SWADE Science Fiction Companion Extension

[Mike Serfass]

SWADE Science Fiction Companion Extension

Store Page: Science Fiction Companion (SWADE)

This guide is offered to help you get the most out of the extension that comes with the book.
Questions about how to use the extension, and sharing tips and tricks for using it, belong here. And please share!
Feedback on the companion book and reporting errors with the manual or extension should be done on this thread SWADE Science Fiction Companion Feedback and Issues

The SWADE SFC extension adds a number of features including Clashes, Heavy Metal, new fields on various records, cyberware Strain formulas, and new effects.
To get the most out of the SFC you must enable this extension. It's named "Setting: SW - Science Fiction Companion (SWADE)" and is listed in the Setting group.

General Notes
The SFC adds a number of new rules and redefines a couple of core rules. These are easy enough to apply at the table, but present some challenges in a TTRPG.
The SWADE ruleset doesn't account for these deviations, and can't be extended to use them. (In most cases it can handle such things.)
For that reason there are cases where you must use the extension and avoid using the ruleset features. Clashes is the biggest example of this.
Upcoming changes to the SWADE ruleset are planned for implementing vehicles better. Some of the examples below will be addressed then.
A few small changes have already been made to the SWADE ruleset for the SFC extension in advance.
You may see some of the ruleset appear in this extension, and for now that can't be avoided. Fortunately, there are few of these.
One example is that a Pilot with Bruiser has +2 Toughness added to vehicle Toughness.
Until this is addressed in the ruleset, remove the braces surrounding Edge effects or temporarily rename Edges without effects during vehicle combat and Clashes.
Some effects and Edges apply to vehicle attacks that shouldn't. Address them the same way as you above.
Another place that the ruleset interposes unavoidably is making the various rolls during a Clash. This is explained under Clashes.
Effects on vehicles don't roll down to occupants. Things like Distracted should apply to all rolls made by characters in the vehicle, but don't.

New Options
You have new options for your sci-fi settings.
These will be covered in more detail in the appropriate sections below.
Note that for most of the settings you'll have to restart your game for them to take effect.
options.jpg


Outposts
You can enable outposts in settings. The Outposts button will appear when set to On. The options are On and Off and defaults to On.
By default the OP Rooms button is not visible. If you want to also see the OP Rooms button as in the screenshot, creators can do so by calling CreatorManager.enableBases(true) in the SWADE ruleset.
outpost_buttons.jpg


New Fields

Power Armor
Armor with type Power Armor has an Energy field.
power_armor.jpg


Vehicles
Vehicles have the following new fields:
Energy - As per the SFC.
Wounds Max / Current - These values appear in Combat Tracker and are kept in sync.
Shields Max / Current - These values appear in Combat Tracker and are kept in sync.
Damage - This is to track damage that needs to be repaired after combat. Note things like hull hits, navigation system off-line, engine damage, main turret inoperative.
vehicle.jpg


Walkers
In addition to the vehicle fields, walkers also have a Strength die.
This Strength die is used with melee weapon damage in place of the character pilot's Strength.
A vehicle is recognized as a walker if it has any of the following keywords in Group or Category: Walker, Mecha, Automaton, Golemmech.
Settings creators can add or remove walker keywords using the CreatorManagerSFC addWalkerKeyword and removeWalkerKeyword functions.
For example:

CreatorManagerSFC.addWalkerKeyword("Stomper")

walker.jpg


New Effects
The following effects are added to the Effects list accessed via the right side toolbar under the Tool heading.
Chase Faster [Athletics|Boating|Driving|Piloting +1]
Chase Much Faster [Athletics|Boating|Driving|Piloting +2]
Engine Damage [Speed -1]
Thrusters Damage [Handling -1]
Sloped Armor [@Ballistic -2]
Gravity, Zero G [Pace +4, Strength +2d, Agility> -2]
Gravity, Low [Pace +2, Strength +1d, Agility> -2]
Gravity, Heavy [Pace -2, Strength -1d, Agility> -2]
Gravity, Super Heavy [Pace -4, Strength -2d, Agility> -2]

The following global effects are also added.
[#ZeroGGravity]
[#LowGravity]
[#HeavyGravity]
[#SuperHeavyGravity]

These can be selected from the Effects list or typed into the Effects section on Combat Tracker.

