Imperio (IB)
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| Starfox's Blades in the Dark hack |
Dominium per distantiam — mastery over distance.
Technologies that project perception, power, or control across distance. Weapons, sensors, ships, and analytical systems belong to this Domain. Associated with: Insight, range, precision, coordination, and exploration.
Inventory — Imperio (Insight) — Limes (Prowess) — Forum (Resolve)
Weapons
Personal weapons are all powerful enough to incapacitate or kill on a good hit, and all are capable of automatic fire; what differs is ease of use and penetration.
Slugthrower
Chemical-propellant guns. Energy, Padded, Unreliable: tends to run out of ammo at inconvenient times. Sensitive to spin, add Point-blank in spin habitats.
- ■ Holdout. Adds Concealed, Point-blank at all times.
- ☐ Sidearm. Limited range
- ☐ Compact. Extendable stock for longer range.
- ☐☐ Rifle. Adds Longarm
Lightning Gun
Energy weapons firing charged particles. Great for disabling electronics and stunning both the living and machinery, easily deflected by armor or surge protection. Popular police weapon. Active, Energy Padded,. itive to spin, add Point-blank in spin habitats.
- ■ Holdout. Adds Concealed, Point-blank.
- ☐ Sidearm. Limited range
- ☐ Compact. Extendable stock for longer range.
- ☐☐ Rifle. Adds Longarm
Arc Lance
A plasma jet that slices through hardened materials. This is not a melee weapon, but is good in melee and has very short range. Active, Energy, Point-blank, Regulated, Piercing.
- ☐☐ Handle and power backpack.
- ☐ Handle only. Adds Consumable.
Beamer
- 2 Beamer
Lasers are the most common weapon for civilian use where it is legal. Energy, Regulated.
- ■ Holdout. Adds Concealed, Point-blank.
- ☐ Sidearm. Limited range
- ☐ Compact. Extendable stock for longer range.
- ☐☐ Rifle. Adds Longarm
Photonic Lance
A newly developed military-grade laser weapon firing short high-energy pulses to defeat modern personal armor. Energy, Military, Piercing.
- ☐ Sidearm. Limited range
- ☐ Compact. Extendable stock for longer range.
- ☐☐ Rifle. Adds Longarm
Rocket Gun
Fires tiny target-seeking rockets, changing from shot to shot. Energy, Regulated, Unreliable: tends to run out of ammo at inconvenient times. Can fire various ammunition: HEAP adds Military, Piercing. Gel adds Padded, Stun.
- ■ Holdout. Adds Concealed, Point-blank.
- ☐ Sidearm. Limited range
- ☐ Compact. Extendable stock for longer range.
- ☐☐ Rifle. Adds Longarm
Sensors
Sensors are used to gather information both before and during an Operation.
Survey Binoculars
Gyro-stabilized, multi-band field glasses for long-range observation. Variable optical zoom with computational de-shake keeps distant targets crisp and legible.
- Modes: true-color, low-light, polarized glare cut, thermal outline, edge-enhance, target track.
- Tools: laser rangefinder and inertial compass for bearings and position tags; optional coded IR illuminator.
- Magnification: hand-held 12–20×; braced to ~40×; on mount 60–80× (narrow FOV).
- Recording: binoculars records raw data, any of the modes can be applied retroactively.
High magnification isolates a small part of your field of vision — excellent for detail, but poor for awareness. You must first locate the subject, then use the binoculars to examine fine features (faces, markings, tools, insignia) that would otherwise be lost to distance or motion.
Active only when the rangefinder or IR illuminator is engaged. Unreliable: vibration, heat shimmer, or foreground clutter can cause mirage or ghosting at high magnification.
Mapping Swarm
- 3 ☐ Mapping Swarm
A coordinated cloud of micro-drones that act as a distributed mapping array. Each unit carries a subset of optical, lidar, and gravimetric sensors; together they build a composite model far faster than any single platform. These are printed to work in a specific situation, customized to immediate needs and generally self-destruct on a timer.
- Modes: surface topology, interior void mapping, thermal and albedo survey, motion tracking.
- Tools: autonomous mesh networking, short-range optical comms, and shared clock synchronization for precise parallax.
- Propulsion variants:
- Vacuum — cold-gas micro-thrusters and electrostatic tethers.
- Atmospheric — ducted fans or ion-lift disks.
- Aquatic — micro-impeller swimmers using sonar instead of lidar.
