fighting on two of the worlds where a brutal conflict is occurring. In this setting you will play ordinary people living ordinary lives, who become embroiled in the greater events occurring around them. Player Characters could live their lives upon the Hoop, trying to survive as increased-leisure citizens. Alternatively they might flee Earth and find themselves in the middle of one of the wars raging among the stars. The V.C.s The V.C.s (Vacuum Cleaners) are star troopers battling against a terrible alien enemy known as the Geeks. The V.C.s are more likely to come from one of the space colonies in the solar system rather than Earth herself. They are humanity’s best hope of staving off annihilation at the hands of its implacable foes. In the V.C.s the Player Characters are members of an elite squad, completing missions beyond the capabilities of most other star troopers. Earth’s High Command will send you on dangerous missions against the invaders. The cost may be high and you will be the ones who have to pay it should things not go to plan. You will engage in a variety of missions off planet and take the fight to the Geeks.

18 Each player in Judge Dredd plays a character – a Judge, a Citi-Def soldier, a citizen, a Sov spy, a gangster, a mutie, a robot or one of many other possible options. You can choose from a variety of careers to build the character you want to play. This section of the rulebook tells you how to create a Player Character. It includes information on attributes, skills, careers and exploits. By working through this chapter, you will be able to easily create a fully playable character ready for play in a Judge Dredd campaign. All you need is a character sheet, a pencil and a copy of this rulebook. Good luck! The streets of Mega-City One are waiting for you! ABOUT THIS CHAPTER This chapter on character creation includes the following information. A character, in its basic form, is simply a collection of three types of elements: attributes (which define core capabilities), skills (which define areas of special competence or knowledge) and exploits (which are special abilities and traits). The rest of the elements listed below, such as careers, age, species and so on, are simply choices which determine your attributes, skills and exploits. » An overall walkthrough of the character creation process. » Details about the character’s descriptor and grade. » Information about attributes, what they mean and how they are used. » A list of over 150 example skills. » A choice of character species, along with their descriptions and abilities. » Over 60 distinct careers which your character may adopt. » Universal exploits, which are distinct abilities that can be acquired by any character. » Details on how to calculate a number of derived statistics. » Nearly 40 traits. » Information on character age. » Over 30 psionic exploits. All of these elements are building blocks which contribute towards your character. Although this may seem a lot, creating a character is actually a very simple process – you will simply choose a species, five careers, a couple of items like exploits and traits and then equip your character. Once you become used to the process a character should not take more than a few minutes to create. CHARACTER CREATION WALKTHROUGH Follow these steps to create a character. 1. Note your starting attributes (3 for each attribute, except for PSI and REP which start at 0). 2. Choose a species (p. 24). 2.1. Apply species attribute adjustments. 2.2. Note your SIZE. 2.3. Choose three species skills. 2.4. Note all the listed species exploits. 3. Choose a hook, and note it in your descriptor (p. 19). 4. Choose five careers (pp. 30 - 70). For each career grade, do the following: 4.1. Apply all of the listed attribute adjustments. Note that you may optionally substitute either one of your species attributes or your hook attribute for one of the listed attributes. 4.2. Choose two of the listed skills and advance each by one point. Note that characters may optionally always select a defensive skill instead of a listed skill. 4.3. Choose one new career exploit from the list shown or choose one universal exploit. 5. Select aim or feint (free universal exploits) plus one other universal exploit of your choice for which you qualify (p. 70). 6. Choose one trait based on your highest or lowest attribute and note that in your descriptor (p. 75). 7. Calculate your derived statistics (p. 78). 8. Determine your character’s age (p. 74). 9. Equip your character with armour, weapons and equipment (p. 88). CH/3: Character creation

19 TOTAL CHECKLIST When you have finished, you will have chosen: » 5 career exploits. » 10 skill ranks from your careers plus 3 from your species, making 13 in total. » 20 attribute points from your careers, plus the 24 you started with, adjusted by species. » 2 universal exploits, including either aim or feint. » A trait and a hook. DESCRIPTOR At the top of each character sheet is a descriptor. This is a short introductory character summary. Each player should read their full descriptor to the rest of the group before beginning play. For example, Six Toes Tony reads: A young reckless Mutant burglar who has a problem with authority. The descriptor is made up of the following elements, some of which are not always used. A[n] [age] [trait] [species] [career] who [hook]. » Trait. The trait is the name of a special ability or quality defined by a character’s lowest or highest attribute (see p. 75). » Age. The age entry is only used if the character is younger than adult or older than middle-aged. You may choose any synonyms for young and old (adolescent, youthful, aged, mature, etc.); age can give you a free exploit (see p. 74). » Career. The career entry can be one of two choices. It can be the character’s current career, or it can be the character’s longest-serving career. If the longest-serving career is not the current career, it should be prefixed with “ex-” (for example, an exStreet Judge or an ex-Heister). » Hook. The hook is a broad background/skill/interest chosen by the player. It can be anything, but it is designed to round out the character with personality, interests, or hobbies. For example, a player might choose “...who enjoys hard liquor” or “... has a taste for romance” or even “...who collects insects as a hobby”. The hook is chosen early in the character creation process. It complements career and skill choices as a lifelong background aspect to the character, unconnected to specific vocations and training. The hook works as a broad skill. When making an attribute check, if the task is related to your hook, the dice pool explodes (in other words, any sixes rolled grant an additional die). The hook should provide a frequent reminder of a character’s background. What you cannot do with the hook is gain a combat bonus to attack or damage. Hooks like “...who enjoys target shooting” or “... who likes boxing” can sometimes be slipped in by players as sneaky combat bonuses, but sadly they do not work like that. The boxing hook might help recall a past champion or identify a winner’s belt, but it will not assist a character in throwing a punch. The player should assign one attribute to be loosely linked to the hook; for example, if the hook is a physical activity, he might choose STRENGTH. This is called his hook attribute. Whenever advancing attribute scores through a career choice, the hook attribute may be chosen instead of one of the listed career attributes. /// Example Descriptors » Judge Sera Devi is an alert Human Psi Judge who cannot tell a lie. » Judge Terence Novak is an erudite Human Tek Judge who loves celebrity gossip. » Judge Jessica Morris is a rugged Human Street Judge who collects antiques. » Judge Clayton Halsey is a stoic Clone Med Judge who always tries to impress. Each player should read their character’s descriptor aloud to the other players before play begins. ATTRIBUTES Player characters are defined by a set of attributes. Attributes are a selection of values which help describe a character. They measure things like strength, agility and intelligence; somebody with a higher STRENGTH attribute is stronger than somebody with a lower one. The primary attributes in Judge Dredd are STRENGTH, AGILITY, ENDURANCE, WILLPOWER, INTUITION, LOGIC, CHARISMA and LUCK. There are also two secondary attributes called REPUTATION and PSIONICS. There is no upper limit to an attribute. The human species is used as a benchmark for “average”, with a score of with 4 in each physical, mental, and personal attribute being roughly average for a civilian adult human. An attribute of 12 typically represents performance exhibited by recordholding human athletes or scientific geniuses. Einstein and Sherlock Holmes exhibit a score of 12 in their LOGIC attributes, while Winston Churchill and Rasputin have scores of 11 or 12 in CHARISMA, although Player Characters and NPCs in Judge Dredd sometimes exceed these values.

20 Monsters, too, are described in terms of attributes. A mighty tyrannosaurus rex might have a STRENGTH attribute of 20. Non-human species have different averages and norms to humans; this is represented by their different starting attributes. Attributes will change during character creation and then later through character advancement, as your character embarks on new careers. A stint in the Citi-Def might make you a bit tougher, increasing your ENDURANCE attribute, while years spent as a member of the Wally Squad might increase your CHARISMA. The attributes are described in more detail below. Attributes sometimes combine to create derived statistics – for example, the physical attributes can affect a character’s MELEE and RANGED DEFENCE score, and the mental attributes affect a character’s MENTAL DEFENCE score. Other attributes are used to determine how fast your character can run, how much he can carry, how far he can jump, or how much damage he can take. /// Attributes & Dice Pools The actual attribute scores are only used during character creation and advancement. During play, you will use your attributes’ associated dice pools. There is more detail on this later, but dice pools are groups of dice which you roll when your character attempts a task; the more dice you roll, the higher you are likely to score. Your attributes determine how many dice you can roll. The total that you roll is compared to a difficulty benchmark; if you roll equal to or higher than that benchmark your character succeeds at the task. A benchmark looks something like: Challenging [13] AGI check. This means that you roll your AGILITY dice pool and if you roll 13 or more your character succeeds. There is much more information on difficulty benchmarks and attribute checks in the section on adjudicating the game. Attributes grant dice to these dice pools in a granular, expanding scale, meaning that each new dice is harder to obtain – for example, an AGILITY of 7 means that your AGILITY dice pool is 3d6, while an AGILITY of 10 lets you roll 4d6. Skills (covered a little later in this book) use the same expanding scale, granting more dice to your dice pool. So a skill rank of 3 in pistols gives you 2d6. You would add that to the 3d6 you might have if your AGILITY score is 7 when taking a shot at a hostile alien, meaning that you get to roll 5d6 in total. Attribute & Skill Scale 1-2 3-5 6-9 10-14 15-20 21-27 28-35 1d6 2d6 3d6 4d6 5d6 6d6 7d6 You can also gain dice for high quality equipment. For example, an exceptional quality item gives you another 2d6 to add to your dice pool. Equipment is dealt with in detail elsewhere. » STRENGTH (STR) measures physical power, might and brawn. It is used to determine carrying capacity, some melee attacks and melee damage. If you want to break a door down your GM may ask you for a STR check. » AGILITY (AGI) measures dexterity and reflexes. It is also used to determine ranged attacks and some melee attacks. You might use your AGI to perform a fancy shuttle manoeuvre or to land safely after a nasty fall. » ENDURANCE (END) is a measure of healthiness, constitution and hardiness. It, along with WIL, is used to determine your overall HEALTH score. An END check might also be used to resist the effects of poison or disease. » INTUITION (INT) measures common sense, perception, empathy and natural instinct. It is used to tell when someone is lying, spot something or sense impending danger. Some might refer to it as “EQ” or “emotional intelligence”. Animals often have high INT attributes, especially those with keen senses. » LOGIC (LOG) is a mixture of reasoning, knowledge and education. While IQ is not a great measure of intelligence, 60 + (LOG x 10) gives an approximate IQ in the mid-ranges. You would make a LOG check to operate a complex electronic device, apply firstaid or recall specific knowledge. » WILLPOWER (WIL) is strength of mind and power of concentration. Along with END it determines your overall HEALTH, and is part of your MENTAL DEFENCE. » CHARISMA (CHA) is a combination of physical attractiveness, personal magnetism and force of personality. It is the attribute used when interacting with others, whether leading them, negotiating with them or deceiving them. While physical appearance is part of the CHA score, it is a minor part at best; far more important are personality and presence. » LUCK (LUC) is an unpredictable force and some people are naturally luckier than others. Your LUCK dice pool forms a resource of dice which can be added at will to other dice pools in order to improve your chances or which can be spent on other special actions. This resource replenishes itself every day. » REPUTATION (REP) is a measure of fame, respect, influence, social standing and credit rating. You can make a REP check to get a loan or see if somebody has heard of you. Your REP also partly determines your starting money. » PSIONICS (PSI) measures the psionic potential of a character. It is used for mental and telepathic attacks and abilities. /// What Attribute Scores Mean Though the following terms are not used in the game in any meaningful way, they can help you to envisage what your character’s attribute scores actually mean. The table above can be used as a quick tool to understanding your character’s attributes as viewed from a human perspective (although a T-Rex might not consider a human with 12 STR to be powerful!) It does not include all the attributes, but the ones it does include should give you a reasonable perspective on the overall scale.