[Mike Serfass]

Cyberware

Implementation
There are a few options available for how to implement cyberware.
Note: You must restart the session when you change these settings for them to take effect.
The Cyberware Implementation setting has the following settings:

Item - Cyberware appears on character sheets on the Inventory tab as gear / items. Once on the character sheet, it applies any affects to the character just like it does for other gear. The Cyberware button will appear in the right side toolbar under the Character heading.
This is the default setting.
Strain is tracked per item and there's a Total Strain field at the bottom of the list.
strain_items.jpg

Ability - Cyberware is implemented as Edges or Special Abilities. The cyberware will appear on the Main tab of the character sheet in the appropriate section.

Arcane Bkgrd - Cyberware is implemented as an Arcane Background. The Arcane Background is used just like any other.

None - Cyberware is not used in the campaign. This will override the selected strain formula.

cyberware_button.jpg


Strain Formulas
Along with how cyberware is implemented is the Strain formula used. Here are the options and the formulas each uses. Each setting displays different derived stats.

SWADE SFC - uses the new SFC formula. New derived stats appear on the Traits tab of the character sheet in the Derived Stats section.
This is the default setting.
Strain Limit: lower of half Spirit or half Vigor die type.
Strain Max: lower of Spirit or Vigor die type.
Exceeding Strain limit causes side effect.
Exceeding Strain max causes catastrophic failure.
Usually implemented as items where each item has a Strain rating. If Strain is exceeded, a message appears on the Cyberware list.
strain_traits_new_sfc.jpg

SWD SFC - uses the older Strain formula from the Savage Worlds Deluxe Sci-Fi companion.
Max Strain: lower of Spirit or Vigor die type.
Strain causes Fatigue, up to 2 points; ceiling is max Strain + 2.
Implemented as items; each item has a Strain rating. If Strain is exceeded, a message appears on the Cyberware list.
strain_traits_old_sfc.jpg

Rifts - uses the Strain formula from Rifts.
Max Strain: lower of Spirit or Vigor die type.
If Strain is exceeded, a message appears on the Cyberware list.
The derived stats look the same as SWD SFC.

IZ - uses the Strain formula from Interface Zero.
Strain Limit: unaugmented Vigor die type.
No strain limit, but exceeding unaugmented Vigor requires a Vigor roll with a penalty of Vigor die type - current Strain; failure gives 1 or 2 lethal Fatigue and may result in death.
Implemented as items; each item has a strain rating. If Strain is exceeded, a message appears on the Cyberware list.
strain_traits_iz.jpg

No Limit - does not enforce Strain limits. It tracks the current Strain on the character sheet on the Traits tab in the Derived Stats section.
This is used in settings like Sprawlrunners and High Space.

None - no Strain formula is used, and no derived stats appear on the character sheet.

[Mike Serfass]

Strain, No Limit image from previous post:
strain_traits_no_limit.jpg


Heavy Metal
Weapons, vehicles, and power armor have Heavy Metal classes.

Armor
Armor with type "power armor" has an HM Class field. You can select a value from the drop down or allow it to be auto-calculated after the related fields are entered. Those fields are toughness, size, and modifications.
If the HM Class field is not set when power armor is opened and those fields are set, it will then calculate HM Class for you.
Once a HM class is selected, it won't re-calculate the class.
hm_power_armor.jpg


Weapons
Weapons that have "HW" in the damage field get the HM Class field. Adding or removing "HW" makes the HM Class field appear or disappear.
HM class is calculated from damage and armor piercing, so if those fields are filled in when the record opens, and there's no HM class set, it will auto-calculate and fill in the HM Class field.
Once a HM class is selected, it won't re-calculate the class.
hm_weapon.jpg


Vehicles
All vehicles have a HM class, calculated from toughness. The HM class can be set from a drop down.
If toughness is set and no HM class is selected, when the window opens it will auto-calculate and set the HM class.
hm_vehicle.jpg

[Mike Serfass]

Activate Heavy Metal
Heavy Metal can be activated or deactivated on the Combat Tracker by clicking on the Menu button and selecting the Heavy Metal radial button, then either the on or off button.
ct_hm_buttton_1.jpg
ct_hm_buttton_2.jpg

Because Heavy Metal is applied so differently from normal damage, it must be used a little differently.
When turned on, vehicle weapon damage dice are replaced with a HM Damage button. Click this to roll damage.
For GMs, when rolling damage with NPC vehicles, you'll have to open the vehicle sheet and use this new button. Rolling damage directly from the CT will roll normal damage dice.
hm_vehicle_weapon_damage.jpg

On the combat tracker, pending damage will display the number of Wounds caused and the HM classes of the weapon and vehicle.
ct_hm_pending_damage.jpg

Use the Soak button in the new CT vehicle section.

