Dias Ex Machina
Publisher / Game Designer
From ULTRAMODERN5, on BACKERKIT
Ultramodern5, A 5E Universal Sci-Fi Sourcebook + Campaigns & Adventures
CIVILIAN
Let’s be honest, most of us would fall into this category. Don’t be discouraged, you can still be a unique and interesting individual. Just because you were not professionally trained to engage opponents in combat doesn’t mean you’re weak. Chances are, you fell into a crisis and proved useful. Or better still, you came to some precious knowledge of technology that made your presence invaluable. Others cannot ignore you; they need you, and love it or hate it, you are where you belong.
Consider yourself a blank slate—a sponge—ready to absorb what’s required to be valuable at a later time. Your luck has earned you a position popular in fiction. Your allies may despise this truth, but in most stories, whether fantasy or science fiction, you’re the main character. You’re the normal one, the outsider, the initially hapless potential future hero that stumbled into the wrong alley. You’re the one who survived, the one who decided to step in, only to be dragged along with potentially better-trained comrades.
That giant robot will only answer to you. Your genetic code is the only key that mecha will open to. The magi picked you to be his apprentice. Or maybe you’re just the rich one bankrolling everyone else, so they have no choice but to take you along.
PLAYING A CIVILIAN
A civilian is a blank canvas on which to attach any number of character archetypes famous in popular fiction (especially genre tales). The hero that rises up to slay the monster is often a commoner, not the most powerful knight in the realm. The burden of the main quest falls indubitably to the one least trained. Alas, the civilian can also be fated to suffer the greatest tragedy. To succeed at these nearly unachievable tasks, the civilian is forced to rely often on instincts and a large portion of luck. A player controlling a civilian harnesses this luck despite the character not being fully aware of this. It does throw a peculiar dichotomy between character and player. Are they one and the same, or is the player just pulling strings?
Let someone else decide that.
CLASS FEATURES
As a civilian, you gain the following class features.
Hit points
Hit Dice. 1d8 per civilian level
Hit Points at 1st level. 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels. 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier civilian level after 1st
Special. You can reduce your Hit Dice to 1d6 to gain 1 hero talent (see later). Consequently, your hit points gained at 1st level are reduced to 6 + your Constitution modifier, and your hit points at higher levers decrease to 1d6 (or 4). Regardless of multiclassing or feats taken, your Hit Dice cannot be higher than 1d6.
Additionally, you can reduce your Hit Dice to 1d4 to gain 1 additional hero talent (2 total). Your hit points gained at 1st level are reduced to 4 + your Constitution modifier, and your hit points at higher levers decrease to 1d4 (or 3). Regardless of multiclassing or feats taken, your Hit Dice cannot be higher than 1d4.
Proficiencies
Armor. Light armor
Weapons. All simple weapons
Saving Throws. Select any two ability scores
Skills. Select any four skills.
Special. You can reduce your skill proficiencies to only two and gain one hero talent.
Equipment
You start with the following equipment in addition to the equipment granted by your background.
· $300 in gear.
LUCK DICE
Lady luck is on your side. Starting at 1st level, you gain the ability to affect your success rate at specific tasks based on factors you should realistically not have control over.
You acquire d6s of different colors (yours do not have to be these colors, but whichever ones you use should be clearly identifiable and consistent). You will have the chance to acquire more and in different combinations of colors. Each color die is connected to a specific type of ability.
At 1st level, you gain a number of luck dice based on your highest attribute score modifier (regardless which one it is) plus ½ your civilian level (rounded up). You must possess at least one of each die before selecting duplicates at 1st level. Upon reaching a new level, your total dice pool can increase based on the new level and if your highest attribute score has improved. Whenever you gain additional luck dice, you can also swap out one previously selected die (even if it means removing your last die of a color), but these choices remain fixed until you gain a level again.