21 GRADE Your grade is equal to the total number of career grades you have taken; the largest dice pool you can form during play is defined by your grade. A starting character with 5 career grades is grade 5, and has a maximum pool size of 5d6. Some NPCs, civilians or weak monsters may be lower than grade 5 and their maximum dice pool is equal to their grade. For example (this will be explained in more detail later), Kabati has 9 AGI, 4 ranks in swords and an exceptional electrokatana. That would normally give him a dice pool of 7d6 (3d6 for his attribute, 2d6 for his swords skill, and 2d6 for his exceptional weapon). However, he is only grade 7, which gives him a maximum dice pool of 6d6. In effect, some of his dice are wasted until he can gain more experience. Maximum Dice Pools 5d6 6d6 7d6 8d6 9d6 10d6 11d6 12d6 Grade 5 Grade 6-7 Grade 8-10 Grade 11-14 Grade 15-19 Grade 20-25 Grade 26-32 Grade 33-40 /// Starting Grade A typical character begins at grade 5, which includes five career grades. However, the GM may wish to start the game at a different grade. Starting characters at grade 1 will be young, they will be below average in terms of competency but have limitless scope to grow. Alternatively, starting at grade 2 can give characters the start of a career. A new cadet or a teenaged moisture farmer longing for adventure might fit this approach. A character’s maximum dice pool cannot be reduced to lower than 3d6, no matter how low their grade, though an NPC’s or a monster’s dice pool can. A grade 4 character has a maximum dice pool of 4d6, and a grade 3 or lower character has a maximum dice pool of 3d6. Starting characters at grade 10 will be highly competent, experienced professionals. These characters know what they are doing and they are good at it. They may have already maxed out one entire career – they may be highly specialised Judges or perps. A grade 10 character has a maximum dice pool of 7d6. The GM can set any starting grade. You may find you enjoy certain styles of game over others and the starting grade can be a major factor in this. It is recommended, however, that all players begin with characters of the same grade so that none overshadow the others. Skills Skills represent things your character is good at. Skills are picked up as a character progresses through his life, reflecting their training and background. Some are academic skills, such as the sciences; others are physical skills like running or climbing. Still others may reflect social skills like intimidation, technical skills like engineering or activities like piloting and forgery. A skill is not required to attempt a task. Having ranks in a skill indicates that you have particular training in that subject; however, even if you have no ranks in piloting, you can still try to land a damaged shuttlecraft and having no ranks in pistols does not prevent you from taking a shot at an attacking alien. The skill list is open-ended. This means that any activity can be a skill; it does not have to be on the list below. You might wish to choose flower arranging, origami or interior decorating. The list below is simply a list of examples; feel free to add to it. A skill forms part of a dice pool. When making an attribute check, you may add skill dice to your attribute dice (you may also add equipment dice) to form a dice pool which is rolled against a target difficulty benchmark. Dice Pool STRENGTH AGILITY LOGIC REPUTATION Attribute 1d6 Weak Clumsy Low Street 1-2 2d6 Average Average Average Block 3-5 3d6 Strong Adroit Gifted Sector 6-9 4d6 Powerful Agile Genius City 10-14 5d6 Mighty Remarkable Extraordinary Genius Global 15-20 6d6 Superhuman Superhuman Supra-genius Interstellar 21-27

22 » Academic Skills examples: accounting, art, economics, geography, history, journalism, law, linguistics, literature, philosophy, politics, theology » Artistic Skills examples: calligraphy, film-making, modelling, painting, photography, poetry, pottery, printmaking, sculpting » Combat Skills examples: axes, bite fighting, boxing, brawling, clubs, gunnery, heavy armour, heavy weapons, knives, light armour, martial arts, medium armour, pistols, polearms, powered armour, reactions, rifles, swords, tactics, wrestling » Crafting Skills examples: appraisal, basket-weaving, blacksmith, carpentry, cooking, gem cutting, stone-masonry » Developmental Skills examples: bravery, concentration, fortitude, hardy, insight, meditation, perception, resistance » Gaming Skills examples: backgammon, blackjack, checkers, chess, darts, dominoes, draughts, gambling, poker, shuggy » Medical Skills examples: medicine, psychology, genetics, toxicology, xenology, forensics » Miscellaneous Hobby Skills examples: brewing, fishing, gardening, hunting, ornithology, riddles, sewing » Outdoor Skills examples: animal handling, farming, mining, survival, tracking » Other Skills examples: bureaucracy, hypnotism, local knowledge » Physical Skills examples: acrobatics, carrying, climbing, high-g, jumping, running, swimming, throwing, zero-g » Performance Skills examples: acting, comedy, dancing, fortune-telling, juggling, mime, musical instrument, singing, stage magic, storytelling, ventriloquism » Psionic Skills examples: biopsionics, clairsentience, clairvoyance, ergokinesis, metapsionics, telekinesis, telepathy, teleportation » Scientific Skills examples: archaeology, astronomy, astrophysics, biology, botany, chemistry, climatology, criminology, ecology, geology, genetics, mathematics, medicine, meteorology, nanotechnology, oceanography, physics, psychic phenomena, psychology, sociology, xenology, zoology » Sporting Skills examples: aeroball, baseball, basketball, batgliding, boinging, competitive eating, dodgeball, football (gridiron), sailing, skysurfing, tennis » Subterfuge Skills examples: appraisal, bribery, cryptology, disguise, escape artist, forgery, interrogation, stealth, surveillance, thievery » Social Skills examples: bluffing, carousing, counselling, detect lie (birdie), flirtation, intimidate, linguistics, negotiating, teaching » Technical Skills examples: communicators, computers, demolitions/explosives, electronics, engineering, scanners » Trivia Skills examples: astrology, celebrities, historical period, movies, rock ‘n roll, theatre » Vehicle Skills examples: astrogation, driving, gunnery, navigation, piloting, riding, sailing

23 /// Skill Notation Sometimes entire categories of skills are referred to in this rulebook instead of single skills. When this happens, the category is noted in square brackets in order to avoid confusion. For example, an entry which says [outdoor] refers to the entire list of survival, animal handling, tracking, farming, mining, and any others. In these instances, it is also appropriate to choose new skills of your own devising, as long as they fall within the category’s overall topic – if a career tells you that you may choose a [vehicle] skill, you can choose any of the listed examples or you might decide instead on ballooning or submarining. When noting a skill, you do not need to indicate categories or placeholder titles. You simply note “chess” rather than “gaming (chess)”; similarly, you simply note “pistols” or “nunchukus” rather than “ranged weapon (pistols)” or “melee weapon (nunchaku)”. Computers includes use of starship scanners and sensor/comms systems. Navigation refers to land and sea-based travel. The space-based equivalent is astrogation. Local knowledge is a catch-all term; the skill should actually be the name of a place. Within Mega-City One, this is typically a block or a sector. Weapons. In combat, unarmed fighting and weapon skills all add to relevant AGI, INT or STR attack checks. Melee weapons include categories of weapon type (swords, axes, clubs, knives, etc.); ranged weapons similarly include weapon types, such as bows, pistols, rifles or heavy weapons. Gunnery refers to vehicle or ship-mounted weapons. Unarmed combat types include (but are not limited to) bite fighting, boxing, wrestling, brawling and martial arts. Armour. Armour is divided into light, medium, heavy and powered armour. You can still wear armour in which you have no skill ranks, but – as with all equipment – you need skill ranks to benefit fully from higher quality armour.

24 /// Skill Levels Skills are used to form dice pools in the same way that attributes are and use the same scale as attributes to derive the size of the dice pool. As a general rule, 1 skill rank is proficient, 3 is considered skilled, and is roughly equal to a bachelor’s degree; 6 is an expert, and is roughly equal to a doctorate; 10 is regarded as mastery, and 15 makes you an authority on that subject. These ranks correspond to derived dice pools of 1d6, 2d6, 3d6, 4d6, and 5d6. Einstein had a score of 15 (5d6) in physics. Miyamoto Musashi had a score of 15 (5d6) in swords. Characters with skills that high are extremely rare. Skill Ranks Skill Level Dice Pool 1 Proficient 1d6 3 Skilled 2d6 6 Expert 3d6 10 Master 4d6 15 Authority 5d6 Species Your character is likely nothing like you. In fact, your character may be a completely different species to you. There are a number of different species to choose from; they all have different starting attributes representing typical members of their species. Some may be fast or strong, while others might be extremely intelligent or psionically gifted. Each species is different. Start by choosing a species and sex for your character. Your species will determine your starting attributes, which are the attributes of a small child of that species (human adult average is 4 in each attribute). Your gender does not affect your attributes or skills at all. Humans provide the simplest, most straightforward playing experience. Once you have selected your species, record your starting attributes and choose four from the list of available skills. Each species also has natural exploits (such as the robot’s immunity to mental attacks). Whilst there are a myriad of alien races that exist across the worlds of 2000AD, humans, clones, mutants, apes and robots make up the playable species in Mega-City One. Future supplements will cover a number of alien races and go into more detail in the cases of robots and mutants. /// Species Attribute Bonuses Every species is different, and part of this different is highlighted by their different starting attributes. Gorillas are strong and Orangutans are great acrobats, while Humans are known for their luck. STR AGI END INT LOG WIL CHA LUC PSI REP Human* +2 Clone +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 Mutant +2 +2 +1 Robot +2 +2 - Ape (Chimp) +1 +2 -1 +1 Ape (Gorilla) +2 +1 +1 Ape (OrangUtan) +1 +3 *+2 to one other attribute and +1 to a third attribute All of your attributes start at 3, except for PSI and REP which both start at 0. Your choice of species modifies those attributes in the form of bonuses and some (rare) penalties. /// Humans The vast majority of those living in Mega-City One, and elsewhere on Earth, are humans. They can be found in all walks of life, forming the masses of the employed and unemployed. Almost all of the Judges are humans, with a small number being human clones (see below). » Size: Medium » Attributes: LUC +2, +2 to any one other attribute and +1 to a third attribute » Skill choices: any Exploits » Varied. Humans boast more variation within their species than most. Add 2 to any attribute, and add a further +1 to one other attribute (noted above). » Enduring. Humans may not be the fastest or the strongest, but they are known for their resilience. Humans get +1 to their 1d6 die roll to shake off a temporary condition. Gender and Ethnicity Gender has no effect on your character and should be treated as a purely descriptive element. Some species may have entirely different genders or no gender at all. You should feel free to select from the entire range of gender-identification and sexuality, though these things are unlikely to form a major part in most games.

25 /// Clones Some beings are grown in tanks, cloned versions of existing members of their race. In humans these clones emerge into the world with the body and mind of a five-year old, and certain already instilled skills. The most famous clones are Judge Dredd, and his brother, Rico, both of whom are clones of Judge Fargo. While clones draw most of their attributes from their ‘parent’ the scientists who carry out the cloning frequently look to create an individual more suited to their future role. As a result clones tend to be uniformly above average in all areas, but do not - initially - excel in any particular attribute. » Size: Medium » Attributes: STR +1, AGI +1, END +1, INT +1, LOG +1, WIL +1 » Skill choices: [developmental], [physical] Exploits » Ingrained Skill Package. You come into being with existing skills and abilities. Choose one category from the following: [combat], [physical], [academic]. You gain four skills at one rank from your chosen category. » Fast Healing. Clones heal an extra 1d6 HEALTH each day. /// Mutants Mutants are a varied group of people who have suffered genetic abnormalities. These were caused by the radiation fallout caused by the Atomic Wars in 2070, along with the chemical and biological weapons that were also released during that conflict. The end result is that there are people born with genetic abnormalities, extra appendages, a dependency on blood or numerous other mutations. A harsh life is the fate of almost all mutants. Mutants are illegal in Mega-City One and any born there are usually exiled to the Cursed Earth. Here they spend their youth in internment camps. They may leave once they reach adulthood (assuming they survive the harsh conditions) and choose live in the wastelands instead. Mutants in the Cursed Earth often live alongside normal, unmutated humans (or norms). They can scratch out a living on small subsistence farms, have a nomadic existence hunting those few animals that have also survived the disasters of thirty years ago or live in small townships and villages. More aggressive mutants often turn to banditry. Groups of mutant marauders are a real menace to any peaceful folk who live in, or travel through, these lands. Mutants within Mega-City One are banned and any discovered living there will be rounded up and exiled into the Cursed Earth. Should they be guilty of a crime they will first have to serve any sentence before their exile. » Size: Medium (unless a mutation indicates otherwise). » Attributes: END +2, WIL +2, REP +1 » Skill choices: bluffing, disguise, running, stealth Exploits » Radiation resistance. You are immune to radiation damage. » Mutation. Roll on the mutation table to randomly determine your mutation. Mutant characters will be dealt with in more detail in The Cursed Earth supplement.

26 Mutations D66 Mutation 11 Glowing eyes. You are able to see in darkness as though it were daylight. 12 Hard skin. Your skin is hard and tough. Roll 1d6. On a 1-4, your skin is like bark - you gain 5 natural SOAK, but are Vulnerable (1d6) to fire damage. On 5-6, your skin is like steel - you gain 5 natural SOAK, but are Vulnerable (1d6) to electricity damage. 13 Crystalline structure. Your body is made of crystal. You gain 5 natural SOAK but are Vulnerable (1d6) to sonic damage. You are also immune to the Bleeding condition. 14 More than two eyes. You have extra eyes; they might be on the back of your head, in the palms of your hands, or somewhere else. You gain all-around vision and cannot be flanked. 15 Gills. You can breathe underwater. 16 Poison fangs. You can bite and deliver a venomous toxin, like a snake. Your unarmed attack increases by +1d6 and becomes piercing/poison damage. 21 Toxic exhalation. You can spit a toxic glob or exhale a cloud of gas. Roll 1d6. On a 1-3 you spit toxic glob to a range of 10’ at one target; on 4-6 you exhale a cloud of gas at an adjacent target. Your attack does poison damage equal to your END dice pool. 22 Radioactive emission. You can fire a beam of radiation from your hands (1-3) or eyes (4-6). This does 3d6 heat damage, with a range increment of 3. 23 Regeneration. You can heal wounds that would kill a normal man, and re-grow body parts even if they have been severed. As long as you are above 1 HEALTH, you automatically heal 1d6 HEALTH per hour. 24 Increased metabolism. You move a lot faster than normal. Your reactions are increased and the world seems run at a slower rate for you. You must consume twice the normal amount of food and drink to remain alive. You have three actions per round, although you may not perform any given action (attack, move, etc) more than twice. 25 Extra appendage. You have more than the normal set of appendages - extra arms, legs, more than one nose, or four ears. Arms give you +1d6 STR, legs give you +1d6 AGI, and noses or ears give you +1d6 INT. However, you also suffer -1d6 CHA. 26 Psychic Powers. You are born with a range of psychic powers. Gain +2 PSI and one psionic power for which you qualify. 31 Vampire. You require blood for nourishment. You also have a greater than normal sensitivity to light/UV. Any day you do not consume one pint of blood moves you suffer the Fatigued Condition. This is a permanent status and cannot be shaken off. The only way to remove it is to consume a pint of blood. Additionally, you suffer -1d6 to perception checks in daylight. 32 Steel teeth. Your teeth are as strong as steel and can bite through things that others simply cannot. Your teeth ignore 5 points of SOAK. 33 Bone spikes. You are covered in a layer of spikes which protrude through it from your bones. Your natural damage becomes piercing. Anyone or anything that attempts to attack you unarmed takes 1d6 damage each time they strike. 34 Projectile spines. Rather like a porcupine, you have quills covering part of your body. You can also eject these with some force. Your quills have a range increment of 3 and do your natural damage. 35 All Seeing Eye. You have a single eye in the middle of your forehead. This eye is immune to illusions that a psychic might create and can see even perfect holograms for what they are. This power is effective to a distance of 5’ times your INT attribute. 36 Animal features. You have a variety of animal features. You could have cat’s eyes, a dog’s tail or sharp bear claws, for example. These features may give you additional abilities - cat’s eyes could give you the ability to see at night, bear claws could give you an extra +1d6 to unarmed damage, a dog’s tail could attract condescending remarks from others as to what a good boy you are.

