The Rules
This section is a quick-reference rules summary for Savage Worlds Adventure Edition as used in Astrabound. It is here so you can resolve common questions without having to leave the book and open the core rules.
The full rules are available in the Savage Worlds Adventure Edition Core Rulebook from PEG.
After this summary, the Astrabound-specific rules will note any places where the setting changes or expands on the baseline rules.
Traits
Every character or creature has five attributes:
- Agility
- Smarts
- Spirit
- Strength
- Vigor
They also have a number of skills.
Attributes and skills are collectively called Traits.
Traits are usually rated from d4 to d12:
- d6 is average
- d12 is world-class
Some beings have Traits above d12, such as d12+3. In that case, roll the d12 and add the modifier after it.
Characters often begin with similar skill levels, but become specialized through Edges, which represent exceptional training, talent, or advantages.
Example: Astrid and Flynn might both have Shooting d8, but Astrid could be built as a disciplined tactical marksman while Flynn becomes a fast-drawing, close-range gunfighter through different Edges.
Derived Statistics
Characters also have three important derived statistics.
Pace
A typical human has Pace 6, unless modified by Edges, Hindrances, or other effects.
Parry
Parry equals 2 plus half the character’s Fighting die.
A character with no Fighting skill has Parry 2.
Toughness
Toughness equals 2 plus half the character’s Vigor die.
Add any Armor bonus protecting the torso to this value.
Example: Flynn has Vigor d6, which gives him a base Toughness of 5. If he is wearing armor that grants +2 Armor to the torso, his Toughness becomes 7.
Trait Tests
When your character attempts something uncertain, the Game Master tells you which Trait to roll.
Roll the appropriate die. If the result, after modifiers, equals or exceeds the Target Number, the action succeeds.
Target Numbers
The usual Target Number, or TN, for most tasks is 4.
Apply any modifiers to the roll, then compare the total to the TN.
Raises
Every 4 points over the TN is a raise.
If Astrid needs a 4 to hit a target and rolls an 8, she succeeds with a raise.
Example: Zayko uses Notice to spot a hidden sensor node. The TN is 4. If he rolls an 8, he not only finds it, but notices useful extra details because he scored a raise.
The Wild Die
Wild Cards roll an extra d6 called a Wild Die.
Roll both the Trait die and the Wild Die, then use whichever result is higher. Apply modifiers after choosing the better die.
Critical Failure
If both the Trait die and the Wild Die come up 1, the result is a Critical Failure.
The action automatically fails, and something bad may happen depending on the situation.
Critical Failures cannot be rerolled, even with Bennies.
If an Extra rolls a 1 on an important Trait check, roll a d6:
- on a 1, it is a Critical Failure
- otherwise, it is just a normal failure
Example: Flynn tries to hotwire a cargo hauler during a firefight and rolls a 1 on both his Repair die and Wild Die. Not only does the hauler fail to start, but the alarm system kicks on and floods the bay with warning lights.
Unskilled
If a character attempts an action without the appropriate skill, they roll a d4 and subtract 2 from the total.
Aces
Trait rolls and damage rolls are open-ended.
If you roll the highest possible number on a die, you roll it again and add the new result. This is called an Ace.
You keep rolling and adding for as long as the die continues to Ace.
Example: Tabitha rolls a d8 for Athletics and gets an 8, then rolls again and gets a 6. Her total is 14 before modifiers.
Opposed Rolls
Some actions are opposed by another character or creature.
In these cases:
- the acting character rolls first
- the opposing character rolls second
- the higher total wins
A basic success of 4 is still required, and every 4 points over the opponent’s total is a raise.
Example: Zayko tries to force an Astra-sensitive prisoner to reveal the truth. He rolls first, then the prisoner opposes with Spirit. If Zayko wins with a total at least 4 higher, he gets a raise and learns more than the target intended to reveal.
Wild Cards and Extras
Your hero, along with major villains and important monsters, is called a Wild Card.
These are the named and significant characters in the story.
Ordinary opponents, bystanders, crew, and minor enemies are called Extras.
Wild Cards are tougher and more capable than Extras, mainly because they roll a Wild Die and can usually take more punishment.
Bennies
Player characters begin each session with three Bennies.
Bennies are tokens that give players extra influence over the action. The term comes from benefits.
The Game Master begins each session with one Benny per player character, and each of the GM’s Wild Cards has two Bennies of their own.
The GM should award Bennies when players:
- roleplay Hindrances well
- do something heroic
- tell a great story
- make everyone laugh
- add something memorable to the game
Spending Bennies
Reroll a Trait
A Benny may be spent to reroll any Trait check.
Keep the best result rolled.
The only exception is a Critical Failure, which cannot be rerolled.
Recover from Shaken
A Benny may be spent to recover from Shaken instantly.
This can happen at any time, even outside the character’s normal turn.
Soak Rolls
A Benny may be spent to try to reduce or prevent Wounds.
See Soaking Damage below.
Draw a New Action Card
During combat rounds, a character may spend a Benny to draw a new Action Card.
This happens after all cards are dealt and after any Edges or Hindrances affecting initiative are resolved.
