Nova Wars Baby!

[Peterson]

OK, thanks for the encouragement, guys, I really appreciate it.

Here's another starship. I'll post the maps first, then the starships data I'll edit into the post later. I did some rules modification, and the engines follow the ABOVE listed engines, not the MSRD(F) engines.

The maps to the starship can be downloaded here from Intrepid Heroes.

I'll edit in the statblock as soon as I finish transcribing it.

Ye gods man, you've been busy! The ship looks great, and if its really as "customizable" as it suggests, its going to be darn near the greatest thing in a while!

Can't wait to see even more!

Peterson

 

[Emiricol]

Couple questions:

1) When will there be something cohesive or semi-cohesive to download or buy? I just don't have the time to try to reinvent your wheel, so the sooner I can get my grubby little paws on it the better

2) Where'd you get the space maps? Wherever you got them or however you made them, that would be an amazingly cool resource for space gaming. Also, will you be including a Terran territory map when all is said and done?

 

[Ralts Bloodthorne]

Couple questions:

1) When will there be something cohesive or semi-cohesive to download or buy? I just don't have the time to try to reinvent your wheel, so the sooner I can get my grubby little paws on it the better

I'll probably have a download for everything posted here within a week or so. There's still a LOT more data to add. The rest of the systems, and the Terran Confederate maps, for one. Between Intrepid Heroes, Modernized, ENWorld and The Brood sites, we'll have a lot of data.

This will be an ongoing project, with more and more expansion (as I get stuff off of paper)

2) Where'd you get the space maps? Wherever you got them or however you made them, that would be an amazingly cool resource for space gaming. Also, will you be including a Terran territory map when all is said and done?

I got the maps by making them with CC2 Pro Cosmographer.

Yup, there will be the Terran Confederacy Map, sector maps, etc.

However, I am NOT doing 2000+ system maps.

 

[Ralts Bloodthorne]

Transit Spaces...

The Obelisk allowed mankind to reach the stars, and grasp at them exactly as they had grasped at everything else they wanted. It opened "The Bag" and allowed Terran descent Humans to go out into the universe, armed with Faster Than Light engines, weapons and armor to defend those ships, and life support systems to allow them to live in those ships.

Humankind, always improving on everything that they understood and/or thought might be able to improve, pushed the envelope on the FTL travel, rapidly surpassing even the proto-human's theories.

FTL travel does not happen in what is considered "realspace" (A term coined by news agencies and popular culture) where the theories of Albert Einstien hold sway, but instead, once near-lightspeed is reached, when mass becomes nearly infinite, the ship drops out of realspace and enters one of the FTL spaces.

While in a "jumpspace" transit, travellers experience various effects, depending on which jumpspace they enter. Everything from sudden unconsciousness followed by a period of comatose, to shimmering lights, to severe "jumpshock" when exiting.-From the Terran Confederacy Historical Archives

JUMPSPACE​

Jumpspace is one of the earliest discovered. When entering jumpspace, stars undergo a color shift rapidly into white, and then pull backwards, making the ship appear to head toward a never ending cone.

While in jumpspace, the ship is actually moving between the spaces in dimensional foam that seperates dimensions. This makes the ship shudder, and causes vertigo and has been known to cause massive headaches. Jumpspace exit requires the drives to be reconfigured, and this will take 1 round per hour travelled. (Computer Use: DC: 5+1 per hour in Jumpspace) before another jump can be done.

Digital Sentients entering jumpspace go immediately comatose, often suffering a form of dementia known as "Jump Madness" where they claim to be older models or even fictional DAS's from Pre-Obelisk times. (Fort Save, DC: 10+1 per minute in jumpspace, roll every round. When failed, the DAS immediately goes comatose)

Induction Engine​

The induction engine has recently been able to move into jumpspace, with recent advances in the technology produced by the Biological Artificial Sentients Systems. This engine is slow. but reliable, transport and is mainly used by the TC Navy for message torps and other such long-haul feasibly missions.

The induction engine has been reduced from normal size, to half it's previous side, and the BAS System's engines are notorious for redundant systems and reliability.

Particle Impulse Engine​

The Digital Artificial Sentient Systems enables this drive to enter Jumpspace some 50 years ago. This is the ONLY drive that DAS's may enter Jumpspace with and avoid going into a coma and being driven crazy, although a DAS must undergo "digital rest" every 5 hours instead of 20, forcing the DAS Systems to doublecrew thier ships.

Particle Impluse Engines are faily standard, with spare parts being cheap and plentifle, and because of this, many outlying systems and frontier sectors rely heavily on the PIE's.