27 Mutations D66 Mutation 41 Uplifted animal. A talking raccoon, a humanoid bird hybrid, a large lizard-like woman; these mutants are the result of a combination of human and animal. Like Animal Features above the Game Master may agree to allow an appropriate bonus for the character. 42 Tentacles. Part human, part ‘something’ else. Some part of you has been replaced by tentacles rather than hands, or feet. Perhaps your whole lower body has been replaced in this way and you have an unusual form of locomotion. Roll 1d6. On a roll of 1-3, your arms are replaced and you gain +5’ reach; on 4-6, your legs are replaced and you become immune to the effects of difficult terrain. 43 Chameleon. Your skin has an unusual pigmentation which enables you to change the colour of your skin to match your surroundings. You gain +2d6 to stealth checks. 44 Internal Combustion Engine. Being exposed both to intense radiation and chemicals has made you into a walking firebug. Your internal chemistry is such that it will combust in open air. Fortunately you have control over this and an inferno can be unleashed from your body for up to one minute by spending two actions, covering your skin in flames. You are immune to fire damage. While you are aflame, any creatures starting their turn within 5’ of you will take 1d6 fire damage. 45 Sonic Boom Girl. You can produce a sonic shout that can shatter bone and vibrate structures to pieces in a sonic wail. Your sonic attack does 2d6 sonic damage in a 15’ cone. 46 Displaced Organs. You might look human (or not), but your internal organs are not in the same place as nonmutants. You gain 2 natural SOAK, and you are immune to any exploits which rely on the attacker targeting your anatomy for extra damage. However, anybody attempting medical assistance on you suffers a -2d6 penalty to their check. 51 Taller than normal. Your height is greater than normal, possibly even taller than the tallest member of the human race. Roll 1d6+6 to determine your height in feet. You are considered large sized. 52 Dwarfism. You were born smaller than the normal human height and might be mistaken for a child. You are small sized. 53 Electrostatic generator. You can generate your own internal electricity, which you can then unleash as a burst of energy. The attack has a range increment of 5, and does electricity damage equal to your END dice pool. 54 Living weapon. You can transform parts of your body, usually hands or feet, into sharp blades. This is often done by extruding the bone from underneath the skin, and thanks to the mutation the bone is as strong as steel, sometimes stronger. You can manifest any one-handed bladed melee weapon by spending two actions. 55 Rubberised body. You have stretchy skin and bone and can elongate parts of your body. You take half damage from falling, half damage from attacks which do blunt damage, and have +1d6 AGI. 56 Odd Body. You have something significant and strange about your body. It could be a face in your chest, or a second head atop your shoulders. 61 Atmosphere processor. You can breathe in a variety of gaseous atmospheres, surviving in areas that would normally kill humans. You are immune to all gases as long as there is enough oxygen in the air to survive (in an atmosphere without any oxygen you would still suffer like a non-mutant). 62 Iceman. You are freezing cold. You are immune to cold damage, and Vulnerable (+1d6) to fire damage. Your natural attack does cold damage and causes the target to suffer the Slowed Condition. 63 Rotating head. Your head can rotate 360o. You gain +1d6 to INITIATIVE and perception checks. 64 Acid blood. Your blood is a strongly acidic. When you are hit by a slashing weapon, the attacker - if within 5’ - takes 1d6 acid damage. 65 Linguist. You are able to converse with any creature in its language. This does not grant the creature intelligence it would not normally have. 66 Roll for two mutations. If you roll 66 again reroll the result.

28 /// Robots Many of the problems faced by Mega-City One can be put down to the huge numbers of unemployed. The major factor causing unemployment is the wide variety of robots that can do most work better and more cheaply than humans. Robots come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, each specifically designed for a particular role. Most robots are effectively slaves, they have no rights other than those other property enjoys (although robot fights, where two robots fight to destruction, are banned). It is possible for robots to be free; the robot in particular must have a sponsor (almost always its current owner) and be advanced enough to be sentient. The legal process is normally quite lengthy except in cases of service to the city, although such cases are extremely rare. Player Character robots will normally be free robots of this type, or androids that can pass for human and keep their true nature hidden. Robot characters will be dealt with in more detail in The Robot Wars supplement. » Size: Small, medium, or large; robot » Attributes: STR +2, LOG +2, PSI - » Skill choices: computers, engineering, running, linguistics, [technical]. EXPLOITS » Mindless. Robots are immune to any attacks which target MENTAL DEFENCE. » Deterministic. An Android’s PSI attribute cannot rise above zero. An Android can have a LUC attribute, but cannot spend LUC dice to gain bonus dice when making attribute checks. » Electronic Vulnerability. Robots are vulnerable (1d6) to electricity damage and vulnerable (2d6) to ion damage. » Automaton. Robots do not need to eat, sleep or breathe, and weigh 150% normal. Choose one of the following modification exploits: » Organic Appearance. The Robot’s appearance is uncannily like that of a human (or other species) although not so alike that it would fool anyone. » Wheels. The Robot moves on wheels instead of legs. This reduces its SPEED to 2 across difficult terrain, but increases its SPEED by 2 on normal terrain. » Armour. The Robot is plated with armour, giving it SOAK 5. The Robot’s weight is 200% normal instead of 150% and it suffers a -1 penalty to its SPEED score. » Access Ports. The Robot can “plug in” to a computer or computerised system, granting it a +1d6 bonus to computer checks. » Scanner. The Robot has an inbuilt scanner (equal to a hand scanner) which it is always considered to be carrying. This scanner might be part of its body, or simply part of its sensory equipment, and may or may not be visible. » Compute. The Robot can absorb a large document (the equivalent of a major novel or textbook) in a minute, or make complex calculations, including FTL calculations which require no check at FTL factors equal to or lower than the robot’s LOG attribute. » Weapon. The Robot has an integrated melee weapon. Choose one weapon worth 100cr or less. /// Apes (Uplifts) Scientists in the 21st Century were to make progress in many fields before the Atomic War and since. Some of the greatest advances were in the structure of the brain and in the boosting of intelligence. While this had some benefits for humans the greatest changes were in the laboratory apes used in the experiments. These apes were given assorted treatments allowing their intelligence to be boosted to human levels. As soon as it became apparent that these apes were as smart as their evolutionary cousins the law stepped in and freed them all to live as citizens. Soon the apes began to congregate in a single neighbourhood within Mega-City One, now known as The Jungle. Here they live in relative peace, although the conditions there are less than ideal, with rubbish strewn streets the norm. It did not take long for some apes to realise that they could get much further in life by criminal means. The first ape gangs quickly appeared and were able to take control of The Jungle and use it as a base for their criminal operations. Player Character apes can be regular citizens or perps; there are no ape Judges. Chimps Great mimics, the chimps were the first of the apes to start copying their human neighbours, most notably by forming their own criminal gangs in The Jungle. Great fans of old movies, their mannerisms often resemble those of 1920’s gangsters, films about whom they adore. Most, however, are law abiding citizens (or as law abiding as any group of citizens can be). » Size: Small » Attributes: STR +1, AGI +2, CHA +1, WIL -1 » Skill Choices: acrobatics, brawling, carousing, movies, gambling Exploits » Natural Climbers. Chimps gain climbing as a natural movement mode, able to climb at their full speed with no checks needed. » Zero-g. Chimps gain zero-g as a natural movement mode, able to move in zero-g at their full speed with no checks needed. » Great Leap. Chimps gain +5’ to both horizontal and vertical jump distances, and are able to use their full jump distances from a standing start. » Throwers. Chimps are great at throwing things. They double the range increment of thrown items and do +1d6 damage with thrown weapons. » Agile. Chimps are noted for their dexterity. When taking a new career, a Simp may optionally exchange one of the listed four attribute increases for AGI, as long as it doesn’t result in a duplicate attribute advancement. » Weak-willed. Chimps suffer a -2 penalty to MENTAL DEFENCE.

29 Gorillas Due to their great strength, these apes are dangerous foes should they take a dislike to someone. The large silverback males are the strongest of all apes and can be quite aggressive. Some gorillas have become the enforcers and thugs of choice in the ape gangs. » Size: Large » Attributes: STR +2, AGI +1, INT +1 » Skill Choices: brawling, carrying, interrogation, intimidation Exploits » Mighty Load. Gorillas are able to carry great weights. Their CARRY capacity (and their max lift) is double normal. » Thick Fur. Gorilla fur means that they are immune to cold-based environmental effects and gain natural SOAK 5 vs. cold damage. » Roar. Gorillas can roar at a single target within 30’, making a CHA mental attack; on a hit, the target becomes Afraid. Any given target can only be affected by this roar once. » I am Kang! Because of their large size and physical prowess gorillas inflict an additional +1d6 damage in unarmed combat. Orangutan Superb climbers these apes are generally the most peaceful of the three commonest ape species. Less likely to be drawn into crime than other apes, they can make excellent burglars due to their natural skills. » Size: Medium » Attributes: AGI +3, STR +1 » Skill Choices: acrobatics, carousing, gambling, reactions Exploits » King of the Swingers. Orangutans have a natural CLIMB speed equal to their normal SPEED and do not need to make checks when climbing. » Great Leap. Orangutans have double the normal jump distance, and take half damage from falls. » Fast. Orangutans get a +1 bonus to their SPEED, and a +1d6 bonus to INITIATIVE. 29

30 Careers in Judge Dredd Careers in Judge Dredd fall into three broad categories. First of all there are civilian careers, available to normal, (mostly) law abiding citizens. As the vast majority are on welfare most careers reflect their hobbies, rather that an actual job. Perps (the term for criminals in Mega-City One) can also take the citizen careers. However, they also have access to a large number of extra criminal ones that allow them to become more proficient in certain types of lawbreaking. Finally there are Judge careers. These are available solely to Judges, and follow a fairly rigid pattern. Judges will find themselves working in one of the core divisions where they will specialise in gaining skills to help in the fight against crime. As they become more proficient extra career options will open up to them as they rise through the ranks. Civilian and Perp Origins Everyone was a juve once, before they became a ‘dult. Starting citizen or perp characters can take one of the following juve origins before moving on to their adult careers. Juve origins include juve, delinquent and juve gang. An origin career can be taken multiple times during character creation. Once a character leaves the origin career they can never go back to it. Delinquent [2d6+6 years] » Prerequisites: none » Attributes: AGI +1, END +1, INT +1, LUC +1 Skill Choices: brawling, computers, local knowledge, stealth, thievery There are always anti-social types and their number includes many juves. Delinquents will often commit crimes but do not belong to the local gang. They see gangs as something they wish to have no part of (not least because members of the gangs are always being harassed or, even worse, arrested by the law). Delinquents have both anonymity and freedom of action; they are more likely to get away with any crime they commit so long as they are not unlucky. Both perps and citizens can take the delinquent career as an origin career. In the latter case they will grow out of their criminal ways; in the former they are likely to become perps who are largely independent of any criminal organisation. Exploits » Petty Larceny. You are an accomplished little thief. You are practiced at stealing things; you can break into buildings and apartments and are capable of acts involving sleight of hand. You gain the following skills at one rank (this does not increase a skill beyond one rank): thievery, climbing, stealth. » Vandal. Your frequent acts of vandalism have taught you how to break things in the most efficient manner. You ignore 5 points of SOAK when making a melee attack against inorganic material. Juve [2d6+6 years] » Prerequisites: none » Attributes: INT +1, AGI +1, LOG +1, LUC +1 Skill Choices: [academic], [artistic], local knowledge, [sporting], [trivia] Being a juve is boring. You have to go to school, where other juves are. Some become lifelong friends, some you get to hate for life. When not at school you have no money to do the things you like, since your parents are almost certainly on welfare. And the block gangs and bullies hassle you whenever you go out where they can find you. For the most part you behave, you are not malicious. But you are a juve, and even the best behaved juve likes to have some fun from time-to-time. Unfortunately the Judges will clamp down hard on anything remotely illegal. The volumes of petty regulations means that there is almost always something the Judges can get you for. So you try to avoid anywhere the Judges are likely to look, and as much time is spent trying to hide as having fun. Being a juve is boring. Exploits » Speedy. Being quick on your feet is often the only way to avoid the law and the juve gangs. You are faster than most! You gain +2 SPEED. This bonus does not stack with any other SPEED bonuses. Careers Page References Careers in Judge Dredd................................................... 28 Civilian and Perp Origins................................................... 28 Civilian Careers...................................................................... 29 Perp Careers........................................................................... 40 Judge Origins.......................................................................... 52 Judge Careers ....................................................................... 55

