GM Intrusions

Combat / Miscellaneous / NPC Interaction

Rules

Players who gain 1 XP as the result of GM intrusion also get 1 XP to award to another player for whatever reason they wish (need to point it);
As a general rule, the GM should intrude at least once each session, but no more than once or twice each session per character. The ideal is to use about four GM intrusions per game session, depending on the length of the session, or about one intrusion per hour of game play.
Anytime the GM intrudes, the player can spend 1 XP to refuse the intrusion (they do not get the 2 XP);
If a character rolls a 1 on a die, the GM can intrude without giving the character any XP. This kind of intrusion happens immediately or very soon thereafter (the effect doesn't have to be immediate); This intrusion don't have to be tied to the action involved in the roll. A 1 is not a "fumble".

Common Examples

Negate automatic success. The player must roll for the action at its original difficulty level or target number 20, whichever is lower. “No, a bit of the crumbling wall gives way, so you still have to make a roll.”
Unexpected outcomes from numenera examination. The PCs find a hidden console with some buttons. They learn the right order in which to press the buttons, and a section of the floor disappears. “Unfortunately, you’re standing directly over this new hole in the floor.”
- “You’re standing in the wrong place, so make a roll.” (It’s a Speed defense roll, of course.)
- “You’re standing in the wrong place. The floor opens under your feet, and you fall down into the darkness.”
An impending complication emerges. GMs can use this type of intrusion as a resolution mechanic to determine NPC success or failure. Rather than rolling dice to see how long it takes an NPC to rewire a damaged force field generator, it happens at a time of the GM’s choosing.
Partial success.
- The PC creates the antidote, but it will turn the imbiber’s flesh blue for the next few weeks.
- The PC jumps across the pit but accidentally knocks loose some stones from the edge, making the jump harder for their friend following behind.
Inject more of the weird into the game. Sample intrusions:
- The broken hound suddenly speaks and begs for mercy (but it’s a ploy, and the hound gets a sneak attack if the PCs stop their attack).
- The ground opens beneath the PC, who falls into an ancient, long-buried ruin.
- A nearby machine activates, and the air in the ancient complex turns to liquid.
- The PC’s artifact suddenly develops an artificial intelligence of its own.
- The PC’s cypher turns their skin glowing orange.
- An ultra-terrestrial suddenly appears, takes something belonging to the PC (or gets in the way of an important action, foiling it) and then disappears.
Lasting Damage. For a more realistic simulation of damage, the GM can use a GM intrusion to indicate that damage suffered by a player character is “lasting.” Most of the time, this damage is described as being a concussion, a broken bone, a torn ligament, or severe muscle or tissue damage. This damage does not heal normally, so the points lost cannot be regained by using recovery rolls. Instead, they return at a rate of 1 point per day of complete rest (or 1 point per three days of regular activity). Until the points are restored, the damage has a secondary effect. Lasting damage can turn into permanent damage. This kind of damage should be used sparingly and only in special situations.
Weakness / Inability. A particularly nasty disease or wound might give a character a weakness or inability. Weakness - the opposite of Edge. If you have a weakness of 1 in Intellect, all Intellect actions that require you to spend points cost 1 additional point from your Pool. Inability - the “negative skills.” Instead of being one step better at that kind of task, you’re one step worse.