For example, A character has a Charisma of 17 at 1st level and starts with 4 dice. The player chooses 1 defense (black), 1 attack (red), and 1 wild (purple), and 1 recovery (green). At 3rd level, the die pool increases to 5, the player replaces the green with a purple and adds a white.
After rolling initiative, place your luck die in a cup or bag (referred to as the supply), randomly remove a number of dice based on your civilian level (2 at 1st level) and roll them—these are your available dice to spend (your active dice), and once spent, are discarded and set aside. After finishing a short rest, return spent dice to your die pool.
Luck Dice can be spent to activate their color, or the die can be discarded to use the value on the die regardless of die color. Each color offers its own unique ability.
Die Value. A die on its own, regardless of color, can be spent to modify any d20 roll (whether it be skill or attack) you make as part of the same action. You can roll first, check for success, and then decide whether or not to spend the luck die.
Combining Dice. Dice can be combined to increase the effect of an ability. By spending multiple dice, you compound the effect of the activated luck ability. The value on the initial spent die is not counted, but the values on additional dice do. Color-matched dice have their values doubled while unmatched colors are added unmodified. A wild die has no activatable functions, cannot be discarded on its own, but always acts as a matched die for the purposes of combining dice.
For example, if you discard an attack die along with another attack die (indicating 3), a recovery (showing 5), and a wild die (showing 2), you add (3x2)+5+(2x2)=15 to the attack die action. The first initial attack die does not add its value.
Defense (Black) Die. When discarded as a reaction to an enemy hit on you, that attack misses.
Combined (Stumble). When combined, the attacker must make a Constitution save equal to the value +8, or be knocked prone.
Speed (White) Die. Discard as a bonus action, and you can Disengage and move up to your Speed.
Combined (Bolt). When combined, the value, rounded up to the nearest 5, is additional movement you can make this turn.
Recovery (Green) Die. Discard a green along with a Hit Die as a bonus action and recover hit points equal to the Hit Die’s maximum value.
Combined (Heal). When combined, the value is additional hit points you recover.
Attack (Red) Die. Discard as part of an attack action to either turn a miss into a hit or a hit into a critical hit.
Combined (Wound). When combined, this value is added to your damage roll for this attack.
Wild (Purple) Die. This die cannot be discarded on its own and can only be discarded with another die; however, its value is always doubled as if it were a matching die.
HERO TALENTS
You’re a hero…or at least, you’d like to think of yourself as one. Starting 1st level, and then every two civilian levels after that (see table), you gain a hero talent from the list below. When reaching an archetype selection, you can decide to select a hero talent instead. Unless otherwise stated, you can only select a hero talent once.
Born Lucky. If you discard more than three additional luck dice via combining, return one of your choice to your die supply.
Bravely Ran Away. When activating a speed die, you can also stand up from prone for free; you also have advantage on escaping from a grapple until the beginning of your next turn.
Comedy Sidekick. Anytime you roll a natural 1 with ANY dice (including damage rolls), increase the value of one unused rolled luck die by 1 (maximum 6).
Do I Feel Lucky. When activating an attack die, you can also make one additional attack as part of the same action (it does not benefit from the attack die).
Foolish Fortune. After rolling your luck dice after Initiative, select one and set the die result to 6.
Happy Accidents. When adding matched dice (from combining dice), increase the total result by 3.
Improving The Odds. Immediately after rolling luck dice after initiative, increase all wild die results by 2 (maximum 6).
It’s All In The Reflexes. Before making an ability check, as part of the same action, take a random luck die from the supply and “lock” it on the player’s character sheet—you have advantage on your next ability check. You do not regain that locked die until you finish a long rest.
Kismet. Increase your luck die pool by 1. You can select this talent up to three times.
Luck Of The Whatever. After rolling luck dice after Initiative, you can re-roll up to two and take the higher value.
Lucky Star. Increase your luck die draw by 1. You can select this talent twice.
Make Your Own Luck. You can spend a Hit Die as a bonus action to draw two additional luck dice from your supply. If your supply is empty, you cannot use this ability. Select this talent a second time and increase the draw to three additional dice.