31 » Juvebunny. You know every detail of your Block — you gain +1d6 to all checks when in your block. » Tough! You have taken your beatings and have shown you are tougher than most. You gain +2 natural SOAK. » Tech Kid. You gain one rank in each of the following skills: computers, electronics, engineering. Juve Gang [2d6+6 years] » Prerequisites: none » Attributes: STR +1, INT +1, CHA +1, REP +1 » Skill Choices: brawling, gambling, knives, local knowledge, running, [trivia] Every block is troubled by gangs, usually consisting of teenagers and young adults. Juve gangs often consist of a main, criminal group with a feeder gang of younger juves. A single gang will often control an entire city block, running off all rivals. In many blocks there is a whole patchwork of small gangs of close friends who might get by dealing in proscribed products or petty larceny. As a gang member a citizen might pick up some minor skills before leaving for a more respectable life on welfare. Others join gangs as the first step in a long criminal career, so civilians and perps can both be members of these gangs. Most gang members will often do nothing more serious than shoplifting or minor vandalism. The hardened core of the gang are the ones most likely to be involved in serious criminal enterprises and to engage in vicious gang fights, called rumbles, against their rivals. Exploits » Shiv. You are adept at violence using improvised weapons. Using objects in your surroundings, you are always considered to be holding a knife or a club. When you hit somebody with a knife, you automatically inflict the Bleeding condition. » Stone Cold Stare. You have an intimidating presence and are able to mess with people’s heads. You can make a REP mental attack against a target, inflicting the Afraid condition on a success. » Me and My Homies (requires Stone Cold Stare). When using your Stone Cold Stare ability, you can affect one target within 30’ for each member of your own party that is within 30’. Civilian Careers The Big Meg boasts a wide variety of things for civilian characters to do. For example, there is the average Joe Citizen with no job or the individual who works in Resyk. The unemployed take up many hobbies to fill the hours; such as Peepers who like to watch their fellow citizens’ daily lives from the safety of their own apartment, or Jaegers who spend their time climbing the big city blocks. Then there are thrill seekers such as the Sky Surfers or Boingers, who may risk encubement by taking their hobbies to illegal extremes. For civilian characters the following careers are available. Bat Glider [1d6 years] » Prerequisites: none » Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, LUC +1, REP +1 » Skill Choices: acrobatics, climbing, gliding, jumping, perception The onrush of wind across your masked face, the feeling of sudden freedom away from Judges, crazies and gangs, this is something to live for in this miserable city! You feel most at home in the skies above Mega-City One, a devotee of the batgliding craze. You love nothing more than donning the cowl, cape and suit of a bat gliding kit that lets you become free to soar between the city blocks. Bat gliding is one of the hobbies that citizens choose to undertake to relieve the monotony of their boring days. Keeping to the specially restricted areas for their own safety it is, for the most part, a safe pastime. Leave the designated areas then there is a very real danger of being stuck by a hover vehicle or being arrested (or worse) by the Judges. For criminals the hobby allows them to get to otherwise difficult to access places (useful for burglars) or to make a hasty escape… Exploits » Air Tricks. You have superb control over your Bat-Glider and are able to reverse direction 180º with a free action. » I am the Night. You can use your gliding skill instead of stealth to sneak through the air using your Bat-Glider. » Wing and a Prayer. You move your SPEED, swooping down and grabbing a medium-sized target partway through the glide and swooping up again. Blocker [1d6 years] » Prerequisites: none » Attributes: INT +1, AGI +1, END +1, LUC +1 » Skill Choices: carousing, climbing, gaming, local knowledge, [trivia] They say there is a whole world out there beyond these walls, but you have no need to leave the massive building complex you call home. You live in a huge edifice that stretches up into the Mega-City One sky, a building known as a city block. You might have been born in this block, as your parents might also have been, and might never have left its confines, for you see no need. You might know nothing of the life outside the block walls, it sounds pretty scary and exciting in equal measure. Life within your block has all you need. Your block has its own Judges policing it and there is the Citi-Def too, who are well armed, helping to protect the city from foreign enemies (should they dare attack), or, more importantly, protecting the block from nearby rivals. You know of the other blocks close by because you hear about them on the block news channels. Usually the creeps that live in them are up to no good!

32 A city block has housing, shops, garages, businesses and entertainment areas all within its walls; a small city inside a single building. Living within a block you get to know all the gossip and where to hide in times of danger. And maybe this year you might get to join the Citi-Def and serve your block with honour and distinction. A blocker career allows a citizen or criminal to have a home turf, where they have friends or associates who might help them. A Player Character will know where to go for whatever they need and where it is not safe within the block. Exploits » Home Sweet Home. When in your Block you can pause for two actions once per day and get a second breath, recovering half your HEALTH. » Stash. You find a stash of good items somewhere in the Block, something you can sell to make a little cash. Spend one LUC die to recall a nearby stash containing items of a value equal to ten times a LUC check. » Block Deal. You know a guy who knows a girl, who knows that there is someone selling that item you wanted at a good price. You save 10% on all purchases. Boffin [1d6 years] » Prerequisites: one [scientific] skill. » Attributes: INT +1, LOG +1, WIL +1, REP +1 » Skill choices: computers, perception, [scientific], survival, [technical] Boffins are skilled scientists and are some of the most sought after citizens in the city. Although they can find it hard to get jobs due to the large amount of competition their lot is better than the run of the mill citizen. A boffin may be employed by a major corporation working towards the latest breakthrough, by Justice Department as a civilian employee or even by the local mobster who needs good chemists to produce potent designer narcotics for their dealers. You could fill any of these roles, or might have to work alone in a makeshift lab in your small apartment. And you are always very careful with those potentially explosive chemicals you work with… Scientists are a big part of Judge Dredd; in fact many of the early villains in Dredd were mad scientist types. This career not only makes a great career for a civilian, but also a superb one for a perp who wants to have an edge on their rivals. Exploits » Scientific Knowledge Base. Choose four [scientific] skills. You gain these four skills at 1 rank (1d6). This does not increase the rank of an existing skill. » Analytical Eye. You are able to identify the resistances, immunities, and vulnerabilities of any creature you can see with a Difficult [16] LOG check; if you use a hand-scanner, it is only a Challenging [13] LOG check. This requires two full actions of observation. » Improviser. In the field, you need to improvise. Using your scientific know-how, you can create a crude object or device from your surroundings. This requires a LOG check, with a difficulty value equal to the purchase value of the object, and takes 30 minutes. » Modify. You may modify the output of any energy weapon or device to any other energy type of your choice. This takes one minute. The device operates for five minutes, but breaks permanently when this time is up. » Weird Science. When you encounter an item of technology beyond current human knowledge you are able to understand exactly how to operate it if you spend an hour examining it. This exploit will only work on items from a particular field of study (examples include time travel, teleportation, inter-dimensional travel devices, etc). You can choose when you encounter such a device to activate this exploit. This exploit can be taken multiple times; each will be able to be applied to a different field of study. » Knowledge No Man Was Meant To Know. (requires Weird Science). You are able to duplicate and improve upon any item you have examined using the Weird Science exploit. You will agree to any improvements you wish to make with the Game Master prior to taking this exploit. This exploit can be taken multiple times but each time it is used it can only be applied to a single device. Boinger [1d6 years] » Prerequisites: none » Attributes: AGI +1, END +1, LUC +1, REP +1 » Skill Choices: boinging, bravery, jumping, perception Boing® is the latest and greatest thing, and you have embraced it fully. You are a boinger, a crazy sports aficionado and you are addicted to the thrill of the bounce. Boing® is a spray that encases your whole body in a rubbery, synthetic hamster ball. After using it you just leap into the Palais de Boing play area and try to maximise your score as a human pinball! Boing® is banned from use outside of the designated buildings. However, some thrill seekers take boinging to its most extreme, leaping off the top of tall buildings, or high up on city blocks. The Judges are on the lookout for this activity as the boinger almost always spins out of control, and while the perp is safely encased within the miracle plastic anyone they hit is likely to end up as a smear. It is difficult to stop a boinger; the standard procedure is for a Judge to use an incendiary round. This causes the Boing® to melt and become sticky, gluing itself to the first thing it then strikes. Specialist cutting tools are then used to free the perp before the flames engulf them (fortunately Boing® burns slowly, so after the initial accelerant in the bullet has been used up there is normally time to save the perp inside). A hefty iso- or juve-cube sentence then follows for the perp as Justice Department is determined to stamp out illegal boinging.

33 A skilled boinger can determine their direction of travel. A skilled perp who has this as a career could use Boing® as an emergency escape method from a tricky situation or to access to an otherwise inaccessible location. Exploits » What a Boing®. You can direct your first Boing®, so that you will bounce to the exact location you want to. » Natural Boing® Killer. After the first Boing® you can make an AGI (boinging) melee attack to Boing® into a foe. » Cutting Gear. You escape as a free action once the Boing® has come to a stop. » Quick Spray. You can get boinged up with two actions rather than the usual full minute. » Come to a Stop (requires What a Boing® and Natural Boing® Killer). You can stop your Boing® at any time after the first Boing®, although this will take two boings to come to a complete halt. Citi-Def [1d6 years] » Prerequisites: none » Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, WIL +1, REP +1 » Skill choices: [combat], explosives, insight, local knowledge, perception You are a proud member of your local Citi-Def unit, the final line of defence for Mega-City One in case of an attack by hostile forces. A well equipped citizens’ militia, these groups train repeatedly in order to prepare for the day when their skills are required. In theory these groups are a great boon for the Judges. The reality is something else entirely. Citi-Def units are a regular source of trouble for the Judges. They are frequently at the forefront of block wars, when rivalry between two nearby blocks turns into fully fledged armed conflict. They often go rogue, with live fire training ‘exercises’ where many citizens are killed, being unwitting stand-ins for ‘the enemy’. And then there is the equipment itself. With armouries protected by average citizens they present an attractive target for any perps eager to get hold of some heavy weaponry and other specialised items. Both citizens and perps may take a Citi-Def career. Criminal types who take the Citi-Def career will want access to the specialist training and equipment these paramilitary groups provide. Exploits » Combat Hardened. You gain +2 SOAK. » Level by Level. Citi-Def know their block, they know every inch and can use these spots for an ambush. They can also use the layout to gain a tactical advantage. When a Citi-Def is in their own block they cannot be ambushed. » Home Defence. Trained to use their weapons in the confined spaces of their city block, this exploit increases firearm damage by +1d6 if within one range increment. » Like a Commando. If you can get close to an enemy then you are deadly with a knife. When attacking a firearm-wielding foe with a knife, you do +1d6 damage. » Call in Support. In your own block you can call in 1d6 Citi-Def allies (page 232) to help. They arrive within one minute. Citizen [1d6 years] » Prerequisites: none » Attributes: INT +1, WIL +1, CHA +1, LUC +1 » Skill Choices: carousing, [crafting], [gaming], local knowledge You are one of the multitudes living in Mega-City One who try to keep their heads down to stay out of trouble. You have your high school diploma in unemployment so are well qualified for the life that stretches out before you. You dream of the day when fortune smiles upon you and you get a job flipping burgers in one of the cheap fast food stalls that pervade Mega-City One. You try to avoid coming to the attention of the Judges, despite being confused by the overwhelming number of laws you could unwittingly fall afoul of. You could get caught in the middle of a gunfight between perps and Judges; and if you are unlucky you could be shot. Perhaps you might be brought in for questioning by the Judges, convinced you are one of the perps! Citizens can also be a goldmine of information for the Judges. Dredd, for example, manages to maintain a healthy relationship with a number of citizens and sometimes they have even come to his aid.