[Mike Serfass]

Combat Tracker Enhancements

Shields & Soak Section
A new section is added to the Combat Tracker for vehicles that displays current shields, and a Soak and restore button as appropriate.
When using the Clash buttons, effects for vehicles are applied properly. Always use these buttons rather than rolling from the vehicle pilot or pilot's character sheet. The same for NPC pilots.
Note that the Soak and restore shield buttons in this section work the same in the Clashes section.

The Soak button will appear when there's pending damage.
Use this Soak button rather than dropping a benny on the vehicle in Combat Tracker. (That rolls the normal Soak which currently is set up for characters, NOT vehicles.)
Soak rolls will use Electronics if there are shield charges available and use up shield charges until they're gone. Then clicking the Soak button will roll maneuvering.
Dropping a benny on the Soak button will use the last roll made; Electronics if a shield was used, maneuvering if there were no shields left.

When shields go below max, the Rstr Shlds (Restore Shields) button appears. Clicking this makes an Electronics roll to restore shields by none (failed), half (success), or full (raise).
Electronic Soak rolls are made for the player character (players) or active CT character (GM).
Maneuvering Soak rolls must be made by the pilot (players) or the active CT pilot (GM).
You can drag and drop Electronics from a character sheet onto the Soak button to have that character make an Electronics Soak roll.
ct_shields_and_soak.jpg


Creators can add Skills that can be used to Soak vehicle damage by calling the CreatorManagerSFC function addSoakSkill(sSkill, bUsesShields, bDefault).
sSkill is the skill name, bUsesShields indicates it consumes shields to Soak, bDefault sets it to be the default skill. bDefault can be omitted if you don't want it to be the default. (Electronics is normally the default Skill.)
For example, to add the setting Skill Spacewise to Soak with shields, and to make it the default shield Soak Skill, make this call:

CreatorManagerSFC.addSoakSkill("Spacewise", true, true)

To add a setting specific Skill for restoring shields use the CreatorManagerSFC function addRestoreShieldsSkill(sSkill, bDefault) where sSkill is the name of the Skill, and bDefault sets it to the default skill (replacing Electronics as the default). bDefault can be omitted if you don't want it to be the default.
This example uses Spacewise as the default restore shield Skill:

CreatorManagerSFC.addRestoreShieldsSkill("Spacewise", true)

Added shield Soak Skills can de dragged from a character sheet onto the Soak button to make that specific roll.
Added restore shield Skills can de dragged from a character sheet onto the Rstr Shlds button to use that specific Skill.

Note that these will be used for shield soaks and restoring shields in AND out of Clashes.


Speed
A recent update to the SWADE ruleset now populates Speed most of the time. Note that it won't always populate, especially for vehicles from older sources that used text (e.g. 900 / 1200).
Speed will always populate for vehicles in the SWADE SFC because they use the new speed values.
If using vehicles that have not been converted to the new values, the GM will have to manually set it on Combat Tracker.
Speed is important for Clashes. If it's not set, that vehicle will always suffer the higher speed penalty against targets with a valid speed.

[Mike Serfass]

Clashes
The most expansive addition is Clashes.
Clashes, similar to Dramatic Tasks, are activated with a radial option, resolved with a button, and adds a new section to Combat Tracker while active.
Heavy Metal damage can be used with Clashes.

