Masada
First Post
I posted this to WotC and received minimal flames... figured I'd post here for more feedback.
Heat System
As characters encounter the many moral dilemmas in a modern campaign they are sure to bend the rules here and there. A GM is confronted with how to handle minor and major infractions of the law. While some GM’s are comfortable playing out the details of how the police or federal authorities operate, they Heat System offers an alternative to simplify the task. The system is broken in to two versions. The complex system offers a detailed mix of modifiers for managing a players Heat. The simple system allows the GM to rapidly track her players without table lookups.
In either case, using Heat should not discourage the GM from playing out interactions with the police occasionally. It is also not intended to allow the characters to get away with murder—although it could be if the GM desired.
The system is designed to give the GM a tool to gauge how often and how severe penalties should be for minor legal infractions. If they’ve had a long career in crime, then they will have left a long trail of telltale clues. Eventually these clues add up to a match and the police will take action. The consequences of this can be minor (fines, loss equipment, etc) or major (large fines, incarceration, seizure of assets) based on how high the Heat value is and how badly the players manage it. One of the side benefits to the Heat score is that it lets the player know how much risk they are taking in an understandable way. You don’t have to be a legal expert to understand that a high Heat value may cause consequences. Players shouldn’t feel persecuted with random police complications—or at least they should see it coming.
The Heat system does not replace the common rolls for spotting a false ID, Bluff, seeing through disguises, etc. These rolls occur normally. It also does not try to qualify violent crimes. It should be up to the GM to decide how well the PC’s can pull off kidnapping, murder and the like—if at all. Once the PC’s engage in this type of activity, the police will begin to expend large amounts of resources that can not be simply modeled. However, the system could be extended if the GM desired.
The Simple Heat System
Heat in this system is based on thresholds. When a character commits a certain crime their Heat score is set to a particular value, but in most cases the value is not accumulative. Other modifiers come in to play that do stack on top of the threshold value. This is exactly the same system as used by other stacking bonuses. The lists provided are examples not exhaustive.
Heat = Threshold Value + Modifiers
Small Time threshold (5): When a PC commits one (or several) of the following crimes they gain this small amount of Heat.
The following conditions provide modifiers to the threshold. These penalties are accumulative.
Making the Roll…
Heat check = d20 + 1/2 character level + Reputation Bonus
When ever the hero has contact with a legal entity a Heat check is appropriate. Contact should be any event where the character’s personal information is checked. This could be a background check for a weapon, a speeding/parking ticket, or even casually using Knowledge (Civics) if it required a trip downtown. It should also be rolled when a PC’s threshold changes from a lesser to a more severe category.
A player can add the hero’s Reputation modifier plus ½ their character level to the d20 roll. Beating the Heat means nothing happens. Failure indicates the hero has run afoul of bad karma and some legal action will be the result (below).
Legal Consequences
Failure means that the character has formally been charged with some minor (or major) transgression. Being charged and being convicted are two different things however. The Heat system boils down the incident to simple results to speed game play, yet still add the game. The two penalties are time and money. The severity is a factor of how badly the check is failed. Characters that are “Delayed” must spend the listed time in court and/or with civil authorities working out the details, but are not actually in jail. If the PC’s “fail to appear”, then their Heat immediately jumps to Criminal threshold. Jail sentences are served in county lock-ups or minimal security facilities. While on Probation a PC may not associate with ex-convicts or carry firearms. The good news is that after doing the time and paying the fines, the PC’s Heat threshold drops to Small Time and clears your modifiers (once you’re dirty it always sticks to you a little.)
Failure by 5 or less; Fined -2 Wealth.
Failure by 6 or 7; Fined -2 Wealth and Delayed 2 days.
Failure by 8 or 9; Fined -3 Wealth and Delayed 5 days.
Failure by 10 or 11; Fined -4 Wealth, Delayed 2 days, Jailed 2 days.
Failure by 12 or 13; Fined -4 Wealth, Delayed 2 days, Jailed 7 days.