- Range: typically covers a 10-km radius; larger networks can be chained for wide-area mapping.
- Recording: aggregates raw data in-swarm; a local Qter or operator console performs full reconstruction later.
Active whenever any sub-unit is transmitting or using active sensors. Unreliable: limits on the expert system, interference, ion storms, or dust can desynchronize the swarm; individual drones lost reduce resolution but not coverage. Extremely vulnerable to jamming.
Specialist Belt Sensor
Portable single-domain sensor tuned for a specific detection principle — visual, thermal, laser, radio, magnetic, radiation, sonic or chemical/biological. Functions as the compact, field-deployable version of its Science and Ship counterparts. Each sensor subtype is its own Item — visual, thermal, laser, radio, magnetic, radiation, sonic or chemical/biological — chosen when you pay the Load. Passive in standard operation; becomes Active if the chosen subtype employs radar, sonar, or magnetic field projection. Favored by engineers, scouts, and surveyors who know what they are looking for.
Multispectral Belt Sensor
Integrated sensor suite combining the functions of several Wrist-scale systems — chemical, radiation, radio, magnetic, sonic, and visual. Cross-correlates data in real time to identify concealed structures, life signs, or active devices with greater precision than any single sensor. Can operate each mode independently or run full synthesis for composite imaging and anomaly detection. Active only when its radar, sonar, or magnetic field projection systems are engaged. Broad coverage but less depth; used by explorers and security teams for first assessment of a situation.
Specialist Sensor Probe Pack
Sensor terminal and deployable sensor array of micro-probes, each equipped with miniature transmitters and receivers. Each Pack is configured for a single sensor subtype — radio, sonic, magnetic, visual, radiation, or chemical — chosen when you pay the Load. When deployed the probes form a local sensor net capable of three-dimensional mapping, long-baseline triangulation, and continuous monitoring over a wide area. Combines Pack-scale range with networked precision; ideal for reconnaissance, covert surveillance, and mining surveys. A deployed net can operate for extended periods; probes self-destruct when tempered with, on a timer, or on command.
Hacking
Hacking Wrist Tool
- 3 ■ Hacking Wrist Tool
Wearable interface module and decrypt assistant. A compact Neme-like device stripped of private personal data and tuned for field exploitation. Functions as a Neme but under false identities. Provides secure credential storage, opportunistic packet sniffing, and a crypto-processor for running small exploits when connected to a local terminal or data stream. Useful for quick field checks, credential replay, and planting prepared malware.
Hacking Belt Tool
Portable breach rig with injector hardware, shielded tap cables, protocol spoofers, and a library of prebuilt exploits. Includes a deployable inline tap for wired lines, low-power packet injectors for local radio links, and a small compute bank for staged payloads. Best suited to terminal or line access; useful for surreptitious insertion and on-site compromise. Can communicate wirelessly in Active mode.
Hacking Pack Tool
- 1 ☐☐ Hacking Pack Tool
Full mobile operations module for complex infiltration campaigns. Contains high-capacity compute racks, cold-storage exploit vaults, multi-band transceivers, hardened stealth relays, and receivers/broadcasters for laser and microwave traffic. Provided with wiretap probes to deploy; supports staged worm deployment, offline analysis, and long-running persistence. Active when transmitting.
Drones
Drones are remote-controlled vehicles with a fallback expert system to automate simple tasks. Each has onboard communications and sensors comparable to a Neme and links to the operator’s Neme for control. When operating on their own use Quality rolls to determine if they respond correctly, which is often to call for assistance.
Drones are Regulated in urban areas and near habitation because of privacy and safety concerns. A drone can carry a weapon like any other tool, but this makes it Military.
Manufacture: A drone is 3D-printed immediately before use, with a design optimized for its intended use, making drones an efficient tool and sensor platform. For the next job, the old drone is recycled and a new one printed to updated mission specifications. Patterns circulate freely, but fine calibration is what separates a toy from a tool.
Drones are as disposable as they are essential. Most spacers print them as easily as they refill a water cartridge — tailored for the next survey, salvage, or skirmish. Their parts rarely survive more than a mission, but their code does: each print learns a little from the last.
Rocket Drone
Rocket drones use reaction mass for VTOL and thrust. Excellent in Micro gravity; in gravity their endurance is limited by propellant. Typical endurance: ~10 minutes of hover in Earth gravity, ~30 minutes of hover in Lunar gravity, or ~2 hours of continuous maneuvering in microgravity.
