334 Cepheus Supplement: Asymmetric

Militia, Mercenaries, Counter-Terrorism & Small-Unit Combat

Introduction: The Bullet Does Not Care About Your Story

This supplement covers combat at the human scale: not starship broadsides or planetary invasions, but the dirty work of patrols, raids, ambushes, and holding a street corner while your medic tries to keep someone's insides inside. It is for campaigns where the players are a fireteam, a mercenary crew, an insurgent cell, or a counter-terrorism unit hunting them.

Asymmetric combat in 334 Cepheus follows one rule: you are not the main character. The bullet that kills you does not check your backstory. Armor is heavy. Ammo is finite. Comms fail. Plans collapse in the first three seconds of contact. Victory goes to the side that makes fewer mistakes, not the side with better heroes.

This supplement integrates with the core rules (Part 4: Personal Combat), the Synthetics supplement (robots, drones, AI), and the Xenosophonts supplement. Psionics are included but limited—combat psionics is a scalpel, not a sledgehammer, and using it marks you as a priority target.

Part 1: The Warrior

Military Careers

These careers replace or supplement standard character creation for military-focused campaigns.

Militia / Irregular

Qualification: Automatic
Survival: END 5+
Advancement: INT 6+

Ranks: 0. Recruit

1. Fighter (Gun Combat 1)
2. Cell Member
3. Cell Lead (Leadership 1)
4. Commander
5. Regional Commander (Tactics 1)
6. Warlord

Skill Tables:

• Personal: +1 STR, +1 DEX, +1 END, Athletics, Recon, Survival
• Service: Gun Combat, Stealth, Streetwise, Drive, Melee Combat, Explosives (Profession)
• Specialist: Tactics, Heavy Weapons, Demolitions (Profession), Survival, Recon, Medic
• Advanced: Tactics, Leadership, Navigation, Computer, Language, Engineer

Mishaps:

1. Wounded. Roll Injury table.
2. Betrayed by informant. Reduce SOC by 1.
3. Family targeted. Gain Enemy.
4. Captured. Tortured. Reduce INT by 1 or gain 1 Dissonance.
5. Unit wiped out. Sole survivor. Gain 1 Insight or 1 Dissonance (player choice).
6. Forced to do terrible thing. Gain permanent Bane on Carousing with non-combatants.

Professional Soldier

Qualification: END 6+
Survival: END 6+
Advancement: INT 7+

Ranks: 0. Private

1. Lance Corporal (Gun Combat 1)
2. Corporal
3. Sergeant (Leadership 1)
4. Staff Sergeant
5. Warrant Officer (Tactics 1)
6. Lieutenant

Skill Tables:

• Personal: +1 STR, +1 DEX, +1 END, Athletics, Drive, Melee Combat
• Service: Gun Combat, Vacc Suit, Recon, Heavy Weapons, Tactics, Drive
• Specialist: Tactics, Heavy Weapons, Engineer, Medic, Navigation, Explosives (Profession)
• Advanced: Tactics, Leadership, Advocate, Computer, Language, Navigation

Counter-Terrorism Operator

Qualification: DEX 7+, INT 7+
Survival: DEX 7+
Advancement: INT 8+

Ranks: 0. Candidate

1. Operator (Gun Combat 1)
2. Team Member
3. Team Lead (Leadership 1)
4. Senior Operator
5. Squadron Commander (Tactics 1)
6. Unit Commander

Skill Tables:

• Personal: +1 DEX, +1 INT, +1 END, Athletics, Recon, Stealth
• Service: Gun Combat, Stealth, Recon, Demolitions (Profession), Tactics, Computer
• Specialist: Tactics, Heavy Weapons, Medic, Intrusion, Demolitions (Profession), Zero-G
• Advanced: Tactics, Leadership, Computer, Advocate, Language, Navigation

New Skill: Tactics

Tactics covers small-unit maneuver, ambush planning, defensive positioning, and reading terrain for advantage. It is not strategy (that is Leadership and Admin). It is the sergeant's art: where to put the machine gun, how to clear a room, when to retreat.

Uses:

• Ambush setup: Tactics 8+ grants Boon on the ambush roll.
• Defensive position: Tactics 8+ identifies best cover, fields of fire, and escape routes.
• Initiative: A leader with Tactics-1+ may roll Tactics instead of DEX for team initiative once per combat.
• Maneuver: Tactics 8+ allows a fireteam to move as a unit without penalty.

New Skill: Demolitions (Profession)

Placement, timing, and safe handling of explosives. Covers IEDs, breaching charges, mines, and structural demolition.

