Justin D. Jacobson
First Post
I hope that didn't come as snarky. That wasn't my intention. I've known all along I'd have to modify our sales pitch eventually--just a question of when.Justin D. Jacobson said:
-
The VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX is LIVE! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
D20 future setting?
- Thread starter Ghost2020
- Start date
Brutorz Bill
First Post
C. Baize said:
Do you have any of your d20 Future Campaign notes/logs etc. posted anywhere?
Thanks,
Brutorz Bill
Morgenstern
First Post
From the sci-fi setting I'm working on for Spycraft 2.0...
---
The Promise
“This is it – the raggedy edge of Mankind. Here you’ve got no crystal cities, no terra-morph worlds, hardly any Justice at all. Instead you’ve got four-thousand new stars waiting within a figurative stone’s throw from good old Taos. Or they will be, once the bridgehead at Khrushchev opens. Did’ja know that’s more than double size of the Old Expanse? The Union got the jump – that ghost ship Farthest Star ferrying souls out here to stake a claim on the new. But somehow the Authority is here too – and wouldn’t just about everyone like to know the real truth behind their ‘Back Pass’? A soul with some wit or a gift could make himself a tidy sum in a place like that. Carve himself out a future – nothing like those sluggards back home. Interesting times indeed, child. Now aren’tcha glad you have me watchin’ your back?”
Mankind had settled in for another long, dreary century of modest progress. The superpowers of the day were content to stare at each other across a few backward worlds. FTL travel between the stars was expensive, but routine, with ships able to safely bridge from world to world along links in the starweb to deliver the news and high-value cargo. We knew we were not alone in the universe – aliens had been discovered and they were largely peaceable. The so called “99 Stars” of the Constellation Union would gradually become the 103 Stars or some other steadily increasing number as Survey slowly unfolded the starweb into new systems. The Solano Authority, rulers of the Earth, would just get better and better at what they did best: maximizing the output of the worlds already under the Authority’s sway. Life goes on.
That was, until someone at Survey took a good hard look at the Khrushchev system and discovered a miracle.
Khrushchev, far, far outside the settled worlds in real-space terms, was a tight binary system – a particularly complicated tangle of gravities and quantum states. The interference patterns between the two suns made for a huge number of intermittent starweb links to other nearby systems. Survey’s modeling revealed a statistical anomaly – many of the other stars within two bridges of Khrushchev also appeared to be highly connected. All told, the quiet little system was near the center of a starweb super-nexus that placed over 3,000 stars within five bridges of Khrushchev.
Unfortunately, while models could map the web around Khrushchev, standard vessels couldn’t get there. Not a single link joined the human Expanse to this new web. Still, the Director of Survey reported to the Union Assembly, “The promise of this new starweb cannot be ignored!” Reports were filed, proposals drafted, newscasts distributed. ‘The Promise’ was soon a household topic and the Union’s citizenry began to demand action. The top brass at Fleet magnanimously volunteered the services of Athena for an on-site inspection. Athena, one of only seven known Precursor ghost ships, possessed an alien FTL drive that was still making the finest superluminal specialists scratch their heads like apes. Survey’s own ghost ship, Farthest Star, was undergoing major retrofit and wouldn’t be space-worthy for years. Preparations for the mission would be the most widely followed story in human history.
Then things got really interesting.
Athena could bend physical laws until they screamed, delivering the Survey teams across the black gulf between stars by its own private route to Khrushchev. Confirmation of the super-nexus was overshadowed by an even bigger discovery. In the next twelve years, the smaller star would undergo a minor spectral shift - a sort of astrophysical settling of the stomach that would then be stable for another twenty-thousand years or so. But that tiny shift would change the course of human history. Afterwards, Khrushchev would not only connect to another thousand stars, but one of those new links would lead to Taos…
…A border world very much a part of the Union’s share of the starweb.
The Promise is about to be fulfilled.
