01. The Basics
Eldritch Automata utilizes the Year Zero Engine, a system built on six-sided dice (D6) pools. To perform an action, roll a number of dice equal to your connected Stat + Skill Level.
- Sixes are Successes: You only need a single 6 to succeed. Additional 6s generate Stunts.
- Pushing the Roll: With any roll, you may perform a Push to re-roll all failed dice rolls. Pushing adds 1 Stress Level to your character. You can only push a roll once, unless stated otherwise.
- Stress: You add Stress die equal to your Stress Level on every roll. Stress dice sucessess are added like normal successes. Stress dice that roll a 1 trigger a Panic Roll.
- Panic: If you roll a 1 on any Stress Die during a pushed roll, you must immediately make a Panic Roll. Panic roll consists of rolling 1D6 + your current level of Stress. The resulting sum of the roll decides how badly you Panic. Consult the Panic Table for details.
- Group Rolls: When you face a challenge together with the other PCs, don’t roll dice separately. Instead, you choose who among you is best suited to take on this challenge. The others may help if it’s relevant to the situation. If the roll fails, it counts as a failure for all of you – you are not allowed to each try.
- Help from Others: In certain situations, other characters may assist you. For each person helping you, you get a +1 modifier. No more than three people can help you with a single roll
- Opposed Rolls: You have to roll more Successes than your adversary to win an opposed roll. Every Success your adversary rolls eliminates one of your Successes. However, you (the aggressor) can push your roll, and your opponent cannot.
02. Skills
03. Stress & Stability
Eldritch Automata is a game of introspection and hope in the face of despair. Your 2 in-game stats known as Stability and Ego represent that.
Stability (Wits): This represents your mental stability and your mind’s fortitude. When Stability hits 0, you enter a Breakdown determined by your Archetype.
Ego (Empathy): Represents your sense of self. As you interface with the Automata, Ego erodes. When Ego hits 0, the pilot Berserks, your Automata goes Berserk determined by your Archetype.
04. Strands & Downtime
Strands are interpersonal connections that fuel your will to keep fighting.
- Exhausting Strands: Before a roll, you can exhaust a Strand to add +2 dice to your pool. Strand dice succeed on a 1 and a 6.
- Breaking Strands: You may permanently break a Strand to hinder another character, reducing their dice pool by 2.
- Refreshing: Exhausted Strands are only refreshed by spending quality downtime (a Shift) with the connected character.
05. Combat Engagement
Combat is tracked in Rounds (5-10 seconds). Initiative is determined by rolling 1D6 + Agility.
Action Economy
Each round you receive 1 Slow Action (Attack, Skill Roll) and 1 Fast Action (Movement, Blocking).
The Ego Field
All Automata possess an Ego Field that acts as an initial damage threshold. It must be pierced before the unit takes Durability damage.
Map and Zones
Intense battles often unfold on a map that represents the location where your characters struggle to survive. The map is divided into zones, which may be a room, a corridor, or a specific area of ground. Zones can vary in size, ranging from just a few steps across to approximately 25 meters. Automata’s are generally around 80 meters tall and their zones are typically up to about 500 meters. A massive battlefield for normal combatants is merely a walk for an Automata.
Range
| Range | Description |
|---|---|
| Engaged | Right next to you. |
| Short | A few meters away, in the same zone as you |
| Medium | Up to 25/500 meters away, in an adjacent zone |
| Long | Up to about 100/2000 meters (four zones) away |
| Extreme | Up to about 1/20 kilometer(s). |
Measuring Time
Three separate units of time are typically used in Eldritch Automata, depending on the situation at hand. See the table below. The exact duration of a Round, Stretch, and Shift can vary depending on the situation. It’s the GM’s job to track time and determine when another Round, Stretch, or Shift has passed. There are typically four Shifts in a day: Morning, Day, Evening, and Night.
Range
| Unit | Duration | Primary Use |
|---|---|---|
| Round | 5-10 seconds | Combat |
| Stretch | 5-10 Minutes | Exploration |
| Shift | 5-10 Hours | Recovery |
06. Durability & Health
When Health or Durability reaches zero, the unit is Broken and must roll for a Critical Injury.
07. Roll Tables
When a unit is Broken, roll on the Critical Injury table to determine the injury sustained.