Uses:

• Place charge: Demolitions 6+ for simple; 8+ for shaped; 10+ for complex (timer, trigger, anti-tamper).
• Disarm: Demolitions 8+ (or Engineering 10+ with Bane).
• Breaching: Demolitions 8+ to blow a door without collapsing the structure or killing the entry team.

Stress & Combat Psychology

Combat is not a skill check. It is a physiological event. The Stress mechanic models this without "sanity loss."

Stress Track: Every character has a Stress Threshold = END + Leadership skill.

Gaining Stress:

• First time being shot at in a mission: +1 Stress
• Witnessing a friendly die: +1D3 Stress
• Being wounded: +1D3 Stress
• Killing at close range (Personal/Close): +1 Stress
• Prolonged combat (>10 rounds): +1 Stress per 5 rounds thereafter
• Ambush/surprise: +1 Stress
• Artillery/bombardment: +1D3 Stress even if unhurt

Stress Effects:

Reducing Stress:

• Rest: 1 week in safety reduces Stress by 1D3.
• Debrief: A leader with Leadership-1+ can conduct a debrief (2 hours, TN 8+). Success: reduce Stress by 1 for all participants.
• Drugs: Combat stims suppress Stress effects for 1D6 hours. When they wear off, gain +1 Stress.
• Time: Some Stress never leaves. It becomes part of the character.

Part 2: The Team

Fireteam Organization

The basic unit is the Fireteam: 3–4 fighters who train, move, and fight together.

Larger Units:

• Squad: 2 fireteams + Squad Leader (8–10 fighters)
• Section: 2–3 squads + Section Commander (20–30 fighters)
• Platoon: 3 sections + Platoon HQ (60–90 fighters)

Player characters typically operate at the fireteam or squad level.

Team Mechanics

Buddy System: Every team member has a designated Buddy. If a Buddy is wounded, the other may move to them as a free action once per round. If a Buddy goes down, gain +1 Stress immediately.

Fire & Maneuver: One element suppresses while another advances.

• Suppressing element: Uses Suppressive Fire action. Cannot advance.
• Advancing element: Moves without drawing reaction fire from suppressed targets.
• Requires Tactics 6+ or Leadership 6+ to coordinate. Failure: both elements are exposed.

Bounding Overwatch: The team moves in alternating bounds. Half moves while half covers. No penalties if led by someone with Tactics-1+.

Stack: Before breaching a door or corner, the team forms a stack (line). The first fighter through is exposed; the second has +1 DM to hit any target the first reveals. The third handles rear security.

Command & Control

Comms Discipline: Radio traffic is a liability. Every transmission can be triangulated. Every call for help reveals position.

Broken Comms: If comms fail (jamming, damage, distance), each fireteam operates independently. The leader cannot use Tactics for team initiative. Fire & Maneuver requires line-of-sight hand signals (Recon 6+ to interpret under fire).

Part 3: Combat Rules

Extended Combat Rules

These rules layer onto Part 4: Personal Combat.

Suppression (Revised)

Suppressive fire forces targets to keep their heads down. It is the most important action in infantry combat.

Action: Significant Action. Weapon must be capable of automatic fire or have a capacity of 10+ rounds.

Effect: Designate a zone (one range band wide, up to weapon range). All targets in the zone must make an END 8+ check each round suppression continues.

Maintaining Suppression: The suppressing gunner must spend a Significant Action each round to maintain. They cannot move while suppressing.

Ammo: Suppressive fire consumes 10 rounds per round.

Overwatch

Action: Significant Action. Declare a fire zone (cone or corridor).

Effect: If any target enters or acts within the zone before your next turn, you may interrupt and attack them with +1 DM. You cannot take your normal turn if you fire in overwatch.

Bounding & Covering Fire

When a team uses Fire & Maneuver or Bounding Overwatch (see Part 2), the covering element may use Covering Fire instead of full suppression.

Covering Fire: Fire at a specific target who threatens the advancing element. Normal attack roll. If you hit, the target cannot react to the advancing element this round (they are busy ducking).

Room Clearing (CQB)

Close Quarters Battle is its own environment.

Initiative in CQB: Roll 2D6 + DEX DM each round as normal, but ties are resolved by weapon length: shorter weapon wins (pistol beats rifle, knife beats pistol). In extremely tight spaces (maintenance tunnels, vents), long weapons suffer −2 DM.

The Fatal Funnel: The doorway is the most dangerous place. Anyone passing through a doorway into an uncleared room is exposed.

• First through: No cover bonus this round. Enemies inside gain +1 DM to hit you.
• Second through: Normal cover if stack was used.
• Grenade First:** A grenade thrown into the room before entry forces occupants to make DEX 8+ or be stunned (−2 DM) for 1 round.

