Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Rule Book

to swim through liquid water, although some spe-
cies are more adapted to it than others. Unless oth-
erwise noted, characters treat any body of water
as difficult terrain. The GM may also decide that
some bodies of water, such as a river with a swift
current or an ocean in a storm, are so difficult to
move through that they require a successful Athlet-
ics check to swim. In this case, swimming through
the water requires at least one action as well as any
number of maneuvers to traverse.
If completely submerged in water, a character can
hold his breath for a number of rounds equal to his
Brawn characteristic. Once this number is reached,
the character starts to drown and is treated as suf-
focating on each successive round (until he surfaces
or finds some other source of air).

VACUUM

For spacers, vacuum is an all-too-familiar and ex-
tremely dangerous environment, lurking just outside
the protective hull of their starship. Vacuum is not just
the lack of breathable air; the lack of pressure and ex-
treme heat or cold can cause veins to rupture, blood
to boil, and delicate membranes to freeze or tear.

When exposed to vacuum without protective gear, a
character may hold his breath for a number of rounds
equal to his Brawn characteristic. Once this number is
reached, the character begins suffocating. However,
each round a character is exposed to vacuum, he also
suffers three wounds. When the character exceeds his
wound threshold, he is incapacitated and suffers one
Critical Injury as normal, plus one additional Critical
Injury each additional round he is exposed to vacuum
(which likely will quickly result in death). This is in addi-
tion to the Critical Injuries he suffers from suffocating.

FIRE, ACID, AND CORROSIVE

ATMOSPHERES

Fundamentally, the effects of fire, acids, and corrosive

atmospheres are treated with the same rules. When

exposed to a fire, acid, or corrosive atmospheres, the

GM determines how dangerous the situation is by ap-

plying a rating. This rating is generally between 1 and

10, although higher ratings may also apply. A lower rat-

ing typically indicates minor, low-heat fire or mildly cor-

rosive liquid or atmosphere. The higher the rating, the

hotter the fire or the more corrosive the atmosphere.

See Table 6-8: Fire, Acid, and Corrosive Atmo-

spheres for some examples of different ratings.

Each round, a character subjected to one of these

hazards suffers wounds equal to its rating at the be-

ginning of his turn. This damage persists until he is no

longer exposed to the hazard. In the case of some cor-

rosive atmospheres, the GM may decide they do not

cause damage unless inhaled. In this case, the character

can hold his breath for a number of rounds equal to his

Brawn before having to breathe and suffer the damage.

It is primarily up to the GM as to how long the dam-

age from one of these sources lasts. Acids usually ne-

gate themselves after a certain period of time (as few as

several rounds, or as long as several minutes or hours).

Fires burn for as long as they have a fuel source, which

again could be very briefly, or for a very long time. A

corrosive atmosphere, on the other hand, usually deals

damage as long as the character is exposed to it.

Putting out fire/neutralizing acid: A victim might

be able to stop the damage by rolling around on the

ground by making a Coordination check. This is an

Average ^) check on hard surfaces such as the

deck of a spaceship, or an Easy (^) check on grass or

soft ground. Jumping into a body of water stops the

damage immediately. In the case of acid, it is up to

the GM to determine if the same procedures negate

the damage, or if he must apply some neutralizing

substance instead. The only way to prevent damage

from a corrosive atmosphere is to leave it.

SUFFOCATION

A suffocating character suffers three strain at the

beginning of each of his turns, until he is no longer

suffocating (how to stop suffocating depends entirely

on the circumstances that led to the character suf-

focating in the first place, but usually involves reach-

ing a breathable atmosphere, or removing something

preventing the character from breathing). Once he

exceeds his strain threshold, the character is inca-

pacitated. In addition, at the beginning of each of his

subsequent turns, if the character is still suffocating,

he suffers one Critical Injury. This continues until he

stops suffocating or he dies.

TABLE 6-8: FIRE, ACID, AND

CORROSIVE ATMOSPHERES

Rating Example

1-2

Campfires, mildly caustic substances such

as concentrated industrial cleansers, air

filled with ash and fumes from a heavy fire.

3-5

Flammable liquids and flame projectors,

dangerous substances such as industrial

acids, air contaminated by chemical leaks.

6-9

Welding torches, weaponized acids,

atmospheres with substantial parts

dangerous gases such as ammonia.

10 +

Lava, blast furnaces, atmospheres

completely made of unbreathable and

hazardous gases such as ammonia

methane mixes with acid vapors.

CONFLICT AND COMBAT

EDCE OF THE EMPIRE