Combat

The PC misses and strikes the wall, breaking or damaging their weapon.
The PC hits an ally by accident and inflicts regular damage.
The stagger ability - the creature strikes a PC - the PC must make an immediate Might defense roll or lose its next turn.
The PC’s opponent uses a lightning-fast maneuver to dodge all attacks this round.
The PC’s opponent sees an opening and makes an additional, immediate attack.
The NPC commander rallies the troops, and they all gain a +2 damage bonus for one round.
A bit of the wall collapses in the middle of the fight, preventing the characters from chasing the fleeing NPC.
An Ally decides to flee.
The force of the opponent’s attack pushes the PC into a pit, through a doorway, into the strange machine, etc.
The fight causes unintentional damage— the ceiling, the floor, or a nearby wall collapses, the nearby machine explodes, an innocent bystander is harmed, etc.
The character’s foe reacts with sudden terror. It gains an additional action, which it uses to flee this round.
The character’s armor, clothing, or pack strap snaps. The difficulty of all the character’s actions is increased by one step until he takes one round to remove the armor, clothing, or pack, allowing it to drop to the ground, or he takes three rounds to enact a hasty, makeshift repair.
The ground beneath the character and her foe suddenly becomes unstable. Both fall prone. If anything lies beneath the ground, both fall through unless the character succeeds at a difficulty 5 Speed-based task. If she does, she grabs onto something at the last minute, but the foe then grabs onto her.
[Group Intrusion] Enemy reinforcements arrive to oppose the character. If the foe normally comes in groups, 1d6 + 1 more arrive. If the foe is typically solitary, one more (such as a companion, a mate, or a relative) arrives.
The character’s foe makes a dazzling move that spins the character around, disorienting him. All actions are hindered for the next two rounds.
The character is knocked prone by her foe’s attack. The foe presses the advantage, and it requires an action for the character to get up without being struck automatically by the next attack.
The character’s weapon breaks in two with a sudden snap.
The character’s foe reacts with sudden savagery. It gains an additional action, which it uses to attack this round.
The character’s blow was well struck— so well struck that her weapon is embedded deep in her foe or tangled in its clothing or armor. It’s pulled free from her hands, and to regain it, she must use an action and succeed at an attack.
The foe’s attack was unexpectedly poisoned. The character must succeed at a Might defense roll or suffer 4 points of Speed damage (ignores Armor).
[Group Intrusion] It suddenly begins to rain very hard. If the battle is outside, the difficulty of all actions for all combatants is increased by one step for the next five minutes. If the battle is indoors, the rain is deafening, and no verbal communication is possible.
The foe unexpectedly offers to surrender. The GM decides whether the offer is sincere or a ruse (in which case, if the character accepts, the foe gets a sudden attack, and the difficulty of defending against it is increased by two steps).
The character’s weapon slips from her grip and slides away, ending up a short distance from where she stands.
The character’s opponent tries to grapple. If the character fails a Speed defense roll, he is held in place, and his only physical option is to try to break free.
The character’s wound from this fight becomes a visible scar that remains for the rest of his life.
The foe appeared to be dead or unconscious, but its eyes open and it attacks, having suddenly regained 10 points of health (or maximum health, whichever is greater).
The character’s foe unexpectedly flips him over its back and slams him prone. If the character fails a Might defense task, he is also stunned for one round and can take no action.
Grit, sweat, and blood get in the character’s eyes. The difficulty of all actions is increased by one step until he uses an action to wipe his eyes clean.
Two cyphers (or a cypher and an artifact) brought into proximity during the combat suddenly begin to interact oddly. The GM decides whether this means they release dangerous radiation explode, or take on a whole new temporary ability.
The character’s foot is caught on something. The difficulty of all actions is increased by one step until he uses an action to pull his foot free or he inflicts 3 points of damage upon himself to quickly wrench it free.
The foe’s blow breaks one of the character’s bones, moving her one step down the damage track.
The character’s armor is damaged, reducing its Armor value by 1 until it is repaired. If the character wears no armor, her shield is destroyed. If she has neither, her clothing is greatly damaged, affecting only its appearance.
The character’s foe fights defensively. For the rest of the combat, Speed defense rolls against the foe’s attacks are eased, but attack rolls to strike the foe are hindered.
The character’s foe produces a cypher or new ability that is particularly useful in the current situation (a teleporter to get away, a restorative to heal its wounds, and so on).
The foe’s breath or other odor is so awful that the character can barely see straight. The difficulty of all actions is increased by one step.
As the character uses a cypher or an artifact, she discovers that its power is different than was originally identified (determine randomly).
An injury the character sustained in this fight will last for a while. The difficulty of all physical actions is increased by one step for three days unless healing is available (with difficulty of the fight).
The foe strikes the character so hard that a bit of equipment or a possession on the character’s person (not a weapon or armor) is broken or torn.
The character’s foe gets a burst of insight into the character’s fighting style. As a result, the difficulty of all attack and Speed defense rolls against this foe is increased by one step.
The character’s foe is far tougher than it originally looked. Its current health increases to its normal maximum plus 10.
The character’s foe summons all its strength and inflicts 6 additional points of damage with its attack.