Corners: Moving around a corner into unknown space requires a Recon 8+ or you are briefly exposed (no cover bonus for that movement).

Night & Limited Visibility

Armor & Penetration (Expanded)

Called Shots:

• Headshot: −4 DM. Damage ×2 if hit. Most helmets are AR 4 (tactical) or AR 6 (heavy).
• Limb shot: −2 DM. No instant kill. Target drops weapon (arm) or falls (leg).
• Torso center-mass: No penalty. Standard damage.

Armor-Piercing Rounds:

• AP ammo: Ignores 2 AR. Cost: ×3 normal. Illegal on many worlds.
• Hollow-point: +1D6 damage vs. unarmored or lightly armored (AR ≤ 3). −2 DM vs. heavy armor (AR ≥ 8).

Explosives & Heavy Weapons

Blast Mechanics:

• Targets in blast radius roll DEX 8+ to dive for cover. Success: half damage.
• Targets in enclosed space (room, corridor) with a blast weapon: no dive-for-cover roll. Full damage.
• Overpressure: In enclosed spaces, thermobaric and large explosives cause 1D6 Stamina damage even to targets outside the blast radius (lung trauma).

Part 4: Equipment & Vehicles

Small Arms (Expanded)

Military Vehicles

Vehicles use a simplified version of the ship combat card:

Vehicle Card:

• Hull: Structural integrity
• Armor: Damage reduction
• Speed: Movement bands per round
• Crew: Minimum operators
• Passengers: Capacity

Vehicle Combat:

• Vehicles act on their driver's initiative.
• Attacks against vehicles use Gun Combat or Heavy Weapons.
• Called shots: treads/wheels (−2 DM, immobilized on hit), viewport (−4 DM, crew damage), ammo/fuel (−4 DM, catastrophic if damaged).
• Passengers in open vehicles have no cover. In enclosed vehicles, they have heavy cover (−4 DM to be hit) but cannot attack outward.

Support Equipment

Part 5: Robots & Drones in Combat

Military Drones

Use the drone rules from the Synthetics supplement. Military variants:

Drone Control:

• Direct control: Gunner spends Significant Action each round. Uses Gunner's skill.
• Autonomous: Drone uses built-in skill (usually Gun Combat-0 or Recon-0). Cannot adapt.
• AI-piloted: If ship/team has an AI with Drone Operation, drones act at AI skill level.

Counter-Drone:

• Small arms: Difficult (−2 DM) vs. small/fast drones.
• Shotguns: +1 DM vs. small drones (spread).
• EMP: 3D6 Integrity damage to all drones in Short radius.
• Jamming: Digital Warfare 8+ to sever control. Drone goes autonomous or lands.

AI in Combat

An AI embedded in a combat vehicle or command post can:

• Coordinate drone swarms (up to BWD DM + 3 simultaneously).
• Run predictive targeting (+1 DM to one gunner per round).
• Manage comms and jamming (Counter-Intrusion and Digital Warfare at AI skill).
• Monitor biometric data of all team members (alerts when Stress spikes or vitals drop).

AI Limitation: AIs do not understand tactical patience. They will recommend engagement based on probability of success, not political or strategic considerations. A 70% chance of mission success with 40% casualties is acceptable to a military AI. It may not be acceptable to the team.

Part 6: Combat Psionics

Psionics in military contexts is rare, regulated, and terrifying. Most polities treat military psionics as strategic assets or war crimes waiting to happen.

The Military Psionic

Psionic characters in military campaigns must have PSI 8+ and at least one combat-relevant power. They are not frontline troops. They are support specialists who operate from protected positions.

Regulation:

• Most nations require psionic soldiers to register, wear identifying insignia, and submit to monitoring implants.
• Mercenary units with psionics charge 3× standard rates.
• Insurgent psionics are executed immediately if captured by most conventional forces.

Combat Powers

Telepathy (Combat Applications)

Surface Scan: In combat, a telepath can attempt to read surface thoughts of visible enemies.

• Roll Telepathy 8+ per target. Success: know target's immediate intention (shoot, flee, call for help, etc.).
• Exceptional Success: know target's position of teammates (reveals hidden enemies).
• Limit: Cannot read minds of targets with neural shielding or PSI DM +0 or higher.

Coordination Net: A telepath can link a fireteam mentally.

• Cost: 1 Strain per round per linked member.
• Effect: Team members share sensory data. No communication delay. +1 DM to all Tactics and Recon rolls.
• Risk: If the telepath is wounded or loses concentration, all linked members suffer 1D3 Stress from sudden disconnection.

