Agents of OS: Abilities

So, in Agents of OS, once you've rolled your agent's attributes and settled on an origin, you need to select your agent's starting abilities.  Abilities are the... enhancements or powers that resulted from their origin: cybernetic/bionic enhancements for artificial origins, highly specialized training for trained origins, and supernormal powers for transformed origins.

The remainder of this post is designated Open Game Content as outlined in section 1(d) of the Open Game License.

Abilities

There are three different types of abilities: Specialties (areas of focused training or knowledge), Powers (abilities beyond the ken of normal men), and Augmentations (bionic or cybernetic emulations of Specialties or Powers). Enhancements apply to Powers and Augmentations which emulate powers and build upon their basic capabilities. An agent’s origin dictates which Abilities the agent can use.

Specialties

Specialty	Augmentation?
Athletics	Y
Business	N
Combat	Y
Contacts	N
Investigation	N
Law	N
Linguistics	Y
Medicine	Y
Occult	N
Science	N
Stealth	Y
Tactics	Y
Technology	Y
Vehicles	Y

An “N” in the “Augmentation?” column means that the given Specialty cannot be used in an Augmentation; a “Y” in that same column indicates that it can.

Powers

Power	Augmentation?
Aquatic	Y
Element Control	Y
Energy Control	Y
Flight	Y
Healing	Y
Material Mimicry	N
Matter Control	Y
Smarts	Y
Speed	Y
Strength	Y
Telekinesis	Y
Toughness	Y
Resistance	Y

An “N” in the “Augmentation?” column means that the given Power cannot be used in an Augmentation; a “Y” in that same column indicates that it can.

Aquatic: this power allows an agent to breathe and move underwater as if they were on land. In addition, an agent with the aquatic power adds their power bonus to their movement score when swimming (normal swimming speed is half ground speed; an agent with Aquatic +4 would swim at 10’/round [12 / 2 + 4]).

Element Control: this power allows an agent to control one of the four base elements - fire, air, earth, and water - which is chosen when the power is selected. They can summon it, create it, form it, and control it it do their bidding. In addition, their power bonus acts as damage reduction against attacks from that element.

Energy Control: this power allows an agent to control a form of energy - electricity, kinetic, magnetic, etc. - which is chosen when the power is selected. This power is in all other ways identical to Element Control.

Flight: this power allows an agent to fly. An agent with the flight power adds their power bonus to their movement score when in flight.

Healing: this power grants an agent superhuman healing powers. Once per encounter the agent can heal up to their total power bonus in damage; once per round, the agent can heal up to half their total power bonus in damage.

Material Mimicry: this power allows an agent to change the fundamental makeup of their body to match a material which is chosen when the power is selected.

Matter Control: this power allows an agent to control some form of matter - wood, stone, steel, silk - which is chosen when the power is selected. This power is in all other ways identical to Element Control.

Smarts: this power gives an agent superhuman intelligence. An agent with the Smarts power adds their power bonus to their Intelligence or Wisdom modifier.

Speed: this power allows an agent to move at superhuman speed. An agent with the Speed power adds their power bonus to their movement score.

Strength: this power grants an agent superhuman strength. An agent with the Strength power adds their power bonus to their Strength modifier.

Telekinesis: this power grants the agent the ability to move things around with the power of their mind alone. Using telekinesis, the agent can lift things of up to their power bonus times 10 in pounds.

Toughness: this power grants an agent superhuman resistance to damage. Any damage received by the agent is reduced by half of the agent’s power bonus.

Resistance: this purely defensive power grants an agent resistance to one type of energy, element, or matter, which is selected when the power is chosen. Any damage received by the agent from the selected material is reduced by the agent’s power bonus. 

Enhancements

At each level where an Enhancement is an option to a Power or an Augmentation, an enhancement from the following list can be selected. Some enhancement combinations may be disallowed by the GM; not all enhancements are appropriate for all abilities.

Ranged: by default, abilities work at close (melee) range only. Selecting the Ranged enhancement allows an ability to affect opponents at range.

Affects Others: with the Affects Others enhancement, an agent’s ability can affect other creatures, if they remain within the normal range of the agent’s ability.

Burst: an agent’s normally single-target ability can affect everyone within immediate range.

Affects X: a target normally immune (or resistant to) an agent’s ability is not immune.

Duration: an ability which normally has a single use lasts for an entire round for each Duration enhancement.

Using Abilities

Each ability has an ability modifier. In addition to any specifics given in the ability description above, once per round the ability modifier may be assigned to any action during that round for which the agent’s player can justify the use. As examples, the bonus from the speed power could be added to an initiative roll, the bonus from the technology specialty could be added to an intelligence attribute check, and the bonus from the strength augmentation could be added to an attack (which includes both the “to hit” and damage rolls). With every ability use, the agent’s player should describe how the ability is being used. The GM has the right to deny any inappropriate ability uses.

Powers and augmentations which can deal damage have a default range of melee only, and affect one target. To expand the range or the number of targets, enhancements should be chosen as the agent gains levels.

Outside of combat or in situations where the ability modifier is used, an agent’s player should be able to narratively use the ability to a level commensurate to their in-combat uses. 

Agents of OS: Origins

Ever since the debut of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, I have wanted to run a low-powered supers game similar to AoS.  Unfortunately, I couldn't find a system that really captured the feel that I was trying to get.  I considered writing my own and made pretty decent progress using the Fudge RPG, but ultimately I started riffing on the Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox rules.  After getting caught up integrating the setting information into the rules, I decided to strip out the setting information and just write the rules.  I called it... Agents of OS (OS, of course, for Old School).