---
Here's a blurb from the setting primer~
---
Appearance
Even in the far future, physical appearance, dress, and manners combine to form the undercurrent of social behavior and establish hierarchy. The use of genelatching to eliminate disease and extend the average lifespan of Mankind has also had tremendous impact on the standards of physical attractiveness. Biosculpture technologies have made deformity and obesity a thing of the past (or at least rare enough to raise eyebrows). Evolving far beyond the plastic surgery of the 20th century, biosculpt persuades the body to take on cosmetic modifications naturally and permanently (or until re-sculpted). Unlike gene-fixing, biosculpt uses chemical triggers, and the results are not inheritable. Changing hair, eye, and skin tone or growing hair down to the ankles takes only a week or so after a routine appointment lasting 20 minutes. Because of the common availability of biosculpture techniques, and the sheer number of human beings in the Expanse, achieving individuality through looks is a major challenge. In addition to tweaking bone structure or metabolic rates, elaborate body art and tattooing are painless, common ways of distinguishing oneself or declaring allegiance in a select community. The average observer can quickly recognize the perfect symmetry and somewhat bland good looks of commonly available treatments (much like spotting a toupe/wig in times past). Possessing naturally appealing features still has a magnetism all its own, and the very finest biosculpters strive to enhance rather than mask their client’s natural characteristics and quirks.
Union Citizens
The Constellation Union’s eclectic assembly of scattered worlds, many colonized by privately financed expeditions from the second and third wave of expansion, combined with its relative paucity of intersystem commerce has preserved and concentrated hundreds of distinctive old Earth ethnic groups and their physical features. Citizen of obvious African, Eskimo, and Irish descent rub shoulders with Chinese, Germanic, and Indian stock on the Union’s most cosmopolitan worlds. This natural diversity has helped reduced the prevalence of biosculpture on the Unions leading worlds – naturally occurring individuality is enough for many citizens.
The basic garment throughout the Union is the oilskin, a curve hugging seamless garment that covers the entire body except the head and hands. Most are a basic black with a semi-gloss finish, with deep blue, green, or red highlights where they reflect light in a shimmering display. Additional seams and ridges are often added for decorative purposes, further enhancing the wearer’s physique. The 1/4-inch thick smart fabric resembles a thin wetsuit and incorporates numerous medical features and protective qualities. The active fibers breathe or trap air depending on the environment, maintaining a constant comfortable temperature. A single tab at the collar causes the garment to become semi-fluid, expanding or collapsing into a neat ball for storage. Many citizens wear a light jacket, belt with pouches, and/or sandals or low shoes over the oilskin to provide additional pockets or traction. Worlds with strong ethnic communities add their own unique flourishes, with turbans, layers skirts, and other exotic features worn over their ‘skins. Government officials add a separate hood or hooded cloak (equally likely to be pulled forward or thrown back) to this basic outfit.
Formal wear for both parties and corporate settings is a throwback to old Europe, with black, blue or gray suit jackets over white shirts with slacks for men, long straight dresses, often topped with a bolero jacket for women. Aiguillettes or long draping chains running from neck to wrist add character to the simple lines of many formal outfits, male and female. These coils are sometimes studded with charms, curios, or faux jewels to enhance the effect or reinforce the wearer’s wealth or history. The classic tuxedo (with and without tails) is also common in financial circles.
The Union’s military uniform is a modified oilskin called a dutyskin, featuring more pockets and slightly better armor protection than the civilian oilskin. Colors along the sleeves and flanks of the torso indicate branch (Fleet white, Guard forest green, Justice sky blue), the color of the chest panel and legs indicates officer (light grey) or enlisted (tan), specific rank insignia is displayed at the collar, family name over right breast, and ribbons worn over the left breast. Full dress uniform adds silver ornamentation to the chest panel (the so-called “salad”), full medals replace ribbons, and the appropriate dress sword for each Office is worn at the side. Service members in the field wear the Union Battle Dress, a lightly armored skin with an addition support harness and visored helmet (also bearing name and rank insignia). The UBD has active camouflage features, but the default color scheme mirrors the regular uniform.
Rules for oilskins, dutyskins, the Union Battle Dress, and their additional features can be found on pages XX-XX.