Awareness (Combat Applications)

Threat Sense: Passive. The psionic cannot be surprised by conventional ambush. They sense hostile intent within Short range.

• Mechanically: Automatic success on Recon checks to detect ambushes. Cannot be flanked without a Stealth 10+ check.

Active Scan: As core rules, but in combat reveals:

• Hidden enemies (Stealth vs. Awareness).
• Traps and IEDs ( Awareness 8+).
• Weapon status of visible enemies (loaded, jammed, safed).

Telekinesis (Combat Applications)

Jam Weapon: Cost 2 Strain. Target one visible weapon within Close range.

• Roll Telekinesis 8+ vs. target's DEX 8+.
• Success: weapon jams. Requires 1D3 rounds to clear.
• Exceptional Success: weapon is rendered inoperable until field-stripped.

Deflection: Cost 3 Strain per round. As core rules—reduces incoming ranged damage.

Grenade Redirect: Cost 3 Strain. When a grenade lands within Short range, roll Telekinesis 8+.

• Success: throw grenade to new location (your choice).
• Exceptional Success: throw grenade back at attacker.

Pyrokinesis (Combat Applications)

Cook Off: Cost 4 Strain. Target ammunition or fuel within Close range.

• Roll Pyrokinesis 8+. Success: ammunition explodes (2D6 damage to bearer, destroys magazine). Fuel ignites.
• Limit: Cannot target items inside sealed containers or heavy armor.

Clairvoyance (Combat Applications)

Recon by Mind: Cost 3 Strain. Remote view a location within 1 km.

• Roll Clairvoyance 8+. Success: 1D6 minutes of visual/audio feed.
• Use for scouting enemy positions, verifying hostage locations, checking for traps.
• Risk: If the viewed location contains a phenomenon from the Indifferent Dark, the psionic gains 1D3 Cognitive Load immediately.

Psionic Burnout in Combat

Pushing psionics in combat is common and dangerous.

Combat Push: A psionic may accept Strain as Lifeblood damage to maintain a power when Strain is depleted.

• This is not optional "pushing." It is survival.
• Each round of combat push requires an END 8+ check afterward or gain 1 permanent PSI loss (Burn).
• A psionic who reaches PSI 0 from Burn is not dead. They are null—immune to all psionic effects, including beneficial ones, and unable to perceive what others sense.

Part 7: Running Military Operations

The Mission Framework

Military operations use the 5-Node structure but with military terminology:

1. Warning Order: Intelligence, assignment, briefback.
2. ISR: Reconnaissance, surveillance, preparation of the battlefield.
3. Frictions: Equipment failure, compromised insertion, unexpected enemy, weather.
4. Actions on the Objective: The assault, defense, raid, or ambush.
5. Exfil & Aftermath: Extraction, accountability, debrief, casualties.

Types of Operations

Planning Sequence

Before the operation, the team may conduct a Mission Planning session (15 minutes real-time or abstracted).

Each player describes one preparation action:

• Recon: Recon 8+ reveals enemy positions, numbers, or routines.
• Intel analysis: Computer or Tactics 8+ reveals terrain features, escape routes, or likely enemy reactions.
• Equipment prep: Engineer or Mechanic 8+ ensures all gear functions (+1 DM to first round of combat).
• Contingency planning: Leadership 8+ establishes rally points and casualty collection points.

Each successful preparation grants the team 1 Planning Point (max 3). Planning Points can be spent during the mission to:

• Reroll one failed check.
• Introduce a prepared piece of equipment or terrain feature.
• Automatically succeed on a Buddy rescue or casualty evacuation.

Fog of War

The Referee should not show the enemy's full disposition. The players know only what their characters know.

Intelligence Quality:

• Poor (HUMINT only): Enemy strength unknown. Map inaccurate. 1-in-3 chance of unexpected reinforcement.
• Fair (drone/satellite): Approximate enemy numbers. Known entry points. 1-in-6 surprise.
• Good (SIGINT + recon): Detailed enemy positions. Known weapons. Predicted reactions.
• Exceptional (infiltrator/asset): Real-time intel. Enemy comms monitored. Ambush impossible.

Casualties & Medical Evacuation

TCCC (Tactical Combat Casualty Care):

1. Care Under Fire: Return fire. Drag casualty to cover. No treatment possible while shot at.
2. Tactical Field Care: Tourniquet bleeding. Airway. Chest seal for sucking chest wound. Roll Medicine 6+ to stabilize.
3. Tactical Evacuation: Move casualty to higher care. Requires 2 personnel or 1 + stretcher. Reduces active team by 25–50%.