Characters - "agents" - would have standard WhiteBox attributes, attribute modifiers, saving throws and level-based HD-generated hit points.  They could choose from one of three "origins", or classes: artificial, trained, and transformed.

The remainder of this post is designated Open Game Content as outlined in section 1(d) of the Open Game License.

Origins

Each agent has one of three origins. They are: Artificial (the agent has received bionic or cybernetic enhancements), Trained (the agent is specialized in one or more fields of study due to focused and intense training), and Transformed (the agent has undergone an event which caused latent powers to awaken).

To determine an agent’s origin, roll one six-sided die. If the die shows between 2 and 5 inclusively, the agent’s origin is Trained. If the die shows a 1, the agent’s origin is Artificial, and if the die shows a 6, the agent’s origin is Transformed. For a more customized agent, the GM may allow players to select an origin as desired.

An agent’s origin also sets the starting values for hit dice and hit points, saving throw, and attack bonus, and controls the advancement of those values as the agent gains experience. Finally, an agent’s origin dictates the abilities (augmentations, specialties, and powers) into which the agent can tap.

Artificial

Level	XP	HD	ST	AB	Abilities
1	0	1d6+1	14	0	New Augmentation; Weakness
2	2,500	2d6	13	0
3	5,000	3d6	12	1	Augmentation Increase or Augmentation Enhancement or New Augmentation
4	10,000	4d6	11	2
5	20,000	5d6	10	2	Augmentation Increase or Augmentation Enhancement or New Augmentation
6	40,000	6d6	9	3
7	80,000	7d6	8	4	Augmentation Increase or Augmentation Enhancement or New Augmentation
8	160,000	8d6	7	4
9	320,000	9d6	6	5	Augmentation Increase or Augmentation Enhancement or New Augmentation
10	640,000	10d6	5	6

New Augmentation: at 1st level an Artificial agent gets a new augmentation; at 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th levels, an Artificial agent can choose to take an additional augmentation. An augmentation represents a bionic or cybernetic enhancement and emulates the abilities of any one specialty or power. A new augmentation provides a +4 bonus once per round to any roll or value for which the augmentation applies.

Weakness: at 1st level, an Artificial agent must take a weakness, representing a substance, an event, or a condition which causes their augmentations to perform at less than peak capacity. The weakness should not be common, but it should also not be exceedingly rare. When in the presence of that which causes their weakness, Artificial agents take a -4 penalty to all augmentation die rolls.

Augmentation Increase: At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th levels, an Artificial agent can choose to take an augmentation increase. An augmentation increase raises the bonus of a selected, existing augmentation by +2.

Augmentation Enhancement: At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th levels, an Artificial agent can choose to take an augmentation enhancement, for any existing augmentation based on a power (it does not apply to augmentations based on a specialty). An augmentation enhancement does not change the augmentations bonus but expands the augmentation with additional capabilities.

Trained

Level	XP	HD	ST	AB	Abilities
1	0	1d6	14	0	New Specialty; Basic Combat Training
2	1,500	2d6	13	1	Specialty Increase
3	3,000	3d6	12	2	New Speciality or Specialty Increase
4	6,000	3d6+1	11	2	Specialty Increase
5	12,000	4d6	10	3	New Specialty or Specialty Increase
6	24,000	5d6	9	4
7	48,000	6d6	8	4	New Speciality or Specialty Increase
8	96,000	6d6+1	7	5	Specialty Increase
9	192,000	7d6	6	6	New Specialty or Specialty Increase
10	384,000	8d6	5	6

New Specialty: at 1st level, a Trained agent gets a new specialty. At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th levels, a Trained agent can choose to take an additional new specialty. A new specialty provides +2 to any one roll per round for which the specialty applies.

Basic Combat Training: at 1st level, a Trained agent learns how to maximize their attacks or defense in combat. Before each combat round, a Trained agent can select a stance. The available stances are Offensive (+1 to attack and damage rolls, -1 to AC), Normal, and Defensive (-1 to attack and damage rolls, +1 to AC).

Transformed

Level	XP	HD	ST	AB	Abilities
1	0	1d6	15	0	New Power; Extra Effort
2	2,000	2d6	14	0
3	4,000	2d6+1	13	0	Power Increase or Power Enhancement or New Power
4	8,000	3d6	12	1
5	16,000	4d6	11	2	Power Increase or Power Enhancement or New Power
6	32,000	4d6+1	10	2
7	64,000	5d6	9	3	Power Increase or Power Enhancement or New Power
8	128,000	6d6	8	4
9	256,000	6d6+1	7	4	Power Increase or Power Enhancement or New Power
10	512,000	7d6	6	5

New Power: At 1st level a Transformed agent gets a new power; at 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th levels, a Transformed agent can choose to take an additional new power. A new power grants a +4 bonus to any one roll or value per round for which the power can apply.

Extra Effort: At 1st level, a Transformed agent learns how to apply extra effort to their power(s). Once per encounter, a Transformed agent can apply extra effort to one of their powers which grants a one-time +4 bonus. For the duration of the encounter after extra effort has been applied, the agent is tired and takes a -1 penalty to all rolls associated with the power.

Power Increase: At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th levels, a Transformed agent can choose to take a power increase. A power increase raises the bonus of a selected, existing power by +2.

Power Enhancement: At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th levels, a Transformed agent can choose to take a power enhancement. A power enhancement does not change the power’s bonus but expands the power with additional capabilities.