News and Updates

Kickstarter

We will be launching our Kickstarter any day! Please follow the Kickstarter page even if you don’t think you’ll be able to contribute, as it will help us promote our game! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sapientsnake/the-contract-rpg

Patch Highlights

Image Uploading

You can now upload images for your Contractors and Gifts! Use the “Upload Contractor Image” button on your character sheets’ “___ is a ___ who will risk their life to become a ___ and ___” section and the “Add/Remove Images” button on the view Gift page.

Artifact Crafting Improvements

• You can now use your Artifact Crafting Gifts to add Effects onto Artifacts that other people have crafted. Collaborate with your allies to create the ultimate Artifact!
• You can now upgrade Artifact Crafting Effects that you’ve previously crafted, as long as you have the Artifact in your inventory.

Website Updates

• You can now report inappropriate images that you see around the site.
• Vastly improved the load times of the home, character sheets, profiles, and playgroup pages.
• Contractors who have spent too much bonus exp now show a warning at the top of the character sheet.
• Fixed a bug that would cause the privacy of certain gifts not to match their contractors.
• Fixed various bugs related to re-submitting forms over and over again throughout the site.
• Fixed a bug that caused the “View Deceased Contractors” button on the home page to not function
• Fixed a bug that caused errors when creating Gifts for specific Contractors from using Legendary Artifact stock Gifts as a template.

Guidebook Updates

• New rules for suffocation and drowning, as well as rules for deprivation of food and water. Read them here: https://thecontractrpg.com/guide/rules/#depravation

Effect Updates

Enhancements

• Added new Enhancement “Relocate” (This Effect does not have an activation cost. When activated, if this Effect is active from a previous activation, the previous Effect ends.) (requires: Willful End, Seasoned)
  • For Environment Control, Upgrade, and Terrain control
• Enhancement “Catch a Whiff” changed to: “If none of a specified type of target are within range, and then one enters range, you automatically detect it, even if this Effect is not active.”
  • From “Even if this Effect is not active, if any of the specified type of target enters range, you may roll Perception + Alertness, Difficulty 7. If you succeed, you become aware that one is somewhere nearby.”

Drawbacks

• “Sacrifice” changed to: “Activating this Effect requires you to take a Severity-1 Injury instead of Exerting your Mind or spending a point of Source. This Injury heals in 1 day and cannot be prevented or prematurely healed by any means.”
  • From: “Activating this Effect requires you to take a Severity-1 Injury instead of Exerting your Mind or spending a point of Source.”
• “Samson” changed to: “A marking or physical trait is the source of your power. Losing it removes all benefits for the next 2 months. If someone witnesses you using this Effect, they get a Perception check to determine the source of your power.”
  • From: “A marking, physical trait, or unique item is the source of your power. Losing it removes all benefits for the next 2 months. If someone witnesses you using this Effect, they get a Perception check to determine the source of your power.”
  • Reasoning: items don’t really work as Samsons, as they can be prematurely recovered and seem like they should behave as Artifacts.

Afflict

• Removed Enhancement “Airborne”
• Added Range Parameter: [Arm’s Reach, 25 feet (default), 200 feet (Seasoned), 1000 feet (Veteran)]

Amorphous Transformation

• Removed Drawback “Once Per Day”

Barrier

• Drawback “Partial Shield” changed to: “The barrier only prevents half of the Damage from a given attack, the rest will penetrate through to the target. The barrier is still depleted by the full amount of Damage.”
  • From: “The barrier only prevents half of the Damage from a given attack, the rest will penetrate through to the target.”
• Enhancement “Reflect” changed to: “Any Damage absorbed by the barrier is reflected back to the attacker, up to a maximum of the Barrier Strength Parameter’s bonus. Their Armor applies in full.”
  • From “Half any Damage absorbed by the barrier is reflected back to the attacker. They may attempt to Dodge or Defend using a Desperate Defense, and their Armor applies in full.”
• “Reflect” and “Partial Shield” may now be taken together.

Binding Oath

• Added Errata to the base Effect: “A single action cannot break multiple oaths. You cannot ‘stack’ oath penalties by having a target sign multiple identical oaths, or similar.”
• Removed Enhancement “Escrow”
  • Reasoning: Because Escrow could be positive, people started entering meaningless oaths and treating them as rituals. This allowed them to use Escrow for item recovery, Stash, etc. This use pattern divorced binding oath from its core purpose and flavor.