Pre-Clash Setup
There are some things that the GM should have set up before starting a clash. For the most part, these preparations are true outside of the SFC extension, and apply to normal vehicle combat and Chases.
PC / player-controlled vehicles should come from the pilot's character sheet, Inventory tab, Vehicle sub tab. The GM should drag that vehicle onto the CT.
Vehicles from the Vehicles list can be used, but they won't work as well, and won't save information once removed from the CT.
All vehicles should have pilots assigned, including enemy vehicles. By default, weapons use the pilot's Skills. A GM can save space on the CT by creating an NPC with all the relevant Skills and Edges and populating the vehicle with that single NPC.
Before starting a clash, make sure the vehicle is the top character in the combat tracker. Put the pilot in the same group under the vehicle. The pilot should always be in the group under the controlled vehicle, whether doing Clashes, Chases, or Dramatic Tasks using vehicles. Things work better that way.
Ideally, gunners and passengers should be under the vehicle in CT, but it's not necessary.
Targeting must be done from the vehicle, NOT the characters. The pilot PC or GM can target using the target button on the CT. Players can target by dragging the attack dice from the vehicle weapon and dropping it on a target in CT. This will replace the previous target(s) with the target dropped on.

Running a Clash
To start a Clash, right-click on a vehicle and select the lightning bolt icon. (This is the SFC Wild Card icon, btw.)
ct_start_clash.jpg

The Shields and Soak section will be replaced with a Clash section. It's a little empty to begin with. That will change.
ct_clash_pc_empty.jpg
ct_clash_pc_full.jpg

Clashes can't be started for non-vehicles.
Clashes can be started for NPCs, and their interface looks a little different. Any enemy vehicles, and vehicles controlled by allies, that are involved in a Clash should be right-clicked to show the Clash section for them.
ct_clash_npc_empty.jpg
ct_clash_npc_full.jpg

Range
Range sets the distance for attacks against vehicles with lower initiative cards.
Range follows the SFC Clash rules. That means that if a target vehicle has a higher initiative card, it doesn't matter that you set range to short, it will still use long range.
This works well when targeting multiple vehicles. It will use the selected or long range as appropriate.
The range drop down can be changed by any player in the vehicle. "In the vehicle" means the character is a pilot, gunner, or is in the same initiative group as the vehicle.
The appropriate range penalty is applied in attack rolls.

Shields
Shields is the current number of shield charges. This syncs between the vehicle and CT. For player-controlled vehicles, any damage and shield loss will remain on the PC vehicle even after being removed from the CT. This is where the new Damage field on the vehicle sheet comes in handy. You may not have time to repair before the next Clash!

Clash Tokens
Clashes start with no Clash Tokens. Any time the PC vehicle / pilot is dealt a red card or Joker, a button appears below the tokens box that the pilot can click. This will make the appropriate maneuvering roll for the pilot and award the correct number of Clash Tokens.
Once Clash Tokens are available, the various Clash action buttons will appear. Only buttons that the pilot has enough tokens to pay for will appear.
For example, Intercept costs 3 tokens. If the pilot has only 2 tokens, Intercept won't display, but Evade (which costs 1 token) will be available.
The GM can manually adjust Clash Tokens by typing into the box or using the middle mouse wheel while hovering over it.

[Mike Serfass]

Clash Action Buttons
Players and the GM should use the Clash action buttons rather than rolling from the pilot on the vehicle sheet or the character sheet.
This is because making rolls in this way doesn't apply effects properly.
The relative Speed and Handling penalties apply as per the SFC rules to some of these button rolls. They won't be applied otherwise.

When shields go below max, the Rstr Shlds (Restore Shields) button appears. This works the same as in the Shields & Soak Section section.
Note that the Shields button is different than Rstr Shlds. Only the pilot can click the Shield button and it restores all shields at the cost of 1 Clash Token.
The GM can manually adjust shields by typing into the box or using the middle mouse wheel while hovering over it.

The Soak button will appear when there's pending damage. This works the same as in the Shields & Soak Section section.

Before clicking the Intercept or Escape buttons, target an enemy vehicle with the PC vehicle. These are opposed rolls, and selecting a target before clicking will automatically add a challenge on the target vehicle. It will roll the PC pilot's maneuvering and tokens will be spent. If the challenge fails the GM can refund the tokens.
Bennies can be dropped on these buttons if the player doesn't like the roll. Dropping bennies won't spend more Clash Tokens.

The damage button is used when a targeted vehicle has taken damage. It will increase the damage by one Wound. If using normal damage it will increase the damage by 4 points. If using Heavy Metal it will increase the Wound by one. No roll is required.

The evade button will lower pending damage by one Wound. If using normal damage it will decrease the damage by 4 points. If using Heavy Metal it will decrease the Wound by one. No roll is made.