Jump Drive​

Although the Jump Drive is nearly instantaneous, they do travel through Jumpspace. Older, preObelisk jumpdrives travelled at roughly 600 C, although now rough estimates place the speed of jump drives at 5000C.

Occassionally ships will discover old derilects in Jumpspace. Some of these have been G'Tak warships, or protohuman vessels, with the crew dead and the control stations dead or damaged. These hulks bring in good salvage from collectors, historical societies and on occassion, the TC Navy.

HYPERSPACE​

Hyperspace is a sidereal universe, where there is no limit to speed of light, and the laws of physics are more ameable to accelleration and movement. Sadly, hyperspace can also be a dangerous place. With debris from the G'Tak/protohuman war scattered everywhere, nova and supernova blast wave remnants, gravitational anomolies, etc providing a serious hazard to all who travel within it.

Hyperspace is often used for travel and communications, but serious hazards exist, as matter that was created in hyperspace is quite explosive when impacting matter from "realspace" (Multiply damage for meteor hits by 25), and there is a few seconds of disorientation upon exit.

Due to the completely different laws of mathematics in hyperspace, programs and AI's that can operate in hyperspace must be specially created, and cannot be used in "realspace" and vice-versa. Because of this the Digital Artificial Sentient Systems dislike Hyperspace, and all computer systems and computer assisted/run equipment must have dual programs and processors, increasing thier cost by 50%.

Hyperdrive​

An extremely tempermental type of drive, it is by far the cheapest and easiest to get ahold of. The price for these drives can go as low as 20% of normal, depending on the age and C-distance on the drive. Parts are cheap and easy, with used parts coming as cheaply at 10% of normal cost. Most ships, when commissioned with this drive, have the drive left to go to the orbital/planetary scrap yards, since it would cost more to recover the drive than buy a new one.

The cost for Hyperdrives in Confederate Space is 1/2 normal.

SHUNTSPACE​

Shuntspace appears as a tangle of tubes that are made up of interlocking branches of a silvery/iridescent metal. Shooting through these tubes is dangerous, but fast, and only living pilots are able to handle the speeds and disorientation that shuntspace brings out.

DAS's and any genetweaked too hard (More than a +4 bonus to Pilot Starship) cannot operate properly in Shuntspace, often going into convulsions, shutting down, or suffering a neural shutdown.

VOIDSPACE​

Voidspace is a place of swirling colors, and people that move leave shimmering traces and afterimages of themselves. Instruments are useless, as are navigation equipment. Voidspace is navigatable by Digital Sentients only.

STRINGSPACE​

Appearing as a series of long strings that coil and loop through a vast gulf, "riding the strings" is both exhilerating to pilots, and more dangerous than finding yourself with your thumb in the tiger's bum.

Riding the strings may get you from point A to point B quickly, but most string destinations are completely unknown. One long-probe ship (piloted by convincts or highly paid volunteers) found itself in the Hammerhead Galaxy, inside a brown dwarf system, after only 105 hours of "string-time". Currently, very few stringlines are mapped, although mercenaries have been hired recently to explore the lines after one scout craft encountered and was nearly destroyed by a massive vessel that was estimated at being over 100 km in length and was busy laying waste to a planet.


Sorry guys, I gotta hit the rack, I'll post more later, finish this up.

BTW-Due to popular demand, Intrepid Heroes has hosted a Word .doc of this thread here.

Enjoy

 

[Ralts Bloodthorne]

Shivak​

Don't trust him. He's out to steal your burrow-mate.

Mammalian and ursaliod, there creatures stand at less than a meter tall, with pads on thier feet and the wide spread eyes of evolved herbivores. Shivak have flat herbivore teeth, wide nostrils, and look somewhat like Terran "teddy bears" although thier grouchy temperment often offsets this appearance.

The Shivak come from a planet with heavy vegitation and undergroth, and very few predators. With a low axial tilt and a temperate climate without much serious seasonal variation, the Shivak were an allay of the G'Tak Empire during thier destruction of the proto-Terran race eons ago.

Despite the destruction of the proto-Terran race, the Shivak did not find themselves elevated to a high position in the galactic scheme of things. Mainly, they lacked the carnivore instinct for pursuing a goal with ruthless determination, and this held them back from what they felt was thier destiny.

Over the millenia since the fall of the proto-human race, the Shivak has contented themselves with causing strife and contention within the races that remained of the G'Tak Empire.