Reroll Damage
A Benny may be spent to reroll damage, including any extra damage dice gained from a raise on the attack roll.
Regain Power Points
A character with an Arcane Background may spend a Benny to regain 5 Power Points.
Influence the Story
At the GM’s discretion, a Benny may be spent to influence the story in a small but useful way.
This might mean:
- finding one more clue
- having a common but needed item on hand
- making an NPC a little more cooperative
Example: Astrid spends a Benny and argues that her field kit would reasonably include a magnetic clamp for a zero-g repair. The GM agrees, and the story moves forward without stalling.
Gear
In many Astrabound adventures, heroes begin with equipment already chosen for them. The notes below explain some of the common gear terms.
AP (Armor Penetration)
Ignore this many points of Armor when figuring damage.
A weapon with AP 2 ignores the first 2 points of Armor the target has.
Parry
Apply the listed modifier to the user’s Parry.
Range
Range is listed in inches for ease of tabletop play.
Each 1 inch on the tabletop equals 2 yards in the world.
A target at 25" is therefore 50 yards away.
Reach
A character may make a melee attack against an opponent up to this many tabletop inches away.
Example: Flynn uses a weapon with Reach 1 to keep a boarding pirate at bay, striking from farther away than an ordinary knife fighter could.
Combat
Savage Worlds uses a fast initiative system built around cards to keep combat moving quickly.
Game Rounds
When combat begins, play shifts into rounds.
Round
A round is the full count of Action Cards from Ace down to Deuce.
Turn
A character’s turn happens when their Action Card comes up.
Action
A character may move and perform one regular action on their turn without penalty.
This includes things like:
- attacking
- using a power
- interacting with an object
- making a skill roll
More involved actions may take longer, at the GM’s discretion.
Free Actions
Free actions include:
- speaking a short sentence or two
- moving up to Pace
- dropping an item
- falling prone
A character can usually perform several free actions on their turn, as long as the GM feels it remains reasonable.
Some free actions occur automatically, such as trying to recover from being Shaken at the start of a turn.
Reaction-based free actions, such as resisting powers or opposed effects, are not limited to once per round.
Multi-Actions
A character may perform up to three actions on their turn.
Each additional action after the first applies a penalty to all actions that turn:
- 2 actions: −2 to both
- 3 actions: −4 to all three
Wild Cards still roll their Wild Die for each action.
All actions must be declared at the start of the turn, before rolling any dice.
The penalties remain even if a later action cannot be completed.
Movement and Multi-Actions
A character may split movement between actions however they like.
Free Actions and Multi-Actions
Multi-Action penalties do not apply to free actions.
Example: Astrid declares three actions in one turn: move to cover, fire at a drone, and activate a door control panel. All three actions take a −4 penalty, even if the first shot destroys the drone before the panel interaction matters.
Initiative
Initiative is determined using a standard deck of playing cards with two Jokers.
Each Wild Card is dealt one Action Card face up.
Any allied Extras controlled by a player act on that player’s card. Groups of enemies usually share one card by type.
The GM counts down from Ace to Deuce, and each character acts when their card comes up.
Ties are broken by suit order:
- Spades
- Hearts
- Diamonds
- Clubs
After all turns are resolved, deal again from the remaining deck.
Jokers
If a character draws a Joker:
- they may act at any time in the round
- they may automatically interrupt another’s action
- they gain +2 to all Trait and damage rolls that round
- all players receive a Benny
At the end of the round, if any Joker was dealt, reshuffle the deck.
Example: Flynn pulls a Joker during a boarding fight. He waits until the pirate leader steps out of cover, interrupts the action, and fires with +2 to both the attack and damage roll.
Hold
A character may choose to go on Hold instead of acting immediately.
A held action lasts until it is used. If a new round begins and the character still has a held action, that character is not dealt in for the new round.
Interrupting Actions
If a character on Hold wants to interrupt another action, both sides make opposed Agility rolls.
Whoever wins goes first.
Movement
Most player characters have Pace 6, meaning they may move up to that many inches on the tabletop as a free action.
A character who wants to move farther may run.
Running adds 1d6" of movement, but applies a −2 penalty to all other actions that round.
This extra movement:
- is not a Trait roll
- does not use the Wild Die
- cannot Ace
Example: Tabitha sprints across a docking platform to reach a wounded crewmate. She gains extra distance from running, but suffers the normal −2 penalty on the Healing roll she attempts afterward.
Melee Attacks
A character may make one Fighting attack per action.
Roll Fighting and compare the result to the target’s Parry.
If successful, roll melee damage.
If the attack hits with a raise, add +1d6 bonus damage.
Roll all melee damage dice together.
Withdrawing from Close Combat
If a character moves away from melee, all adjacent non-Shaken enemies get one immediate free attack.
They only get one such attack each, regardless of Edges or multiple weapons.
Ranged Attacks
Most ranged attacks use Shooting. Thrown weapons usually use Athletics.
Weapons list Short / Medium / Long range brackets.
- Short Range: no penalty
- Medium Range: −2
- Long Range: −4
As always, tabletop inches equal real-world yards at a rate of 1" = 2 yards.