Authority Factors
The vast, vast majority of Solano factors share a single intermingled ethnicity – slightly wavy black hair, large brown eyes with epicanthic folds, broad noses, smooth musculature, and clear, nut-brown skin. A 20th century visitor might suspect the entire universe had been taken over by South Pacific islanders or perhaps very tan Chinese. A cosmopolitan attitude towards humanity having always been “one race under the skin” and the heavy transportation subsidies offered in the Authority has continued to blunt and soften the few ethnic differences to survive in the oldest human worlds. Authority youths more than make up for this physical uniformity with elaborate, personalized fapeos. This body tattooing, particularly including small geometric patterns in bright colors on the cheeks, upper arms, and calves is often retained even as an adult.
Daily wear revolves around a sleeveless knee-length single color cheongsam worn over a loose ankle length dress or breaches. Flats or low boots are the norm for footgear. Arm wraps, bracers or gloves often cover the lower arms – all conspiring to leave the upper arms bare. Factors cover their shoulders only in the worst of weather. Adolescents add broad patches of bright colors to their outerwear, often further decorating them with zippers or stitched padding. Even young adults continue to favor tight shorts or capri pants, leaving their calves (and tattoos) bare.
Formal wear adds detached hanging sleeves to the basic cheongsam (similar to the broad Japanese sode). Even attached sleeves feature cutouts leaving the shoulders bare. Embroidery of fanciful creatures (serpentine dragons, thunderbirds, and narwhales) adds a splash of color to the normally unadorned tops. Broad sash cloths are tied around the waist and decorative streamers attached at the shoulder or worn in the hair twist and curl in the slightest breeze. Soft over-the-knee boots round out the ensemble for both men and women.
Thralls are dressed in a mix of dull, rusty red and/or cream in addition to wearing the distinctive monitor headband. The cut and character of their clothes matches their current use; their garments are as refined or practical as their labors require. Other factors strenuously avoid these two colors and the status as property they convey.
High ranking government officials and diplomats wear a gold wraparound cape hanging from a broad neck protector called a coulos over their regular clothes. Opening at the front left, the cape falls straight to the ankles, fully concealing the right arm while exposing the left. Diplomatic guards and the fearsome Silencers wear a pure white version of this garment and matching face shield on duty, often throwing the front flap back over the right shoulder to reveal their weaponry.
The Authority’s Consolidated Armed Forces wear a long sleeved white tunic and grey breaches bloused over shin-high boots. Military command and rank is indicated by the two colors used in the saw-tooth triangle patterned trim on the tunic and pants. Officers wear a distinctive armored sleeve on their off-hand arm, stretching from wrist guard over that shoulder. This armored sleeve includes an integrated datawell and cell-com used as part of their duties. Flag officers are allowed to personalize their uniforms and those of their command, so fleets and armies can display small variations that come and go over time. Troops in field conditions add a blast-resistant active camouflage weather poncho. High commendations and medals are worn on a single broad necklace but display of these awards is optional outside of formal occasions. Most enlisted and many officers have their rank insignia tattooed under their left eye or on the back of the left hand.
Rules for coulos, officer bracers, and Solano ponchos can be found on pages XX-XX.
---
Plus a bit from the gear section~
---
Rippers
One of two types of “energy weapons” available for hand carry, rippers are clearly an outgrowth of electrified stun weapons. Each ripper ‘round’ is roughly the size of a sunflower seed and consists of a tightly spooled coil of memory metal tipped with a minute aerodynamic arrowhead. When a round is fired the stiffening thread launches the arrowhead at tremendous speed, trailing a thread of memory metal behind it. Once the thread is imbedded in the target, capacitors in the gun deliver an initial electric pulse down the length of the thread vaporizing it. The main charge is then delivered to the target as a thin, crackling bolt of white lightning following the path of metallic vapor left by the burnt thread. Rippers capable of burst fire are fitted with more powerful capacitors and send multiple electrical pulses down the pathway generated by a single successful shot, creating a coruscating multiple lightning stroke.
With their potential for quickly incapacitating a target, ripper sidearms are commonly issued to Office of Justice mobile legionnaires and inspectors. Heavier rippers sometimes turn up in the hands of marines or pirates, as their low recoil and weak penetration against bulkheads makes for excellent micro-gravity close combat weapons.