Protagonist. When an ally you can see suffers a critical hit or is reduced to zero hit points, recover a spent luck die of your choice (re-roll it immediately and add it back to your active dice).
Stormtrooper Aim. When activating a defense die, you are also counted as having taken the Dodge action (any attack rolls made against you have disadvantage until the start of your next turn).
Stroke Of Luck. Anytime you roll a natural 20 (whether an ability check or an attack), either return a spent luck die to your supply or draw one luck die from the supply.
We’re All Lucky. When activating a recovery die, one ally within reach can also spend a Hit Die and recover that die’s maximum value (the ally does not gain the benefit of combining dice).
AVOIDANCE
At 2nd level, as long as you are wearing no armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC. This increases to +2 at 6th level, +3 at 10th level and +4 at 14th level.
ARCHETYPE
At 3rd level, you choose an archetype from the archetype chapter. The archetype you choose grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 11th, 15th, and 18th level.
Additionally, you can forego your archetype selection at 3rd level and gain an additional hero talent at each of the above levels.
Suggestions. Authority, Diplomat, Driver, Grandmaster, Sapper, or Suave.
ABILITY SCORE IMPROVEMENT
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
CHOSEN ONE
Starting at 20th level, if you are reduced to zero hit points, but are then healed before taking a short rest, return all spent luck dice to the supply and draw again as if you just rolled initiative. Once you use this ability, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.
Ultramodern5, A 5E Universal Sci-Fi Sourcebook + Campaigns & Adventures
Ultramodern5, A 5E Universal Sci-Fi Sourcebook + Campaigns & Adventures
CIVILIAN
Let’s be honest, most of us would fall into this category. Don’t be discouraged, you can still be a unique and interesting individual. Just because you were not professionally trained to engage opponents in combat doesn’t mean you’re weak. Chances are, you fell into a crisis and proved useful. Or better still, you came to some precious knowledge of technology that made your presence invaluable. Others cannot ignore you; they need you, and love it or hate it, you are where you belong.
Consider yourself a blank slate—a sponge—ready to absorb what’s required to be valuable at a later time. Your luck has earned you a position popular in fiction. Your allies may despise this truth, but in most stories, whether fantasy or science fiction, you’re the main character. You’re the normal one, the outsider, the initially hapless potential future hero that stumbled into the wrong alley. You’re the one who survived, the one who decided to step in, only to be dragged along with potentially better-trained comrades.
That giant robot will only answer to you. Your genetic code is the only key that mecha will open to. The magi picked you to be his apprentice. Or maybe you’re just the rich one bankrolling everyone else, so they have no choice but to take you along.
PLAYING A CIVILIAN
A civilian is a blank canvas on which to attach any number of character archetypes famous in popular fiction (especially genre tales). The hero that rises up to slay the monster is often a commoner, not the most powerful knight in the realm. The burden of the main quest falls indubitably to the one least trained. Alas, the civilian can also be fated to suffer the greatest tragedy. To succeed at these nearly unachievable tasks, the civilian is forced to rely often on instincts and a large portion of luck. A player controlling a civilian harnesses this luck despite the character not being fully aware of this. It does throw a peculiar dichotomy between character and player. Are they one and the same, or is the player just pulling strings?
Let someone else decide that.
CLASS FEATURES
As a civilian, you gain the following class features.
Hit points
Hit Dice. 1d8 per civilian level
Hit Points at 1st level. 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels. 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier civilian level after 1st
Special. You can reduce your Hit Dice to 1d6 to gain 1 hero talent (see later). Consequently, your hit points gained at 1st level are reduced to 6 + your Constitution modifier, and your hit points at higher levers decrease to 1d6 (or 4). Regardless of multiclassing or feats taken, your Hit Dice cannot be higher than 1d6.
