DP9-005
Back Cover Blurb
The crowd was going wild. Thousands of dinars were changing hands and Elise was sweating like crazy.
Her Iguana was running full tilt, weaving back and forth in an effort to escape the Sidewinder’s autocannon fire. The other Gear was moving more slowly, keeping its aim steady and sure. Armor-piercing shells ripped into the leg of her machine and red warning lights began dancing in front of her eyes. She ignored them.
Skidding to a stop behind the cover of a makeshift bunker, she waited for her opponent to get a little closer. She was sure he’d be coming in for the kill, circling in tightly to catch here by surprise. Not this time.
She readied her Gear’s rifle and ran out of cover. The Sidewinder was much closer, but its pilot had obviously been taken by surprise. He fired wildly, peppering the side of the bunker with rounds, but missing Elise completely. He started to move, but not fast enough.
She tuned her Iguana to face him and fired. She saw the smoking hole in his cockpit almost immediately. The Sidewinder stopped for a second and tumbled to the ground in a heap, covering the pilot’s corpse.
The crowd loved it.
The Duelist’s Handbook brings Heavy Gear players into the ritualized and violent world of Gear dueling. The guardians of regimental honor, the stars of professional sports teams or the vicious gladiators of the underground, Duelists exemplify all the best and worst qualities of Terra Nova. The Handbook examines the duties and lives of military, professional and underground duelists, and features three new Gear models, new weapons, Perks and detailed rules for small scale tactical combat. Seven prominent Duelists are also profiled, and details are provided on the city-state of Khayr ad-Din — an ideal roleplaying setting for Duelists.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.0 A WORLD APART
1.1 A HANDBOOK OVERVIEW
CHAPTER 2: ANATOMY OF A DUEL
2.0 LONE WARRIORS
2.1 THE BASICS
2.2 TYPICAL DUEL TYPES
2.2.1 SKIRMISH MATCH
2.2.2 SHOOT-OUT
2.2.3 CLOSE SPARRING
2.2.4 STALKER-PREY DUELS
2.2.5 DEATH MATCH
2.3 MILITARY DUELS
2.3.1 KNOWING WHEN TO FIGHT
2.3.2 BATTLE CONDITIONS
2.3.3 HONOR MATCHES
2.4 SPORTING DUELS
2.4.1 COMBAT CONDITIONS
2.4.2 DUEL SPORTS
2.5 GLADIATORIAL DUELS
2.5.1 BATTLE CONDITIONS
2.5.2 GAMES OF BLOOD
2.6 ROLEPLAYING DUELS
2.6.1 ROLEPLAYING MILITARY DUELS
2.6.2 ROLEPLAYING SPORTING DUELS
2.6.3 ROLEPLAYING GLADIATORIAL DUELS
CHAPTER 3: REGIMENTAL DUELING
3.0 WARRIORS OF HONOR
3.1 BACKGROUND
3.2 GUARDIANS OF HONOR
3.2.1 BECOMING A DUELIST
3.2.2 ROLE OF THE DUELIST
3.3 BEYOND THE REGIMENT
3.3.1 ALLIED MILITARY PERSONNEL
3.3.2 ENEMY PERSONNEL
3.3.3 THE CIVILIAN WORLD
3.3.4 THE POPULAR MEDIA
3.3.5 OTHER DUELISTS
3.4 CHARACTER CREATION TIPS
3.4.1 CONCEPTUALIZATION
3.4.2 ATTRIBUTES AND SKILLS