The objective button is a little different. It will not spend Clash Tokens because the cost is a GM call. The GM must manually lower the token count the declared amount after the roll is successful. It will roll the PC pilot's maneuvering.

The GM has a Resolve button to end the Clash.

Effects
When using the Clash buttons, effects for vehicles are applied properly. Always use these buttons rather than rolling from the vehicle pilot or pilot's character sheet. The same for PCs in a vehicle and NPC or ally pilots in their own vehicles.
Effects on the vehicle are applied to any character clicking these buttons.
Some examples:
If the vehicle is Distracted, all characters in the vehicle have the Distracted penalty applied to their Clash rolls.
If the vehicle has a modification that gives a bonus to Electronics, or an effect on the CT that gives a penalty to Electronics, characters making Electronics Soak rolls or restore shield rolls will have that applied.
Effects are taken from the vehicle's modifications, effects on the vehicle in CT, effects in CT on the rolling character, effects in Edges on the rolling character, and effects on their gear, including cyberware. So having a cyber interface with your vehicle that gives [Electronics +2] will apply when you make those rolls on the vehicle.
Having a vehicle mod that gives [Electronics +1] will also apply. Then [Electronics -4] on CT for an EMP hit will give a total of -1 to Electronics rolls.
This is where the new effects come into play. The GM can add the Engine Damage and Thrusters Damage effects to CT rather than changing those values on the vehicle sheets or on the CT.
The GM could also manually add effects in CT like [Speed +1] to reflect the engineer boosting engines for a round, or a power that gives the pilot [Handling +1] for 5 rounds.
Note that values entered into the modifier box in the lower right corner of the desktop are applied, as are multi-action penalties.

[Mike Serfass]

Complications
When the initiative card is a club, a Complication message appears.

Complication Auto-Roll Option.
All - Auto-roll maneuvering when initiative moves to a vehicle with clubs.
PC only - Auto-roll maneuvering only for PC vehicles.
NPC only - Auto-roll maneuvering only for NPC vehicles.
Off - Maneuvering must be rolled manually.

When using the auto-roll option, the -2 Complication penalty is automatically applied.

Attacks
When making attacks, appropriate range penalties are applied as explained earlier.
The relative Speed and Handling penalties apply to attack rolls as per the SFC rules.
Relative Speed and Handling factors in effects on the CT and vehicle mods. Vehicle damage lowers Handling, and that's applied also.
So effective Handling and Speed may not be what's on the vehicle sheet or the CT fields. Keep that in mind.

Messages
Messages for Clash actions and attacks are displayed in chat. They details all the modifications to the rolls, the type of roll made, what Skill was used, who made the roll and in which vehicle. This will help you catch those occasional ruleset applications that don't fit Clashes.
Clash action messages have the lightning (Wild Card) icon.
Here are some busy messages showing effects from multiple sources for different rolls.
ct_clash_attack.jpg
ct_complication_roll.jpg
ct_escape_roll.jpg
ct_escape_challenge.jpg

[Mike Serfass]

Content Creators
A goal of this extension, shared by the Companion itself, is to attempt to cover every type of sci-fi setting.
The hope is that this extension can be loaded with any sci-fi setting, including published ones, to easily add things like cyberware, clashes, walkers, etc.
Thus, the extension contains functions that setting creators can use to make adjustments for their own unique settings.
These are available in CreatorManagerSFC. Use CreatorManagerSFC instead of the specific Manager to prevent future changes to SFC extension from breaking your extension.


getWalkerKeywords()
Returns the list of keywords used to identify vehicles as walkers.

CreatorManagerSFC.getWalkerKeywords()

removeWalkerKeyword(sKeyword)
Removes a keyword from the list used to identify vehicles as walkers. sKeyword is the keyword to remove.
Use this is you don't want certain walker types registering as walkers.
[CODE]CreatorManagerSFC.removeWalkerKeyword("Golemmech")[CODE]


getSoakSkillNames()
Returns the list of Skill names that can be used to make vehicle Soak rolls.

CreatorManagerSFC.getSoakSkillNames()

function getSoakSkills()
Returns the list of Skills that can be used to make vehicle Soak rolls.
rSoakSkill
.name string name of the Skill
.bShields bool true if this skill is used to Soak with shields, otherwise it's a maneuvering Soak
.bDefault bool if present indicates this is the default Soak Skill
This lets you see what Skills are being used to Soak in what ways.