Failure by 14 or 15; Fined -5 Wealth, Delayed 5 days, Jailed 14 days.
Failure by 16 or 17; Fined -5 Wealth, Delayed 5 days, Jailed 30 days, Probation 30 days.
Failure by 18 or 19; Fined -6 Wealth, Delayed 14 days, Jailed 60 days, Probation 60 days.
Failure by 20+; Fined -7 Wealth, Delayed 14 days, Jailed 90 days, Probation 90 days.
Failures by 30 or more will merit actual prison time of 6 months to 2 years. Again, more serious violent crimes are not covered in this system.
Beating the Rap
The easiest way to reduce Heat is to spend Action Points. One Action Point reduces Heat by one point. A player can do this anytime prior to triggering a Heat check. This provides a lasting reduction to the player’s Heat score until he fails a check. A player should note the AP expenditure next to his Heat score. This number is deducted from his Heat score for all Heat checks until a failure results. After a failure the bonus is lost.
After a failed Heat check the player may make a Knowledge (Civics) check with a DC equal to their current Heat score. Success means they successfully “plea bargain” down to half the listed penalty. A hero may hire a lawyer to make this check for them (paying fees as listed in the d20 Modern core rules).
An Example:
“Slick Rick” Holman is 5th level character with a +2 Reputation bonus. Rick is generally nice guy just out fighting the bad guys when he can. Life as a private detective has a tendency to put one in delicate situations. Rick carries a false police badge for bluffing his way out of sticky areas. He also carries an Uzi (Restricted weapon without a license) in his trunk for emergencies which he purchased with cash. Rick’s current Heat threshold is Shady (10) because of the false police ID.
While searching the apartment of a cheating spouse, Rick is confronted by the owner. Rick flashes the badge and stammers some excuses about a gas leak complaint while making a hasty retreat. Rick is forced to drive off in his own car while the confused spouse tries to call the police. This adds +4 to Rick’s Heat for a total of 14.
Weeks later Rick is shot at by another angry spouse and the police are called. Rick is questioned about the strictly self-defense event, Rick never even returned fire. But the interaction causes a Heat check as the police question Mr. Holman and poke around his stuff. Rick rolls a d20 and gets a 7. The roll plus 2 (1/2 his level) plus 2 more (for Reputation) is only 11! Rick is busted. However, since the check failed by less than 5, this time it will only cost Rick 2 Wealth points in fines. A complete failure (a roll of 1 for a total of result of 5) would have resulted in 3 points of Wealth and 5 days lost to paperwork and court appearances. In either case once Rick does the time and pays the fines his Heat is reduced to Small Time (5). In general, illegal items are confiscated; however, it is up to the GM if Rick loses his badge. Of course, keeping it would increase his Heat to 10 again immediately.
Heat System
As characters encounter the many moral dilemmas in a modern campaign they are sure to bend the rules here and there. A GM is confronted with how to handle minor and major infractions of the law. While some GM’s are comfortable playing out the details of how the police or federal authorities operate, they Heat System offers an alternative to simplify the task. The system is broken in to two versions. The complex system offers a detailed mix of modifiers for managing a players Heat. The simple system allows the GM to rapidly track her players without table lookups.
In either case, using Heat should not discourage the GM from playing out interactions with the police occasionally. It is also not intended to allow the characters to get away with murder—although it could be if the GM desired.
The system is designed to give the GM a tool to gauge how often and how severe penalties should be for minor legal infractions. If they’ve had a long career in crime, then they will have left a long trail of telltale clues. Eventually these clues add up to a match and the police will take action. The consequences of this can be minor (fines, loss equipment, etc) or major (large fines, incarceration, seizure of assets) based on how high the Heat value is and how badly the players manage it. One of the side benefits to the Heat score is that it lets the player know how much risk they are taking in an understandable way. You don’t have to be a legal expert to understand that a high Heat value may cause consequences. Players shouldn’t feel persecuted with random police complications—or at least they should see it coming.