3.4.3 CONNECTIONS WITH OTHER CHARACTERS
3.5 CREATING REGIMENTAL TRADITIONS
CHAPTER 4: SPORT DUELING
4.0 STARS OF THE ARENA
4.1 THE WORLD OF PRO DUELING
4.2 PRO DUELING CIRCUITS
4.2.1 LEAGUE CIRCUITS
4.2.2 CONFEDERATE AND GLOBAL COMPETITIONS
4.3 THE PRO DUELIST
4.3.1 MEDIA STARS
4.3.2 PROFESSIONALS AND OTHER DUELISTS
4.4 DUELING AGENTS
4.4.1 THE STARWING AGENCY
4.4.2 OTHER PROMINENT AGENTS
4.5 CHARACTER CREATION TIPS
4.5.1 CONCEPTUALIZATION
4.5.2 ATTRIBUTES AND SKILLS
4.5.3 CONNECTIONS
CHAPTER 5: GLADIATORIAL DUELING
5.0 BLOOD MATCH
5.1 THE WORLD OF UNDERGROUND DUELING
5.1.1 THE LAW OF THE ARENA
5.1.2 BACKGROUND
5.2 UNDERGROUND CIRCUITS
5.2.1 THE PATRIARCH’S LEAGUE
5.2.2 KHAYR AD-DIN CIRCUIT
5.2.3 MEKONG BANDIT MATCHES
5.2.4 RED SABLE ARENA
5.3 GLADIATORIAL DUELISTS
5.3.1 THE LOST AND THE DAMNED
5.3.2 HONOR AND VENGEANCE
5.3.3 GLADIATORS AND OTHER DUELISTS
5.4 MASTERS OF THE UNDERGROUND
5.4.1 CRIME LORDS AND KINGPINS
5.4.2 MANAGERS AND MIDDLEMEN
5.5 CHARACTER CREATION TIPS
5.5.1 CONCEPTUALIZATION
5.5.2 ATTRIBUTES AND SKILLS
5.5.3 CONNECTIONS WITH OTHER CHARACTERS
CHAPTER 6: KHAYR AD-DIN
6.0 THE CITY OF TRASH
6.1 OVERVIEW
6.1.1 BACKGROUND
6.2 CITY TOUR
6.2.1 TRANSRAIL COMPOUND
6.2.2 THE CORE
6.2.3 THE PIT
6.2.4 GHOST TOWN
6.3.5 THE HEAPS
6.3 THE POWERS THAT BE
6.3.1 THE SPIDER’S WEB
6.3.2 MOTHER SUPERIOR AND THE PRIESTHOOD
6.3.3 JARLSON FREELANCE
6.4 ADVENTURE SEEDS
6.4.1 HAZARDOUS WASTE
6.4.2 STARR POWER
6.4.3 TOXIC BLOOD
6.4.4 VENDETTA
6.5 STOCK NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS
CHAPTER 7: DUELISTS OF NOTE
7.0 THE PRICE OF FAME
7.1 FAME AND THE DUELIST
7.1.1 THE BEST OF THE BEST
7.2 STOCK NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS
CHAPTER 8: TACTICAL COMBAT DUELING
8.0 VIEW FROM ABOVE
8.1 INTRODUCTION
8.2 CHANGE OF SCALE
8.3 STACKING
8.4 THE SKIRMISH COMBAT TURN
8.4.1 INITIATIVE
8.4.2 MOVEMENT
8.4.3 ACTIONS
8.4.4 WEAPON FIRE MODIFICATIONS
8.5 TERRAIN
8.5.1 OBSCUREMENT
8.5.2 URBAN TERRAIN
8.5.3 BRIDGES
8.5.4 FIRESTARTING AND DESTROYING TERRAIN
8.5.5 CLIMBING AND FALLING
8.6 ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR DUELING
8.6.1 SPORTING ARMS
8.6.2 KILLING AN OPPONENT
8.6.3 DUELIG TACTICAL SCENARIOS
8.7 THE DUELING SKILL
8.7.1 COMBOS
8.7.2 PUSHING ONE'S SKILL
CHAPTER 9:DUELING FIELD GUIDE
9.0 THE CUTTING EDGE
9.1 DUELING WEAPONS
9.1.1 MODIFIED VIBROBLADE WEAPONS
9.1.2 HEAVY GEAR LANCES
9.1.3 ENTANGLING WEAPONS
9.1.4 OTHER CLOSE COMBAT WEAPONS
9.2 NEW WEAPON SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS
9.3 NEW PERKS
CHAPTER 10: FIELD GUIDE
GLADIATOR
RAPIER IGUANA
NEMESIS JAGUAR
CORNICE DAFNAE'S CHEETAH
YANG JOWNZ'S BLACK MAMBA
ALEIZANDER TORVA'S BLACK MAMBA
SOLITAIRE'S BLACK MAMBA
EMILI ROYAL'S DARTJÄGER
DUNKAN POLSON'S STRIKE CHEETAH
ADRIANNE BILS' GLADIATOR
LASH'S JAGUAR
REFERENCES
INDEX