With the return of Terran Humans, the Shivak were the most vocal about attacking the race of man and thier companion creatures as well as fledgling allies. The Shivak were the ones who encouraged the Varmeck into sending probes further and further into the "Fallow Zone" to check on the progress of the human race, and were the ones stirring up panic within the other races that probes were coming back without data more often than they were returning, at the rate of 100:1.

However, the Shivak made the mistake of attacking an outlying human colony with a fleet of warships, and the even larger mistake of fleeing without trying to cover thier tracks. Human ships followed them to thier homeworld, and while other human vessels ran to summon the Terran Confederate Naval Forces, the ships that had followed began a program of guerrilla warfare and interdiction of the system.

Human counter-attack and the first human attack of the resurged G'Tak/Human war was on the Shivak homeworld. Human paranioa and predatory instinct mobilized the entire TCMC First, Second and Fifth Armies and the 9th and 17th TCN fleets.

Over 500,000 combat troops slammed into the Shivak homeworld, backed by everything the Terrans could throw at them. Monitors, radioactive dusting, battleships, supercruisers, temporal dissonance wave cannons and everything overly adaptive and highly aggressive omnivore primates with over a hundred thousand years of warfare in thier history could bring to bear.

The Shivak were crushed in less than a Terran standard month. Thier cities cast down, the vast forests in flame, and the oceans steaming. The Terrans even broke apart the Shivak's moons and rained the pieces down upon thier planet as "kinetic kill weapons" in order destroy what they assummed would be a more technologically advanced oppenent.

The Shivak were cast down, thier homeworld destroyed, and they immediately sued for peace, thier contentious attittude muted in terror (After the Franklin-437 incedent, where a rogue admiral warped into system, fired a nova-bomb, and left, incinerating over 240,000,000 Shivak) of the humans.

While the Shivak as a whole have surrendered, thier worlds occupied, and their databases are now being researched by the Terrans in order to continue thier war against the G'Tak, billions have fled deeper into G'Tak space, intent on avenging the 10,000 year old slight the initial proto-humans committed.

Shivak can be found both in the Confederacy and the G'Tak Empire.

Species Traits

Shivak share the following species traits:

• Type: Small Humaniod
• Size: Small
• Ability Modifiers: -4 Str, -2 Con, +2 Int, +2 Wis, +2 Cha
• Speed: 20 feet
• Low Light Vision (Ex): A Shivak has low light vision and can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of shadowy illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish colors and detail under these conditions.
• Empathic glands (Ex): Where normally tear-ducts would reside on a Terran ursine, empthic glands are on the Shivak. This causes thier eyes to grow large and luminious when they are manipulating emotions. This provides them a +4 racial bonus to bluff, intimidate, sense motive and diplomacy.
• Contentious Aura (Ex): The Shivak can put out a field of psionic energy that causes other creatures to have ill will toward one another, become more suspicious of others, and in general, ignore the Shivak. Those within 150 feet suffer a -8 to diplomacy as well as having others feeling toward them worsen. Suspicions often run toward motives, placing a -8 penalty on anyone within the circumferance toward sense motive.
• Swim Bonus: Due to the fur, light bone structure, and high fat content of the Shivak, they gain a +2 racial bonus to swim.
• Racial Progress Level: 6 for war material and space-craft, 7 for medical technology (excluding cybernetics) and entertainment. The Shivak dislike robots and will not manufacture or purchase them.
• Shivak cannot accept genetic enhancements or cybernetic systems.

 

[Ralts Bloodthorne]

Varmeck​

One of the largest "warlike" races of the G'Tak Empire, these creatures often claim to be the main exterminators of the proto-humans, and act as the "bully-boys" of the G'Tak Empire. Mainly used as infantry and ship to ship marines, the Varmeck are huge, iridescent insects with heavy armor, large jaws, and imposing claws.

Little is know about thier society, but it is well known that they are particularly arrogant and believe themselves to be the end-all be all of combat soldier, with thier resistance to damage that thier exoskeleton grants them.

The Varmeck utilize mass waves attacks, and while technologically advanced, mainly use infantry in combat.