34 Exploits » Knowledge is Key. You might actually know a thing that will save you in a pinch. Running away from an Angel Gang member? Maybe you know a shortcut! Spend one LUC die to gain an immediate benefit (with the Game Master’s approval). This benefit must be a narrative benefit - you cannot gain die bonuses with this exploit. » Face in the Crowd. You are one of those citizens who is so nondescript you can hide in plain sight. If there is a tap gang working the pedway they will choose someone else to mug. If there are Judges performing strip searches on random passers-by they will leave you alone to pick on some other unfortunate. In a crowd you are considered to be invisible, unless you choose otherwise. » Burger Flipper. You gain a menial job for a while. You gain +2 REP. Employee [1d6 years] » Prerequisites: none » Attributes: LOG +1, LUC +1, CHA +1, REP +1 » Skill Choices: appraisal, bluffing, bureaucracy, computers, [crafting], negotiating You are one of the privileged few who have a job; even if it might not be the most glamorous work available in the city. With most roles now taken by robots, in government, manufacturing and service sectors, you are very lucky indeed. While some, such as top scientists or artists of various stripes, have unique skills most of those who work do so because they are even cheaper than getting a machine to do the job. It is possible you keep your job secret from all but your closest friends and family; to do otherwise may create problems with someone overcome with jealousy (you always hear of cases on the news where citizens are killed for having a job). To have a job to fill your hours and an income to pay for your needs is something few others ever achieve. Employee careers can be taken by both citizen and perp Player Characters. It is possible that a job for a criminal could be nothing more than a front to allow them to show they are paid legitimately rather than living off the proceeds of crime. It is also possible that a job could give opportunities to commit crimes. The numbers rackets in Mega-City One are one example, as they rely on corrupt employees for their existence. Exploits » Job Savvy. You have job knowledge that is above and beyond the norm for someone like you. Use it well. Your ranks in one skill related to your job increase to 3. » Extra Responsibilities. You got promoted at work and gain +2 REP. » Hard at WEork. The excitement at having a job means you have learnt to avoid many of the effects of tiredness. It is like you are on intravenous synthi-synthi-caf! In any 24 hour period, the first time you suffer from the Fatigued condition you may ignore its effects. » Up at the Crack of Dawn. You can survive on just 4 hours’ sleep a night. Gamer [1d6 years] » Prerequisites: [gaming]. » Attributes: INT +1, CHA +1, LUC +2 » Skill choices: [gaming], [social], thievery Gambling, like many things in Mega-City One, is illegal but it is second nature to many. The thrill of having a flutter is worth the risk of losing one’s shirt (or kneepad) or even one’s liberty. You have some expertise in games of chance, making you more likely to come away with other’s people’s credits rather than losing your own. You count cards, know the odds and can keep a poker face when bluffing, most ordinary citizens have no chance if they gamble with you. Exploits » Lucky Streak. Roll 3d6 and multiply by 100. You gain that many credits. You may repeat this exploit, gaining 3d6x100 credits each time. » Cheat. You know a couple of tricks. In a game of chance, you may reroll any 1s in your dice pool. » Chancer. You may spend 5 minutes once per day to replenish your LUCK pool an additional time. » Loan Shark. You are well known among those involved in the shadier aspects of gambling. Among your acquaintances is a loan shark who can get you 2,000cr if you need it quickly. However he expects to be paid back twice that the following week. Alternatively repay his money and perform a major favour for him… » Where the Action is. You can find out information on any gambling event in the sector, and even some of the major events beyond, as long as the information is known about on the street. On a Difficult [16] CHA check you will find out everything about a specific gambling event: game, location and the individuals involved. This information can be useful in tracking someone down, getting inside information or for anything else the Game Master allows. Jaeger [1d6 years] » Prerequisites: none » Attributes: STR +1, AGI +1, END +1, LUC +1 » Skill Choices: acrobatics, bravery, carrying, climbing, jumping, running You have no fear of heights and, honestly, no fear of death by falling. If you go splat, you know that you will be remembered by your friends as a daredevil climber who left a beautiful, if somewhat red and sticky, mark on the city. You might feel sorry for the sanitation robot that has to

35 clean up the mess, but you have to do this. Climbing sheer rockcrete walls in high winds is just too much of a challenge for you not to give it a go. For you there is no better feeling than standing atop a block which towers a mile or more into the skyline and looking out across the city To overcome the mind-crushing boredom of having no job and no prospect one citizens turn to a wide variety of pastimes to fill their days. Some might wash the same dishes again and again, others may try to head eggs into a bucket, the really weird may read books… block jaeger clubs offer another option. Here groups of likeminded citizens group together in an effort to scale the tallest of city blocks. These groups are closely monitored by Justice Department for their activities can obviously represent a hazard. However many blocks are designed with scaleable walls both on the inside walls and the exterior of the block. As long as jaegers keep to these they are left alone by Justice Department. Exploits » Wallcrawler. You gain a CLIMB speed equal to your regular SPEED. » Daring Jumper. You gain +5’ to your horizontal jump distance. » Get Back Up. You have had your fair share of falls. You may stand from prone as a free action. » Managed Fall. You can reduce the effective distance you fall by 10’, reducing the damage you take. You can take this exploit again, gaining 10’ each time. » Daredevil! You have no fear of heights. In fact, you have no fear. You are immune to the Afraid condition. Journalist [1d6 years] » Prerequisites: none Attributes: INT +1, LOG +1, CHA +1, REP +1 » Skill Choices: bureaucracy, carousing, computers, insight, interrogation, journalism, local knowledge, negotiation, perception “Excuse me, Judge Dredd, might I have a moment of your time?” Those are the words that ring around inside your head as you hope one day to grab an exclusive interview with the man. You are a journalist, one of the many who broadcast on local public channels. If you manage to break a big story you might become a reporter for the main block channel’s news, a huge story might get you a spot on the sector wide news. You dream of such things, but for now it is just you and your small portable unit. You roam the block and the nearby area trying to find anything remotely newsworthy while trying not to get mugged by the local juve gangs. Of course, like all journalists, you are monitored by Justice Department. Anything deemed too subversive, offensive or inflammatory is quickly suppressed, if you are lucky. If you are less fortunate a banning order might be imposed or even a spell in the iso-cubes. If you work for a larger channel they might stifle any exclusives you reveal, so sometimes the best way is to work on your own, with a small block channel. A journalist career can help a character in many ways, for it can open doors and get people to speak more freely than they would otherwise. Even the Judges can be a little more careful when dealing with journalists, although not as much as journalists would like… Exploits » Freedom of the Press. The press has some freedoms that allow them to investigate wrongdoing to the full. As long as they cooperate fully with Justice Department they might be able to get away with some minor lawbreaking if it allows the perps to be exposed. Spend one LUC die to be let go with a caution if apprehended by a Judge for a crime with a sentence of one year or less. » Source. Every Journalist has a source or three. You have one that you really rely on. Create a source NPC by simply naming the source and giving them an occupation. That source will provide you with information as long as you are able to contact them. » Press Pass. Need an “in” to that private party, this is it! Make a REP mental attack versus a bouncer or gatekeeper to gain access to a private event. » Off the Record. You can convince somebody to give you some juicy information - totally off the record of course, you would never break that sacred bond. Or would you? Make a CHA mental attack; on a success, your target agrees to speak with you. If you betray their trust, however, they will never trust you again.

36 King of the Road [1d6 years] » Prerequisites: none » Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, LOG +1, LUC +1 Skill Choices: carousing, driving, engineering, gambling, navigation, riding, survival The smell of oil and the growl of the engine as it labours under the weight of your mobile home are the things you live with day-to-day. You live on the city’s roads 24/7 moving from place to place, never stopping anywhere long enough to put down roots. You live in mopad, a mobile home with all mod cons and this is the life for you. You get to see more of the city than most people. Sometimes you are lucky enough to witness a car chase involving the Judges on their Lawmasters as they go sweeping past! Kings of the Road live in mobile homes. These can be top of the range luxury homes or they can be small, barely running, ramshackle vehicles which should be impounded. Your mopad does not stop in one place for long, it keeps moving and you avoid the law as much as possible. Besides the Judges the greatest threats come from modern day highwaymen and wreckers, criminals who cause traffic accidents in order to rob from those caught up in the ensuing carnage. You probably only trust a few close folks too, because everyone else on the roads is sure to be looking after number one. Kings of the Road also make an excellent front for a mobile gang of perps. They are able to slip away from a crime scene with relative ease once they make it back to their mopad. Exploits » Pedal to the Metal. When you need to get the best out of your mopad, you can push it harder than normal, gaining +1d6 SPEED for one round. After using this exploit a minute must be spent fixing things before this exploit can be used again. » Road Warrior. When you are in your mopad you fight better. You are the true King of the Road! You gain a +1d6 bonus to attacks when in your mopad. » Stocked and Locked. You have a cache on your mopad. Once per day you can pull one small item with a value of 100cr or less, such as a weapon, food, synthetic beer, Boing® or some other thing, from your stash. Your GM has to agree that you have the item when you retrieve it. » One Last Mile. Your fuel gauge may show your tank is empty but it is amazing just how far you can get the mopad to go on those last few drops of fuel. You may coax one mile out of a vehicle without fuel, but you must refuel to at least half a tank before you can use this ability again. » Road Savvy. You know the Big Meg’s roads really well - shortcuts, best routes and places to go to stop for the night away from road gangs, wreckers and even the Law. You can spend one LUC die to find a safe place within one mile, avoiding whoever you are seeking to hide from for at least 1d6 hours. Nark [1d6 years] » Prerequisites: any perp career. » Attributes: INT +1, LOG +1, CHA +1, REP +1 » Skill Choices: bluffing, bribery, carousing, insight, perception, stealth Throughout history police forces have relied on informants in order to investigate crime and the Judges are no different. Informants, or narks in Mega-City One parlance, are figures often on the fringes of crime - if not petty criminals themselves. While this is not something that ingratiates them to the Judges the latter do realise most law abiding citizens do not know enough to be useful narks. You are one of these figures. You may have approached the Judges with information willingly in order to be paid a reward. Alternatively you could have provided intelligence on local criminals in order to have any petty crimes you have carried out removed from your record (avoiding a spell in the iso-cubes). There are perks to being a nark, if your information is good you will receive some credits depending on the value of the information you pass along; as long as the dirt keeps on coming in, you will keep on getting paid. For you, it is a win-win situation, as long as the local criminal underworld does not find out. A nark might also come from a criminal career path, becoming an ex-criminal and turn against those they once knew, either to get revenge or to save themselves from the iso-cubes. It is a dangerous path to take regardless, because you are bound to upset someone, if not everyone, you know. Exploits » Judge Buddy. You have a Judge as a friend and you can call them in to bring bad guys to justice. Just do not abuse it, because Judges being continually called in to resolve minor matters might get tiresome for them and lead to your own incarceration for wasting Judge time. Spend a LUC die; the Judge arrives within 5 minutes. » Clandestine Observer. You have mastered the art of observing people without them really seeing you do it. You gain +1d6 to both perception and stealth checks used when operating in plain sight. » Blind Eye. Sometimes you have to break the law to help the law catch the bad guys. This is a one-shot get out of jail card per adventure, as long as the crime is not too serious (GM’s discretion). Once it is used, the Judges are likely to decide you are as bad as the perps and arrest you. » What’s the Plan? You need to know the big score so you can nark on it good. Make a CHA mental attack; on a success, the villain you have targeted explains his plan to you.

37 Peeper [1d6 years] » Prerequisites: none » Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, WIL +1, LUC +1 » Skill Choices: astronomy, concentration, insight, local knowledge, perception, stealth, surveillance Secrets, secrets. Mega-City One is full of them and you know those of your neighbours. With your high-powered binoculars and your insatiable appetite to stick your eyes into other people’s business, you are a peeper. The people you spy upon are as close to a family as you have, you see their lives through your lens and feel you have a real emotional link to them all. You are most definitely not a ‘creeper’ peeper though; those guys give you a bad name. Always looking through someone’s window, looking at them as they undress, nasty! You might have accidentally seen some things but you always turn your lens away if you come across them. It is just not right to watch in such circumstances! Peepers engage in illegal use of surveillance equipment to watch their neighbours. The Judges tend to handle peepers differently than other perps; if they catch one they will offer them a deal – they will avoid iso-cube time if they peep for the city. Any crimes they see they will have to report so the Judges can swoop on the lawbreakers. If they are particularly effective they will start to be paid for the information, in order to provide more of an incentive. Often the Judges will encourage the peeper to invest in superior equipment to help in their efforts, offering them at a discount. It is a dangerous careers if they are found out since the neighbours so beloved of the peeper tend to be unsympathetic if they are discovered. Exploits » Always Watching. You are always watching; watching and making notes. You have excellent perception and you notice things other people fail to. You gain +1d6 to perception. » Surveillance Gear. You gain a surveillance kit which includes binoculars, trackers, bugs, and other similar devices. » Vantage Point. You are comfortable perching somewhere high up, and always succeed in your check to access the ambush turn when you do so. » Star Child. You know a lot about astronomy, and can navigate without error as long as you can see the sky. You also gain high quality telescope. » I Know What You Did. Hey, you know that stash of drugs you are hiding in your basement? Well, would you like the Judges to find out? You gain +1d6 to intimidate or interrogate attempts. » Blackmailer. You gain 1,000cr. Private Investigator [1d6 years] » Prerequisites: none » Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, LOG +1, REP +1 » Skill choices: brawling, bureaucracy, driving, interrogate, intimidate, law, perception, pistols There are always people who want information gathered surreptitiously on others, and when they do they often go to a private investigator. These are licensed by Justice Department and for the most part are involved in proving that a spouse is cheating on their partner. Some private investigators specialise in retrieving stolen property or tracking down missing persons, and their skills sets tend to be more impressive. As a private investigator you are likely to have some money and a small office in a typical rundown block in the middle of a typically crime laden sector. You track your targets, try to keep out of the way of the Judges and make sure your permits are up to date. The private investigator career is one that can provide plenty of leads for a citizen based campaign as there will always be clients looking for help from a professional… Exploits » Troublesense. You are easily able to spot trouble before it happens. You gain a +1d6 bonus to initiative checks. » Out of Place. You know the signs of suspicious behaviour. You gain a +1d6 bonus to checks made to spot unusual or criminal activity. » Anti-surveillance. You are so familiar with surveillance devices, blind spots and avoidance techniques. By moving half your speed, you can render yourself invisible to electronic monitoring equipment. » Quick with your Fists. You move in dangerous circles and sometimes the best way to deal with tough guys is to be able to hit them harder than they can hit you. You gain a +1d6 bonus to all brawling checks. » Grubby Office. There is little doubt that meeting the expectations of others can help you get what you want. The grubby little office you use for business certainly helps you in this regard. You gain a +1d6 bonus to any [social] checks made in your office. Psyker [1d6 years] » Prerequisites: none » Attributes: INT +1, LUC +1, REP +1, PSI +1 » Skill choices: bluffing, concentration, hypnotism, meditation, negotiation, [psionic] Psykers are individuals with psionic powers but are not members of Justice Department. Justice Department tries to recruit as many psykers as possible into their Psi Division; however, many with appropriate talents are unable to be Judges. Some may be too old to enter the Academy of Law – although the age limit can be raised for those whose powers are revealed at a later date there is a limit to this. If powers are first spotted in a teenager or adult then they are considered far too old to become a Judge.