Additionally, you can reduce your Hit Dice to 1d4 to gain 1 additional hero talent (2 total). Your hit points gained at 1st level are reduced to 4 + your Constitution modifier, and your hit points at higher levers decrease to 1d4 (or 3). Regardless of multiclassing or feats taken, your Hit Dice cannot be higher than 1d4.
Proficiencies
Armor. Light armor
Weapons. All simple weapons
Saving Throws. Select any two ability scores
Skills. Select any four skills.
Special. You can reduce your skill proficiencies to only two and gain one hero talent.
Equipment
You start with the following equipment in addition to the equipment granted by your background.
· $300 in gear.
| THE CIVILIAN | |||
Level | Proficiency Bonus | Hero Talents | Special |
1st | +2 | 1 | Hero talent, Luck Dice (draw 2) |
2nd | +2 | 2 | Avoidance (+1) |
3rd | +2 | 2 | Archetype feature |
4th | +2 | 3 | Ability Score Improvement |
5th | +3 | 3 | Luck Dice (draw 3) |
6th | +3 | 4 | Avoidance (+2) |
7th | +3 | 4 | Archetype feature |
8th | +3 | 5 | Ability Score Improvement |
9th | +4 | 5 | Luck Dice (draw 4) |
10th | +4 | 6 | Avoidance (+3) |
11th | +4 | 6 | Archetype feature |
12th | +4 | 7 | Ability Score Improvement |
13th | +5 | 7 | Luck Dice (draw 5) |
14th | +5 | 8 | Avoidance (+4) |
15th | +5 | 8 | Archetype feature |
16th | +5 | 9 | Ability Score Improvement |
17th | +6 | 9 | Luck Dice (draw 6) |
18th | +6 | 10 | Archetype feature |
19th | +6 | 10 | Ability Score Improvement |
20th | +6 | 11 | Chosen One |
LUCK DICE
Lady luck is on your side. Starting at 1st level, you gain the ability to affect your success rate at specific tasks based on factors you should realistically not have control over.
You acquire d6s of different colors (yours do not have to be these colors, but whichever ones you use should be clearly identifiable and consistent). You will have the chance to acquire more and in different combinations of colors. Each color die is connected to a specific type of ability.
| DIE | FOCUS |
| Black | Defense |
| White | Speed |
| Green | Recovery |
| Red | Attack |
| Purple | Wild |
For example, A character has a Charisma of 17 at 1st level and starts with 4 dice. The player chooses 1 defense (black), 1 attack (red), and 1 wild (purple), and 1 recovery (green). At 3rd level, the die pool increases to 5, the player replaces the green with a purple and adds a white.
After rolling initiative, place your luck die in a cup or bag (referred to as the supply), randomly remove a number of dice based on your civilian level (2 at 1st level) and roll them—these are your available dice to spend (your active dice), and once spent, are discarded and set aside. After finishing a short rest, return spent dice to your die pool.
Luck Dice can be spent to activate their color, or the die can be discarded to use the value on the die regardless of die color. Each color offers its own unique ability.
Die Value. A die on its own, regardless of color, can be spent to modify any d20 roll (whether it be skill or attack) you make as part of the same action. You can roll first, check for success, and then decide whether or not to spend the luck die.
Combining Dice. Dice can be combined to increase the effect of an ability. By spending multiple dice, you compound the effect of the activated luck ability. The value on the initial spent die is not counted, but the values on additional dice do. Color-matched dice have their values doubled while unmatched colors are added unmodified. A wild die has no activatable functions, cannot be discarded on its own, but always acts as a matched die for the purposes of combining dice.
For example, if you discard an attack die along with another attack die (indicating 3), a recovery (showing 5), and a wild die (showing 2), you add (3x2)+5+(2x2)=15 to the attack die action. The first initial attack die does not add its value.
Defense (Black) Die. When discarded as a reaction to an enemy hit on you, that attack misses.
Combined (Stumble). When combined, the attacker must make a Constitution save equal to the value +8, or be knocked prone.
