Dawning Star Questions Answered Here

[MrFilthyIke]

Well, "Traveller" covers a wealth of sins. Quick hint at my age: I started playing Traveller back in 1982, if memory serves. (Wow! Is that possible?).

Seeing as my wife's a huge Traveller fan, would it be easy to "plop" Dawning Star into a Traveller setting or cosmos?

 

[Justin D. Jacobson]

would it be easy to "plop" Dawning Star into a Traveller setting or cosmos?

I can't guarantee anything, because campaigns are personal matters. But I would say you shouldn't have any problem doing so. At a minimum, there will be plenty of stuff in there usable in any campaign for any system.

In any case, if you pick up a copy of Operation Quick Launch, you'll be able to try it out for yourself. I know you'll want to pick up a copy; I just can't tell you why yet. TOP SECRET!

 

[Wycen]

I believe Operation Quick Launch is perfect for dropping into a campaign. The focus on a single planet and its inhabitants makes it a great drop in type resource.

 

[Lord Morte]

Are there any new alien PC races or monsters in Operation Quick Launch? If so, what can you tell us about them?

Also, what are you using from d20 Future? Should we expect mecha, cybernetics, nanotech, genetic engineering, mutations?

 

[Justin D. Jacobson]

Are there any new alien PC races or monsters in Operation Quick Launch? If so, what can you tell us about them?

There are only two playable PC species in OQL, and one of them is the humans. The other are the velin, who were previewed in d20 Filtered #2. We limited to those two, because OQL focuses on the planet Eos, and they're the only two on that planet. The Dawning Star Campaign Setting will have a total of nine playable PC species.

I don't have my text available right now, but there's something like twelve other alien creatures in OQL. Most of these are native Eotian species and serve to flesh out the setting and provide obstacles for the PCs. They range from the Dawson dragon (a komodo-like mount) to the Yanoris raptor (a hawk-like bird that likes to swoop in and steal objects). The setting's principal "villains" are the vaasi, and OQL presents three of their servitor races: the phrenics (literally feeding off emotional distress), the vaasi warhounds (just like they sound), and the vaasi soldiers (the rank and file of the vaasi army). The Dawning Star Campaign Setting will have tons of additional creatures, including a "biota catalog" with brief descriptions of many more of the Eotian flora and fauna that don't require full statblocks, all the major creatures of the other planets in the Helios system, and everything you ever wanted to know about the vaasi but were too afraid to ask.

Also, what are you using from d20 Future? Should we expect mecha, cybernetics, nanotech, genetic engineering, mutations?

We built Dawning Star using the design theory behind Eberron. While not everything in d20 Future is directly included, we "made a place" for everything, if the GM so desires. So, it's not "mecha-centric" in the sense of a Robotech-type setting, but there's a sidebar explaining where mecha fit in and how they can be used. For example, one of the features of Dawning Star is alien relic-hunting. An ancient alien mecha would be a perfectly reasonable relic to recover--after a lethal adventure through an alien ruin, of course. OQL describes the relevance of each of the d20 Future areas in the setting and how they can be expanded. Cybernetics are directly covered, including a few new implants. We had to cut some interesting nanotech at the last minute, but it will be back in the Dawning Star Campaign Setting. Genetic engineering is discussed in the same manner as mecha and could be expanded to suit a particular campaign. Mutations are not particularly germaine to Eos, but one of the playable PC species in the Dawning Star Campaign Setting will feature them.

Thanks for your interest.