Command Creature

• Effect Description changed to “Control non-sapient beings”
  • From: “Boss creatures around”
• Added new Enhancement: Awaken (You may reactivate this Effect on any affected target to awaken them. If you do, the target becomes Sapient. You must make a contested roll to control them, as usual.) (Requires Tame, Requires Veteran

Detect Beings

• Enhancement “Got Eyes on ‘Em” errata removed.
  • Previously: “This satisfies the line of sight requirement for Effect Activations.”
• Guidance for “Detected Beings” field changed to: “Must apply to no more than half of all Animate targets. E.g. “humans”, “criminals”, “living things”, “the undead””
  • From: “e.g. “humans”, “criminals”, “living things”, “the undead””
• Added new Enhancement: Insight (You learn basic information about why each detected being is being detected. For example, if you detect Criminals, you may learn how many crimes they have committed and what type.) (Requires Seasoned, requires Suspect List)

Energy Transfer

• Removed Enhancement “Quick”
• Changed base cast time from 1 minute to 1 Action
• Removed from base system: “Both yourself and the target can take no other Actions until the transfer is complete, or it will fail.”

Environment Control

• Range Parameter changed to: [20 feet, 60 feet (default), 200 feet, 1000 feet, 1 mile]

  • From [20 feet (default), 60 feet, 200 feet, 1000 feet, 1 mile]

• Removed Enhancement “Cantrip”

Extra Appendage

• Drawback “Mind of its Own” changed to: “Your appendage has its own agenda, which it will attempt to follow. You must roll Self-Control to reassert control when this occurs. If it chooses to act counter to your desires in Combat, it gets its own Action and controlling it costs your Action.”
  • From: “Your appendage has its own agenda, which it will attempt to follow. You must roll Mind, Difficulty 7 to re-assert control when this occurs. If it chooses to act counter to your desires in combat, controlling it costs your entire Action.”

Flight

• Fixed the system text of Enhancement “Ethereal Wings” to properly reflect that your wings cannot be damaged.

Inhuman Physiology

• Enhancement “Distributed Systems” Changed to: “No single organ in your body is critical for life. If any of your body parts are separated from your body, you may take Actions with the severed part for three hours. You may reattach severed body parts by spending an Action and Exerting your Mind.” [Detached parts move at 5 feet per Round. You may activate awareness Effects through detached sensory organs. This does not grant extra Actions.]
  • From: “No single organ in your body is critical for life. If any body part is separated, it lives and can take Actions for one hour. Attacks do not get bonuses from targeting specific body parts. You cannot suffer an Injury with Severity greater than 6.”
• Enhancement “Distributed Systems” no longer requires Misshapen or Seasoned status.
• Drawback “Hackable” Changed to: “You count as a Computer when targeted by Effects. You cannot ignore or decrease the effects of Stress for any social rolls you make.”
  • From: “You count as a Computer or Machine when targeted by Powers or effects.”
• Drawback “Tamable” changed to: “You count as a Creature when targeted by Effects. You cannot ignore or decrease the effects of Stress for any Self-Control rolls you make.”
  • From: “You count as a Creature when targeted by Effects.”

Injure

• Enhancement “That’s Gunna Leave a Mark” changed to: “If the target suffers an Injury from this Effect, they will receive at least a Minor Battle Scar regardless of its Severity. When this Effect causes a Battle Scar, you may select which one of the appropriate level.”
  • From: “If the target takes damage from this Effect, they will receive at least a Minor Battle Scar regardless of the Severity of their Injury. The specifics of the scar are up to GM’s discretion.”
• Enhancement “Chain Lightning” changed to: “You may opt to have this Effect spread to all targets within 5 feet of the initial target, then to all unaffected targets within 5 feet of them, and so on, jumping a maximum of 5 times. No target may be hit more than once. You cannot hit yourself.”
  • From: “This Effect spreads to all targets within 5 feet of the initial target, then to all unaffected targets within 5 feet of them, and so on, jumping a maximum of 5 times. No target may be hit more than once. You cannot hit yourself.”
• You can no longer select “Mind” as a resistance roll for your targets.

Investigate Area

• Added to the base Effect: “You cannot investigate the same area more than once per day.”
  • Reasoning: This change is mostly intended to reign in the Enhancement “Time Walk”. In general, these changes make investigative Effects more decisive.

Investigate Individual

• Added to the base Effect: “You cannot investigate the same individual more than once per day.”

Investigate Object

• Added to the base Effect: “You cannot investigate the same target more than once per day.”