Miscellaneous

The PC's pack falls open (the buckle snaps from shoulder), or the sole of their shoe tears open.
Weather begins to change for the worse. A dangerous storm blows in, with high winds, torrential rain, and lightning.
[Group Intrusion] A surprise foe appears, and the scene turns into a combat.
The floorboard beneath the PC gives away.
A gust of wind blows the papers out of the character’s hand.
A device (cypher or artifact) malfunctions or gives the user a jolt.
The ropes of the old rope bridge finally slap.
The box that holds the plans is trapped with a poison needle.
The PC drops or mishandles an important object or piece of equipment.
The PC disables the explosive device before it goes off, but if someone doesn’t remain and hold the detonator, it will explode.
The PC creates the antidote, but it will turn the imbiber’s flesh blue for the next few weeks.
The PC jumps across the pit but accidentally knocks loose some stones from the edge, making the jump harder for their friend following behind.
A surprising fact is revealed - the hollow tree is full of angry bees, the water is actually flammable oil.
A trap is sprung — a trapdoor opens beneath the PC, the device malfunctions and shocks the user, an ithsyn suddenly leaps from the tall grass.
Something materializes out of thin air — an ultraterrestrial carnivore, a time-traveling cube, a phase-shifting vehicle, a portal to another planet, etc.
A weird plant or fungus releases toxic spores or pollen near the character. She must succeed at a difficulty 4 Might defense roll or suffer 3 points of Speed damage (ignores Armor).
A seemingly random dangerous creature or individual suddenly appears and makes a savage attack.
A small but dangerous creature (like a serpent) is surprised, makes one defensive attack, and runs away. If the character fails a difficulty 4 Speed defense roll, he suffers 3 points of damage.
Someone unexpected shows up and tells the character that she is forbidden to undertake her desired course of action. ("Hey you, get away from there! You can’t do that!”)
The sudden activation of a device creates a momentary distraction (a loud noise, bright lights, or the like) that hinders the task at hand.
A tool or other object vital to the task at hand breaks or fails.
The ground beneath the character suddenly becomes unstable. She falls prone, and if anything lies beneath the ground, she falls through unless she succeeds at a difficulty 5 Speed-based task. If she does, she grabs onto something at the last minute.
Something above the character (such as a tree branch, the ceiling, a rock on a cliff wall, or a vase on a high shelf) falls. If the character fails a difficulty 5 Speed defense roll, he suffers 3 points of damage.
The character receives a glimmer and cannot take actions for five minutes. Glimmer - random images or information that seem to come from nowhere. These unexpected bursts of data are often nonsensical, rarely useful or pertinent, and sometimes disturbing. Nanos believe that the “glimmers” are malfunctions of the datasphere that still permeates the world.
A sudden muscle spasm causes the character to wince. It also increases the difficulty of the task at hand by two steps.
The character contracts a minor virus. The difficulty of all physical actions is increased by one step for 28 hours.
The character pulls a muscle and suffers 1 point of damage (ignores Armor). Until that point is restored, the difficulty of physical actions is increased by one step.
[Group Intrusion] A creature, an NPC, or a group of NPCs steps out of a glowing portal.
A small bit of the numenera falls from the sky near the character. It might be debris, an attack from an unseen foe, or an automaton that begins to awaken—the GM decides.
A grate on the wall falls off and tentacles with tiny fingers wriggling on their sides begin to extrude.
[Group Intrusion] An NPC runs past, and calls of “Criminal!” and “Catch him!” go up from other nearby NPCs.
A nearby building or structure explodes. Strange colored smoke and rays of light come from the opening.
A creature swoops down (or rises from the ground) and attempts to snatch one of the character’s possessions.
One of the character’s cyphers, oddities, or artifacts suddenly exhibits a new ability. It might begin receiving a strange signal from a nearby source, gain the ability of a random cypher, or just overload and explode—the GM decides.
One of the cyphers in proximity of another react chemically, either through small leakage, emissions, or direct contact. The cypher is destroyed and a mass of acid is produced, burning the character for equal to the level of cypher points of damage.
The device triggers its effect on an unintended target.
The device’s effect is, if possible, reversed. A restorative effect becomes damaging. An attack becomes something that aids or heals.
The device’s effect is triggered, but in an unexpected or undesirable way. The user is not in control of the device. A belt that grants the ability to hover sends the wearer careening off in a random direction, probably to crash into a wall or the floor. A ray emitter fires wildly or explodes. An injector sprays its contents into the user’s eye, causing pain and temporary blindness.
The device impact all within immediate range: explodes, inflicting damage equal to its level; negates gravity for one round; releases a pulse that stuns everyone for one round, during which they can take no action; fills with irrational fear for one round makes them flee at top speed.
The device reaches out telepathically and obeys the commands of a creature other than the user within long range.
The device inexplicably sprouts metallic, spider-like legs and scurries away, never to be seen again.
Energy feeds back into the user, who suffers damage equal to the device’s level.
The device loses all power, but another device within long range gains extra power
A spatial warp is created, leading to a place very far away (or another universe entirely). It remains open for only a few rounds.
The device gains intelligence and telepathic abilities and wishes to negotiate with the user in order to activate.
The device fuses with one or two other devices in the user’s possession and becomes an entirely new artifact.