• Type: Giant Insectiod
• Ability Modifier: +4 str, -2 Dex, +4 Con
• Speed: 30 feet
• Claws: A Varmeck has retractable claws that can be used in combat. The claws do 1d4 hp of lethal damage and a Varmeck attacking with it's claws is considered armed for the purposes of melee combat and attacks of opportunity.
• Bite: Although it is considered gauche and uncivilized to do so, a Varmeck may bite someone else in combat and inflict 1d4-1 points of lethal damage.
• Venom: The Varmeck's vite is venomous 2d6 Con (DC: 10) to most races, although humans are strangely enough immune to it.
• Natural Armor: The Varmecks tough chitin gives it a +2 natural armor.
  Damage Resistance:[/b] The Varmeck's exoskeleton grants it a DR 15/ballistic. It's vaunted resistance to energy weapons was sadly lacking against Terran combat forces.
• Skill Bonus: A Varmek gains the following racial bonuses to skills: +4 to intimidate and survival and +6 to climb. A Varmeck takes a -4 racial penalty to swim

Varmek weaponry:
Force Field Harness: Worn across the thorax, this equipment provides a forcefield that adds 100 bonus hit points (These hit points are subtracted first). The forcefield can only be active for 2 hours at a time, and if the HP are depleted, the harness' internal mechanisms must be replaced. This takes 2 combat rounds for someone trained (varmek often carry replacement cartridges for the delicate generation electronics) and 2 minutes for someone untrained.

Varmek use laser weaponry, since they distain ballistic weapons.

(More on these guys later, email me on the 20th of September or later for full details if you are planning on using these guys in your campaign)

 

[Ralts Bloodthorne]

Swarmhiver Transport [PL 7]​

The Swarmhiver is a tried and true, if obsolete fighter carrier. It is capable of FTL speeds, and carries a compliment of 100 fighters, 4 rescue/recovery craft, and 40 Raven-III Dropships.
The Swarmhiver may launch 20 fighters, 1 r/r craft and all 40 dropships in a single round, and is capable of flooding a planets atmosphere with fighters that provide coverfire for the incoming groundtroop dropships.
It's lightly armed for a cruiser class vessel, but still possesses the weaponry to subdue starports or hammer at planetary defense batteries.

• Type: Cruiser Class (formerly superheavy)
• Subtype: Carrier
• Size: Colossal (-8 size)
• Tactical Speed: 3,500 ft (7 sq)
• Defense: 11
  • Flat Footed: 7
  • Autopilot Defense:+8
• Hardness: 30
• Hit Dice: 2,000d20 (40,000 hp)
• Initiave Modifiers: +6
• Pilot's Class Bonus: +5
• Pilot's Dex Modifier: +4
• Gunner's Attack Bonus: +9
• Length: 7,500 feet
• Width: 2,600 feet
• Hieght: 1,200 feet
• Weight: 700,000 tons
• Targeting System Bonus: +8
• Crew: 4,200 (expert +8)
• Passenger Capacity: 1,000
• Cargo Capacity: 300,000 tons
• Grapple Modifier: +16
• Base Puchase DC: 90
• Restriction: Military (+3)

Attack

Attack of Opportunity
Point Defense Systems (2): 5d12x10

Standard PL 7 Design Specs
Engine: Thrusters, Intertia Compensators, Particle Impulse Engine
Armor: Cerametal
Defense Systems (13): Particle Field, Repair Drones, Light Fortification, Displacer, Stealth Screen, Point Defense System (x2), Decoy Drone Launcher, Radioation Shielding, Self Destruct System, Improved Autopilot System, Sensor Jammer, Chaff Launcher
Sensors (3): Class V Sensor Array, Improved Targeting System, Class IV Sensor Array (redundant backup)
Communications: Drivesat Comm Array, Internal Comm System
Weapons (13): Plasma missile batter (5), Mass reaction missile battery (5), Fire linked antimatter guns (2), Heavy Mass cannon
Grappling Systems: Grapplers, Tractor Beam Emitters

 

[Ralts Bloodthorne]

EMPLOYMENT SECTION-FREELANCERS V-NOTICE

MAGGELLEN CORPORATION (Corporate Rating: A++)

Employment for mechanics with innovative solution skills. Must have own tools. Difficult employment objective with possibly injury and loss of life. Former professional or Confederate experienced mechanics desired. Transportation will provided upon acceptance and possible confirmation payment is available.

Inquire Maggellen Corp interstellar offices to job reference number: Q7TR9921

--------------------------------------------------------

Recently, an automated frieghter, nonsentient class recorded what appeared to be an artificial item in Jumpspace, two lightyears outside of the Cremek system, in the Stramok sector. Obelisk data, and Confederacy data have come up empty, and profiles do not match for any known ship.

While the chance for profit is low, the Maggellan Corporation can not let a chance like this go by, and wishes to hire mercenaries to investigate the anomoly.

There is definate power readings, as well as visible jumpspace running lights, showing that whatever it is happens to be powered. It is also quite small, matching only Confederate long range patrol/exploration ships. It is nowhere near the size of a ship of the line, a color ship, or a gulf-space exploration vessel.