38 Others may fail in their training and are expelled. Despite potential Psi Judges being given a little more leeway than other cadets many still do not make the grade. Other psykers may not be capable of being Judges, or their psi powers are not considered powerful enough to be considered. Then there are immigrants and aliens who could come into the city and are not be eligible to become Judges. The potential number of psykers is large and Justice Department tries to keep tabs on all those about whom it is aware. However, there are always some who fall through the cracks. Psykers can live life on the edge more than most citizens. Their powers can make them stand out more and constant Justice Department surveillance can cause issues. Most try to live as normal lives as possible. Others become career criminals, where they use their powers to enrich themselves and any gangs they are associated with. These psykers are the ones Justice Department keep the closest eyes upon and for good reason – for they are often among the most dangerous of perps. Psykers can take any psionic exploits for which they qualify. Exploits » Ghostly Advice. Once per day you may receive advice from “ghosts” (really lingering consciousness artifacts) which gives you a +2d6 die bonus to the next attribute check you make within 1 minute. » Precog. Your natural precognition gives you a +1d6 bonus to INITIATIVE checks as well as checks to access the ambush turn. » Fair Trade. You are able to monitor a negotiation or bargaining situation with the agreement of both parties. You immediately sense any falsehood or deception on either part. » Speak-with-dead. You have the ability to interrogate a dead body which has been dead for less than a day. It will truthfully answer three yes/no questions with no PSI check needed. » Psychic Interrogation. You can make a special PSI attack vs. a suspect’s MENTAL DEFENCE. Success means that they must answer three yes/no questions truthfully. » Sense Motive. You are able to sense strong emotions within 30’, although you cannot necessarily pinpoint their location. » Mind Barrier. You have learned psionic techniques that protect your mind from harm. You gain a +5 bonus to MENTAL DEFENCE. » Sense Other. You can detect the presence of another psyker if they come within 30’ of you.

39 Scavenger [1d6 years] » Prerequisites: none Attributes: END +1, INT +1, CHA +1, LUC +1 » Skill choices: appraisal, bluffing, carousing, flirtation, gaming, performing, thievery Life in Mega-City One is hard and many do not have the means to live well and what welfare payments (if any) they receive are rarely sufficient. Many are forced to live on the streets or in shanty settlements on wasteland. In order to try and survive many turn to crime while others turn to scavenging. In such a huge city there are plenty of things that get damaged and thrown out; scavengers sift through these mounds of rubbish, grabbing anything that might be of value in the hope of making some credits. You are a scavenger, one of the people in the city that makes a living by grabbing cast-offs: technology, clothing, recyclable materials. You take anything and everything of potential value that can be found in a skip or dumping ground. You are not viewed as a criminal by the Judges unless you take things that are from other people’s property. Despite this the Judges are likely to detain and search you if they spot you carrying something of value. However, you survive and have the skills to make basic repairs and to cannibalise spares. Where you live is likely to be a mess of spare parts scattered around. You might even live in a city block and fill your tiny apartment with junk, a real packrat. One day you will make enough money to be able to afford a lock-up to store your valuables. Until then you are happy enough to live among the piles of other people’s trash. Exploits » Unseen. You know how to blend in so that nobody pays any attention to you. You gain a +1d6 bonus when attempting to do so. » It’s Not All Junk! You have collected a vast amount of other people’s rubbish over the years and some of it is even useful. If you spend one hour rifling through your stash you have a chance of finding just the thing you need. The item cannot be very valuable (50cr or less) and you need to make a Challenging [13] perception check to find it. » An Eye for the Unusual. Spending so much time looking through the trash means you have become adept at spotting anything unusual that would otherwise remain hidden. You gain a +1d6 bonus to all perception checks. Scrawler [1d6 years] » Prerequisites: none » Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, CHA +1, LUC +1 » Skill Choices: climbing, painting, perception, stealth Scrawlers tend to be juves or young adults, although it is not unknown for older perps to take part in the crime. It is possible to stay legal, using only Justice Department approved scrawl walls. But it is more likely you risk the wrath of the Judges by sneaking out to where there are no surveillance cameras to (literally) make your mark on the city. Mega-City One has always had a scrawler problem; ever since the first block was constructed juves have taken it on themselves to ‘redecorate’ them. The problem has been around ever since the first aerosol spray paint became cheap enough for any juve to buy with a few bits of change. Like other crazes the Judges try to limit the damage caused and arrest the worst offenders, but it is a problem that has never gone away during the city’s existence. There is a hierarchy of scrawlers in the city. There are bored juves who may put their tags on a wall whenever they are at a loss over what else to do with their time. Then there are artists who create murals, these tend to be the only ones who always stay legal. The best are often hired by individuals or businesses to spice up their property with something eye catching. Others use public walls set aside for precisely the purpose of letting scrawlers use them. Then there are the juve gangs who spray their gang marks to let everyone know their territory. Finally there are those who aspire to be king, the top scawler in the city. From time-to-time two or more scrawlers will try to outdo each other with acts of derring-do, placing their tags in more and more prominent places. Exploits » Trapeze Artist. Scrawlers often try to out do each other by placing their scrawl high up on local landmarks. The ability to climb to the heights is a must. You can perform any normal action without penalties when climbing. » Anti-surveillance. You do not remain a scrawler for long unless you can remain undetected. You know all the local blind spots to be able to avoid being caught on camera. By moving at half speed, you can remain undetected by electronic surveillance. » Art Savant. You can spray paint really well, you are a natural, and you got Joe Dredd’s chin just right! You have extra kudos in the local scrawler community. You are more likely to get positive reactions in any social situation with juves and juve gang. Gain +2 REP.

40 » Spraygun Combat. You can use your spray cans in a fight. Use your painting skill to attack with your spray can. It only does 1d6 damage, but it causes the Blindness condition. Some scrawlers like to perfect a dual-wielding spraygun style. Skysurfer [1d6 years] » Prerequisites: none » Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, LUC +1, REP +1 » Skill Choices: acrobatics, bravery, jumping, perception, skysurfing You live for the thrill of surfing your board across the skies of Mega-City One. The feeling of achieving a high-speed manoeuvre is unlike anything else and as long as you keep to the heights the Judges leave you alone. The greatest kudos among your peers, and the greatest thrills, are to be had with dangerous street level skysurfing. Here every move could lead to death or injury, and the Judges do not take prisoners. There are tournaments, both for legal skysurfing and illegal street level races, and if you hone your skills you may be able to enter them one day. Until then you will stick to the heights and practice (or, at the very least, that is all you claim to do to the authorities). Skysurfing has a small but growing following among sports fans. Some of these illegal races are beginning to get coverage on the underground vid channels. These races are considered a major hazard by the Judges who often shoot first and ask questions later. Exploits » Big Time. You have gained fame in the skysurfing circuit. Gain +1 REP and 500cr. » Need for Speed. By tinkering with you board and constant practice you are able to get more out of it than your average skysurfer. You gain +2 SPEED on your board. » Superb Balance. If a foe is able to cause you to dismount or knock you prone when on your board you may spend a LUC die to remain standing. Social Elite [1d6 years] » Prerequisites: [social]. » Attributes: CHA +2, REP +2 » Skill choices: [social] In a world where most live off welfare you are one of the lucky ones. You have managed, by dint of great effort or great luck, to live a life among the elite. You attend all the best social functions that happen in the best blocks in the sector. You are highly unlikely to have any real interaction with the masses of poor (or even with the Judges who rule the city, other than paying their taxes). You move in higher circles although this has its own problems. The uncouth masses resent your wealth so you have hirelings to keep them away from you. Worse than this are the criminals; thieves, fraudsters and kidnappers who threaten your wellbeing. Worse still are rivals in society, who have enough power and influence to cause polite society to shun you, almost the worst fate imaginable and why you are likely to belong to a clique of your own for protection. Worst of all are the Judges, of course, who are liable to lock someone up on the flimsiest of excuses and even take all their money in fines. Life is good, but you must always be on the lookout for threats to your comfortable existence. Exploits » High Class. You are at home when in high class social gatherings. In such environments, you gain a +1d6 bonus to all attribute checks. Unfortunately, you are less comfortable – or welcome - in lowerclass environments, and suffer a -1d6 penalty to all social interactions in such situations » Home Protection. The problem with belonging to higher social circles is that the city’s criminal elements are all the more likely to target you. As a result you have had installed in your home a licensed home protection system, with a pair of automatic sentry guns guarding your home. Built in safeguards protect you and all valid visitors, but any burglar or rioter is going to get a big surprise! Two spit guns are fitted to your home, with a 5d6 dice pool to hit any intruders. Taking this exploit again can either add two more guns or increase the dice pool by +2d6 for two pre-existing guns. This exploit can be taken a maximum of four times. » Small Inheritance. A distant aunt has died. It is very sad. Gain 1,000cr. You may repeat this exploit and gain an additional 1,000cr each time. Sportsperson [1d6 years] » Prerequisites: [sporting] or [physical]. » Attributes: STR +1, AGI +1, END +1, REP +1 » Skill Choices: carousing, flirtation, [physical], [sporting], [unarmed combat] This is a catch-all category for any kind of sports personality in Mega-City One. Aeroball is one of the major sports with teams competing in small stadiums based in city blocks although there are more popular major teams. The most famous team the city has produced is the celebrated Harlem Heroes, an old team that has its own museum. Old time sports are also still practised. The Olympics is a major event occurring every four years. It now includes such future events as mountaineering, staring, human taxidermy and sex, in addition to the older, more boring sports. American football still draws huge crowds with its violence, with most players having some bionic implants. For the less athletic there is shuggy, a game with some similarities to pool, but the best players are quite well known. With its history of gambling on games it has a shady reputation.

41 There are also out-and-out illegal events. The Mega-City 5000 is an illegal motorcycle road race where vicious gangs terrorise the streets, causing mass civilian casualties. Then there are the underground low-level skysurfing competitions. With the carnage these can cause bringing severe penalties on competitors and organisers alike should they be apprehended. Sportspersons can go on to represent their city against various other mega-cities, the bigger names get to travel quite far and they can become household names. That is the kind of fame you really want to aim for. You could then move from your small city apartment into a penthouse in one of the new luxury blocks and live the kind of life you know you deserve. Exploits » Athletic. Choose four [physical] skills. You gain these four skills at 1 rank (1d6). This does not increase the rank of an existing skill. » Runner. You gain a +2 SPEED bonus. » Fit. You gain a +5 HEALTH bonus. » Signing Bonus. You are signed to a team and gain a 1,000 credit signing bonus. You may repeat this exploit, signing to a new team each time. » Coach. Every sportsperson is part of a team. Even in individual sports where this team can include the athlete, their coach, psychotherapist, nutritionist, physiotherapist and whatever other support roles there may be. As a result the sportsperson learns how to get the most effort from any group they are part of. By spending one LUC the athlete can allow every other member of their party to add a +1d6 bonus to their next check. » Criminal Contacts. Criminal figures are always on the periphery of professional sports. This can be in the form of crooked gamblers looking to fix an event or individuals who will provide performing enhancing drugs. The sportsperson’s contacts in this shady world indicates they have a source for illegal items that will not be found out by the Judges. This does not mean the source will have everything the athlete wants, but there is a good chance they will be able to get hold of anything reasonable (no time travelling devices!) if given a few days to do so and if they are paid the going rate. Star [1d6 years] » Prerequisites: [performance] » Attributes: CHA +2, LUC +1, REP +1 » Skill choices: carousing, [performance] ‘Ladies and gentlemen, let me present your vid-host for tonight. Dafyd Leitermen!’ Entertainers are a big part of Mega-City One life, with many stars having legions of fans. Stars come in all types, shapes and sizes. They could be talk show hosts, rock stars in a band, comedians, movie stars and so forth. You belong to that part of Mega-City One society that is outgoing, flamboyant and often has more money than sense. You are going places. Soon someone outside your block will come to your show!

