Electric Gauntlets — GM Reference Card

Color Key — Base Cost Enhancement Side Effect Attribute Penalty Follow-Up Delivery Attack Limitation Gadget Limitation Limitation

A pair of heavy steel gauntlets imbued with a supernatural electrical charge of unknown origin. Anyone who dons them can deliver a crackling punch that burns on contact, stuns the muscles, and sends arcs of electricity jumping to nearby enemies. The charge is visible and audible — and something about the unnatural energy seems to draw unwanted attention.

Damage

burning (burn)

Reach

close combat only

Arc Radius

2 yd

6 ft from struck target

Recharge

Ready

1 action to activate

Innate Attack — The Punch

12 pts

Burning (burn) — 3d

The charge does not forgive contact. It chars, blackens, leaves the hand-print branded. 3 dice × 5 pts/die = 15 pts base.

Base Cost

15 pts

Side Effect: Stunning + DX -2 — single HT roll

The muscles seize. The body forgets what the mind commanded. One HT roll covers both — at −1 per 2 HP of injury. Stunning +50%, DX −2 +20% — combined +70%.

Side Effect

+70%

Follow-Up → Advantage B (The Arc)

When the punch connects, the arc radiates whether you want it to or not. +0%: the carrier charges nothing extra.

Follow-Up

+0%

Melee Attack (Reach C, cannot parry)

You have to be close enough to smell the fear. Reach C only — adjacent targets. No parrying weapons with a charged fist. −35%.

Attack Lim.

-35%

Breakable (DR 3-5, machine, SM -5)

Steel plates over something that was never meant to hold this much. DR 3–5 (−15%), machine (−5%), SM −5 hand-sized (−10%) = −30%.

Gadget Lim.

-30%

Can Be Stolen (forcibly removed, works for anyone)

The charge doesn't care who wears them. Pull them off a dead man and they work the same. −10%, halved to −5%.

Gadget Lim.

-5%

Nuisance Effect — Obvious Supernatural Discharge

They announce themselves. The crack, the blue-white arc, the smell of scorched air. Everyone in earshot knows what you have. No stealth, no secrets. −5%.

Limitation

-5%

Requires Ready

The charge has to build. You feel it — a low hum through the palms, rising. One Ready maneuver before the first strike. −10%.

Limitation

-10%

Attracts Threats (9 or less)

Something out there notices when you loose that much unnatural energy. GM rolls 3d after each out-of-combat use — on 9 or less, something comes. −10%.

Limitation

-10%

Enhancements Total

+70%

Limitations Total

-95%

Net (-25%) → Final

15 × 0.75 = 12 pts

Side Effect

Stunning

The shock seizes the muscles completely. Fail the HT roll and you lose your next action — you can only defend. Roll HT each second to come back.

Attribute Penalty (Side Effect)

DX -2

The hands shake. The eyes take too long to focus. Same HT roll — fail and DX drops by 2 for (20 − HT) minutes. Minimum 1 minute. The spasm doesn't hurry.

Affliction 1 — The Arc

2 pts*

When the punch lands, the arc doesn't wait for permission. It radiates outward from the struck body — not from you — reaching everyone within 2 yards. Each rolls HT independently. No damage, just the seizure. The wielder is unaffected; something in the gauntlets knows the difference. *2 pts reflects Alternative Attacks pricing — see Section III.

Affliction 1 (HT)

The arc doesn't negotiate. HT or go down. Stunning is already priced into the default Affliction — no surcharge. 10 pts base.

Base Cost

10 pts

Follow-Up (rides Advantage I)

The punch opens the door. The arc walks through it. Triggers automatically on any hit. +0%.

Follow-Up Delivery

+0%

Stunning

Default Affliction — no surcharge. Fail the HT roll and the body locks up, the mind rings white. Recover by rolling HT each second. +0%.

Side Effect

+0%

Area Effect 1 (2 yard radius)

The electricity doesn't respect bodies — it jumps. Everyone within 2 yards of the struck target rolls independently. The struck target isn't hit twice. +50%.

Enhancement

+50%

Emanation

The arc radiates from the target, not from you. Required when the origin point is the struck body, not the wielder. −20%.

Attack Lim.

-20%

Breakable / Can Be Stolen / Nuisance Effect / Requires Ready / Attracts Threats

The arc and the punch share a power source. Same gauntlets, same limits, same price.

All Lims.

-50%

Enhancements Total

+50%

Limitations Total

-70%

Net (-20%) → Std. Cost

10 × 0.80 = 8 pts

Arc Effect — All Targets Within 2 Yards of Struck Target

Stunning (HT resist, no DR bonus)

The arc jumps whether you're ready for it or not. Every target in the 2-yard radius rolls HT. Failure: stunned, next action gone, defend only. You can't parry electricity — get out of the circle or eat it.

III

Alternative Attacks — Point Pricing

The punch and the arc are the same discharge, seen from two angles. Per Basic Set p.61 — Alternative Attacks: full price for the costlier advantage, one-fifth (round up) for the other. They fire together, not apart. Pulling one trigger pulls both.

Advantage I — Full Price

12 pts

Advantage II — 1/5 Cost

8 ÷ 5 = 2 pts

Total Cost

14 pts

Limitations — In-Play Reference

Breakable	-30%	A hard enough blow to the hands and the charge dies with it. DR 3–5 steel — tough, not indestructible.
Can Be Stolen	-5%	Pulled from your hands, they work the same for whoever picks them up. No binding. No loyalty.
Nuisance Effect	-5%	Blue-white arc light and the crack of discharge. Stealth is done the moment you charge up. Every enemy in the room knows.
Requires Ready	-10%	No surprise discharge. Turn one is spent building the charge. You feel it come alive in your palms — then you can strike.
Attracts Threats	-10%	Out of combat, that much supernatural energy doesn't go unnoticed. GM rolls 3d — on 9 or less, something follows the light.

Per-Punch Combat Sequence

1	Charge Check — First use this encounter: spend a Ready maneuver. The charge builds in the palms. Cannot attack this turn. Every turn after, proceed normally.
2	Attack Roll — Brawling or DX. Target may Dodge or Parry — this is melee. The arc is visible; there's no ambush here.
3	Hit — Roll Damage — 3d burning. Full DR applies — no divisor. The charge burns, it doesn't pierce.
4	Side Effect — Any penetrating damage triggers the seizure. HT at −1 per 2 HP of injury. One roll for both Stunning and DX −2.
5	Seizure Lands — Stunned (next action lost, defend only, HT each second to recover) + DX −2 for (20 − HT) minutes. Minimum 1 minute.
6	Arc Jumps — Every target within 2 yards of the struck target rolls HT. No DR bonus. No parry, no dodge — get out of the radius or go down.
7	Attracts Threats — Out-of-combat use only. GM rolls 3d. On 9 or less, something noticed. GM decides what, and how long before it arrives.

Rules Sources — Basic p.61 Innate Attack Basic p.61 Alternative Attacks Basic p.102 Area Effect Basic p.105 Follow-Up Basic p.109 Side Effect Basic p.35 Affliction Basic p.112 Melee Attack Basic p.112 Emanation Basic p.112 Nuisance Effect Basic p.116-117 Gadget Lims. PU8 p.11 Attracts Threats PU8 p.17 Requires Ready