• Reloading a ripper replaces both the cluster of coiled threads and the capacitors. Frequently there are additional threads left over when the capacitors are spent. A 20 minute Science (Fabrication) check (DC 21; GRO (Electronics kit)) can restore 2d6 – 2 shots to an expended ripper clip. Each clip may be refurbished in this fashion only once.
• Rippers make a distinctive ripping sound when they hit, equivalent to the user speaking in a normal voice for the purpose of Hide and Stealth checks. There is no supersonic crack when rippers fire, so using one does not count as firing a gun for Hide and Stealth checks. Because this sound is generated from along the entire path of fire, rippers cannot be silenced.
• Rippers wounds/damage cannot be directly traced to a specific weapon (there is no projectile to match), but are readily identified as having been inflicted by a ripper (Uncommon/Basic Knowledge check, DC 15). The residue from burnt ripper threads can be detected with the naked eye and are considered nuisance-sized objects for the purposes of concealment.
• Rippers in single shot mode only expend ammo on a successful hit. Burst fire with a ripper expends only 1 shot, and only if at least 1 volley hit.
• Rippers simultaneously inflict both lethal and electrical damage. After damage is rolled, one half of that damage (round down) is considered lethal, and one half is electrical (round up). Apply any damage reduction/electrical resistance the target possesses to each portion of this damage separately. NPCs and objects must make damage saves against each type of damage separately. If an NPC fails both saves from a single attack, the attacker may choose whether the NPC is dead or unconscious.
• Ripper weapons do not work underwater or in a vacuum.
• 1 Action die may be spent to increase ripper damage, before the result is divided into standard and electrical damage.
---
Hopefully you'll take a look when we launch Farthest Star. I'll be doing demo's at GenCon if you can make it
!
For more updates, check out the forums at www.crafty-games.com.
---
The Promise
“This is it – the raggedy edge of Mankind. Here you’ve got no crystal cities, no terra-morph worlds, hardly any Justice at all. Instead you’ve got four-thousand new stars waiting within a figurative stone’s throw from good old Taos. Or they will be, once the bridgehead at Khrushchev opens. Did’ja know that’s more than double size of the Old Expanse? The Union got the jump – that ghost ship Farthest Star ferrying souls out here to stake a claim on the new. But somehow the Authority is here too – and wouldn’t just about everyone like to know the real truth behind their ‘Back Pass’? A soul with some wit or a gift could make himself a tidy sum in a place like that. Carve himself out a future – nothing like those sluggards back home. Interesting times indeed, child. Now aren’tcha glad you have me watchin’ your back?”
Mankind had settled in for another long, dreary century of modest progress. The superpowers of the day were content to stare at each other across a few backward worlds. FTL travel between the stars was expensive, but routine, with ships able to safely bridge from world to world along links in the starweb to deliver the news and high-value cargo. We knew we were not alone in the universe – aliens had been discovered and they were largely peaceable. The so called “99 Stars” of the Constellation Union would gradually become the 103 Stars or some other steadily increasing number as Survey slowly unfolded the starweb into new systems. The Solano Authority, rulers of the Earth, would just get better and better at what they did best: maximizing the output of the worlds already under the Authority’s sway. Life goes on.
That was, until someone at Survey took a good hard look at the Khrushchev system and discovered a miracle.
Khrushchev, far, far outside the settled worlds in real-space terms, was a tight binary system – a particularly complicated tangle of gravities and quantum states. The interference patterns between the two suns made for a huge number of intermittent starweb links to other nearby systems. Survey’s modeling revealed a statistical anomaly – many of the other stars within two bridges of Khrushchev also appeared to be highly connected. All told, the quiet little system was near the center of a starweb super-nexus that placed over 3,000 stars within five bridges of Khrushchev.