There are no apparent weapons on the object, and judging from the "jumpdust" festooning the wreck, it has been travelling for eons at least. Two possibilities for entrace can be seen.

The Maggellan Corporation is willing to front the mercenaries a civilian version of the Airhart Scout vessel, fully retrofitted and in pristine condition from one of thier shipyards. The vessel will have locked navigational computers "Not that we do not trust you, but something may happen."

They are willing to start out at 5Kcr per member, but a Diplomacy check (DC: 15) will result in a 1Kcr increase for every +1 that the negiotator makes, to a maximum of 15 Kcr per member. Characters 3rd level and above will be turned away. Upon acceptance, the PC's will be granted a 1KCr advance.

If the deed to the vessel is asked for, the Maggellan Corp will offer a confirmed lease with 5 Kcr/TSY (Terran Standard Year) for 20 years, but a successful diplomacy check (DC: 20) can reduce this by one year per point above the DC, to a minimum of 5 years.

Those characters who accept the job are transported to the Marshell system, and from there, put aboard a transport to Tamstex Station in the Cremex system, where thier ship is waiting.


No NPC Pilot desired:
The jumpspace coordinates of the vessel are programmed into the computer, and the computer only has the Cremek jumppoint and Marshell system transit point in the computer. Interlocks prevent more data from being loaded into the system. To remove this will require a Computer Use check (DC: 40) that, if failed by more than 5, will completely wipe the astrogation/navigation/autopilot firmware. If it is failed by more than 10, the astrogation/navigation/autopilot firmware will be complete destroyed, and have to be replaced.

NPC Pilot:
The Maggellan Corporation will provide a bonded pilot who is instructed to accompany the NPC's into the derilict to see if it can be piloted back. He will fly the ship while the PC's are in hypersleep.

NPC Hitters:
The Maggellan Corporation will hire up to two mercenaries to escort the PC's if they feel that the party is not to be trusted, or if they lack moderate firepower, rather than provide the PC's with weapons or armor.

Skilled data-cutters will recognise this fact quickly, when looking at the software interlocks and firmware cutouts/boobytraps.

 

[Ralts Bloodthorne]

Hyperspace, dangerous but fast, and safer than most of the jumpspaces out there. The ship passed inspection with flying colors, and investigation of the computer equipment shows that it has all been replaced with new, state of the art equipment.

It doesn't take too long, the hyperdrive engines having been overhauled with new parts, straight off the Maggellan Corporation assembly lines. A little over 10 days until the sensors pick up something moving slowly though hyperspace (1.01 C).

Getting closer, the readings come off strange at best. Visuals show that there are vast tubular sections that end suddenly, as if the object was broken off of a larger one.

Mass: 730 tons
Life Signs: None
Technology: Unknown
Power Source: Active, stable, helium/detrium fusion
Radio Signals: None
Light Signals: Ambient light leakage only.
Composition: 90% asteriod rock (Unknown origin, standard makeup), 10% unaccounted for
Shielding: High flux magnetic field

The computer is of little help. Sighing, it's obvious to everyone aboard the scout vessel there is only one way to go about it.

The old fashioned way. Kick in the doors and rattle the cages time.

The object is approximately 350 ft wide, 100 ft thick, 250 ft across, with what appears to be two small cerasteel bubbles on the top(?) and two "tubes" protruding from one of the narrow ends that appear to be crafted from duralloy and are clogged with a thick, tarlike substance.

As the PC's draw closer, no further data can be gained from the sensor system. There are only 6 obvious points to attempt entry. What looks like a large railgun cannon, which the ships computer verifies is an ancient style of decellator to catch ships, and what appears to be some kind of docking ring, which might be compatible with a little work; one of the two tubes might be a possibility, depending on how much of the black substance clogs the tubes (The tubes are 4m high, the metal being a 0.5m ring, the inside 3m are the substance) and how far in; the Cerasteel domes.

Scans show that most of the asteriod is solid, so despite it's size it's not honeycombed with passages.

The power readings are coming from the two cerasteel domes, warn ANY who are thinking of breeching the structure from those 2 points about it repeatedly, include radation spiking warnings, and finally, when it's breached, the character will have exposed themselves to active hot-fusion plants, taking a severe dose of radiation.

There is no radio chatter, no signalling. If it wasn't for the warning lights and the power sources, it would still be mistaken for a big hunk of rock.

 

[Olive]

I think I'm in love...

I don't suppose you've drawn maps for the ships themselves? Or worked out boarding rules?