The Heat system does not replace the common rolls for spotting a false ID, Bluff, seeing through disguises, etc. These rolls occur normally. It also does not try to qualify violent crimes. It should be up to the GM to decide how well the PC’s can pull off kidnapping, murder and the like—if at all. Once the PC’s engage in this type of activity, the police will begin to expend large amounts of resources that can not be simply modeled. However, the system could be extended if the GM desired.
The Simple Heat System
Heat in this system is based on thresholds. When a character commits a certain crime their Heat score is set to a particular value, but in most cases the value is not accumulative. Other modifiers come in to play that do stack on top of the threshold value. This is exactly the same system as used by other stacking bonuses. The lists provided are examples not exhaustive.
Heat = Threshold Value + Modifiers
Small Time threshold (5): When a PC commits one (or several) of the following crimes they gain this small amount of Heat.
- Stealing goods worth less than Purchase DC 15
Carrying a concealed weapon without a license
Discharging a weapon in public
Possession of drugs
Possession of explosives without a license
Possession of restricted weapons without a license
Soliciting
Illegal gambling
Possession of a false ID (Driver’s License or similar)
Associating with Shady characters (below)
- Assault (non-lethal combat)
Stealing/Possession goods worth Purchase DC 16 to 23
Possession of a fake badge (false police identification)
Possession of fake passport
Smuggling goods domestically (avoiding sales taxes)
Previously convicted (failed a Heat check at the Small Time level)
Violation of a protection order
Extortion
Tax evasion
Possession of Military hardware
Associating with Crooked characters (below)
- Stealing/Possession of stolen vehicle
Successfully fled from police
Assault of law enforcement (non-lethal combat)
Stealing/Possession of goods worth Purchase DC 24 to DC 30
Discharge of automatic weapons in public
Destruction of public property (Purchase DC 30 or less in damage--$15,000)
Possession of false federal ID
Associating with Criminals (below)
Violating Probation (as below)
- Use of lethal force (shooting at folks)
Armed robbery
Stealing/Possession of goods purchase DC 31 to 34
Smuggling goods internationally
Failure to Appear (see below)
The following conditions provide modifiers to the threshold. These penalties are accumulative.
- The hero was seen by law enforcement committing a crime, but not identified; +2 Heat.
The hero used a traceable credit account in the crime; +4 Heat.
A bystander was injured accidentally during a crime; +4 Heat.
The hero left the scene of the crime in a car registered to them; +4 Heat.
The hero left the scene of the crime in a car registered to an ally; +2 Heat.
The hero’s actions were captured on camera; +4 Heat.
The hero leaves behind finger prints or spent cartridges; +2 Heat.
The PC has the Criminal occupation; +2 Heat.
Children were at risk during the crime; +2 Heat.
- The hero has the Law Enforcement occupation; -4 Heat.
The hero has a friendly contact in the police department; -1 Heat per 2 levels of contact.
The hero routinely makes monthly Purchase DC 26 bribes; -4 Heat.
For every 5 ranks in Knowledge (Civics); -2 Heat.
The hero undergoes cosmetic surgery to alter appearance; -4 Heat.
Target of the crime was a criminal; -4 Heat.
Target of the crime was a hated criminal; -8 Heat.
For every Action Point spent on reducing Heat since the last check failure; -1 Heat.
Making the Roll…
Heat check = d20 + 1/2 character level + Reputation Bonus
When ever the hero has contact with a legal entity a Heat check is appropriate. Contact should be any event where the character’s personal information is checked. This could be a background check for a weapon, a speeding/parking ticket, or even casually using Knowledge (Civics) if it required a trip downtown. It should also be rolled when a PC’s threshold changes from a lesser to a more severe category.
A player can add the hero’s Reputation modifier plus ½ their character level to the d20 roll. Beating the Heat means nothing happens. Failure indicates the hero has run afoul of bad karma and some legal action will be the result (below).