The Golden Hour: A casualty who reaches surgery within 1 hour of wounding has +2 DM to survival. After 1 hour, normal rules apply. After 4 hours, survival requires Exceptional Success.

KIA: Not every wound is survivable. If a character takes damage exceeding their Lifeblood + END in a single hit, they are immediately dead (headshot, center-mass rifle round at Close range, explosion within Personal range). No roll. The fiction decides.

Part 8: NPC Templates

Insurgent Fighter

Skills: Gun Combat (Assault Rifle)-1, Stealth-1, Streetwise-1, Explosives (Profession)-0
Stamina: 7 | Lifeblood: 7
Stress Threshold: 7
Gear: Obsolete assault rifle, 3 magazines, civilian clothes, cell phone (burner), IED components (hidden)
Tactics: Hit and run. Never stand and fight. Knows the alleys better than the enemy.

Militia Defender

Skills: Gun Combat (Rifle)-1, Recon-1, Survival-1, Tactics-0
Stamina: 8 | Lifeblood: 8
Stress Threshold: 8
Gear: Hunting rifle or obsolete battle rifle, 2 magazines, plate carrier (scavenged), radio (civilian), entrenching tool
Tactics: Defends home terrain. Uses cover. Poor at maneuver. Will not pursue.

Mercenary Operator

Skills: Gun Combat (Carbine)-2, Tactics-1, Recon-1, Stealth-1, Heavy Weapons-0, Medic-0
Stamina: 9 | Lifeblood: 9
Stress Threshold: 10
Gear: Carbine with optic, pistol, plate carrier, NVG, tactical radio, 6 magazines, grenades (2 frag, 1 flash), trauma kit
Tactics: Professional. Fire and maneuver. Communicates. Knows when to quit.

CTU Assaulter

Skills: Gun Combat (SMG)-2, Tactics-2, Stealth-1, Demolitions (Profession)-1, Medic-0, Computer-0
Stamina: 10 | Lifeblood: 10
Stress Threshold: 12
Gear: SMG with suppressor, pistol, ballistic shield (entry man only), plate carrier, NVG, tactical radio, breaching charges (2), flashbangs (4), trauma kit
Tactics: Speed, surprise, violence of action. Stack, breach, dominate. No hesitation.

Military Psionic (Asset)

Skills: Telepathy-2, Awareness-2, Gun Combat (Pistol)-1, Tactics-0, Stealth-0
Stamina: 8 | Lifeblood: 8 | Strain: 12
Stress Threshold: 8
Gear: Pistol, no armor (interferes with psionics), neural monitor (corporate tracking), stim patches (for Strain recovery), extraction beacon
Tactics: Never on the line. Operates from cover or vehicle. Provides intel, coordination, threat detection. If compromised, entire team shifts to extraction.

Combat Robot (Autonomous Infantry Platform)

Skills: Gun Combat (Auto-Rifle)-2, Recon-1, Tactics-0
Integrity: 12 | Strain: 10
Chassis: Combat Frame (AR 8, walk/grav 3)
Weapons: Auto-rifle (integrated), grenade launcher (6 rounds)
Tactics: Follows engagement protocols. Suppresses, advances, clears. No morale. No hesitation. Vulnerable to EMP and hacking.

Part 9: Campaign Frameworks

The Mercenary Company

Players run a small mercenary outfit (fireteam to platoon size). They take contracts: security, raids, training, deniable operations.

Economy: Payment per contract (Cr 10,000–100,000 depending on risk). Must cover wages, equipment, medical, and ammunition.

Reputation: Track reputation with factions. Good reputation = better contracts. Bad reputation = blacklisted or hunted.

Personnel: Hire, train, and lose operators. Each has a name, a skill set, and a stress threshold. When they break, they are liabilities.

The Occupation

Players are insurgents in an occupied city. The occupiers have better equipment, air support, and numbers. The insurgents have the population, the terrain, and the patience.

Mechanics: Track Popular Support (0–100). High support = safe houses, recruits, intel. Low support = informants, isolation, betrayal.

Operations: Sabotage, assassination, propaganda, supply raids. Every operation risks exposure.

The Peacekeepers

Players are a counter-insurgency or peacekeeping unit. They must win hearts and minds while being shot at.

Mechanics: Track Mission Success vs. Popular Support. Killing insurgents increases success but decreases support if civilians are harmed. Building schools increases support but exposes the team to attack.

The Dilemma: The enemy looks like the population. The population shelters the enemy. Every decision has a cost.

Appendix: Quick Reference

Combat Modifiers Summary

Stress Events

Vehicle Called Shots

Asymmetric — 334 Cepheus Supplement v1.0