Chapter XIX: Universal Conversion Notes

Use these procedures for the supported systems and any other rules engine.

Convert the Threat

THREAT	MECHANICAL EXPRESSION
Body	Harm, wounds, stress, fatigue, conditions, or resource loss.
Ship	Subsystem damage, vehicle condition, lost position, repair clocks, or crew casualties.
Reputation	Heat, standing, influence, reaction penalties, scandal, or lost access.
Secrecy	Awareness clocks, exposure, compromised contacts, or increased surveillance.
Authority	Warrants, legal status, restricted movement, seized assets, or command conflict.
Source Stability	Hazard states, escalating clocks, environmental changes, or persistent consequences.
Freedom of Choice	Hostages, deadlines, debt, forced custody, or two incompatible objectives.

Body

MECHANICAL EXPRESSION: Harm, wounds, stress, fatigue, conditions, or resource loss.

Ship

MECHANICAL EXPRESSION: Subsystem damage, vehicle condition, lost position, repair clocks, or crew casualties.

Reputation

MECHANICAL EXPRESSION: Heat, standing, influence, reaction penalties, scandal, or lost access.

Secrecy

MECHANICAL EXPRESSION: Awareness clocks, exposure, compromised contacts, or increased surveillance.

Authority

MECHANICAL EXPRESSION: Warrants, legal status, restricted movement, seized assets, or command conflict.

Source Stability

MECHANICAL EXPRESSION: Hazard states, escalating clocks, environmental changes, or persistent consequences.

Freedom of Choice

MECHANICAL EXPRESSION: Hostages, deadlines, debt, forced custody, or two incompatible objectives.

Universal Difficulty Ladder

DIFFICULTY	FICTION	D20	PERCENTILE / BRP	2D6 / PBTA	DICE POOL
Routine	Trained action in calm conditions.	10	+20% / Easy	No roll unless pressure exists.	1 success
Pressured	Time, weather, rank, or secrecy matters.	13	Standard	7-9 creates cost; 10+ clean.	2 successes
Dangerous	Failure causes harm, exposure, or clock movement.	15	Hard	Miss advances a clock hard.	3 successes
Severe	Ship, Source, life, or legal status is at risk.	18	Very Hard	Success still carries exposure.	4 successes
Catastrophic	Rupture, ship loss, scandal, atrocity, or war pretext.	21+	Extreme	Custom move or campaign clock.	5+ successes

Routine

FICTION: Trained action in calm conditions.
D20: 10
PERCENTILE / BRP: +20% / Easy
2D6 / PBTA: No roll unless pressure exists.
DICE POOL: 1 success

Pressured

FICTION: Time, weather, rank, or secrecy matters.
D20: 13
PERCENTILE / BRP: Standard
2D6 / PBTA: 7-9 creates cost; 10+ clean.
DICE POOL: 2 successes

Dangerous

FICTION: Failure causes harm, exposure, or clock movement.
D20: 15
PERCENTILE / BRP: Hard
2D6 / PBTA: Miss advances a clock hard.
DICE POOL: 3 successes

Severe

FICTION: Ship, Source, life, or legal status is at risk.
D20: 18
PERCENTILE / BRP: Very Hard
2D6 / PBTA: Success still carries exposure.
DICE POOL: 4 successes

Catastrophic

FICTION: Rupture, ship loss, scandal, atrocity, or war pretext.
D20: 21+
PERCENTILE / BRP: Extreme
2D6 / PBTA: Custom move or campaign clock.
DICE POOL: 5+ successes

Five Source States

Use the campaign Source progression: Quiet, Listening, Answering, Contradicting, Rupturing. For Source scenes only, older conversion shorthand Stable means Quiet and Singing means Listening. Éterlumin gas and airship machinery can separately be stable or singing as operating descriptions; those descriptions do not establish a Source state. Apply the canonical Source names in the Fifth Edition, Pathfinder Second Edition, and Forged in the Dark conversions when describing the Source itself. A careful action should reveal a rule or reduce the active state. A violent shortcut should worsen the state, damage a subsystem, or bring a faction. Warn before escalation. Never create a pressure problem without at least one viable path to vent, slow, isolate, or sacrifice something meaningful.

System Families

SYSTEM FAMILY	USE THIS CAMPAIGN AS
Powered by the Apocalypse	Make each act a front or threat. Use clocks as grim portents. Mixed success should trade immediate objective for exposure, harm, or faction movement.
Year Zero Engine	Use resource dice for powder, supplies, and repair; push rolls at the cost of stress, condition, or Source escalation.
BRP / Call of Cthulhu	Use percentile difficulty and opposed social skills. Treat Source exposure as temporary or indefinite conditions, altered memories, and reputational consequences rather than only sanity loss.
Savage Worlds	Use Dramatic Tasks for Source chambers, Chases for sky action, Mass Battle support for Act V, and Social Conflict for the summit.
Fate	Create faction, location, and Source aspects. Consequences should remain on people and institutions after a scene ends. Position is a pool of free invokes earned through investigation.
Genesys	Spend Threat and Despair on faction clocks, damaged authority, witnesses, and ship systems. Advantage should create leverage even when the main check fails.
GURPS or Other Skill-Based Games	Use reaction modifiers, reputation, legal status, and detailed equipment only where they sharpen choice. Do not require one technical skill to solve every Source scene.
OSR / Rules-Light	Replace balanced encounters with clear signs, reaction rolls, morale, faction turns, and concrete consequences. Information is the primary treasure.

USE THIS CAMPAIGN AS: Make each act a front or threat. Use clocks as grim portents. Mixed success should trade immediate objective for exposure, harm, or faction movement.

Year Zero Engine

USE THIS CAMPAIGN AS: Use resource dice for powder, supplies, and repair; push rolls at the cost of stress, condition, or Source escalation.

BRP / Call of Cthulhu

USE THIS CAMPAIGN AS: Use percentile difficulty and opposed social skills. Treat Source exposure as temporary or indefinite conditions, altered memories, and reputational consequences rather than only sanity loss.

Savage Worlds

USE THIS CAMPAIGN AS: Use Dramatic Tasks for Source chambers, Chases for sky action, Mass Battle support for Act V, and Social Conflict for the summit.

Fate

USE THIS CAMPAIGN AS: Create faction, location, and Source aspects. Consequences should remain on people and institutions after a scene ends. Position is a pool of free invokes earned through investigation.

Genesys

USE THIS CAMPAIGN AS: Spend Threat and Despair on faction clocks, damaged authority, witnesses, and ship systems. Advantage should create leverage even when the main check fails.

GURPS or Other Skill-Based Games

USE THIS CAMPAIGN AS: Use reaction modifiers, reputation, legal status, and detailed equipment only where they sharpen choice. Do not require one technical skill to solve every Source scene.

OSR / Rules-Light

USE THIS CAMPAIGN AS: Replace balanced encounters with clear signs, reaction rolls, morale, faction turns, and concrete consequences. Information is the primary treasure.