Legal Consequences
Failure means that the character has formally been charged with some minor (or major) transgression. Being charged and being convicted are two different things however. The Heat system boils down the incident to simple results to speed game play, yet still add the game. The two penalties are time and money. The severity is a factor of how badly the check is failed. Characters that are “Delayed” must spend the listed time in court and/or with civil authorities working out the details, but are not actually in jail. If the PC’s “fail to appear”, then their Heat immediately jumps to Criminal threshold. Jail sentences are served in county lock-ups or minimal security facilities. While on Probation a PC may not associate with ex-convicts or carry firearms. The good news is that after doing the time and paying the fines, the PC’s Heat threshold drops to Small Time and clears your modifiers (once you’re dirty it always sticks to you a little.)
Failure by 5 or less; Fined -2 Wealth.
Failure by 6 or 7; Fined -2 Wealth and Delayed 2 days.
Failure by 8 or 9; Fined -3 Wealth and Delayed 5 days.
Failure by 10 or 11; Fined -4 Wealth, Delayed 2 days, Jailed 2 days.
Failure by 12 or 13; Fined -4 Wealth, Delayed 2 days, Jailed 7 days.
Failure by 14 or 15; Fined -5 Wealth, Delayed 5 days, Jailed 14 days.
Failure by 16 or 17; Fined -5 Wealth, Delayed 5 days, Jailed 30 days, Probation 30 days.
Failure by 18 or 19; Fined -6 Wealth, Delayed 14 days, Jailed 60 days, Probation 60 days.
Failure by 20+; Fined -7 Wealth, Delayed 14 days, Jailed 90 days, Probation 90 days.
Failures by 30 or more will merit actual prison time of 6 months to 2 years. Again, more serious violent crimes are not covered in this system.
Beating the Rap
The easiest way to reduce Heat is to spend Action Points. One Action Point reduces Heat by one point. A player can do this anytime prior to triggering a Heat check. This provides a lasting reduction to the player’s Heat score until he fails a check. A player should note the AP expenditure next to his Heat score. This number is deducted from his Heat score for all Heat checks until a failure results. After a failure the bonus is lost.
After a failed Heat check the player may make a Knowledge (Civics) check with a DC equal to their current Heat score. Success means they successfully “plea bargain” down to half the listed penalty. A hero may hire a lawyer to make this check for them (paying fees as listed in the d20 Modern core rules).
An Example:
“Slick Rick” Holman is 5th level character with a +2 Reputation bonus. Rick is generally nice guy just out fighting the bad guys when he can. Life as a private detective has a tendency to put one in delicate situations. Rick carries a false police badge for bluffing his way out of sticky areas. He also carries an Uzi (Restricted weapon without a license) in his trunk for emergencies which he purchased with cash. Rick’s current Heat threshold is Shady (10) because of the false police ID.
While searching the apartment of a cheating spouse, Rick is confronted by the owner. Rick flashes the badge and stammers some excuses about a gas leak complaint while making a hasty retreat. Rick is forced to drive off in his own car while the confused spouse tries to call the police. This adds +4 to Rick’s Heat for a total of 14.
Weeks later Rick is shot at by another angry spouse and the police are called. Rick is questioned about the strictly self-defense event, Rick never even returned fire. But the interaction causes a Heat check as the police question Mr. Holman and poke around his stuff. Rick rolls a d20 and gets a 7. The roll plus 2 (1/2 his level) plus 2 more (for Reputation) is only 11! Rick is busted. However, since the check failed by less than 5, this time it will only cost Rick 2 Wealth points in fines. A complete failure (a roll of 1 for a total of result of 5) would have resulted in 3 points of Wealth and 5 days lost to paperwork and court appearances. In either case once Rick does the time and pays the fines his Heat is reduced to Small Time (5). In general, illegal items are confiscated; however, it is up to the GM if Rick loses his badge. Of course, keeping it would increase his Heat to 10 again immediately.
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