Speed (White) Die. Discard as a bonus action, and you can Disengage and move up to your Speed.
Combined (Bolt). When combined, the value, rounded up to the nearest 5, is additional movement you can make this turn.
Recovery (Green) Die. Discard a green along with a Hit Die as a bonus action and recover hit points equal to the Hit Die’s maximum value.
Combined (Heal). When combined, the value is additional hit points you recover.
Attack (Red) Die. Discard as part of an attack action to either turn a miss into a hit or a hit into a critical hit.
Combined (Wound). When combined, this value is added to your damage roll for this attack.
Wild (Purple) Die. This die cannot be discarded on its own and can only be discarded with another die; however, its value is always doubled as if it were a matching die.
HERO TALENTS
You’re a hero…or at least, you’d like to think of yourself as one. Starting 1st level, and then every two civilian levels after that (see table), you gain a hero talent from the list below. When reaching an archetype selection, you can decide to select a hero talent instead. Unless otherwise stated, you can only select a hero talent once.
Born Lucky. If you discard more than three additional luck dice via combining, return one of your choice to your die supply.
Bravely Ran Away. When activating a speed die, you can also stand up from prone for free; you also have advantage on escaping from a grapple until the beginning of your next turn.
Comedy Sidekick. Anytime you roll a natural 1 with ANY dice (including damage rolls), increase the value of one unused rolled luck die by 1 (maximum 6).
Do I Feel Lucky. When activating an attack die, you can also make one additional attack as part of the same action (it does not benefit from the attack die).
Foolish Fortune. After rolling your luck dice after Initiative, select one and set the die result to 6.
Happy Accidents. When adding matched dice (from combining dice), increase the total result by 3.
Improving The Odds. Immediately after rolling luck dice after initiative, increase all wild die results by 2 (maximum 6).
It’s All In The Reflexes. Before making an ability check, as part of the same action, take a random luck die from the supply and “lock” it on the player’s character sheet—you have advantage on your next ability check. You do not regain that locked die until you finish a long rest.
Kismet. Increase your luck die pool by 1. You can select this talent up to three times.
Luck Of The Whatever. After rolling luck dice after Initiative, you can re-roll up to two and take the higher value.
Lucky Star. Increase your luck die draw by 1. You can select this talent twice.
Make Your Own Luck. You can spend a Hit Die as a bonus action to draw two additional luck dice from your supply. If your supply is empty, you cannot use this ability. Select this talent a second time and increase the draw to three additional dice.
Protagonist. When an ally you can see suffers a critical hit or is reduced to zero hit points, recover a spent luck die of your choice (re-roll it immediately and add it back to your active dice).
Stormtrooper Aim. When activating a defense die, you are also counted as having taken the Dodge action (any attack rolls made against you have disadvantage until the start of your next turn).
Stroke Of Luck. Anytime you roll a natural 20 (whether an ability check or an attack), either return a spent luck die to your supply or draw one luck die from the supply.
We’re All Lucky. When activating a recovery die, one ally within reach can also spend a Hit Die and recover that die’s maximum value (the ally does not gain the benefit of combining dice).
AVOIDANCE
At 2nd level, as long as you are wearing no armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC. This increases to +2 at 6th level, +3 at 10th level and +4 at 14th level.
ARCHETYPE
At 3rd level, you choose an archetype from the archetype chapter. The archetype you choose grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 11th, 15th, and 18th level.
Additionally, you can forego your archetype selection at 3rd level and gain an additional hero talent at each of the above levels.
Suggestions. Authority, Diplomat, Driver, Grandmaster, Sapper, or Suave.
ABILITY SCORE IMPROVEMENT
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
CHOSEN ONE
Starting at 20th level, if you are reduced to zero hit points, but are then healed before taking a short rest, return all spent luck dice to the supply and draw again as if you just rolled initiative. Once you use this ability, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.
Ultramodern5, A 5E Universal Sci-Fi Sourcebook + Campaigns & Adventures