NPC Interaction

The NPC shows a surprising motive. For example, the PCs are trying to bribe an official for information, and he reveals that what he really wants isn’t money but for someone to rescue his kidnapped son.
An Ally doesn't like the PCs as much as they thought. He steals from them or betrays them.
The NPC who holds a dagger to a character’s throat and says “Don’t move” cuts the PC when he does, in fact, move, putting him immediately at debilitated on the damage track
The NPC that the characters need to speak with is home sick today.
The NPC that the PCs need to befriend doesn’t speak their language.
The NPC that the PCs try to bribe is allergic to the bottle of alcohol they offer.
The PC inadvertently (or even unknowingly) says something offensive.
Wardrobe malfunction—someone’s clothing comes undone, tears, or otherwise becomes inappropriate, too revealing, or simply very wrong.
No decorum—someone belches, gets physically ill, or suddenly realizes he has a real odor problem.
Faux pas—someone says precisely the wrong thing, which might deeply offend another.
Rules are rules—an obscure rule or strange law prohibits the NPC from speaking on the topic the PC wants to talk about.
Someone else arrives on the scene and forbids the NPC from interacting further.
The NPC is in an extremely foul mood due to a minor physical malady (aching feet, crick in the neck, or the like). Unless it can be alleviated, the difficulty of dealing with her is increased by two steps.
The NPC is physically attracted to the character and won’t interact in any meaningful way unless the character appears to return the feeling.
The character inadvertently insults the NPC. Unless amends can be made, the difficulty of dealing with the NPC is increased by two steps.
Someone or something interrupts the conversation, completely distracting the NPC from the matter at hand.
The NPC is trying to impress someone else who is watching (such as a superior or paramour). Unless the character can figure out a way to overcome the situation, the difficulty of the interaction is increased by one step.
The NPC becomes all too talkative, but not about what the character wants to discuss. To get the conversation back on track, the character will have to listen patiently for a half hour or interrupt and redirect the conversation (a task with a difficulty increased by one step).
The character is distracted by an uncomfortable condition (buzzing insects, the heat, the rain, and so on). Unless he can figure out a way to overcome the situation, the difficulty of the interaction is increased by one step.
The NPC is distracted by an uncomfortable condition (buzzing insects, the heat, the rain, and so on) and won’t talk further until the situation improves somehow.
The NPC is prejudiced against some aspect of the character (such as gender, class, hair color, origin, or perceived profession), increasing the difficulty of the interaction by two steps. Perhaps someone else should do the talking.
A sudden loud noise interrupts the interaction. The NPC wants to investigate or run.
The NPC will interact with the character only if she takes part in a religious ritual with him that will last for a half hour.
The NPC will interact with the character only if he can best her in a game of skill or chance.
The NPC is seriously injured or ill, increasing the difficulty of the interaction by one step unless the injury or illness can be assuaged.
The NPC is hard of hearing. Unless the character finds a nonverbal communication technique, the difficulty of the interaction is increased by one step.
Recent events (such as a victory or success at something) have made the NPC extremely self-assured and arrogant, increasing the difficulty of the interaction by one step.
The NPC is far more interested in another pressing matter of his own, increasing the difficulty of the interaction by one step unless the character learns about and helps with the other matter.
The NPC is insane and takes the character’s meaning all wrong and/or gives completely incorrect information.
The NPC is extremely hungry, increasing the difficulty of the interaction by one step unless she is fed.
The NPC wears a mask or otherwise has a countenance that is somewhat impenetrable. It’s hard to read her reactions and emotions. The difficulty of the interaction is increased by one step.
The NPC is addicted to something (such as drugs, alcohol, or gambling), increasing the difficulty of the interaction by one step unless his need is met.
The NPC seems to be supportive of the character but somehow manages to completely misunderstand what he was told or asked to do. The character will have to attempt the task again to be successful.
The character must bribe the NPC with something of value (like a cypher) to continue interaction.
The character completely misreads the NPC and says exactly the wrong thing. The difficulty of the interaction and any further interactions with this NPC is increased by two steps.
Before continuing the conversation, the NPC requires the character to reveal a secret (something personal, what she’s carrying, her true feelings on a certain topic, and so on). If the character lies, it will have to be a lie that convinces the NPC.
An unexpected emergency (an accident, a fire, another NPC taken ill, and so on) takes the NPC away from the interaction. If the PC helps in the situation, the difficulty of the interaction is decreased by two steps.
During the conversation, the NPC accidentally reveals an important secret (for example, she’s a mutant, the mayor is asleep, or the lock to the safe is broken) and begs the character not to share it or make use of it. The NPC says that terrible things will happen to the character if he doesn’t comply.
The NPC offers the character something (perhaps a bit of food, a drag of a cigarette, or a swig from a bottle). If the character doesn’t accept, the difficulty of the interaction is increased by one step. Of course, the offer may have detrimental effects (GM’s discretion).
In the middle of the interaction, the NPC reveals a completely surprising agenda of his own. If the character doesn’t agree to help in some way (provide information, give money or an item, offer assistance, and so on), success in the interaction becomes impossible. If she does agree to help, the interaction automatically succeeds.