Who Hacks The Hackmen?

Who indeed?

I'm back again, and as promised, here's more "Vigilante Hack" love for everyone. What follows are the alternate rules that I've compiled for TVH. For the most part, they're all drawn from the original "Black Hack", or from David Black's own Additional Things. I know I did tweak a few minor things to my liking, but here is the gist of what I've added:

• Brought in NPC Reactions, straight from TBH
• Did a hard reset on the Usage Die and when to check it back to the default from TBH.
• Did a hard reset on Encumbrance back to TBH standard of each item =1.
• Did a hard reset on Ranges back to TBH standard of "Close, Near By, Far Away, Distant."
• Brought in Random Encounters, Morale, 'Better Armor', and Luck from "Additional Things"
• Added my own Alternate Advancement
• Added the Usage Die back in for Ammo as per TBH.
• Did minor tweaking and tinkering on some of the ranged and thrown weapons. Added a few new ones in as well.

There are a few things I'd like to borrow from The Blood Hack, namely its Firearm rules, its Vehicle system, & its list of Weapons and Equipment. I'd also like to integrate the "No-Class Hack" and The Knack Hack as well. But I'll save discussion on those for another time.

If you'd like a copy of what follows, click HERE to get the PDF

ALTERNATE RULES FOR THE VIGILANTE HACK

RANDOM ENCOUNTERS

The GM should roll a d4 every time the players make a loud noise or stay in a potentially dangerous area longer than 5 Minutes (turns). Results of 1 indicate a random encounter.

NPC REACTIONS

Some Villains and NPCs will have predetermined personalities and goals that will guide a GM when choosing their actions and feelings towards the characters. Those that do not, such as those randomly encountered, make a Reaction roll on the following table:

ROLL	REACTION
1	Flee then roll again.
2	Avoid the PCs entirely.
3	Bargain with PCs.
4	Give the PCs aid
5	Mistake the PCs for friends.
6	Trick the PCs (roll again).
7	Call for Reinforcements.
8	Capture/Kill the PCs.

USAGE DIE

Any item listed in the equipment section that can normally be used up or expended and that has a Usage die is considered a consumable, limited item. When that item is used the next Minute (turn) its Usage die is rolled. If the roll is 1-2 then the usage die is downgraded to the next lower die in the following chain:

d20 > d12 > d10 > d8 > d6 > d4

When you roll a 1-2 on a d4 the item is expended and the character has no more of it left.

Any other items only check a Usage Die if there is a chance of them being broken, damaged, etc.

MORALE

If the number of opponents engaged in combat with the players drops by 50% they are 'broken' and a Reaction roll should be made to determine their new attitude.

If a character can make a successful CHA test the broken opponents will attempt to flee the combat as quickly as possible. If they have a leader fighting amongst them, the CHA test is taken with Disadvantage.

LUCK

Each character is created with one point of Luck - they can trade this in at any time and get a re-roll on any one die. Their Luck Point renews at the end of each session.

ALTERNATE ADVANCEMENT

After each session in which the character interacts, participates, or contributes in a significant way, roll 1d10. If the number is higher than the characters current level, the character advances to the next level.

ENCUMBRANCE

A character can carry a number of ITEMS equal to their STR with no issues. Carrying over this amount means they are encumbered and all attribute tests are taken with Disadvantage – you can also only ever move to somewhere Nearby. They simply cannot carry more than double their STR. As per the original “Black Hack” rules, there is no carry weight associated with each item. An item is an item.

ARMOR ALTERNATIVE SYSTEM

Armor Points (AP) reduce damage in the same way, however they don't run out - so each hit is reduced by the Armor points amount. Every piece of Armor now has a Usage Die (UD)- see the table below.

Immediately after a fight where armor has been used to reduce damage, its Usage Die must be rolled. If the roll is a 1 or 2 the Usage Die reduces as per normal, and the Armor then has the AP of the armor above it in the table. For example, failing a UD roll for Kevlar Weave Uniform would reduce it to having 1 AP (Spandex).

If the UD is a d4 and fails, it's considered destroyed and should be removed from a player’s inventory. Armor can be repaired however- roll its current Usage Die and multiply the amount by 10, this is the cost to upgrade the Usage Die to the next die up in the chain.

ARMOR	AP	UD	COST
Leather Jacket/Spandex Costume (Ultra-Light)	1	d4	50
Leather Bodysuit/Kevlar Weave Uniform/Bulletproof Vest (Light)	2	d6	100
Kevlar Vest (Medium)	3	d8	500
Ballistic Armor/Full Riot Armor/Full Tactical Combat Armor (Heavy)	4	d10	5000
Helmet	1	d4	150
Shield	1	D6	150

ALTERNATE FIREARM AND RANGED WEAPONS

AMMO

All ranged and thrown weapons have ammo, represented by the usage die. You roll your Ammo Die at the end of a combat and follow all normal Usage Die rules. Each additional Ammo Die purchased refills one weapon to its full Usage Die. Ammo Die for all weapons listed in “The Vigilante Hack” core rules as well as “A City Full of Sinners” are as follows on the chart below:

OTHER WEAPONS	DAMAGE	ROF	RANGE	AMMO	COST
Bow	1d6	2	Nearby	D10	250
Crossbow	1d6+1	1 or 2	Far Away	D8	400
Pepper Spray	Stun	1	Close	D6	20
Stun Gun	Stun	1	Close	D8	35
Shuriken	1d6-1	2	Nearby	D8	25
Taser	Stun	1	Close	D6	300
Throwing Knives	1d6-1	1	Close	D6	50
Quiver of arrows/bolts	Ammo	-	-	By type	10

FIREARMS	DAMAGE	ROF	RANGE	AMMO	COST
Revolver	1d6+1	1	Nearby	D8	500
Semi-automatic Pistol	1d6	2	Far Away	D8	600
Submachine Gun*	1d6+1	2	Nearby	D12	900
Semi-automatic Rifle	1d6+2	2	Distant	D10	800
Shotgun	1d6+3	1	Nearby	D6	500
Automatic Rifle*	1d6+2	2	Distant	D12	2,000
Sniper Rifle	2d6	1	Distant	D10	3,000
Light Machine Gun*	1d6+2	2	Distant	D20	6,000
Heavy Machine Gun*	1d6+3	2	Distant	D20	12,000
Flamethrower**	1d6/turn	1	Nearby	D8	400
Ammo	Ammo	-	-	By type	10

EXPLOSIVES	DAMAGE	ROF	RANGE	AMMO	COST
Fragmentation Grenade***	3d6	1	Nearby	D6	50
Flash-Bang**	Stun	1	Nearby	D6	25
Smoke	Smoke	1	Nearby	D6	25
Incendiary***	2d6	1	Nearby	D6	40
Plastic Explosives**	1d6/charge	1	Close	D8	200
Rocket Propelled Grenade***	4d6	1	Distant	D4	2,000
Light Antitank Weapon***	5d6	1	Distant	D4	1,500
Grenades for RPG Launcher	Ammo	-	-	D4	500

* Can fire a 5-bullet bursts as one attack, +2 to-hit, x2 damage. Check Ammo Die immediately.

** Catches targets on fire (unless a Saving Throw is made) for 1d6 damage per turn until put out.

*** Explosive damage affects all in Close range and half damage to all Nearby. Half damage with Saving Throw.

Until next time...

I have nothing funny to say here. I just have always loved this freaking costume...