Cover
Subtract from the attack roll if the defender has cover:
- Light Cover: −2
- Medium Cover: −4
- Substantial Cover: −6
Example: Astrid fires at a raider crouched behind a cargo pallet. The GM rules it is medium cover, so her Shooting roll suffers −4.
Damage
After a successful hit, roll damage and compare it to the target’s Toughness.
Damage dice can Ace just like Trait dice.
Ranged Damage
Ranged weapons have fixed damage values, such as 2d8 or 2d6+1.
Melee Damage
Melee damage is based on Strength, plus the weapon’s damage die if any.
A hero with Strength d8 using a knife with d6 damage rolls d8+d6.
Melee damage is derived from Strength, but it is not a Trait roll, so it does not use the Wild Die.
Bonus Damage
If the attack roll hit with a raise, add +1d6 bonus damage.
This extra die can Ace.
Only one bonus die is added, no matter how many raises the attack roll scored.
Example: Flynn hits with his rifle and scores a raise, so he rolls the rifle’s normal damage and adds +1d6 for the especially accurate shot.
Resolving Damage
After damage is rolled, subtract the target’s Toughness.
- If damage is less than Toughness, there is no game effect
- If damage is equal to or greater than Toughness, the target is at least Shaken
Shaken
If damage is 0–3 points over Toughness, the target is Shaken.
If the target was already Shaken, they remain Shaken and suffer one Wound.
Wounds
Every raise on damage, meaning every full 4 points over Toughness, causes a Wound.
Extras can take only one Wound before they are Incapacitated.
Wild Cards can take three Wounds. A fourth Wound takes them out of the fight.
Each Wound imposes:
- −1 Pace minimum 1
- −1 to all Trait rolls
These penalties stack to a maximum of −3.
Damage Example
If Astrid has Toughness 5:
- damage 4 or less: no effect
- damage 5–8: Shaken
- damage 9–12: one Wound and Shaken
- damage 13–16: two Wounds and Shaken
If she was already Shaken and then takes a result that would only Shake her again, she instead suffers one Wound and remains Shaken.
Example: Zayko is already Shaken when a security drone hits him for damage equal to his Toughness. Since he was already Shaken, he now takes one Wound as well.
Shaken Effects
A Shaken character is rattled, bruised, dazed, or off balance.
While Shaken, the character may only take free actions, including movement and running.
At the start of their turn, the character makes a Spirit roll as a free action to recover.
- Failure: remains Shaken
- Success: no longer Shaken and may act normally
A character may also spend a Benny at any time to remove Shaken instantly.
Incapacitation
An Incapacitated character cannot perform actions, but still receives Action Cards in case they recover or need to roll for effects like Bleeding Out.
Edges or Hindrances that affect initiative draws are ignored while Incapacitated.
An Incapacitated character must make an immediate Vigor roll.
- Critical Failure: the character dies
- Failure: the character is Bleeding Out
- Success: the character stabilizes but remains unconscious or otherwise helpless for 2d6 hours
Bleeding Out
A Bleeding Out character must make a Vigor roll at the start of each turn.
- Raise: stabilizes
- Failure: dies
Example: Flynn is dropped during a firefight in a ruined station corridor. He fails his Incapacitation roll and begins Bleeding Out, forcing the rest of the crew to reach him before the next few rounds decide his fate.
Soaking Damage
Immediately after Wounds are determined from a single attack, a character may spend a Benny to make a Vigor roll.
Each success and raise reduces the number of Wounds from that attack by one.
Do not apply the Wound penalties from those Wounds yet. They have not taken effect when the Soak roll is made.
If all Wounds are Soaked, the character is also no longer Shaken.
Example: Astrid takes two Wounds from a plasma hit, spends a Benny, and rolls Vigor. She gets a success and a raise, Soaking both Wounds completely and staying in the fight.
Powers
Most Savage Worlds settings include some form of supernatural, psychic, technological, or otherwise unusual abilities.
In Astrabound, these are most often expressed through Astra, advanced mental disciplines, strange relics, experimental science, or other setting-specific trappings.
For simplicity, all such effects are handled under the general rules for powers.
The mechanics stay the same regardless of whether the source is:
- Astra
- psychic talent
- alien biotech
- a relic device
- a field generator
- a scientific breakthrough
Each power is used through an arcane skill.
To activate a power:
- declare what the character is doing
- spend the required Power Points
- roll the relevant arcane skill
Power Use Results
- Failure: lose 1 Power Point
- Critical Failure: lose the turn
- Success: resolve the power normally
Example: Zayko uses Astra to activate a power through his arcane skill. If he succeeds, the power works as described. If he fails, he still loses 1 Power Point. If he critically fails, the effort collapses badly enough that he loses the action entirely.
Duration
Powers last for their listed Duration.
Some may be maintained by spending a Power Point to extend them for the same listed Duration again.
Power Points
Characters with an Arcane Background fuel their abilities using Power Points.
Heroes recover 5 Power Points per hour.
Example: After a hard fight, Zayko is low on Power Points. The crew takes time to regroup in cover, and over the next hour he recovers 5 points naturally, or could spend a Benny to recover 5 more immediately.