Mark

• Enhancement “Locus” now requires Seasoned instead of Veteran
  • Reasoning: This brings Mark into line with the other remote activation Enhancements.

Metabolism

• Removed Enhancement “Longevity” from Passive Style
• Enhancement “Hibernation” changed to: “You do not age. Additionally, You may spend one minute entering a state of hibernation, during which you are inanimate and unaffected by any requirements for life. You may still perceive the outside world and may spend 3 Rounds ‘waking up’ to end it.”
  • From: “You can suspend all requirements for life by entering an inanimate state. You can remain in this state for up to 2 months, and are effectively Incapacitated while Hibernating. Entering and Exiting takes one minute, during which you cannot act.”

Mythic Brawn

• Added new Enhancement: Indomitable (You cannot suffer an Injury with Severity greater than 6.) (Requires Toughness, Requires Seasoned)
• Added new Enhancement: Atlas (You may take a Severity-1 Injury to ignore your lifting and hauling limits for a single, non-Combat Action. For example, you may uproot a tree, lift a cement truck, or similar. This injury heals in 24 hours and cannot be reduced or healed by any means.) (Requires Veteran)
• Enhancement “Champion of the Caber Toss” changed to: “You may lift an additional 2000 pounds per point of Brawn beyond 5, and you may throw items up to this weight to a distance of your throwing roll’s Outcome x10 feet.” (Requires Seasoned)
  • From: “You may lift an additional 1500 pounds per point of Brawn beyond 5, and may throw items up to this weight to a distance of your throwing roll’s Outcome x10 feet.”
• Enhancement “Beast of Burden” changed to: “You may now carry up to your lifting and hauling capacity without suffering an encumbrance penalty or needing to Concentrate. You do not tire from extended physical activity.”
  • From: “You may now carry up to 50lbs per point of Brawn with no Penalty, and your Penalty when over-encumbered is -1 per 50lbs over this limit.”

Mythic Charisma

• Enhancement “Me, an Empath” changed to: “You have an intuitive understanding of the emotional state of any Animate being within 30 feet. Once per person per day you may roll Charisma + Influence to learn what things they respect or disrespect in others.”
  • From: “You have an intuitive understanding of the emotional state of any Animate being within 20 feet.”
• Removed Enhancement “Like a Book”
  • Reasoning: Merged with “Me, an Empath”

Mythic Perception

• Added new Enhancement “Sherlock” (You may Exert your Mind to deduce the originating chain of events that led to a particular detail of an individual or environment. This Effect reveals information that is not discoverable by a mundane investigation.) [You may not use this Effect on the same target more than once in a 24 hour period. The amount of information received is limited at the GM’s discretion but should at least contain some information that would not be learned from a mundane investigation.] (Requires Seasoned)
• Added new Enhancement “Saw it Coming” (Any time you make a Desperate Defense, you successfully avoid the incoming Attack without making a roll.You do not suffer a dice penalty next Round. You may use Source to make a Desperate Defense.)
• Added new Enhancement  “The Great Hunter” (You may Exert your Mind and spend one minute activating this Effect to learn the location of any being or object you have an intuitive understanding of.) (Requires Veteran).
• Enhancement “Seeing Double” changed to: “The ranges of all your senses are multiplied by your rating in Extra Perception + 1. For example, if your Extra Perception is 2, your sensory ranges are tripled.”
  • From: “The ranges of all your senses are doubled.”
• Removed Enhancements “Weak Points” and “Slow Time”
  • Both of these were boring, flavorless, and mechanical. Plus, Perception-based Contractors shouldn’t be out-shining Dexterity-based Contractors at Dexterity things.

Raise Dead

• Enhancement “Ghost” changed to: “The revived creature is incorporeal. They cannot physically interact with the real world, but they may pass through walls and speak as they could in life. They may hide in their shackling object as a Free Action.” [Ghosts must Concentrate to be seen or heard. A maximum of one ghost may hide in a given shackle at a time.].
  • From: “The revived creature is incorporeal. They cannot physically interact with the real world, though they may pass through walls, make noise, and speak as they could in life.”

Regeneration

• The Battle Scar portion of the base system changed to: “Any Injuries you receive while this Effect is active do not deteriorate over time. However, any Battle Scars caused by such an Injury will remain unless it is Properly Stabilized as normal.”
  • From: “Any Injuries you receive while this Effect is active automatically count as a successful Proper Stabilization and do not deteriorate further. Any Battle Scars caused by such an Injury will heal with the Injury.”
• Enhancement “Regrowth” changed to: “All Injuries you receive are considered Properly Stabilized. You may also choose to heal any Battle Scar on yourself that may not have been caused by an Injury. Doing so takes one day, and the Battle Scar affects you fully until that time.”
  • From: “You may choose to heal any Battle Scar on yourself that is not caused by an Injury. Recovery takes one day, and the Battle Scar affects you fully until that time.”

