NOVA Role-Playing System
by Norman McMullen and Don Viner

Attribute System

Attributes:
    There are six different attributes, designed to cover all aspects of Car Wars Role-playing. This enables characters to be different from each other, following the "no two persons are exactly alike" rule. In order, the six attributes are: strength, intelligence, coordination, endurance, perception, and luck. The first five are rolled on two six sided dice while luck is rolled on a single die.
    For all but luck, attribute scores of 2-12 are possible, with 7 being average. Attributes over 12 are impossible without cybernetics, and a rating of 20 is impossible even with cybernetics.
    Following is a list of basic attributes and their Car Wars definitions that apply.

Strength: This is your character's muscular strength and mass. It also determines how much your character can lift and do damage in hand-to-hand combat.

Intelligence: What your character knows and how well he's able to put that knowledge into practice. It also involves his basic ability to grasp new things. Intelligence determines how many skill he can have and how many points he starts out with.

Coordination: Manual dexterity in regards to speed and hand-eye coordination. This attribute covers the "To Hit" roll with most handweapons, martial arts, and archaic weapon skills. Also helps in dodging oncoming vehicles or avoiding obstacles. Jumping out of a moving car, or jumping from one moving vehicle to another is also covered by this attribute.

Endurance: Basic hardiness. Modifies your character's healing rate and how long he can keep up a strenuous activity, such as running, swimming, holding one's breath, etc.

Perception: Ability to see what is happening at a glance. This includes listening as well as seeing.

Luck: The number of times a character may say "No, that didn't happen.". Only reasonable uses of luck are allowed; the GM's decision on such matters are final. Using luck is limited to once per arena or adventure and may not be used to counteract another character's luck. Each time luck is used a 'Luck Point' is taken from the character's luck attribute. Once gone, luck cannot be regained. Use it wisely.

Strength Table
Strength
Lift
Base Hand-To-Hand Damage
2
15 lbs.
none
3
30 lbs.
1d6-5
4
60 lbs.
1d6-5
5
90 lbs.
1d6-5
6
120 lbs.
1d6-5
7
150 lbs.
1d6-4
8
180 lbs.
1d6-4
9
210 lbs.
1d6-4
10
240 lbs.
1d6-3
11
270 lbs.
1d6-3
12
300 lbs.
1d6-2
13
380 lbs.
1d6-2
14
460 lbs.
1d6-1
15
540 lbs.
1d6-1
16
620 lbs.
1d6
17
700 lbs.
1d6
18
780 lbs.
1d6+1
19
860 lbs.
1d6+1
20
940 lbs.
1d6+2

Intelligence Table
Intelligence
Beginning Skill Points
2 - 5
-10
6 - 8
0
9 - 10
+10
11
+20
12
+30

Coordination Table
Coordination
Ability
2 - 3
-2
4 - 5
-1
6 - 7
0
8 - 9
+1
10 - 12
+2
13 - 15
+3
16 - 18
+4
19 - 20
+5
Coordination modifications only count for handweapons.

Endurance Table
Endurance
Heal Rate
2 - 5
Need Help
6 - 8
Normal
9 - 10
+1/week
11 - 12
+2/week
13 - 14
+3/week
15 - 17
+4/week
18 - 20
+5/week

Perception rolls are made by rolling under the character's perception rating on two dice.

Luck cannot be regained.


Skill Tables

As each character would be pretty empty unless he knew something, there are skills to be learned in the world of autodueling. Some skills only help during a role-playing situation, and others when the character is behind the wheel, or yoke, of a vehicle. Whatever a certain skill does, it helps to ''flesh out" your character.
    To begin with, each beginning character gets 30 skill points plus bonuses, or penalties (+30 to -10) to obtain skills with. To learn a new skill, 10 skill points must be spent to learn it. To make a base level skills into a +1, 10 more skills points are required.
    After creation, a character gains skills by several different ways: instruction, study, personal experience, simulated experience or skilltape (for those cyborg characters).

GENERAL COMBAT SKILLS
Driver (Compendium)
 Gunner (Compendium)
Cyclist (Compendium)
 Handgunner (Compendium)
Trucker (Compendium)
 Pilot (Compendium)
Martial Arts (Compendium)
 Boat Pilot (Boat Wars)
Hover Pilot (Boat Wars)
 Snowmobile (ADQ)
Fixed Wing Pilot (ADQ 7/1)
 Jet Pack (NOVA)
Mech Suit (NOVA)
 Monster Truck (NOVA)
Archaic Weapons (NOVA)
 Blade (ADQ 7/1)
Hang Glider (Deluxe)
 Parachute (NOVA)
 

MILITARY RELATED SKILLS
Tank (Tanks/Car Wars)
 Tank Commander (Tanks/Car Wars)
Artillery (NOVA)
 Electronic Warfare (NOVA)
Explosives (ADQ)
 Ballistics (Tanks/Car Wars)
Jet Pilot (NOVA)
 Tank Mechanic (Tanks/Car Wars)


NON COMBAT RELATED SKILLS
Animal Husbandry (ADQ 7/1)
 Communication (ADQ 7/1)
Computer Technician (ADQ 7/1)
 Engineering (ADQ 7/1)
Mechanic (Compendium)
 Espionage (ADQ 7/1)
Fast Talk (ADQ 7/1)
 Hobby (ADQ 7/1)
Journalism (ADQ 7/1)
 Law (ADQ 7/1)
Leadership (ADQ 7/1)
 Navigation (ADQ 7/1)
Politics (ADQ 7/1)
 Psychology (ADQ 7/1)
Science (ADQ 7/1)
 Security (ADQ 7/1)
Streetwise (ADQ 7/1)
 Survival (ADQ 7/1)
Teaching (ADQ 7/1)
 Theft (ADQ 7/1)
Electronics (NOVA)
 College (NOVA)
Medic (Deluxe)
 Mage (SpaceGamer 51)
Armor (NOVA)
 Weaponsmith (NOVA)
Investigation (NOVA)
 Disguise (NOVA)
Lockpicking (NOVA)
 Skate (NOVA)


PHYSICAL SKILLS
Running (Compendium)
 Climbing (ADQ 7/1)
Acrobatics (ADQ 7/1)
 Swimming (Boat Wars)
Scuba (ADQ)
 Stealth (ADQ)
Jumping (NOVA)

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