42 You get to decide what kind of entertainer you are in this career. Fame is fleeting, however, so the next time you take a different career you will be less likely to be recognised on the street. Hopefully your royalties will still be coming in, though. Whatever your future life throws at you, you can handle it. You are, after all, a star. Exploits » Triple-threat. You gain the skills singing, dancing, and acting at 1 rank (1d6). This does not increase the rank of an existing skill. » Gigs. You can make money by playing at bars and doing local performances. You can automatically make an amount equal to a CHA check x 10cr per day by doing this. This exploit cannot be used during downtime. » Captivating. You have the ability to captivate people with your musical ability. While using your musical instrument or voice, all those who can hear you become beguiled (unable to attack you) until you stop. This requires a CHA vs. MENTAL DEFENCE check and a full two actions each turn. » Lullaby. Your music can make people drowsy. While using your musical instrument or voice, all those who can hear you become weary (-1d6 to all physical attribute checks and -1 SPEED) until you stop. This requires a CHA vs. MENTAL DEFENCE check and a full two actions each turn. » Fearful. You can use voice or music to instill fear in those who hear it. While using your musical instrument or voice, all those who can hear you become nervous (-1d6 to all interactions with you or with a target or object of your choice) until you stop. This requires a CHA vs. MENTAL DEFENCE check and a full two actions each turn. » Your Biggest Fan! All stars have their fans. Some can be quite problematic to deal with and their attentions can be quite trying. One of your fans is quite besotted, though, and is willing to do anything for you. They will even admit to a crime you committed, getting you out of trouble with the Judges! Obviously if they do this you will lose their ability to help you out in future until they are released from the iso-cubes. » Red Carpet. While fame has its downsides it certainly has its benefits as well. Whenever you make your presence known in a legitimate business (restaurant, club and so on) you will get special treatment for you and your entourage. This can get you rushed past security screening, for example, or a table right next to the stage in a club when it would otherwise be considered to be full. Survivalist [1d6 years] » Prerequisites: none Attributes: AGI +1, END +1, WIL +1, REP +1 » Skill Choices: axes, carrying, climbing, hardy, knives, survival, swimming, tracking When the nukes start falling again you are determined to be ready, whether the danger will come from Sovs, muties or aliens. You have a stock of ammo and food, all you need to keep you going when society eventually tumbles into chaos. With the last atomic war the Mega-Cities survived more-or-less intact; perhaps in the next great disaster they will not. You have learnt how to survive, rather than facing the slow death that the unprepared have waiting for them! Many blocks have survivalist clubs. They recreate surviving in difficult conditions by going on expeditions into the sewers, the Undercity or anywhere else where they can practice their newly learnt skills. The skills learnt are useful for any character who strays beyond the comparative safety of the streets. Exploits » Stronger Together. You work well with others, and know the value of a group. You gain +1d6 INITIATIVE when within a group of 4 or more allies with 30’ of you. » Survivalist’s Stash. You gain 1,000cr worth of gear, but no single item worth more than 100cr. » Survival Skills. You have a really good knowledge of how to survive in the Big Meg, as well as outside it. You gain 1 rank in each of the following skills: survival, tracking, carrying. » Gun Nut. You love guns, you love guns a lot. You know that having a weapon in a crisis would be the difference between life and death. You gain four firearms, none of which can be worth more than 100cr. One of them becomes a high quality firearm. » Stuffed Pockets. You can pull something useful from your pockets, something that you or the party might need in a pinch. Spend a LUC die to produce any single item worth 50cr or less. Perp Careers Crime is big business in Mega City One and even though the Judges are able to send millions of perps to the morgues or iso-cubes every year there are always too many crimes to be able to do much more than keep a lid on things. Perp careers are for citizens who, for one reason or another, choose to commit crime and pursue it as a way of life. Although many only flirt with crime, and some stop offending after the first time they are caught, most are repeat offenders. Many of these will get more accomplished and more difficult to catch as they gain experience. There follows a selection of perp careers, from burglars to hitmen, pickpockets to mob bosses. All could potentially be taken at some point by perp Player Characters as they continue their criminal lives…

43 Blackmailer » Prerequisites: none » Attributes: INT +1, LOG +1, CHA +1, REP +1 » Skill choices: bluffing, bribery, computers, insight, perception Blackmailers are some of the most despicable of perps, for they prey on the weakness of their fellow citizens and their victims’ fear of the Judges. Blackmailers deal in compromising information – if it can show their target in a negative light they will try their best to cash in. Different targets can have wildly different secrets and will pay for dozens of different reasons. To keep an affair from the knowledge of a spouse (and those enormous divorce fees that could ensue), to hide illicit drug use from the Judges, to keep knowledge of a mutation from the authorities, to avoid incarceration for a crime; these and more can be reasons for paying off a blackmailer. A successful blackmailer needs to be able to get the information he requires. He can do this by bribing those who may have witnessed an indiscretion (an employee, perhaps), hack into the target’s computer or robot, plant a surveillance device or even fabricate evidence. They will also need to ensure they do not push the target too much, not making unrealistic promises and keeping payments at a level that they can afford. A character who takes on this career will learn some of the tricks of the trade and may be able to get a regular income from their targets. Just remember to pick those targets carefully and to not get too greedy! A blackmailer can expect a sentence of between two and thirty years, depending on the severity of the offence. Exploits » Gossip. You can gather local gossip and information simply by spending an hour in a bar or other watering hole, effectively giving you the local knowledge skill wherever you go as long as you are able to refresh your knowledge at a local bar weekly. » Hard Choice. You can blackmail anybody into giving you information with a REP mental attack. » Dirty Secrets. By examining a room/penthouse apartment/mansion you are able to automatically surmise something about any secret(s) being kept there, with an affair or some criminal activity being the most common. » Identify Target. When watching a vid of something untoward you are able to identify at least one of the guilty parties. You met them at a party, saw them in a vid show or news broadcast, etc. Burglar » Prerequisites: stealth. » Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, LUC +1, REP +1 » Skill choices: acrobatics, appraisal, climbing, computers, escape artist, jumping, stealth, thievery Burglars are common in Dredd’s world. Punk gangs will break into apartments when their occupants are away. There are batgliding specialists who target the highest of penthouses. Opportunists who enter a property to pick up what they can scavenge after a crime blitz on the occupants has led to their inevitable arrests. Then there are industrial burglars. These target businesses after the working day, rifling through safes and stealing anything that they can sell for a profit. While these gangs are often tied to organised crime, there are street gangs who will carry out less well thought out raids in order to steal whatever is not nailed down. Industrial burglars as well as those targeting high-end penthouses tend to be more skilled than the run of the mill thief. If you choose to take Burglar as a career your character is likely to be well informed on the latest anti-intruder technology, have a solid knowledge of electronics and even some skill at hacking for A.I. controlled apartments or blocks. You are likely to have tools that aid you in this. Besides full time burglars there are also those who dabble from time-to-time. Even members of organised crime may get involved in burglary if they deem the rewards sufficient. Hitting the homes of the super rich or business premises can result in large paydays and professional criminals will always consider any method of getting their hands on more credits.

44 The sentence for burglary can be as little as one year to as many as twenty-five. A repeat burglar who robs an occupied home while armed is likely to suffer a very heavy sentence. A first time perp who burgles an empty office while unarmed is likely to get away with only a short stint in an iso-cube if caught. Exploits » Locksmith. You gain an exceptional quality lockpicking kit. » Catburglar. An expert at climbing, you do not take any die penalties in combat while climbing. » Sixth Sense. You have a sixth sense when it comes to traps and gain a +2d6 bonus to spot them and a +1d6 bonus to avoid or disarm them. » Climber (requires Catburglar). Your climbing speed becomes equal to your regular SPEED. » Grand Heist. You achieve a great robbery that will be remembered for years to come. Gain a bonus 3d6 x 100cr. You may repeat this exploit, gaining 3d6x100cr each time. » Passkey. Most of the more modern blocks have apartments fitted with electronic, rather than mechanical, locks. These represent a real barrier to thieves. Fortunately for you Justice Department has mandated a backdoor entry by insisting their passkeys open any and all of these locks. You have either a stolen passkey or one that has been copied, which will mean these locks are no longer an obstacle to you. » Good Fence. You know a really good fence, one who provides you with better deals than you can get elsewhere. Increase the amount of credits you get from selling stolen items on the black market by 10%. Chop Shop Mechanic » Prerequisites: engineering. » Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, LOG +1, REP +1 » Skill choices: computers, driving, electronics, engineering, mechanics, robotics The roads of Mega City One are clogged with millions upon millions of cars, bikes, buses, trucks, mopads and more. Most of these are worth considerable sums to criminals, especially if they did not pay for them first! Those perps working in chop shops process stolen vehicles, taking them apart for spares for sale on the black market. This is a skilled, technical trade, knowing how to disassemble a vehicle quickly and identify those parts that make the most profit is a talent. Chop shop is a catch-all phrase that covers criminal enterprises that disassemble large valuable items into smaller portable parts that can then be sold on in the black market. Often these parts are shipped overseas where shady businesses will process them as legitimate goods. Most chop shops work on cars and similar road vehicles. Some specialise in robots, aircraft or industrial machinery. If there is enough profit in it there will be criminals who will take advantage of a market for illicit spare parts. Chop shop mechanics will work as members of a gang, more often than not part of larger criminal networks. Although considered as lowly hirelings by gangsters they are often some of the most skilled and intelligent members of their organisations. Being caught with stolen merchandise in a chop shop is likely to get a perp a sentence of between three months and five years. Exploits » Toolkit. You gain a set of high quality tools. » Fixer. You gain a +1d6 bonus to any attempt to repair something. » Technical Knowledge Base. Choose four [technical] skills. You gain these four skills at 1 rank (1d6). This does not increase the rank of an existing skill. » Engine-tuner. As a skilled mechanic you are able to improve a vehicle upon which you are working by increasing its SPEED by 1. This does not stack with other chop shop mechanics should others be present. » Robot Repair. Using basic engineering equipment, you can heal 1d6 points of HEALTH to an adjacent robot as a single action. Any given robot can only benefit from your repairing in this way once per day. » Exceptional Robot Repair. Your Robot Repair ability increases to 2d6 points of HEALTH. Cursed Earth Smuggler » Prerequisites: driving. » Attributes: AGI +1, CHA +1, LUC +1, REP +1 » Skill choices: appraisal, bluffing, carousing, driving, navigation, pistols, thievery The Judges have their laws, often they are to stop citizens having things they desire as the Judges deem them too dangerous. Smugglers know the law of supply and demand. If people demand a product it does not matter if it is legal or not; whoever can supply this demand will make a huge profit. You risk life and limb, as well as your own personal freedom, to get contraband into Mega-City One. The Judges ban or strictly control so many substances that there is a whole host of things you can smuggle into (or out of) the city. Sometimes it can be worth the risk of smuggling in items if it causes any customs duties due to be avoided. Coffee, tea, antiques, sugar, old comics and that old standby, narcotics, are all brought into the city. The laws against these items only succeed in driving up the demand for them and you try to keep that demand satisfied. Then there are perps on the run who wish to escape the city using the services of perp runners. They need someone to get them away and this can allow the more enterprising smugglers to earn credits on both their inward and outward trips. As long as there are prohibitive bans on items there will be smugglers drawn to the lucrative world of circumventing those bans. Although most smugglers are part of organised criminal gangs there are also individuals who will bring items through the usual customs checks illicitly for their own personal gain.