CreatorManagerSFC.getSoakSkills()

addSoakSkill(sSkill, bUsesShields, bDefault)
Adds a Skill that can be used to Soak vehicle damage like Electronics.
Params:
sSkill - the skill name to add
bUsesShields - indicates it consumes shields to Soak
bDefault - sets it to be the default Soak Skill. bDefault can be omitted if you don't want it to be the default.
Note: Electronics starts as the default Skill.

For example, to add the setting Skill Spacewise to Soak with shields, and to make it the default shield Soak Skill, make this call:

CreatorManagerSFC.addSoakSkill("Spacewise", true, true)

To add a new Skill for maneuvering Soaks that is not the default, use this:

CreatorManagerSFC.addSoakSkill("Controller", false)

getSoakSkillByName(sName)
Returns information about the Soak Skill with the passed name.
Params:
sName - the name of the Skill to query
rSoakSkill
.name string name of the Skill
.bShields bool true if this skill is used to Soak with shields, otherwise it's a maneuvering Soak
.bDefault bool if present indicates this is the default Soak Skill

CreatorManagerSFC.getSoakSkillByName("Electronics")

getDefaultSoakSkillName()
Returns the name of the default Soak Skill.

CreatorManagerSFC.getDefaultSoakSkillName()

getRestoreShieldsSkillNames()
Returns a list of Skill names used to restore shields, similar to Electronics.

CreatorManagerSFC.getRestoreShieldsSkillNames()

getRestoreShieldsSkills()
Returns a list of Skills used to restore shields.
rRestoreShieldsSkill
.name string name of the Skill
.bDefault bool if present indicates this is the default restore shields Skill

CreatorManagerSFC.getRestoreShieldsSkills()

addRestoreShieldsSkill(sSkill, bDefault)
Adds a Skill that can be used to restore shields, similar to Electronics.
Params:
sSkill - the name of the skill
bDefault - set to true to make this the default Skill used to restore shields
This adds Spacewise as a skill that can be dropped on the Rstr Shlds button.

CreatorManagerSFC.addRestoreShieldsSkill("Spacewise")

getRestoreShieldsSkillByName(sName)
Returns info on the given Skill used to restore shields.
Params:
sName - name of the Skill to query
Returns:
rRestoreShieldsSkill
.name string name of the Skill
.bDefault bool if present indicates this is the default restore shields Skill

CreatorManagerSFC.getRestoreShieldsSkillByName("Electronics")

getDefaultRestoreShieldsSkillName()
Returns the name of the default Skill used to restore shields.

CreatorManagerSFC.getDefaultRestoreShieldsSkillName()

setHeavyMetalEnabled(bEnabled)
If you use Heavy Metal all the time and want to turn it on by default when the session starts rather than for every combat, make this call:

CreatorManagerSFC.setHeavyMetalEnabled(true)

[Mike Serfass]

Version 1.14
Version 1.14 is the current version released on 2024-01-14.

• In options, when setting cyberware implementation to none, no strain formula will be used.
• Vehicle wounds and shields remain visible even when set to 0

Version 1.13

• Fatigue on vehicles now applies to all Clash rolls, soaking vehicle damage, and restoring shields.
• Current wounds and current shields remain editable on vehicles when the record is locked.
• Added CreatorManagerSFC.

Version 1.12

• Changed: Replenish shields button now appears only when shields are not at full and the pilot has at least one token
• Added: A Complication button was added to the Clash section for manual maneuvering rolls and bennying complication maneuvering rolls
• Fixed: Adding vehicles to CT does not display default Shields & Soak section
• Fixed: When adding combatants to CT, the visibility icon doesn't appear
• Fixed: Error message when adding vehicles to CT from older modules

Interaction with Other Extensions
4C
Chillhelm's 4C extension applies some vehicle effects to vehicle occupants. This doubles up effects during a Clash. Toggle off the setting Vehicle Effect To Passengers while running a Clash.

SWD SFC Extension
The previous SFC extension written for Savage Worlds Deluxe should not be loaded if using the SWADE SFC extension. They implement things differently (like shields and cyberware) so there will be contention between them.