Unfortunately, while models could map the web around Khrushchev, standard vessels couldn’t get there. Not a single link joined the human Expanse to this new web. Still, the Director of Survey reported to the Union Assembly, “The promise of this new starweb cannot be ignored!” Reports were filed, proposals drafted, newscasts distributed. ‘The Promise’ was soon a household topic and the Union’s citizenry began to demand action. The top brass at Fleet magnanimously volunteered the services of Athena for an on-site inspection. Athena, one of only seven known Precursor ghost ships, possessed an alien FTL drive that was still making the finest superluminal specialists scratch their heads like apes. Survey’s own ghost ship, Farthest Star, was undergoing major retrofit and wouldn’t be space-worthy for years. Preparations for the mission would be the most widely followed story in human history.
Then things got really interesting.
Athena could bend physical laws until they screamed, delivering the Survey teams across the black gulf between stars by its own private route to Khrushchev. Confirmation of the super-nexus was overshadowed by an even bigger discovery. In the next twelve years, the smaller star would undergo a minor spectral shift - a sort of astrophysical settling of the stomach that would then be stable for another twenty-thousand years or so. But that tiny shift would change the course of human history. Afterwards, Khrushchev would not only connect to another thousand stars, but one of those new links would lead to Taos…
…A border world very much a part of the Union’s share of the starweb.
The Promise is about to be fulfilled.
---
Here's a blurb from the setting primer~
---
Appearance
Even in the far future, physical appearance, dress, and manners combine to form the undercurrent of social behavior and establish hierarchy. The use of genelatching to eliminate disease and extend the average lifespan of Mankind has also had tremendous impact on the standards of physical attractiveness. Biosculpture technologies have made deformity and obesity a thing of the past (or at least rare enough to raise eyebrows). Evolving far beyond the plastic surgery of the 20th century, biosculpt persuades the body to take on cosmetic modifications naturally and permanently (or until re-sculpted). Unlike gene-fixing, biosculpt uses chemical triggers, and the results are not inheritable. Changing hair, eye, and skin tone or growing hair down to the ankles takes only a week or so after a routine appointment lasting 20 minutes. Because of the common availability of biosculpture techniques, and the sheer number of human beings in the Expanse, achieving individuality through looks is a major challenge. In addition to tweaking bone structure or metabolic rates, elaborate body art and tattooing are painless, common ways of distinguishing oneself or declaring allegiance in a select community. The average observer can quickly recognize the perfect symmetry and somewhat bland good looks of commonly available treatments (much like spotting a toupe/wig in times past). Possessing naturally appealing features still has a magnetism all its own, and the very finest biosculpters strive to enhance rather than mask their client’s natural characteristics and quirks.
Union Citizens
The Constellation Union’s eclectic assembly of scattered worlds, many colonized by privately financed expeditions from the second and third wave of expansion, combined with its relative paucity of intersystem commerce has preserved and concentrated hundreds of distinctive old Earth ethnic groups and their physical features. Citizen of obvious African, Eskimo, and Irish descent rub shoulders with Chinese, Germanic, and Indian stock on the Union’s most cosmopolitan worlds. This natural diversity has helped reduced the prevalence of biosculpture on the Unions leading worlds – naturally occurring individuality is enough for many citizens.
The basic garment throughout the Union is the oilskin, a curve hugging seamless garment that covers the entire body except the head and hands. Most are a basic black with a semi-gloss finish, with deep blue, green, or red highlights where they reflect light in a shimmering display. Additional seams and ridges are often added for decorative purposes, further enhancing the wearer’s physique. The 1/4-inch thick smart fabric resembles a thin wetsuit and incorporates numerous medical features and protective qualities. The active fibers breathe or trap air depending on the environment, maintaining a constant comfortable temperature. A single tab at the collar causes the garment to become semi-fluid, expanding or collapsing into a neat ball for storage. Many citizens wear a light jacket, belt with pouches, and/or sandals or low shoes over the oilskin to provide additional pockets or traction. Worlds with strong ethnic communities add their own unique flourishes, with turbans, layers skirts, and other exotic features worn over their ‘skins. Government officials add a separate hood or hooded cloak (equally likely to be pulled forward or thrown back) to this basic outfit.