45 A smuggler may have a big arsenal of weapons to deal with roving gangs of hijackers and the like when they leave the city limits. These tend to be legal, as the Judges are aware of the problems shipping companies have in the lawless badlands. As a smuggler the best weapon in your chosen profession is the sheer volume of trade into and out of the city. Vast amounts of illegal goods are taken in and out and the Judges can only intercept a small fraction, so the chances of a Judge picking up a particular smuggler are very small indeed. You can mingle with the legitimate traffic and hopefully will not be singled out for a detailed check by the Judges on customs duty. Alternatively you might be a mule, someone who carries items through the spaceports, transatlantic tunnel or other means of entry into the city. What you carry might be concealed in your luggage, in your vehicle or in your person. The inventiveness of smugglers like you make the Judges’ task a nigh on impossible one. A smuggler can expect a hefty sentence of between eight and twenty years. Exploits » Best Route Finder. You can find the quickest route for your smuggling run, reducing the chances of meeting rival criminals who may rob you or the forces of law and order. You reduce the time of any journey by 2d6%. » Sweet Deal. You can buy the best stuff and you know a contact who can get you good deals on anything you want. You pay 3d6% less for equipment. » Hammer Down. If necessary you have no issue about ditching your vehicle so are willing to push its engine beyond its limits. You can get an extra burst of +2 speed for one turn when you need it whatever road vehicle you are in. Once used, you cannot use this ability again until you spend ten minutes re-tuning the engine. » Transporter. You undertook an epic smuggling run. You gain 1,000cr. » Smuggle. You know how to hide objects, either about your person or in a location. You gain a +2d6 bonus to attempts to hide items. » Seat of your Pants. Smugglers rely a lot on oldfashioned luck and bravado. They can recharge their LUCK pool an extra time per day. Dunk » Prerequisites: none » Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, CHA +1, LUC +1 » Skill choices: ambidexterity, concentration, stealth, thievery Dunks are those who rely on sleight of hand to commit crimes. Dunks are, in Mega-City jargon, pickpockets; as a career they could also commit other, small offences such as shoplifting, where quick hands are needed. As a dunk you know the subtle art of misdirection, the dip is as easy as breathing for someone like you. You are a particular kind of perp who operates in plain sight; misdirect the mark’s attention with your left hand, dive into their pockets with your right. In the crush of an elevator the removal of a purse can go unnoticed. Dunks often work in teams, the one who steals may pass on the stolen items to an accomplice who will quickly disappear. As a result there will be no evidence of a theft if an accusation is made and a search carried out by a nearby Judge. You just need to make sure the Judges do not catch you with your hand in someone else’s pocket. Others in a gang may create a brief disturbance so a crowd will form, creating an opportunity ripe for dunks to exploit. Dunks will also often have a contact network of sorts; a few friendly fences who can shift the things they take that need converting to credits. A dunk will see a six month to five year sentence if caught. Exploits » Unseen. You know how to meld into a crowd so that nobody pays any attention to you. You gain a +1d6 bonus to any attempt to pickpocket someone when attempting to blend in. » Daily Dip. You get a weekly income of 100cr from picking pockets. » Palm Item. Can sneakily palm any item in a flash without observers noticing. This can include items such as keys/passcards, identity cards, small valuables, flash drives (or their equivalent). If nobody is specifically looking out for such activity, you automatically succeed. If someone is watching out for such a move opposed checks will be needed as normal. » Switch Hitter. You can replace an item with another without others noticing (say a full briefcase or designer bag with a cheap duplicate). Useful when the dunk is targeting someone specific for their loot. Fence » Prerequisites: appraisal. » Attributes: INT +1, CHA +1, LUC +1, REP +1 » Skill choices: accounting, appraisal, bribery, bureaucracy, carousing, [crafting], forgery, law, local knowledge, [social] Without the services of a good fence many perps would not be able to make much of a living from their crimes. Like other types of criminals fences come in many types. They could be a dodgy geezer operating out of a run-down apartment or a small shop owner who trades in ‘second hand’ merchandise. There are also major exporters who can move large volumes of stolen goods overseas or to off planet locales where the stolen nature of their goods is less likely to be apparent.

46 Fences can deal with a small number of specialised clients or can buy and sell to anybody who wants to make a deal. The former often have mob connections and are more difficult to trace. The latter are so numerous that the safety of numbers makes it unlikely they will be arrested by the Judges in any given week. If you choose this as a career the deal is in your lifeblood, it is not a case of taking money out of the till and passing it over the counter for things you are given to sell. No, you have to be careful how to shift the goods that various criminals bring to you. If you are not cautious you could end up caught in a Wally Squad sting facing serious cube time. You will have numerous contacts and you can sell large or small items to the right person as long as your client is willing to wait. If a client wishes to push the timeframe you are able to charge more. Rush jobs are more dangerous so you expect to be paid better for the extra risks you run. A fence career can work well as an excellent addition to a crime gang or big syndicate. Fences can be used to shift the goods that the Player Characters want to move quickly, although their cut from any item is going to be far less than the amount it is nominally worth. Possession of stolen goods is likely to get a fence a sentence of between three months and five years. A fence with a record of such offences is likely to be given a sentence closer to the upper limit of this range. Exploits » Sale of the Century. You worked hard on a great deal, and it netted you 1,000cr. You may repeat this exploit, gaining 1,000cr each time. » Haggler. You know how to get a good deal. You reduce the cost of any purchase by 2d6%. This does not stack with any other exploits which reduce purchase costs. » Profit, Not Loss. If you fail any kind of roll that if successful would have given you a good deal you can use this exploit to try again. You can spend a LUC die to reroll. Hacker » Prerequisites: none » Attributes: INT +1, LOG +1, WIL +1, REP +1 » Skill choices: computers, electronics, mathematics, robotics You are a hacker. You are someone who likes nothing better than to try and overcome a computer system’s security to see what secrets it was protecting. What you do with it will vary depending on your own goals. Perhaps you are driven by nothing more than innocent curiosity. Perhaps you are a conspiracy theorist wanting to prove you are right. It could be you are working for a corporation and trying to get industrial secrets from a rival’s system. Or perhaps you are part of a hacktivist group, political idealists who wish to change the world, or at least Mega-City One, for the better.

47 Hackers can be either heroes or villains; you might walk the line between both. You motivation might be to rob from the rich to feed the poor, to rob everyone, or to steal data and ruin lives for the fun of it. You are likely to have a small portable system on you at all times, with a better, more protected, set-up elsewhere as your base of operations. Hackers are perps who often have little to do with the rest of the criminal fraternity. Many work on their own or in small groups, often only aware of the online identity of their comrades. A few will work for larger organisations, criminals are well aware of the potential rewards a good hacker on the books can bring. The sentence for hacking carries anything from a one year sentence to a life term, depending on the seriousness of an offence. Trying to break into the Mega-City One laser defence screen protocols will get a hacker a life sentence, for example. Exploits » Remote Location. You are able to make it appear your online activities are being carried out a long way away. Perhaps Canadia or Oz. Or Mongolia. This makes it a lot more difficult for your enemies (well, the Judges) to track you down. » Code Monkey. Complex code is well in your grasp, you are not just a hacker - you are a master of 1’s and 0’s. You get a +2d6 bonus on any computer use roll or hack. » Robot Man. You can make a LOG attack vs. a robot’s MENTAL DEFENCE (the robot’s usual immunity to mental attacks does not apply here). With a successful attack, you use you portable computer system to hack into the robot and make it obey your instructions for one round. Heister » Prerequisites: stealth » Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, LOG +1, REP +1 » Skill choices: [combat], demolitions/explosives, driving, intimidation, running, thievery Get in, get what you want, get out. As a heister you will always be looking for that major payday, when with daring and firepower you will make enough creds to blow this lousy city, this lousy planet and retire someplace warm where the Judges have no power. Most heisters form violent, criminal gangs that rob well protected targets using superior firepower and hit-and-run tactics. They will rob gatherings of the rich and famous, banks, jewellery stores, drug warehouses or security vans. Indeed, anything that is likely to be both well guarded and have a rich payout should everything go to plan. Heisters are well equipped and prepared to use deadly force to get what they want. They are usually highly proficient – either from experience or from extensive planning and training for a particular job. A heister team will often need top of the range equipment. Las-cutters to cut through the walls of a plastisteel vault, a high performance getaway vehicle to outrun any pursuit and some serious artillery if the pursuit catches up with you. Not all heisters are violent; some might enter a bank vault outside of opening hours and disable the security and then steal what they came for - making their escape before anyone is any the wiser. For the most part, though, heisters are raiders. Their best chance for escape is to be long gone by the time the Judges arrive. Heisters will receive a sentence of between eight and thirty years. The severity of sentence depends on how heavily armed they are and whether any violence was used in their robbery attempt. Exploits » Hustle. Your SPEED increases by 2. » Getaway Driver. Increase the speed of any vehicle you are driving by +2. » Safecracker. You gain +1d6 to pick locks. » Favoured Weapon. Heisters are proficient in violent acts and you are no different. When you are using your favoured weapon inflict +1d6 extra damage. You must note what this weapon is on your character sheet.

48 Henchman » Prerequisites: none » Attributes: STR +1, END +1, INT +1, WIL +1 » Skill choices: [combat], hardy, intimidate, thievery For every mob boss there are dozens of less accomplished perps. Some of these will go on to become major crime figures while the rest will toil away in anonymity (or will end up in the iso-cubes or worse). Henchmen are members of criminal gangs, they can be in a ‘gang’ of just two or one with hundreds of members. No matter the size of the gang they will always have someone leading them. These perps are competent, they have enough experience to be able to handle most day-to-day criminal enterprises. They will also happily be part of a team that hijacks a mopad, heists a security van or kidnaps an heiress. Many will have taken the muscle career previously and having proven themselves moved up the criminal hierarchy. Most henchmen are in the employ of the mobs, the organised gangs that keep the Judges continually busy. Those who perform well and are not imprisoned or killed always have the opportunity to progress further up the ranks. Others are part of small teams of professional criminals. As their experience grows they may become specialists in particular type of crime, such as heisters or kidnappers. Exploits » It’s Just a Flesh Wound. Henchmen are expected to ignore injury and discomfort when ordered to do something. Within 30’ of their boss, a henchman gains +3 SOAK. » Close Mouthed. When interrogated (by the Judges or, even worse, perps belonging to a rival gang) your steadfastness means they suffer a -1d6 penalty to all their rolls in trying to get you to talk. Hitman (Blitz Agent) » Prerequisites: [combat], stealth, tracking » Attributes: STR +1, AGI +1, INT +1, REP +1 » Skill choices: [combat], disguise, intimidate, perception, stealth, thievery In a city of such wealth and poverty there will always be those who wish to advance their cause by eliminating their rivals. Most hitmen will be involved in organised crime, looking to take out rivals, witnesses or narks (or even, on occasion, particularly troublesome Judges). While it is often normally members of a gang who carry out the killings sometimes it is better to use a professional; a criminal who specialises in assassinations. Then there are everyday citizens not normally involved in crime who might hire a hitman. They might hire a killer to get eliminate a business or love rival or even to kill themselves as a form of surprise suicide – not knowing when it will happen is seen as a plus. All of these individuals are likely to turn to a professional killer; there are always ways to contact them through the local criminal underworld. If you choose hitman as a career you might be an expert shot, be deadly with the edge of a knife or know how to break someone’s neck with a single blow. You will have a high price to carry out a contract killing and even Judges can enter your sights as long as someone pays you well enough. You may

49 even be skilled at making kills look like accidents, protecting your clients from being implicated in any death. Blitz agents are a specialised form of hitman. Always tied to organised crime they are fitted with an explosive device wired to their brain. Should they think they are about to surrender to a Judge it will activate. This leaves nobody to question and the mob boss controlling them safe from justice. This is an extreme form of hitman and is unlikely to appeal to players! Hitmen are likely to get the heftiest of sentences. In cases of multiple murder a life sentence is the likely result of being caught. A single contract hit will lead to thirty years in an iso-cube at the very least. Exploits » Mr Accident. You can easily conceal that a murder has taken place when carrying out a killing. It will either be put down as an accident or a suicide. You can even leave evidence of a murder but implicate some patsy to take the fall. » Killing Blow. Any attack you make during the ambush turn gains a +2d6 bonus to attack. » Ambush. You gain +2d6 to rolls made to access the ambush turn. » Weak Point. Once per enemy you may ignore any SOAK score he possesses by targeting a weak spot. » Sneak. If nobody is actively looking for you, you are able to move silently and unseen at half your normal speed. You are effectively invisible. However, if anybody is actually looking for you, they may make INT checks as normal to spot you. » Danger Senses. You cannot be ambushed. Kidnapper » Prerequisites: none » Attributes: STR+1, AGI +1, CHA +1, WIL +1 » Skill choices: brawling, disguise, driving, intimidate, piloting, pistols, stealth, tactics Kidnapping is a most dangerous game. Not only do you have to snatch someone for whom a ransom will be paid but you need to be able to get the creds without the Judges catching you. Of course it is best to scare those who pay so much they will not call in the Judges, but even that is risky. Scare them too much and they might not trust you enough to pay… Kidnappers as a group tend are looked upon with a special kind of contempt by many Judges. Those involved in a kidnapping can expect little in the way of leniency should they be caught. However the payoff can be huge. Kidnappers have a wide array of skills that they can use in the commission of their crimes. As such it is a flexible, if dangerous, career a perp character could take. Kidnapping is an odious crime and is punished accordingly with iso-cube terms of between thirty years to life imprisonment. Exploits » Impersonate. You are easily able to impersonate any job role which you have had opportunity to observe within the past day, even briefly. You gain a +1d6 bonus if you have been able to observe and mimic an example. » Hidden Den. You have a place to stash your latest victim, all mod cons, shackles, cages and even a robot guard dog. No location discerning checks or abilities can find you there unless you want them to. » Knock Out. When using a club, you automatically cause the Dazed condition with a successful hit. Mob Boss » Prerequisites: REP 8+ » Attributes: INT +1, CHA +1, LUC +1, REP +1 » Skill choices: bribery, carousing, [combat], interrogation, intimidate, leadership, negotiating A mob boss is the man at the top of an organised crime outfit. They can be the head of a powerful city-wide group or of a small crew operating within a single city block. Whatever the case they will have plenty of lesser perps and non-criminals working for them. Besides having individuals willing to break legs for them mob bosses will have accountants and lawyers whose job it is to keep them out of the cubes. Mob bosses are among the highest priority perps that Justice Department targets, only the best protected avoid incarceration in the face of a determined investigation. Sometimes an iso-cube sentence is avoided by having plenty of lesser