| D66 | Injury | Fatal | Effects | Recovery (Days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11-13 | Winded/Stunned/Pain | No | None | - |
| 14 | Sprained Ankle | No | Mobility -2; No running until Medical roll | - |
| 15 | Blood in Eyes | No | Scout/Shoot -2 until Medical roll | - |
| 16 | Concussion | No | Mobility -2 | D6 |
| 21 | Severed Ear | No | Scout -2 | D6 |
| 22 | Broken Toes | No | Running becomes a Slow Action | D6 |
| 23 | Broken Hand | No | Cannot use hand | D6 |
| 24 | Knocked Teeth | No | Manipulate -2 | D6 |
| 25 | Impaled Thigh | No | Running becomes a Slow Action | 2D6 |
| 26 | Slashed Shoulder | No | Cannot use arm | D6 |
| 31 | Broken Nose | No | Manipulate/Scout -1 | D6 |
| 32 | Crotch Hit | No | 1 Dmg on Mobility/Fight rolls | D6 |
| 33 | Broken Ribs | No | Mobility/Scout -2 | 2D6 |
| 34 | Gouged Eye | No | Shoot/Scout -2 | 2D6 |
| 35 | Busted Kneecap | No | Cannot run, only crawl | 2D6 |
| 36 | Broken Arm | No | Cannot use arm | 2D6 |
| 41 | Broken Leg | No | Cannot run, only crawl | 2D6 |
| 42 | Crushed Foot | No | Cannot run, only crawl | 3D6 |
| 43 | Crushed Elbow | No | Cannot use arm | 3D6 |
| 44 | Punctured Lung | Yes (Day) | Endure/Mobility -2 | D6 |
| 45 | Bleeding Gut | Yes (Shift) | 1 Dmg on Mobility/Fight rolls | D6 |
| 46 | Ruptured Intestines | Yes (Shift) | Infected Wound (Virulence 6) | 2D6 |
| 51 | Busted Kidney | Yes (Day) | Mobility -2; Crawl only | 2D6 |
| 52 | Arm Artery | Yes-1 (Str) | Cannot use arm | D6 |
| 53 | Leg Artery | Yes-1 (Str) | Running is a Slow Action | D6 |
| 54 | Severed Arm | Yes-1 (Shf) | Cannot use arm | PERM |
| 55 | Severed Leg | Yes-1 (Shf) | Cannot run, only crawl | PERM |
| 56 | Cracked Spine | No | Paralyzed neck down | 3D6 |
| 61 | Ruptured Jugular | Yes-1 (Rnd) | Endure -1 | 2D6 |
| 62 | Ruptured Aorta | Yes-2 (Rnd) | Endure -2 | 3D6 |
| 66 | Instant Death | Yes | Pilot KIA | - |
When an Automata suffers a critical hit or structural breakdown, roll to determine system failures.
| D66 | System Damage | Effect | Repair (Shifts) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Scratched Paint | None | - |
| 12 | Emergency Shutdown | None | - |
| 13 | Reset Engaged | None | - |
| 14 | Injured Foot Bracket | Mobility -2; No run until Medical roll | - |
| 15 | Damaged Receptors | Obs/Ranged -2 until Machinery roll | - |
| 16 | Shorted Stabilizers | Mobility -2 | D6 |
| 21 | Comms Down | No communication with team | D6 |
| 22 | Damaged Leg Joints | Running is a Slow Action | D6 |
| 23 | Destroyed Hand | Cannot use hand | D6 |
| 24 | Broken Targeting | Ranged Combat -2 until Machinery roll | D6 |
| 25 | Power Disconnect | Automata shuts down | 2D6 |
| 26 | Arm Dislocated | Cannot use arm | D6 |
| 31 | Blown Thrusters | Can only take 1 Slow Action per turn | D6 |
| 32 | Mechanical Fire | 1 Dmg on Mobility/Ranged rolls | D6 |
| 33 | Infected Systems | Gain Horror Toxicosis | 2D6 |
| 34 | Radiated Systems | Gain Seraph Radiation | 2D6 |
| 35 | Destroyed Joints | Automata cannot move | 2D6 |
| 36 | Broken Arm | Cannot use arm | 2D6 |
| 41 | Broken Leg | Cannot run, only crawl | 2D6 |
| 42 | Crushed Foot Joint | Cannot run, only crawl | 3D6 |
| 43 | Crushed Elbow | Cannot use arm | 3D6 |
| 44 | Exposed Systems | Endure/Mobility -2 | D6 |
| 45 | Impaled Chest | 1 Dmg on Mobility/Close Combat rolls | D6 |
| 46 | Shatter Frame | Pilot rolls for Critical Injury | 2D6 |
| 51 | Leg Overload | Mobility -2; Crawl only | 2D6 |
| 52 | Arm Overload | Cannot use arm | D6 |
| 53 | Busted Hydraulics | Running is a Slow Action | D6 |
| 54 | Severed Arm | Cannot use arm | 3D6 |
| 55 | Severed Leg | Cannot run, only crawl | 3D6 |
| 56 | Sync System Destroyed | Goes still; Perm. if not treated | 3D6 |
| 61 | Life Support Off | Stability -2 | 2D6 |
| 62 | Ego Degradation | Ego -2 | 3D6 |
| 63 | Engine Destruction | Engine & Automata Destroyed | DUR* |
| 64 | Destroyed Head | Automata Destroyed | DUR* |
| 65 | Collapsed Cockpit | Automata Destroyed; Pilot rolls Crit | DUR* |
| 66 | Destroyed Cockpit | Pilot Killed Instantly | DUR* |
*Repairing an Automata after it’s been destroyed takes a minimum Shift requirement equal to the maximum Durability of your Automata.