Formal wear for both parties and corporate settings is a throwback to old Europe, with black, blue or gray suit jackets over white shirts with slacks for men, long straight dresses, often topped with a bolero jacket for women. Aiguillettes or long draping chains running from neck to wrist add character to the simple lines of many formal outfits, male and female. These coils are sometimes studded with charms, curios, or faux jewels to enhance the effect or reinforce the wearer’s wealth or history. The classic tuxedo (with and without tails) is also common in financial circles.
The Union’s military uniform is a modified oilskin called a dutyskin, featuring more pockets and slightly better armor protection than the civilian oilskin. Colors along the sleeves and flanks of the torso indicate branch (Fleet white, Guard forest green, Justice sky blue), the color of the chest panel and legs indicates officer (light grey) or enlisted (tan), specific rank insignia is displayed at the collar, family name over right breast, and ribbons worn over the left breast. Full dress uniform adds silver ornamentation to the chest panel (the so-called “salad”), full medals replace ribbons, and the appropriate dress sword for each Office is worn at the side. Service members in the field wear the Union Battle Dress, a lightly armored skin with an addition support harness and visored helmet (also bearing name and rank insignia). The UBD has active camouflage features, but the default color scheme mirrors the regular uniform.
Rules for oilskins, dutyskins, the Union Battle Dress, and their additional features can be found on pages XX-XX.
Authority Factors
The vast, vast majority of Solano factors share a single intermingled ethnicity – slightly wavy black hair, large brown eyes with epicanthic folds, broad noses, smooth musculature, and clear, nut-brown skin. A 20th century visitor might suspect the entire universe had been taken over by South Pacific islanders or perhaps very tan Chinese. A cosmopolitan attitude towards humanity having always been “one race under the skin” and the heavy transportation subsidies offered in the Authority has continued to blunt and soften the few ethnic differences to survive in the oldest human worlds. Authority youths more than make up for this physical uniformity with elaborate, personalized fapeos. This body tattooing, particularly including small geometric patterns in bright colors on the cheeks, upper arms, and calves is often retained even as an adult.
Daily wear revolves around a sleeveless knee-length single color cheongsam worn over a loose ankle length dress or breaches. Flats or low boots are the norm for footgear. Arm wraps, bracers or gloves often cover the lower arms – all conspiring to leave the upper arms bare. Factors cover their shoulders only in the worst of weather. Adolescents add broad patches of bright colors to their outerwear, often further decorating them with zippers or stitched padding. Even young adults continue to favor tight shorts or capri pants, leaving their calves (and tattoos) bare.
Formal wear adds detached hanging sleeves to the basic cheongsam (similar to the broad Japanese sode). Even attached sleeves feature cutouts leaving the shoulders bare. Embroidery of fanciful creatures (serpentine dragons, thunderbirds, and narwhales) adds a splash of color to the normally unadorned tops. Broad sash cloths are tied around the waist and decorative streamers attached at the shoulder or worn in the hair twist and curl in the slightest breeze. Soft over-the-knee boots round out the ensemble for both men and women.
Thralls are dressed in a mix of dull, rusty red and/or cream in addition to wearing the distinctive monitor headband. The cut and character of their clothes matches their current use; their garments are as refined or practical as their labors require. Other factors strenuously avoid these two colors and the status as property they convey.
High ranking government officials and diplomats wear a gold wraparound cape hanging from a broad neck protector called a coulos over their regular clothes. Opening at the front left, the cape falls straight to the ankles, fully concealing the right arm while exposing the left. Diplomatic guards and the fearsome Silencers wear a pure white version of this garment and matching face shield on duty, often throwing the front flap back over the right shoulder to reveal their weaponry.
The Authority’s Consolidated Armed Forces wear a long sleeved white tunic and grey breaches bloused over shin-high boots. Military command and rank is indicated by the two colors used in the saw-tooth triangle patterned trim on the tunic and pants. Officers wear a distinctive armored sleeve on their off-hand arm, stretching from wrist guard over that shoulder. This armored sleeve includes an integrated datawell and cell-com used as part of their duties. Flag officers are allowed to personalize their uniforms and those of their command, so fleets and armies can display small variations that come and go over time. Troops in field conditions add a blast-resistant active camouflage weather poncho. High commendations and medals are worn on a single broad necklace but display of these awards is optional outside of formal occasions. Most enlisted and many officers have their rank insignia tattooed under their left eye or on the back of the left hand.