- ☐ Hand Rocket Drone — handheld, small frame. Can integrate a Load ☐ Sensor or an ■ item; carries one tiny manipulator.
- ☐☐ Pack Rocket Drone — backpack frame. Can mount a Load ☐☐ Sensor or any Load ☐ item; carries two light waldos capable of tool use.
Copter Drone
Copter drones rely on aerodynamic lift (rotors or ducted fans). Best used in dense atmospheres and inside habitats. They provide very precise stationkeeping and safe low-speed handling. Performance collapses on thin-air worlds (such as Mars) unless specially scaled; they work well on Earth, Venus, and most hab atmospheres. Flight time is typically up to a day.
- ☐ Hand Copter Drone — handheld, small frame. Can integrate a Load ☐ Sensor or an ■ item; carries one tiny manipulator. Excellent maneuverability indoors. On Mars, this model cannot carry anything except itself.
- ☐☐ Pack Copter Drone — backpack frame. Can mount a Load ☐☐ Sensor or any Load ☐ item; carries two light waldos capable of tool use. On Mars, this only has the Load capacity of a Hand Copter Drone.
Fixed-Wing Drone
Fixed-wing drones use aerodynamic lift to stay aloft, trading hovering ability for range and endurance. They serve as long-distance scouts, couriers, and relays on atmospheric worlds and in large habitats. They require assisted launch and cannot hover or hold position but can cover hundreds of kilometers with minimal energy use. Ideal for survey, mapping, and atmospheric sampling on Earth, Venus, or within large open habitats. Some models can be recovered by net or midair snatch. Flight time may reach a week or more at subsonic speeds.
- ☐ Hand Fixed-Wing Drone — compact airframe with foldable wings. Launched by hand or small rail. Can integrate any Load ☐ item but lacks tool arms.
- ☐☐ Pack Fixed-Wing Drone — backpack frame with launcher or fold-out wings. Can mount any Load ☐☐ item but lacks tool arms.
Ground Drone
Ground drones include wheeled, tracked, and walker designs. They offer the best endurance and payload-to-mass ratio; terrain dictates capability. They operate well in Lunar gravity and on roads in Terran gravity.
- ☐ Hand Ground Drone — handheld, small frame. Can mount a Load ☐☐ Sensor or any Load ☐ item; carries two light waldos capable of tool use.
- ☐☐ Pack Ground Drone — backpack frame. Can mount any Load ☐☐ item; carries two heavy waldos capable of heavy lifting.
Research Devices
Forensic Kit
- 3 ☐ Forensic Kit
A portable analysis unit combining spectrography, mass sampling, and trace bio-detection tools. Used to authenticate evidence, identify contaminants, or reconstruct an object’s origin and history. Connects to your Neme for correlation and visualization.
Allows on-site analysis of physical evidence, revealing composition, age, or signs of tampering. Unreliable: misreads or uncertain analyses may occur when samples are contaminated or degraded.
Knowledge Core
- 4 ☐ Knowledge Core
A compact data library built from the archives and networks you’ve encountered on your travels. Over time, it accumulates data from the various computer libraries you connect to, forming a vast and unique record of public, restricted, and forgotten knowledge. Data collection can be handled by your Neme, which updates your Knowledge Core even when you don’t carry it along.
The Core functions as a private, offline repository — large enough to hold centuries of media, records, and research. It links to your Neme or Cognitive Loom to provide full reference access without connecting to the net, bypassing censorship and surveillance. It also serves as an emergency knowledge backup: a Neme can restore itself from a Core if wiped.
If you already have unfiltered access to a wide net, this offers little advantage. Its value lies in isolation — when contact is lost, networks are compromised, or your inquiries might attract unwanted attention.
Cognitive Loom
- 4 ☐ Cognitive Loom
A portable augmented-reality system that turns analysis into a subjectively visible network of ideas and evidence. The Loom projects holographic threads, nodes, and annotations over the physical environment through a dedicated visor, linking what you see to what you know. Point it at a room, artifact, or body of text, and it overlays related notes, past observations, and correlations drawn from your Neme archives.
Others with a Neme can view a simplified version, but only a Loom visor reveals the full depth of inference — motives, timelines, probability webs, and contextual overlays woven directly into reality. It keeps large investigations at your fingertips and helps reveal relationships between clues and theories.
Gain +1d on rolls to Gather Information, and you may ask questions about the relationships between seemingly unrelated facts.