Repel

• Repel no longer has a roll or resistance roll and simply works every time.
  • Reasoning: We’re reverting the change to add a resistance roll because it did not mesh well with AOE Repel’s Concentration requirement and because it increased the number of dice rolls to an unacceptable level.
• Enhancement “Pax” changed to: “While this Effect is active, you may spend a Free Action and Exert your Mind. If you do, any target affected cannot make an Attack against you this Round.”
  • From: “You may spend an Action or Reaction and make the same roll used for activation to use your repulsion field to Defend against all attacks made towards you during that round of Combat. This does not break your Concentration.”
• Enhancement “Pax” no longer requires “Too Slow”

Send Message

• Enhancement “Broadcast” changed to: “Your message is delivered to every valid target within any range you specify.”
  • From: “Your message is delivered to every target within range.”
• Enhancement “Flat Rate Box” changed to: “You may send any physical Object that would fit into a backpack with your message. Such messages take one minute to arrive and always cost Exertion. Any active timers, fuses, or traps on the objects are triggered when you attempt to send them.” (Requires Seasoned)
  • From: “You may send any physical Object that would fit into a backpack with your message. Such messages take one minute to arrive. Any active timers, fuses, or triggers on the objects triggered when you attempt to send them.” (Requires Veteran)

Shape-Changing Object

• Base Effect no longer requires Exertion.
• Enhancement “Flawless Forgery” Changed to: “Your Artifact may now mimic specific objects, such as a particular work of art, family heirlooms, signed papers, etc. It may function as credentials when checked in computer systems.”
  • From “Your Artifact may now mimic specific objects, such as a particular work of art, family heirlooms, signed papers, etc.”
• Removed Enhancement “Psychic Papers”

Sleep

• Enhancement “Field of Poppies” changed to “You may choose to affect all targets within 20 feet of your primary target, besides yourself.”
  • From: “All targets within 20 feet of your primary target, besides yourself, are affected.”
• Consumables with the Ammo Enhancement use resistance rolls instead of dodge rolls
  • Reasoning: this makes AOE sleep ammo consumables not automatically succeed against mobs that cant dodge.

Stash

• Enhancement “Terrarium” changed to: “You may store Living and Animate targets in your stash. Animate targets may Resist being stashed. You must Exert your Mind to stash Sapient targets.”
  • From: “You may store any type of target in your Stash, including both Living and Animate things. Animate targets may Resist being stashed.”

Traumatize

• Enhancement “Mass Trauma” changed to: “You may opt to affect all targets within 20 feet of your primary target, besides yourself.”
  • From: “All targets within 20 feet of your primary target, besides yourself, are affected.”

Upgrade

• Added Enhancement “Willful End”

Unlock / Open

• Default targeting system text changed to: “Select a non-Alien door, container, knot, or lock within 20 feet that is no more complex than a standard commercial door, personal safe or a keycard reader.”
  • From: “Select a door, lock, or locked target within 20 feet that is no more complex than a personal safe door or a keycard reader. Cannot be used on Alien technology.”
• Errata changed to: “Any mechanism that requires a key, keycard, key fob, or combination may be considered locked, at the GM’s discretion. This Effect may be used on doors and containers secured with control panels or other electronic locks, but not computer security systems at large.”
  • From “Any door or restraint that is fastened or shut with a mechanism may be considered locked, at the GM’s discretion. Can be used on control panels or other electronic locks, but not computer security systems.”
• Errata changed to: “Operating some locking mechanisms through this Effect may have a secondary effect, such as a turn-key ignition on an older or cheaper car causing it to start or stop. Note that the locking mechanism itself must satisfy the standard targeting requirements (including line of sight), not just the vehicle.”
  • From “If you operate a locking mechanism through this Effect which has some other secondary effect (such as the ignition on a car causing the car to start) you may cause that effect as well.”

Ward

• Enhancement “Place of Power” changed to: “You may activate a single Effect through your ward as though you were standing at its location. Doing so destroys the ward.”
  • From: “You may use a single Effect through your ward, after which it is destroyed.”
• Enhancements “Stealthy” and “Movable” can no longer be taken together.