Rules for coulos, officer bracers, and Solano ponchos can be found on pages XX-XX.
---
Plus a bit from the gear section~
---
Rippers
One of two types of “energy weapons” available for hand carry, rippers are clearly an outgrowth of electrified stun weapons. Each ripper ‘round’ is roughly the size of a sunflower seed and consists of a tightly spooled coil of memory metal tipped with a minute aerodynamic arrowhead. When a round is fired the stiffening thread launches the arrowhead at tremendous speed, trailing a thread of memory metal behind it. Once the thread is imbedded in the target, capacitors in the gun deliver an initial electric pulse down the length of the thread vaporizing it. The main charge is then delivered to the target as a thin, crackling bolt of white lightning following the path of metallic vapor left by the burnt thread. Rippers capable of burst fire are fitted with more powerful capacitors and send multiple electrical pulses down the pathway generated by a single successful shot, creating a coruscating multiple lightning stroke.
With their potential for quickly incapacitating a target, ripper sidearms are commonly issued to Office of Justice mobile legionnaires and inspectors. Heavier rippers sometimes turn up in the hands of marines or pirates, as their low recoil and weak penetration against bulkheads makes for excellent micro-gravity close combat weapons.
• Reloading a ripper replaces both the cluster of coiled threads and the capacitors. Frequently there are additional threads left over when the capacitors are spent. A 20 minute Science (Fabrication) check (DC 21; GRO (Electronics kit)) can restore 2d6 – 2 shots to an expended ripper clip. Each clip may be refurbished in this fashion only once.
• Rippers make a distinctive ripping sound when they hit, equivalent to the user speaking in a normal voice for the purpose of Hide and Stealth checks. There is no supersonic crack when rippers fire, so using one does not count as firing a gun for Hide and Stealth checks. Because this sound is generated from along the entire path of fire, rippers cannot be silenced.
• Rippers wounds/damage cannot be directly traced to a specific weapon (there is no projectile to match), but are readily identified as having been inflicted by a ripper (Uncommon/Basic Knowledge check, DC 15). The residue from burnt ripper threads can be detected with the naked eye and are considered nuisance-sized objects for the purposes of concealment.
• Rippers in single shot mode only expend ammo on a successful hit. Burst fire with a ripper expends only 1 shot, and only if at least 1 volley hit.
• Rippers simultaneously inflict both lethal and electrical damage. After damage is rolled, one half of that damage (round down) is considered lethal, and one half is electrical (round up). Apply any damage reduction/electrical resistance the target possesses to each portion of this damage separately. NPCs and objects must make damage saves against each type of damage separately. If an NPC fails both saves from a single attack, the attacker may choose whether the NPC is dead or unconscious.
• Ripper weapons do not work underwater or in a vacuum.
• 1 Action die may be spent to increase ripper damage, before the result is divided into standard and electrical damage.
---
Hopefully you'll take a look when we launch Farthest Star. I'll be doing demo's at GenCon if you can make it
!For more updates, check out the forums at www.crafty-games.com
.
Last edited:
C. Baize
First Post
Brutorz Bill said:
I have a few of them on ENWorld, somewhere... A few more on my forums (not granny friendly), and a lot more in hand written notes, and in the SpaceMaster book.
Basically... if you took almost all the Sci-Fi movies/books/games I've ever played and meshed them into one big conglomeration and removed serious FTL travel... you'd have a good base from which I started.
I'm talking Klingons, Wookiees, Kilrathi, Zerg, Predators, TIE-Fighters, Kilrathi ships, Star Law, StarFlight ][ aliens.... Add in a healthy helping of non-magical creatures from D&D/D20 Modern/Menace Manual/etc... etc...
The main point of it, though, is that the human empire is contained within the SpaceMaster feudal system, with Star Law officers working as a sort of old west "US Marshall" (they have jurisdiction anywhere in the empire).
At this point, the PCs are messing around on the fringe of the Empire, making occasional forays into Jade London or Cashmere space (via Jumpgates) for missions and illicit trading opportunities.
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