Chapter 12: Crystal Shards, Magcells, and Consumables
The five Core Consumables, how Crystal Shards trade between HP and Motivation, how Magcells power Coiltech, how to harvest shards from mutated creatures, and how to track ammunition by bundle.
Core Consumables
| Consumable | Slot Rule | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Ration | 1 item | Travel: feeds one traveler or Paca for one Travel Day. If consumed during travel, it also enables HP recovery at that night's Camp. |
| Alcohol | 1 item | Camp: restores Motivation to the normal baseline of 50. No drawback. |
| Crystal Shard | 3 per item slot | Consume Action. Roll 2d10, add one die to HP or Motivation, subtract the other from the opposite stat. Can raise Motivation above 50, never above 99. |
| Arrows/Bolts | 10 per item slot | Used by non-Coiltech ranged weapons. Track by bundle. |
| Magcells | 3 per item slot | Power Coiltech effects. |
Other drugs, smoke, and recreational substances can exist in the fiction, but they are not core consumables unless the Foreman deliberately adds them.
Crystal Shards
Crystal Shards are small fragments of crystallized magik energy. They form inside creatures saturated by reactor leakage. Contractors use them as emergency recovery, trading between HP and Motivation.
Using a Crystal Shard
Take a Consume Action. For each shard consumed:
- Roll 2d10.
- Choose one die to add to either Current HP or Motivation.
- Subtract the other die from the opposite stat.
There is no Skill Check.
HP cannot exceed Maximum HP. Motivation normally recovers to 50, but Crystal Shards can raise Motivation above 50. Motivation above 50 is exceptional overdrive and can never exceed the absolute cap of 99.
Worked Example: Crystal Shard
Rivet is at 5/14 HP and 30 Motivation. They Consume one Crystal Shard and roll 8 and 3. Rivet chooses to add 8 to HP and subtract 3 from Motivation. They rise to 13/14 HP and drop to 27 Motivation.
HP cannot exceed Maximum HP. Motivation cannot exceed 99. Losses cannot reduce HP or Motivation below 0. If shard loss drops HP to 0, roll on the Wound Table.
Multiple Shards
A Contractor may consume multiple shards in one Consume Action. Roll each shard separately and apply each gain/loss.
Shards and Wounds
Crystal Shards do not remove Wounds in combat. Wounds can be removed by Mend + Vitality, Camp Treat Wound, or Town Leave.
Harvesting Shards
Mutated creatures may contain Crystal Shards. Harvesting usually requires a blade and a Constitution or Spirit Skill Check. Failed harvesting can ruin the shards.
- Fodder: 0-1 shards.
- Standard: 1-2 shards.
- Veteran: 2-4 shards.
- Elite: 4-6 shards.
- Boss: 6-12 shards.
Non-mutated creatures do not normally drop shards.
Creature Shard Examples
| Creature | Tier | Con | Damage | AP | Stat | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reactor Rat | Fodder | 4 | 1 | 0 | 28 | Comes in packs, but only drop 0-1 shards total. |
| Bone-Plated Hound | Standard | 8 | 3 | 1 | 40 | Attacks isolated or wounded Contractors. |
| Coiler Patrolman | Veteran | 12 | 4 | 2 | 55 | Uses Coiltech weapon if the scene demands it. Usually carries restricted gear. |
| Elder Glass-Stag | Elite | 20 | 6 | 3 | 70 | Natural-magik creature. Beautiful, dangerous, and valuable alive. |
| Crowned Coiler Prototype | Boss | 35 | 8 | 5 | 80 | Runs with full tactics and may use Magcells. |
Magcells
Magcells power Coiltech. They are tracked individually because each powered use is expensive.
| Coiltech Item | Magcell Use |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Spend 1 Magcell before attack. On hit, ignore AP. |
| Armor | Spend 1 Magcell when your armor would break or when an attack would deal HP damage while the armor is intact. Prevent the HP damage from that hit and ignore one armor break from that hit. |
| Shield | Spend 1 Magcell when you respond to an attack against yourself or an ally within reach. You may Block that attack even if you are not the target. On success, the attack is stopped. On failure, the shield takes the damage before the target does. |
| Prosthetic | Spend 1 Magcell to ignore Motivation cost of one action using it. |
| Accessory | Spend 1 Magcell to ignore one tied modifier cost. |
Ammunition
Arrows and bolts are tracked by bundle, not individual shot. After a combat scene where a bow or crossbow was used heavily, the Foreman may mark one bundle depleted.
Chapter 11: Equipment
Quality scale, weapon and armor categories and properties, Coiltech and Magcells, accessories, Masterwork and Legendary items, pack capacity, and buying-and-selling rules.
Chapter 13: Rest, Recovery, and Town Leave
How Contractors recover between fights, through Breathers, Camp Actions, wound treatment, Town Leave, and healing timelines.