Alien Movement

Movement rate is one of the most important persona attributes in the tactical combat rules. Movement rate determines how fast an alien can move during combat. The faster the persona can move, the better they can evade and the quicker they can get to a target point. The movement rate, often just called 'move,' is measured in hexes per unit (h/u or hu).

The alien’s shape determines how she moves, not how fast she moves. Denizens may hop, slither, scuttle, slime or gallop along. The type of locomotion does not affect the alien’s movement rate. For instance, an alien with snail leg parts would move as fast as an alien with leopard leg parts.

Alien Movement Rate Checklist

  1. Base movement

  2. Terrain types

  3. Calculating movement

Movement Quarter

move (h/u) = DEX / 4

An alien with a 12 DEX would have a base movement quarter of 3 h/u.

Determining the movement quarter is simple. The alien’s movement quarter is equal to one quarter the alien persona’s Dexterity score. When combining the alien’s movement quarter with its terrain types, the player can determine how fast the alien runs, flies and swims.

Terrain Types

The alien’s shape determines in which terrain types that the alien can move. Each body part includes some lowercase letters in parenthesis. Goose (law) indicates the body part is shaped like a goose’s and works well on land, water and air. Goat (l) indicates the body part is shaped like a goat’s and works well on land.

Alien Terrain Types Table
What terrain types that the alien moves on.

Terrain Type

Terrain Letter

Examples

Land

l

Running on ground, terrestrial, gravity bound

Air

a

Flying in air or other gas, airborne, defying gravity

Water

w

Swimming in water or other fluid, aquatic

Sessile

s

Immobile like a plant on land, or floating in air or water

Terrain Type

Terrain Letter

Examples

Land, air and water are familiar to us on mundane terra. In no way does this wording limit aliens to oxygen-based gases or water-based fluids. The terrain types allow aliens to run, fly, swim, be amphibious or immobile as a tree. Often there is a mix of several terrain types.

Alien terrain type is more for determining how the alien moves than its existence. An alien with all water body shapes on a planet with no water would move slowly, not suffocate. How quickly the alien moves in the various terrains depends on how the base movement rate quarters.

Calculating Movement

An alien with mostly land body shapes will move faster on land than an alien with few land body shapes. An alien with all water body shapes will move very fast in the water, but not so well on land.

An alien has a 12 DEX and movement quarter of 3 h/u. The alien has four land terrain types Head: Ant (l), Torso: Kangaroo (l), Arms: Lemur (l) and Legs: Slug (l). The terrain types are 4l, 0a, and 0w. The alien’s movement rate is one movement quarter (3 h/u) per terrain letter. This alien moves 12 h/u (very fast) on land but cannot fly or swim.

Alien Move Calculation
16 DEX. Move quarter 4 h/u. Body parts: Sheep (l), Wasp (la), Duck (law) and None (s).

Terrain Type

Score

Move Quarter

Move Rate

Land - (l,l,l)

3

4 h/u

12 h/u

Air - (a,a)

2

4 h/u

8 h/u

Water - (w)

1

4 h/u

4 h/u

Terrain Type

Score

Move Quarter

Move Rate

The body shape 'none' is sessile and has no movement rate.

Illustrated example "I like to swim"

This alien has a 12 DEX and a movement quarter of 3 h/u.

Drawing of an alien Head: opossum, Torso: none, Arms: Planaria, Legs: manta ray

Head: opossum, Torso: none, Arms: Planaria, Legs: manta ray

  • Head: opossum (l)

  • Torso: none (-)

  • Arms: planaria (w)

  • Legs: manta ray (w)

Having a torso of none reduces the alien’s overall speed. Visually the torso is composed of all the other parts.

  • Land: (l-1) the alien flops along at 3 h/u

  • Air: (a-0) the alien cannot fly

  • Water: (w-2) the alien swims at 6 h/u

Illustrated example "I like to run"

This alien has a 14 DEX and a movement quarter of 4 h/u.

Drawing of an alien Head: t-rex, Torso: rabbit, Arms: dodo, Legs: dodo

Head: t-rex, Torso: rabbit, Arms: dodo, Legs: dodo

  • Head: t-rex (l)

  • Torso: rabbit (l)

  • Arms: dodo (la)

  • Legs: dodo (la)

Having a land terrain for every body part makes this alien a swift runner. Depending on its size, this alien may be an apex predator moving at nearly 60 km per hour on land.

  • Land: (l-4) the alien races along at 16 h/u

  • Air: (a-2) the alien flies at 8 h/u

  • Water: (w-0) the alien cannot natively swim